April 22, 2026

Same Names. Same Results. Same Mistakes.

The spring coaching carousel is in full swing. Names are circulating, calls are being made, and if history is any guide, most of these searches will end the same way they always do. Same short list, same process, same results two years from now when the search starts again. This isn’t bad luck. It’s a pattern.

Organizations keep recycling the same names because they never defined what they were actually looking for. They skip culture. They skip fit. They call it a process. Then they wonder why the carousel keeps spinning.

Why the Carousel Never Stops

The coaching carousel exists because organizations treat searches like transactions instead of investments. In fact, 44.9% of FBS programs changed head coaches within a two-year period.¹

Organizations prioritize filling seats. They win the press conferences and then simply move on. The problem is that approach produces short tenures, repeat searches, and compounding costs. Here’s what keeps the cycle going.

1. The Same Short List Gets Passed Around

Everyone calls the same agents. Everyone asks for the same recommendations. Everyone lands on the same five or six names. The list feels safe because other programs are interested too, but safe doesn’t mean right. It means unexamined. It means nobody did the work to find someone who actually fits.

2. Reputation Replaces Evaluation

A coach won somewhere else. An AD built a program before. That’s enough for most organizations to move forward. But past success doesn’t guarantee future fit.

A coach who won with top-tier resources may struggle with a limited budget. An AD who thrived in one culture may clash with another.

Reputation tells you what someone did. It doesn’t tell you whether they’ll succeed here.

3. Relationships Drive Decisions More Than Process

Searches often come down to who knows who. The board member with a connection. The donor with a favorite. The consultant who keeps recommending the same people. Yes, relationships matter in sports; but when they replace process, you get decisions based on access instead of alignment.

The reason the same searches keep failing comes down to one thing most organizations never address: culture.

The Culture Problem No One Wants to Name

Most organizations talk about culture. Very few can define it. And if you can’t define your culture, you can’t evaluate fit. You’re just hoping the new hire figures it out. That’s not a strategy. That’s a coin flip.

Culture Is More Than a Word on the Wall

Culture is how you operate. It’s what “on time” means, how decisions get made, and what happens when someone pushes back. It’s the difference between 8:30 and 9:00.

Most organizations have never written this down. They assume everyone knows and everyone’s aligned. Then a new leader arrives with different assumptions and the friction starts immediately.

Undefined Culture Makes Bad Fits Inevitable

When culture isn’t defined, every hire is a guess. You might get lucky. More often you don’t. The new coach clashes with the AD. The new AD clashes with the president. Everyone blames the hire. But the organization never gave them a definition to work from.

The Matrix Is Broken

Here’s what we ask athletic directors: Would you agree the matrix is broken? Most say yes. The system isn’t producing consistent success. Leaders are unhappy. Turnover is high.

But most aren’t unhappy enough to change the process. They keep running the same search the same way and expecting different results.

What Real Evaluation Looks Like

Breaking the carousel requires discipline. It means going deeper than resumes and relationships. It means doing the work most organizations skip.

Define Culture Before the Search Begins

What does success look like in your environment? What leadership style fits your structure? What behaviors matter most? Answer these questions before you talk to anyone. If you can’t define it, you can’t evaluate for it.

Evaluate Fit as Rigorously as Credentials

Credentials open the door. Fit determines whether someone stays. Ask harder questions. Talk to people who’ve worked with them—not just references they provided. Understand how they operate under pressure. See if their expectations match your resources.

Go Deep Before Making the Call

Surface-level searches produce surface-level results. The organizations that break the pattern are the ones that go deep. They understand their own culture. They understand what a role actually requires. They take the time to find someone who fits—not just someone who’s available.

Ready to break the pattern?

The carousel keeps spinning because organizations keep running the same process. Same names. Same results. Same mistakes. Peak Scouts helps organizations define culture before the search begins and evaluate fit as rigorously as credentials. We go deep because surface-level searches don’t work.

When you’re ready to stop recycling and start building, we’re ready to help.

Reference