The Zeitgeist List · coordinators · never a head coach
Austin Armstrong.
Defensive coordinator · 6 seasons · 4 stints · 3 programs0 seasons ranked in the national top 10%
Own effect on the unit
Defense+0.11#140 of 458 · a typical amount
model fit as of 2026-09-04
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.
Southern Miss 2021–2022
Florida 2023–2024
Houston 2025–2026
Median of those still in the job, that year of a tenure. A shrinking pool, not a path.
Southern Miss, 2 years
+34.8
45.8 to 80.5 percentile.
Florida, 2 years
+54.2
32.0 to 86.2 percentile.
Houston, 2 years
−24.5
40.1 to 15.6 percentile.
Median defensive coordinator
−1.5
first season to last, across 239 stints of 3+ years. 48.1% improve at all.
Every stop on the calendar
| Years | Program | Walked into | Year 1 | Best | Vs. talent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–2022 | Southern Miss | 31.1 | 45.8 | 80.5 | +16.9 |
| 2023–2023 | Florida | 30.9 | 32.0 | 32.0 | −30.8 |
| 2024–2024 | Florida | 32.0 | 86.2 | 86.2 | +22.1 |
| 2025–2026 | Houston | 72.0 | 40.1 | 40.1 | −10.3 |
Houston 2025–2026: ranked 72nd the year before he arrived, 40th at its best — went backwards.