The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
D. J. Smith.
Defensive coordinator · 5 seasons · 3 stints · 2 programs1 season ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense−0.11#304 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.
Missouri 2022–2024
App State 2025–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Missouri, 3 years
+10.6
60.7 to 71.3 percentile.
App State, 2 years
+43.2
20.2 to 63.4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–2023 | Missouri | 12.7 | 60.7 | 92.9 | +18.1 |
| 2024–2024 | Missouri | 92.9 | 71.3 | 71.3 | +9.9 |
| 2025–2026 | App State | 23.5 | 20.2 | 63.4 | −27.6 |
Missouri 2024–2024: ranked 93rd the year before he arrived, 71st at its best — went backwards.