
Anatomy of a Coaching Carousel: 2012
About this episode
In this subscriber episode, Godfrey, Richard, and Alex revisit 28 head coach transitions before the 2012 college football season. This was one of the most consequential coach carousels of the 21st century, with lots of very good, lots of very bad, plenty in the middle, and also the John L. Smith situation:
THE GOOD
* 9:29: Urban Meyer to Ohio State
* 16:05: Mike Leach to Washington State
* 22:39: Bill O’Brien to Penn State
* 31:34: Justin Fuente to Memphis
* 34:28: Matt Campbell to Toledo
* 35:31: Jim McElwain to Colorado State
* 36:55: Gus Malzahn to Arkansas State
* 39:28: Terry Bowden to Akron
THE WHATEVER
* 41:36: Jim Mora Jr. to UCLA
* 46:54: Todd Graham to Arizona State
* 50:28: Paul Chryst to Pitt
* 51:10: Larry Fedora to North Carolina
* 53:42: Kyle Flood to Rutgers
* 55:45: Bob Davie to New Mexico
* 56:46: Tim DeRuyter to Fresno State
THE UGLY
* 58:05: Tim Beckman to Illinois
* 59:00: Tony Levine to Houston
* 1:00:59: Curtis Johnson to Tulane
* 1:01:59: Norm Chow to Hawaii
* 1:05:54: Charley Molnar to UMass
* 1:06:21: Garrick McGee to UAB
* 1:13:08: Carl Pelini to FAU
* 1:17:05: Ellis Johnson to Southern Miss
* 1:19:25: Charlie Weis to Kansas
* 1:28:00: John L. Smith to Arkansas
THE DEBATABLE
* 1:20:48: Kevin Sumlin to Texas A&M
* 1:21:36: Hugh Freeze to Ole Miss
* 1:25:02: Rich Rodriguez to Arizona
Produced by Anthony Vito.
Paid subscribers can here this episode and also our other “Anatomy of a Coaching Carousel” shows:
* 2001
* 2010
Everyone else can hear free previews of these episodes. Thanks so much to our paid subscribers for making this show possible.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Does the Big 12 Even Want This Sack of Cash?
Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

What Returning Production Says about 2026, Feat. Bill Connelly
Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Brendan Sorsby's Gambling Has Texas Tech In Crisis
Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Five Offseason CFB Stories Ranging from Weird to Transformative
Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast