Fans are feeling good about Ohio
Ohio winning indeed! Go Ohio!
Ohio looks like absolute garbage on offense !!!!!!!
(No, but we’ll be happy to have a shot at the conference title!)
Fan mood · last 3 weeks · more upbeat than 3 in 4 FBS fan bases
John Hauser
At Ohio8-2since 2025 · 7-2 this seasonHot seatCool0% · 129th of 132 jobsLast gameW 28-20at Akron · Nov 4
Nextat Miami (OH)Tue Nov 10 · 7 pm ET · ESPN2
This week · as of Wed Nov 4
Now
Career arc
Bowls and playoffs: 1-0
2025Frisco BowlW 17-10
This week Wed Nov 4
- This season7-2 won 6 straight
- On track for9-3 regular season
- Nextat Miami (OH) Tue Nov 10
- Stature77th of 138 FBS programs
A tight one: Ohio bottomed out at 39% and won.
Ohio7-228
Akron1-820Final
Tue, Nov 3 · InfoCision Stadium, Akron, Ohio · 66°, clear
Won as a 12.5-point favorite.
Pick-six
Ohio · Q1 0:0991-yard TD runOhio · Q4 3:57
Ohio · Q1 0:0991-yard TD runOhio · Q4 3:57FinalOhio 28-20 Akron
Ohio wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.
Ohio 28-20 AkronOhio wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.The three plays that swung it
- 1Q4 9:35Gant 1-yd TD run, Akron goes ahead 17-14Ohio 69% → 39% (−30)
- 2Q4 9:22Poulos 60-yd TD pass to Dorwart, Ohio goes ahead 21-17Ohio 39% → 76% (+37)
- 3Q4 3:57Brune 91-yd TD run, Ohio leads 28-17Ohio 70% → 97% (+27)
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Ohio -12.5), at 69% for Ohio (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays.Best Ohio lines
- Nick Poulos12 of 20, 197 yards, 1 TD; ran for 1 TD
- Duncan Brune10 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
- Dom Dorwart4 catches, 108 yards, 1 TD
- Riley Neer4 catches, 54 yards
- Michael Molnar16 tackles, 1 sack
His fourth-down calls
4 of 5 matched what most FBS coaches do in that spot (FBS play-by-play, 2014–25: the same distance and quarter, within 5 yards; not the score or the clock).
Q4 0:04 · up 8
4th & 6, opp 40
Went for it · stopped
49% of FBS coaches go for it there
Q3 0:50 · up 5
4th & 1, own 34
Punted
40% of FBS coaches go for it there
Also 3 punts where nearly every FBS coach kicks.
Offense: 29th of 138 per play. Defense: 38th.
No headlines named him in the last 7 days
What they are talking about, week and season
3 games left
- Tue Nov 10at Miami (OH) (5-4)
60% - Tue Nov 17vs. Ball State (3-5)81%
- Fri Nov 27vs. Toledo (6-2)36%
Percent: Ohio’s chance to win, from the site’s model. Records are through today. Networks as announced; the rest are set closer to kickoff.
How the season got here
Where Ohio stood among 138 FBS programs by stature after each game (1st is the highest; the CFB Zeitgeist ledger).
- Oct 26–Nov 1No game0 headlines
- Oct 19–25W 24-20 vs. Eastern Michigan1 headline · 81st of 138
- Oct 12–18W 48-7 at Sacramento State1 headline · 82nd of 138
- Oct 5–11W 31-14 vs. Central Michigan1 headline · 83rd of 138
- Sep 28–Oct 4W 13-10 at Kent State1 headline · 82nd of 138
- Sep 21–27 · rebuiltW 35-7 vs. Stonehill1 headline · 83rd of 138
Each week as this page showed it at the time. Weeks marked rebuilt came before this page existed: they were built afterward from only what was known by the end of that week.
Watch the biggest plays from Ohio’s games, ranked by how much each moved the chance to win.
Poach watch
This winter
11%chance he leaves this winter for a head-coaching job elsewhere, or an NFL coordinator jobNoticed17th-highest of 132 FBS head coaches
0%50%+
Our poach model, on his record so far, the win chances for every game he has left, his program, his pay and his background. Ranked against the 132 FBS head coaches this season. The zone words describe the market’s interest; none of them says he is leaving.
