MTSU football coaching search: Here's 11 names, including Butch Jones, Manny Diaz, Gene Chizik
The search has begun for the next Middle Tennessee State football coach after the university fired Rick Stockstill.
The Blue Raiders, who finished 4-8 in 2023, have had just three coaches in 45 years. Stockstill was at the helm for the previous 18 seasons, going 113-111.
Here's a look at coaches who could be a potential fit for the Blue Raiders:
Tom Allen
The 53-year-old Allen was recently fired at Indiana after a 33-49 record in seven years there, but he was the Big Ten and AFCA Coach of the Year in 2020 after the Hoosiers went 6-2 and defeated Michigan for the first time in 33 years.
Gene Chizik
The 61-year-old Chizik was coach at Iowa State and Auburn and is currently an assistant at North Carolina. He went 33-19 with Auburn and is 38-38 overall.
Manny Diaz
The 49-year-old Diaz has MTSU ties and Power Five coaching experience. He spent four years (2006-09) as defensive coordinator at MTSU before handling the same role at Mississippi State, Texas and Miami before landing head coaching jobs at Temple (leaving after two weeks for Miami) and Miami. He is currently the defensive coordinator at Penn State. Had a 21-15 record at Miami.
Glen Elarbee
The 43-year-old Elarbee was a standout offensive lineman for the Blue Raiders (1998-2002) and has established himself as one of the top offensive line coaches in the nation, including stints at MTSU, Houston, Missouri, Central Florida and currently Tennessee.
Larry Fedora
The 61-year-old Fedora, who was MTSU's offensive coordinator from 1999-2001, has been the coach at Southern Miss (34-19 from 2008-11) and North Carolina (45-43 from 2012-18). He has most recently been an assistant at Baylor and a coach for a season in the USFL
Will Healy
The 38-year-old Healy made a name for himself at Austin Peay (2016-18), going 8-4 in 2017 before ultimately landing a job with former CUSA program Charlotte, where he went 15-24 in four seasons, taking the 49ers to a bowl game in 2019. He is currently at Central Florida as an advisor and senior analyst.
Buster Faulkner
The 42-year-old Faulkner is another with MTSU ties, having been the Blue Raiders offensive coordinator from 2011-15. He has been an assistant at Georgia Tech since 2020, including offensive coordinator this past season. Prior to that he was a coordinator at Arkansas State and Southern Miss.
Butch Jones
The 55-year-old Jones has been a coach of Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Tennessee and currently Arkansas State, where he has the Wolves bowl eligible in 2023. He went 23-14 at Cincinnati and 34-27 at Tennessee, where the Vols went 9-4 in back-to-back years (2015-16).
MORE: Athletic director says next MTSU football coach should have 'over the top' personality
Mike MacIntyre
The 58-year-old MacIntyre has Nashville ties and is part of a deep coaching family. He was the coach at San Jose State (2010-12, 16-21 record), Colorado (2013-18, 30-44) and currently at CUSA program FIU, where he has gone 4-8 in each of his two seasons there. He has also been a defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.
Will Muschamp
The 52-year-old Muschamp has had two coaching stops in the SEC, going 28-21 at Florida from 2011-14 and 28-30 at South Carolina from 2016-20. He has been a defensive coordinator at Auburn and Texas an has been an assistant at Georgia since 2021, being part of two consecutive national championships and currently co-defensive coordinator.
Scotty Walden
The 34-year-old Walden is a hot name in the coaching ranks after leading Austin Peay to a 26-14 record in four seasons, including a 9-3 mark and FCS playoff appearance in 2023. He is 34-20 overall, including four games as interim head coach at Southern Miss in 2020.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU football coaching search: 11 to consider, including Butch Jones
