Six coaches across three college football programs lost their jobs in roughly 30 hours. The dismissals followed disappointing results and struggles on defense and special teams, forcing staff changes with three regular-season games remaining.
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Georgia Tech accounted for four departures, dismissing defensive coordinator Jason Semore, defensive ends coach Kyle Pope, offensive line coach Allen Mogridge and wide receivers coach Jafar Williams from Brent Key’s staff.
Ohio State fired special teams coordinator Robby Discher after its loss to Oregon, while Purdue dismissed defensive coordinator Kevin Kane following its defeat to Maryland.
“Sources: Georgia Tech has dismissed four staff members – defensive coordinator Jason Semore, defensive ends coach Kyle Pope, offensive line coach Allen Mogridge and wide receivers coach Jafar Williams. Georgia Tech is 2-7 this season and in last place in the ACC,” Thamel posted on X.
Georgia Tech dismisses four coaches amid 2-7 Season
Georgia accounts for four of the six departures, with changes across both sides of the ball. The Yellow Jackets are 2-7 and last in the ACC, prompting head coach Brent Key to make adjustments with three regular-season games remaining.
The downturn follows three consecutive winning seasons under Key, with Georgia Tech finishing 7-6 in both 2023 and 2024 before going 9-4 in 2025. Last season began with eight straight victories, the program’s best start since 1966, before the Yellow Jackets lost four of their final five games.
Key had already changed his staff entering 2026. Semore, Mogridge and Williams were all in their first seasons at Georgia Tech, with Semore hired in January to replace Blake Gideon as defensive coordinator. Pope, meanwhile, was in his third season with the program. Monday’s dismissals therefore cut short three recent appointments as well as the tenure of a longer-serving assistant.
The immediate backdrop was Saturday’s 44-17 home loss to Louisville, Georgia Tech’s fourth consecutive defeat. The result left the Yellow Jackets last in the ACC and guaranteed their first losing season since 2022. They allowed 456 yards against the Cardinals, another difficult outing for a defense surrendering a conference-worst 222.8 rushing yards per game. Key’s frustration was clear afterward.
“The way we coach, the way we play, it’s embarrassing. It’s a joke. Starts with me,” he said. He also indicated that plans to address the slide were already underway, preceding the staff changes announced two days later.
The school confirmed on November 9 that all four assistants had been relieved of their duties, effective immediately. Key said the decisions followed several weeks of consideration and were intended to put the players in a better position for the final stretch while addressing the program’s longer-term expectations. Georgia Tech’s four departures accounted for the largest share of the six dismissals across the three programs.
The changes also bring immediate reshuffling. Defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri will take over defensive play-calling, while defensive tackles coach Jess Simpson will add defensive ends and outside linebackers to his responsibilities. Senior defensive analyst Jack Tyler will coach the linebackers. Assistant wide receivers coach DeAndre Hopkins and assistant offensive line coach Brandon Torrey will lead their respective position groups. Georgia Tech will prepare for its remaining games with the revised staff, beginning with a trip to Clemson.
Ohio State parts ways with Robby Discher after Oregon loss
Ohio State fired special teams coordinator Robby Discher on Monday after nine games, following its 41-28 home loss to Oregon on November 7. The fake punt that helped swing that game was the latest setback for a unit that had contributed to each of the Buckeyes’ three defeats.
The warning signs began in the September 12 loss to Texas, when Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal in a game Ohio State lost 24-23. Special teams struggled again in the 30-18 defeat at USC on October 31, allowing a 44-yard punt return and committing three penalties. Those mistakes had already put the unit under scrutiny before Oregon arrived in Columbus.
Against the Ducks, Ohio State led 14-3 and appeared ready to get the ball back after forcing fourth-and-9 at Oregon’s own 31-yard line. Instead, defensive lineman Teitum Tuioti took the snap on a fake punt and threw a jump pass to fellow defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei for a 30-yard gain. Oregon finished the possession with a touchdown and led 17-14 by halftime. The score was part of a run of 38 unanswered points that carried the Ducks to victory.
Day pointed to the missed opportunity afterward, explaining that a stop would have allowed Ohio State’s offense to regain possession and run more time off the clock. With the Buckeyes facing a second consecutive defeat, he said he would “evaluate everything” and made clear that accountability extended to his coaches.
“I think it all starts with the staff. And then it goes to the players. So there needs to be accountability for all of it,” Day said.
Discher, who joined Ohio State in February after coordinating special teams and coaching tight ends at Illinois, became the first assistant Day has fired during a season in his eight years as head coach. The decision also carries a financial cost, with Ohio State owing Discher more than $500,000 under the terms of his contract.
The Buckeyes will begin adjusting without him when they host Northwestern at Ohio Stadium on November 14, with kickoff scheduled for noon ET. Ohio State enters that game trying to end a two-game losing streak, leaving Day’s revised staff three regular-season games to address the special-teams problems that contributed to the change.
Purdue fires Kevin Kane after Maryland defeat
Purdue fired defensive coordinator Kevin Kane on November 8, less than 24 hours after its 34-29 loss to Maryland. The decision ended Kane’s second stint as the Boilermakers’ defensive coordinator after nine games.
The Boilermakers led 12-7 at halftime but conceded 27 points after the break, allowing Maryland to snap a 13-game Big Ten losing streak. The defeat was Purdue’s third straight and dropped its overall record to 3-6.
The breakdown was marked by long touchdowns rather than sustained drives alone. Purdue allowed 8.7 yards per play, with Maryland scoring on a 44-yard pass to Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, a 75-yard run by DeJuan Williams and an 87-yard catch-and-run by Chris Durr Jr. All three touchdowns came in the second half, turning their halftime advantage into another defeat. Odom pointed directly to those defensive lapses afterward.
“You can’t play as good as we did early on defense, and then all of a sudden you give up four explosive plays, really for touchdowns,” he said. “You’ll never win games doing that.”
Not to mention, Kane’s dismissal followed the next day, as Purdue joined the programs making staff changes before the regular season was over.
Its defense ranked 123rd among 138 FBS teams in total defense, allowing 415.4 yards per game, and 124th in scoring defense at 32.33 points per game through nine games. Kane was in his second stint as Purdue’s defensive coordinator after returning from Minnesota, where he coached in 2025.
Purdue dismissed head coach Ryan Walters on December 1, 2024, following the conclusion of the regular season, and named Barry Odom his replacement a week later. Walters subsequently joined Washington as defensive coordinator in January 2025. Kane’s dismissal now adds another difficult chapter to the Boilermakers’ rebuilding efforts under Odom.
Head coach Barry Odom said the defense had not made the progress expected and that the team needed a lift.
The team has not publicly identified who will handle defensive play-calling following Kane’s dismissal. Odom and defensive analysts Neal Renna and Dave Steckel will share linebackers-coaching responsibilities for now. The Boilermakers visit Iowa on November 14.
With crucial games still ahead, Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Purdue must now prove these coaching changes can deliver results before the season slips further away.
