First off, this is my eighth coach candidate list and if you want to check the others out, they will be below:
https://fanspo.com/nfl/s/college_football/p/ehkeG_1Wbo6Yb-/coach-candidate-tier-list-links
Let's get to business. This is the hardest one I made, and it may be the shortest one I made. Kent State has had a history of failure and seemed to have turned things around with Sean Lewis. After one bad season, Lewis left to join Deion Sanders' inaugural staff in Colorado. To replace Sean Lewis, who had the Golden Flashes offense in the top 10 three of his five season there, he hired Minnesota's RB coach Kenni Burns. I was not a fan of Burns and personally thought they should have hired someone off Matt Rhule's Nebraska staff fresh off his first season. To no shock (to me) the Kenni Burns tenure was a ultimate failure. He went 1-23 and the only win came from Central Connecticut State on his third game of a head coach. That is not the reason for his firing. Instead, in the Spring he was suspended for violating multiple school policies that mostly all have yet to become public. The only thing I have seen is that he used his personal credit card for something. It is unknown to what that something is but that something got him fired.
Kent State is not only one of the hardest schools in the FBS due to it's on the field stuff, but it is also one of the top FBS programs to lack resources. They lack so much resources that Kenni Burns salary last season was less than $500,000. In today's age, an average P5 coordinator makes roughly $1 million. An average P5 position coach makes roughly $600,00. That's not to mention that coaches like Wink Martindale, Jim Knowles, and Brian Hartline are making over $2 million. The coach who takes the job has to know how or what to do more with less. Most, if not all, the coaches knows how to win big at a small school, it's just does Kent State give them a call?
If Things Keep Rolling...
Mark Carney, Kent State (Interim; 2025 season only)
The current interim has big shoes to fill, and it all started with at least get a win this season. They got their first season since Week 3, and then they played Texas Tech and just got beat to death. They then played close with Buffalo then to get trounced back to back by then top 10 teams. Last week, they absolutely crushed UMass in a game that looked like something straight out of Sean Lewis' time there. Before the season started, I said this team has to win 4 games for Carney to become the permanent coach, and they are halfway there.
Experienced HC
Jim Fleming, Rhode Island (2014-?)
I really like this hire because this is an old school coach who is known for his old school defense that just punches you when you try to get up. He is also a former LB coach here in 2010 and could be a great coach to try get things going in a short time then step away and allow his assistant to take the reins. He also has been at Rhode Island for 12 seasons and just found success after all these years fighting to stay in the .500 win percentage.
Cris Reisert, Gardner-Webb (2024-?)
An Ohio native who found success at DII Tiffin then decided to take the leap to go to the FCS is now finding some success after putting 35 on Ohio. He is only 39 with experience you'd expect from an 50 year old. Could he return home and fix Kent State?
Mike Houston, Clemson (Volunteer DA; 2025-?)
I think this is a sneaky good hire right here. Houston has had success everywhere he has been. Nearly won the DII with Lenior-Rhyne, turned a military school of The Citadel into a force to reckon with, won the FCS in his first season at James Madison, and then he slowly got East Carolina into a perennial bowl team until he lost his star QB Holton Ahlers and had to go back to square one as the offense was revolved around Ahler's talents and everyone else he threw in didn't mesh well. I feel like Kent State is a perfect place for him to revive his career.
Up and Comers
Kevin Decker, Old Dominion (OC; 2023-?)
Another hire I would like. Decker was a stereotypical northeast coach with a northeast offense with results you expected from a northeast school. During COVID, as the FCS season was postponed to the spring, he had time to watch other teams played and he got so fixated with one team in particular. It was UCF with head coach Josh Heupel and OC Alex Golesh. After watching them play, he changed his entire offense at Fordham to mold what Heupel succeeded at UCF and he instantly had success. He later got a call from ODU's HC Ricky Rahne and he brought in his offensive style to a team with an offensive minded coach. He has now developed a QB that I would like to consider one of the best dual threat QB's in Sun Belt history and after that Virginia Tech upset, I would hire Decker in a heartbeat.
Norval McKenzie, Georgia Tech (RGC; 2023-?)
I'm a big fan of McKenzie hoping that Middle Tennessee would had called him before hiring Derek Mason. He is a Georgia native, played on Vandy and was on Clark Lea's staff before he left to join Brent Key's staff. He has had success coaching RB's, but the main reason I would hire Norval is how big of a culture guy he is and what he brings unto the team. He also has learned from two big culture guys as well and from then Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield which helps solidify him on the list.
Abdul Hodge, Iowa (TE; 2022-?)
Former Iowa LB is the most coveted position coach in all of the Big Ten, Iowa's TE coach. Under Kirk Ferentz' watch, he has prioritized the TE position as the main necessity in the pass game along with making them the sixth OL in the run game. A few names on the top of my head are George Kittle, TJ Hockenson, and Dallas Clark. Since Abdul Hodge has been the TE coach, he has coached Sam LaPorta, Erick All, and Luke Lachey. If Hodge can bring a new, rejuvenated offense that builds around the TE similar to Iowa, I'm all in!
Why!?
Josh Cribbs, former Kent State QB and NFL Return Specialist
I know we have seen Deion Sanders, Eddie George, Eddie Robinson Jr, DeSean Jackson, and Michael Vick all get head coaching jobs with little to no coaching experience, but what sense does it make for Kent State to risk it? In the FCS it's a low risk, high reward. In the FBS, it will be a high risk, high reward because there will be thousands of people watching you from the stands to the TV screens and it will turn Kent State into a laughing stock instead of the forgetful Ohio school in the MAC filled with Ohio schools. If Kent State wants to hire someone like Bowling Green did, follow Bowling Green's path and hire a FCS coach like George that has a big name and has enough experience that you confident in succeeding. May I recommend watching out for someone like DeSean Jackson or Mickey Joseph. Hue Jackson would have tons of buzz in the state of Ohio if he took the job.
There you go, that's my list. It's a bit unorganized because I had to fetch nearly all of the names. The only names I have seen were Josh Cribbs and Mark Carney. Everyone else are my personal opinions if I was apart of the search committee. I may post another coach candidate list, if not, then you will see another tomorrow.
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section! I appreciate the love in the last few coach candidates lists and the feedback from everybody! Trying to make this the best I can even though a lot of y'all may not enjoy these long form content.