The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Aaron Henry.
Defensive coordinator · 4 seasons · 2 stints · 2 programs0 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense−0.01#226 of 458 · a typical amount
model fit as of 2026-09-04
The tenure clock
Every stop re-aligned to its own first year, so the stops stack instead of scrolling past each other. The gray dashed line is a reference, not a path: each point is the median of whoever was still in the job that year, across every real OC/DC stint since 2014 at that role, and the pool shrinks year over year because surviving to a later year means not having been fired.
Illinois 2023–2025
Notre Dame 2026–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Illinois, 3 years
+0.5
44.0 to 44.5 percentile.
Median defensive coordinator
−1.5
first season to last, across 239 stints of 3+ years. 48.1% improve at all.
Every stop on the calendar
| Years | Program | Walked into | Year 1 | Best | Vs. talent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2025 | Illinois | 98.1 | 44.0 | 44.5 | −7.6 |
| 2026–2026 | Notre Dame | 95.2 | 79.3 | 79.3 | — |
Illinois 2023–2025: ranked 98th the year before he arrived, 44th at its best — went backwards.
Notre Dame 2026–2026: ranked 95th the year before he arrived, 79th at its best — went backwards.