Who could be the Charlotte 49ers’ next football coach? Here are six candidates

In today’s age of college football, you can’t waste a day. And with the firing of second-year head coach Biff Poggi Monday evening, Charlotte 49ers director of athletics Mike Hill and his staff have already begun the search for the fourth coach in program history.

After taking swings at two consecutive CEO-type head coaches in Poggi and Will Healy, it’s clear that the Niners need to take a different approach.

Hill is now seeking more of a traditional football coach.

“I’m really looking for somebody that has an expertise on one side of the ball ... Somebody that has cache and respect in college football coaching circles who has thrived in whatever role they may be in, whether they’re a coordinator or current head coach,” Hill said.

The 49ers haven’t had a leader with specific expertise on the field since the program’s first head coach, Brad Lambert.

With transfer portal windows and early signing day upcoming, this hire is expected to be expedited. Here are six candidates who could fit the bill as the 49ers’ next coach.

Alex Atkins, former Florida State offensive line coach

If Hill is looking for someone with Charlotte ties, former Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins’ name is on the shortlist. After spending the 2019 season — Charlotte’s only season with a winning record — with the 49ers, Atkins is familiar with the program and state. And despite leaving for Florida State following the season, Healy and the 49ers made an effort to lure Atkins back to the program in 2022. Charlotte, however, was unable to match the funding that the Seminoles could provide.

In Atkins’ lone season with Charlotte, the 49ers led C-USA with 195 rushing yards per game, scored a program FBS-high of 30.1 points per game, and allowed just 21 quarterback sacks — the second least in the conference. The 49ers went on to win a program-best seven games, qualifying for the lone bowl game in its history.

Atkins joined the Seminoles as offensive line coach in 2020, serving in that role for two seasons before being promoted to offensive coordinator. He was fired on Nov. 10 as Florida State struggled to a 1-9 record. Atkins also started this season with a three-game suspension in connection with NCAA recruiting violations at FSU in 2022.

Brian Bohannon, former Kennesaw State head coach

Although not a finalist in Charlotte’s 2022 coaching search, former Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon was in the mix prior to Poggi’s hire. Bohannon was fired by the Owls just over a week ago, following seven winning seasons in nine years. The Owls made the move following a 1-8 start this season, which was Bohannon’s second-consecutive losing season, and first in Conference USA.

A former Georgia Bulldog, Bohannon played wide receiver in Athens from 1990-93 and made stops at West Georgia, Georgia Southern, and Georgia Tech as position coaches before joining Kennesaw State ahead of the program’s first season.

Much like Poggi stopping by Charlotte’s first practice after his termination on Tuesday morning, Bohannon greeted the Owls’ team before their first game following his firing, receiving love from the program he built in Georgia.

Tim Brewster, Charlotte 49ers interim head coach

Currently serving as the interim head coach, Tim Brewster threw his name into the hat on Tuesday afternoon, stating his interest in his second head coaching job in the FBS. Brewster, long known for his recruiting across college football, served as Minnesota’s head coach from 2007 to 2010, making multiple stops across the Power Four before landing with Deion Sanders at Jackson State and then Colorado in 2022 and 2023.

Brewster spewed his knowledge about the state of North Carolina at his press conference on Tuesday, spending over a decade of his near-40-year career in the state. In his lone stint as head coach with the Golden Gophers, Brewster went 15-30 over four seasons, posting just one winning record in 2008 before being terminated seven games into the 2010 season.

While a long shot for the job, especially following Pete Rossomando’s mildly successful four-game interim stretch following Healy’s firing, Brewster has a steep hill to climb with Hill on his third, and maybe final hire as Charlotte’s athletic director.

Joe Cox, Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator

A Charlotte native, Joe Cox has experience across the college football landscape. Getting his coaching start at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte, Cox spent the 2020 season at South Carolina coaching receivers and tight ends; 2021 with the Charlotte 49ers as tight ends coach under Healy; and then joined Alabama as Nick Saban’s tight ends coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Currently, Cox is the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin and is leading one of the premiere offenses in the country (over 40 points per game.)

With experience playing in the SEC as Georgia’s quarterback in the late 2000s, spending a season at Charlotte with Healy when the program scored its first and only Power Four victory, and working under some of college football’s biggest names, Cox has the experience and expertise on one side of the ball to match Hill’s stated requirements.

Cox turns 38 years old on Nov. 27 and would be a first-time head coach if hired.

Skip Holtz, Birmingham Stallions head coach

If Hill is in search of a proven winner, former Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz deserves a look. Currently, Holtz is the head coach of the USFL/UFL Birmingham Stallions, where he’s posted a 32-4 record over three seasons, scoring championships in three straight years.

Holtz has served as head coach at four different FBS programs, including a five-year stint at East Carolina from 2005 to 2009. At 60 years old, Holtz has posted a combined 163-125 record as head coach and would bring a veteran presence to a program. The question is, would he leave a potential USFL dynasty to rebuild a program with just one winning season in its history.

Steve Wilks, Charlotte 49ers advisor, former Panthers coach

Last, but certainly not least, is former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator and interim head coach Steve Wilks.

Currently assisting the 49ers as a volunteer special advisor, Wilks has been a familiar face around the building in his absence from the NFL, where he was most recently employed as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator.

And while taking charge of the collegiate Charlotte 49ers would be welcomed by a fan base that’s clamoring for an X’s and O’s football coach, Wilks has his sights set on a return to the NFL. Although unavailable for comments this season, Wilks has made it clear that he doesn’t have any interest in the current collegiate landscape and plans to return to the NFL as soon as next season. Wilks was not present at Charlotte’s practice following Poggi’s termination.

This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 6:30 AM.