The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Colin Hitschler.
Defensive coordinator · 4 seasons · 5 stints · 5 programs2 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense+0.26#60 of 458 · more than most
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.
Cincinnati 2022–2022
Wisconsin 2023–2023
Alabama 2024–2024
James Madison 2025–2025
UCLA 2026–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–2022 | Cincinnati | 94.2 | 87.4 | 87.4 | +33.8 |
| 2023–2023 | Wisconsin | 79.0 | 59.8 | 59.8 | +1.7 |
| 2024–2024 | Alabama | 72.6 | 98.9 | 98.9 | +23.1 |
| 2025–2025 | James Madison | 91.4 | 93.0 | 93.0 | +59.1 |
| 2026–2026 | UCLA | no record | — | — | — |
Cincinnati 2022–2022: ranked 94th the year before he arrived, 87th at its best — went backwards.
Wisconsin 2023–2023: ranked 79th the year before he arrived, 60th at its best — went backwards.
UCLA: just hired, no season coached yet.