The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Spence Nowinsky.
Defensive coordinator · 8 seasons · 4 stints · 4 programs1 season ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense+0.32#43 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.
Miami (OH) 2018–2021
Ohio 2022–2023
Memphis 2024–2024
New Mexico 2025–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Miami (OH), 4 years
−4.6
55.8 to 51.2 percentile.
Ohio, 2 years
+71.9
21.8 to 93.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2021 | Miami (OH) | 65.8 | 55.8 | 71.3 | +18.9 |
| 2022–2023 | Ohio | 19.6 | 21.8 | 93.6 | +21.1 |
| 2024–2024 | Memphis | 46.2 | 31.0 | 31.0 | −18.3 |
| 2025–2026 | New Mexico | 3.4 | 79.8 | 79.8 | +49.2 |
Memphis 2024–2024: ranked 46th the year before he arrived, 31st at its best — went backwards.