The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Steve Ellis.
Defensive coordinator · 2 seasons · 2 stints · 2 programs0 seasons 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.
Middle Tennessee 2014–2015
Louisville 2026–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Middle Tennessee, 2 years
+46.9
27.0 to 73.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | Middle Tennessee | no record | 27.0 | 73.8 | +27.5 |
| 2026–2026 | Louisville | no record | — | — | — |
No prior-season record for the first stop (Middle Tennessee, 2014) — the data floor starts there.
Louisville: just hired, no season coached yet.