The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Nick Howell.
Defensive coordinator · 12 seasons · 6 stints · 5 programs0 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense−0.32#429 of 458 · less 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.
BYU 2014–2015
Virginia 2016–2021
Vanderbilt 2022–2023
New Mexico 2024–2024
Utah State 2025–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
BYU, 2 years
+11.7
75.4 to 87.1 percentile.
Virginia, 6 years
−10.4
26.2 to 15.8 percentile.
Vanderbilt, 2 years
−2.4
6.5 to 4.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | BYU | no record | 75.4 | 87.1 | +36.8 |
| 2016–2017 | Virginia | 33.2 | 26.2 | 41.2 | −20.6 |
| 2018–2021 | Virginia | 41.2 | 71.9 | 71.9 | −16.5 |
| 2022–2023 | Vanderbilt | 11.2 | 6.5 | 6.5 | −46.6 |
| 2024–2024 | New Mexico | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | −34.8 |
| 2025–2026 | Utah State | 33.2 | 32.0 | 32.0 | −7.5 |
No prior-season record for the first stop (BYU, 2014) — the data floor starts there.
Vanderbilt 2022–2023: ranked 11th the year before he arrived, 6th at its best — went backwards.
New Mexico 2024–2024: ranked 3rd the year before he arrived, 3rd at its best — went backwards.
Utah State 2025–2026: ranked 33rd the year before he arrived, 32nd at its best — went backwards.