What drives his number
The biggest factors in his profile, each against the typical FBS head coach today. The games he has left are priced into the number, not listed here.
- ▲ HigherHis team is 7-2, outscoring opponents by 7.8 points a game
- ▼ LowerHis first season at Ohio
- ▲ Higher1-0 over his previous season here
How good is this number? It ranks a head coach who leaves for another head-coaching job ahead of one who stays 78 to 82% of the time, and its average came within a point of the share who actually left. What it can’t do
Tested on every FBS head coach from 2012 through 2025, each season scored by a model fit only on the seasons before it. From three games on, given one coach who left for a head-coaching job elsewhere or an NFL coordinator job and one who stayed, it ranked the one who left ahead 79 to 82% of the time; in a season’s first two games, 78%. Its average chance came within a point of the share who actually left. It counts a move a coach makes while he still holds the job; when his school ends it, that doesn’t count, even if another school then hires him.
- The live number prices the games he has left with the power model’s ratings from this season. The test priced them with each team’s rating from the season before, because ratings made during past seasons were not kept, so this live version could not be replayed.
- Programs new to FBS have no FBS record before this season in the data it reads, so their coaches are scored without one.
- It is frozen: it learns nothing from 2026 until a deliberate refit.
- A coach hired in December needs his background (age, alma mater, the state he was born in) added before his first game, or he shows as not rated.
Fans
Fan chatter
- Sep 12W 29-27 vs. Jacksonville State
GO FOR TWO HAUSER
Ohio fan
A few stories about him in the last 30 days
After W 28-20 at Akron
from a few outlets
What they’re talking about
The headlines for each topic are on the News tab.
Several stories about him this season
from several outlets
The John Hauser Coaches' Show Returns Monday, August 31
Ohio University Athletics Aug 19 · one outlet
What they’re talking about
The headlines for each topic are on the News tab.
Could another school hire him? What has he said?
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Stats
Big games
The big-game ledger
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
One-score games
5-1
83.3% · margin ≤8
Against the spread
5-5
all 10 had a line
Performance by opponent class
National Program0-1 0.0%
Regional Program7-1 87.5%
ATS is his record against the spread: did his team beat the closing betting line, winning by more than it or losing by less? Lines start in 2013; a dash means fewer than 6 of those games had one. One-score games carry no spread record: a big favorite that wins a close game has almost always failed to cover, so that number would say nothing about the coach.
How he plays
Run/pass mix, by field position
Ran more than the situation called for under Isphording.
57 run and pass snaps at Ohio, 2025–2025, his own games, one row per offensive coordinator. Each cell is how much more often he passed than the rest of FBS did in the same situation (field zone, down, distance, score, quarter, same season), in percentage points.
backed upown territorymidfieldopp. territoryred zoneIsphording2025+4−13−11−17−37
passed moreran morewithin noise (95% range includes 0)
Pass rate, stint by stint
Where each stint’s offense sat between run-first and pass-first, and how far it moved from one season to the next, against the FBS-wide average of 41% pass. The band is that stint’s real season-to-season range, not a fixed-width box.
Pass rate — share of offensive plays that were pass attemptsfirst covered seasonmost recent covered season
Building the roster
Three numbers on how he actually stocks a roster, from signing day to draft day.
His recruiting, really
No class below is fully his yet — every one was inherited or signed mid-transition, so none counts toward a verdict.
2026
#107
Transition
Transition — he was hired mid-cycle
Rank is each signing class’s national recruiting rank (#1 is best). Only a class he had a full signing cycle to build counts as his; inherited and mid-transition classes still show here, faded, but stay out of the average.
Roster ownership
Roster ownership
33%His own players
of his 2026 roster arrived on his watch — 51 of 156 players. The other 105 are holdovers from before he was hired.
Of his own players on this roster, 14% came through the transfer portal; the rest are non-portal arrivals (high-school signees, JUCO transfers, walk-ons).
Everyone he has brought in, 2025–2026Counting players who have since left: 14% of the 51 arrivals we can classify came through the portal.
“His own” means the player arrived while he was head coach; “inherited” means a predecessor brought him in.
