The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Ben Needham.
Defensive coordinator · 5 seasons · 3 stints · 2 programs0 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense−0.03#249 of 458 · a typical amount
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.
Kent State 2016–2017
Eastern Michigan 2023–2025
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Kent State, 2 years
+8.7
36.3 to 45.0 percentile.
Eastern Michigan, 3 years
+14.3
16.2 to 30.5 percentile.
Median defensive coordinator
+1.0
first season to last, across 239 stints of 3+ years. 52.3% improve at all.
Every stop on the calendar
| Years | Program | Walked into | Year 1 | Best | Vs. talent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2016 | Kent State | 74.6 | 36.3 | 36.3 | +1.0 |
| 2017–2017 | Kent State | 36.3 | 45.0 | 45.0 | +9.7 |
| 2023–2025 | Eastern Michigan | 23.3 | 16.2 | 42.2 | −11.8 |
Kent State 2016–2016: ranked 75th the year before he arrived, 36th at its best — went backwards.