The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Derek Nicholson.
Defensive coordinator · 3 seasons · 2 stints · 2 programs1 season ranked in the national top 10%
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.
Southern Miss 2018–2019
Miami 2024–2024
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Southern Miss, 2 years
−30.0
95.8 to 65.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | Southern Miss | 66.5 | 95.8 | 95.8 | +37.0 |
| 2024–2024 | Miami | 53.0 | 45.1 | 45.1 | −18.1 |
Miami 2024–2024: ranked 53rd the year before he arrived, 45th at its best — went backwards.