Where he recruits
OHTop state
is his biggest recruiting state: 20 of 33 signees (61%) across his 2025–2026 tenure, drawn from 13 states in all. Next: CA (2).
Where his signees came from, 2025–2026 (33 high-school, JUCO and prep signees)
70% of his signees come from OH and its 5 border states (IN 1, MI 1, PA 1).
Off this map: 3 signees to the west (CA 2, NE) and 1 to the south (FL).
By region
Midwest
25
South
5
West
2
Northeast
1
Roster distance from campus (Peden Stadium, OH)
- median hometown distance
- 214 mi
- within 100 mi
- 18%
- within 500 mi
- 77%
- beyond 1,000 mi
- 12%
131 of 156 roster players with a known hometown (84% coverage)
The map counts signed recruits across his tenure; the distance figures cover his current roster, transfers and walk-ons included. Two different groups, kept separate on purpose.
News
Stories about him
Headlines, grouped by what they are about. Each is the outlet’s own.
This week
Press conference and quotes
- The Post +1Football: Takeaways from John Hauser’s Week 8 press conferenceOct 20
All 2 articles
The Post (Athens)Football: Takeaways from John Hauser's Week 6 presserOct 6- The Post (Athens)Football: Takeaways from John Hauser's Week 7 press conferenceOct 13
This season
Press conference and quotes
- The Post (Athens) +1Takeaways from Ohio football head coach John Hauser’s Week Two Press ConferenceSep 8
All 2 articles
- The Post +1Football: Takeaways from John Hauser’s Week 8 press conferenceOct 20
All 2 articles
- The Post (Athens)Football: Takeaways from John Hauser’s week one press conferenceSep 1
- Cornhuskers WireWhat Ohio coach John Hauser said ahead of the season openerSep 1
- Cornhuskers WireWhat Ohio coach John Hauser said after loss to NebraskaSep 6
In his own words
Every quote, back to July 2026
In his own words
My immediate reaction was we won
I thought our support staff, Coach (Shumate), our strength coach and our administration did a great job
It's great to get the young guys in
I mean he's a good mix of throw and run
I think it's great before the game, and then as a coach, you just want to go play
I thought we played probably our best half of football in the first half against Central Michigan
It was a great Homecoming environment
They did a better job keeping us off track by not giving up as many explosive runs
I think as a coach you gain experience every week, win or lose, and then you just keep trying to get better
We never overlook anybody
I didn't see any hesitation with him and thought he ran just like he did through the first two weeks of the season
Having Duncan from a lot of aspects, not just the run game, but the passing game
When you block a punt, your chance of winning goes way higher
The field goal at the end of the game went our way
I think coach Cavanaugh has done a great job of getting everybody to play hard
I thought we were a pretty inexperienced team going into week one, and we've had a lot of new guys that have gained experience in our system
That's something we talk about every week, and I probably said it in here a bunch too
There's not a big difference between all of us
Starting fast, and our guys know that
Our offense, running backs and O-Line did a great job springing a bunch of those rushing yards
We've started slow the last two weeks as a team
We just got to get them in there and see them play, and that's the fine line as a coach, right
Offensively, their quarterback runs around, he makes plays
But I thought Matt (Vezza) played well too
Jacksonville State had a very good defense, but there was definitely some improvement in our run game
It does feel a little different, but it's still a similar feeling to being the defensive coordinator
I think any time you can control the line of scrimmage and run the ball, it's good for your offense
I think the challenges are keeping the edges to the defense and not seeing everything happening in the backfield because of all of the motion they're doing to try and throw you off what they're doing
CJ (Dawson), KJ (Sejour) and Eli (Thompson) will be back at some point this year
It was just such a great environment to get a win and keep the streak alive
Darren James-Hamilton, I mean, really got us back in the game with his kickoff return, and that kind of flipped the momentum for us
The offensive staff saw the look they wanted, and Riley (Neer) did a great job running the route
It was good to see our kicker hit two field goals, two career longs, Will Hyrszko, 42 and 45
I think they did a good job of loading the box at times, and they're big and strong up front
We have to take advantage of some of the light boxes, and do better up front
The quarterback is a really good player
So just you know his consistency
He's a great player
So just continuing to to solidify our starters and add depth
We don't have a Week One starter yet
Riley Neer had a great spring for us at wideout
Preston Bowman's done a really good job coming in and showing he can be explosive
We're emphasizing a lot of the same things, and I love the fact I get to go over to the offense now and have a relationship with the whole team now, which is exciting for me because I think getting to know those guys has been the biggest thing this spring
I think the transfers are all over the place on our roster right now
Career
Hires into jobs like this
Hired into programs rated 25 to 25 (Regional Program I tier). Rough match, not calibrated yet — ranked on what the job inherited alone. Coaches hired into this same job aren’t used as comps.
