Throwing a famous name into a coaching job does not fix a broken program. It just buys time while the real problems rot from the inside. Oklahoma just promoted Jason Witten, a Pro Football Hall of Famer-in-waiting, as their interim offensive coordinator. He has zero experience calling plays at this level. Yet the fan base feels better just because they recognize the face.
According to Fox Sports, this action provides Oklahoma a familiar figure to unite behind following eight contests of weak offense. But there are no assurances that he will succeed. The school passed up a proven playcaller in Kevin Wilson, who is already on staff. They chose celebrity over a track record. That is a gamble that has failed everywhere else in the sport.
The Celebrity Trap
Over the past nine years, schools have hired former NFL stars and TV personalities to run their programs. These hires often have impressive playing résumés but little coaching experience. None have emerged as long-term answers. Herm Edwards, formerly of Arizona State, departed leaving behind NCAA violations and a Heisman candidate, Jayden Daniels, who lacked development. Trent Dilfer, the ex-UAB head coach, was dismissed subsequent to three straight seasons with losing records and a 9-21 tally.
The people with the money and power keep making these choices. They think a big name sells tickets. But the wins do not follow. The track record is clear. You cannot coach with a resume from a decade ago. The game moves too fast. A new face might look good on a poster, but it does not stop a defense.
When Business Rules the Sidelines
Florida State president Richard McCullough made this clear when he fired Mike Norvell in the middle of a losing season. “This is a big business decision,” he said. “It’s the future, the fate of Florida State football.” That might sound like a canned phrase, but the numbers back up the fear. Beginning in 2024, the Seminoles hold the poorest ACC record at 4-17. No span of this length in school history has seen a conference run as bad as this.
Per ESPN, 16 people familiar with Florida State described “misalignment” and “dysfunction” as major problems inside the football building. A staff member claimed “snakes in the grass, and no synergy” existed while Norvell attempted to manage a challenging workplace atmosphere. The program has become the league’s worst team. Being the top dog gave them confidence to sue the league, but now they have no guarantee that another conference would want them.
Rankings Mean Nothing If You Can’t Win
The whole landscape is shaking because the top teams keep falling. Indiana lost at home. Ohio State has two losses. Texas lost back-to-back games to unranked opponents. Between 2014 and 2025, squads placed 1st or 2nd achieved an .888 winning rate during the regular season. Last year, they lost a grand total of two games. This year, with four weeks left, the top two teams have already lost six times.
Current turnover at the top of the rankings exceeds that found at a fast food drive-thru. Schools keep hiring famous coaches to fix this, but the results stay the same. Another source knowledgeable about the Florida State football office stated “They’re the headline story for what college football is right now,”, per ESPN. The story is not about who is famous. It is about who can win. Until schools stop chasing stars and start hiring coaches, the chaos will keep rolling.