Of the 5 closest comps, 2 had the program higher than he found it by the end of his run and 3 lower. Median stay: 6 seasons; 2 left mid-season.
Every coach hired into a Regional Program I job since 1990 (65): typically -0.8 after year 1, -1.9 after year 2.
→ Colorado, 2013
4–8 · 2–10 · 4–9 · 10–4 · 5–7 · 5–6
6 seasons · left mid-season
-3.0 vs. what he inherited
→ Northwestern, 1999
3–8 · 8–4 · 4–7 · 3–9 · 6–7 · 6–6 · 7–5
7 seasons
+1.0 vs. what he inherited
→ Central Michigan, 1994
9–3 · 4–7 · 5–6 · 2–9 · 6–5 · 4–7
6 seasons
-12.3 vs. what he inherited
→ Fresno State, 2012
9–4 · 11–2 · 6–8 · 3–9 · 1–7
5 seasons · left mid-season
-7.3 vs. what he inherited
First head-coaching job
No prior college head-coaching tenure on record.
The job he took
Followed Tim Albin (2021–2024), after the season
33–19
Program was climbing in the 2022–2024 run-up.
A Regional Program I job.
How new coaches start here
- Brian Smith20258–4+0.3 ✕
- Tim Albin20213–9-1.8
- Frank Solich20054–7-1.6
- Brian Knorr20011–10-0.2
- Jim Grobe19952–8-0.2
- Tom Lichtenberg19901–9-1.3
- Cleve Bryant19852–9-1.8
- Brian Burke19796–5+1.3
Coaching career
The arc of his career is on Now.
2025–now
Ohio
too new to grade yet
Followed Tim Albin (2021–2024).
| Season | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||
| Record | 1-0 | 7-2 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | — | |
| Coordinators | |||
| OC | Scott Isphording | Scott Isphording | |
| DC | John Hauser | Kurt Mattix | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||
| Offense | 70 | 79 | |
| Defense | 62 | 73 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||
| 1st-down pass% | 37.6 | 39.9 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 24.0 | 29.5 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 51.4 | 42.3 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+37.0 pts
#10 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+27.1 pts
#11 of 208 · top quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Who they bring in
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits younger transfers than most — more of a development bet.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 233 lbs
across 27 of 40 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+0.1 lbs
#230 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. class year
Jr
#210 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. portal rating
3.0★
rated arrivals only
Top states: OH (9), CA (2), MI (2), GA (2), MD (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
50.9
position-weighted
Talent lost
50.2
position-weighted
Net
+0.7
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Tim Carpenter (QB) from Tulsa
Biggest loss: Parker Navarro (QB) to Professional
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Edge via the portal
75%
#23 of 208 stints
Buys Safety via the portal
67%
#27 of 218 stints
Postseason detail2025: Beat UNLV 17-10 Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
8-2
How good is he so far?
Program lift
Year 1
graded once a job reaches 3 seasons
Too new to grade — in-season movement only
Ohio’s composite stature has held about steady since preseason: 25.0 entering the year to 25.1 through week 10 (Regional Program I) · #133 of 138 in movement since preseason · bottom quarter.
Coordinator years
Defensive coordinator across 2 programs, 3 stints, before and after wearing the head-coach hat — every season measured on the same axis, whether he personally ran the unit or someone else did.
How to read this. Coordinator seasons come from our coordinator career records; head-coaching-era seasons are the same unit's FBS-relative percentile for those years, regardless of who coached it, read directly from the staff assignments record. A role change (a “hinge”) is a fact, never a performance verdict — only the season-by-season data itself is colored by outcome.