2026 College Track & Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion

let's talk about the Cleveland State job for a moment. What would someone see in this position? Why would you want to be in Division 1 if you are among the lowest of the bottom-feeders with minimal resources?

Because you love to coach and you get paid good. Not great but good. Bet you’d take the job if offered.

would I, though? Do they have a track? I know there's no indoor track. The pay is what--maybe (very) generously $60k? Assistants, operating costs not close to D1 level, barely collegiate level at all. This is a job for a local high school coach to move up, not someone with legitimate college experience.

would I though? Job probably pays under $60k. Do they have a track? They definitely don't have an indoor track. Assistants, operating budget no where near D1 level, probably on the lower end of any level 4-year program. This is made for a HS coach to move up, not anyone with any level of actual collegiate experience.

if you look at it from the perspective about what you get from it, then it probably doesn’t make sense, if you look at the perspective of maybe serving the athlete there and making it a better (not great but better program) then it could be attractive. Depends on the person and reason for being in the profession.

would develop a hard job.

Assist in counseling...? I didn't realize that track coaches had those job requirements now, let alone qualifications

As long as you're fine ending your career there.

HC is on paid administrative leave since early April. Investigation still pending.

Another former UC Davis athlete here, definitely agree with most of the points said.

I know that supposedly the relationship between makusha and the xc coaches got better, but not by much last year. I tried transferring after my freshman year due to the reasons already cited, but its unfortunate that a d1 program doesn't remotely live up to the levels. Men's track was considered being cut this past year, but either way i don't think there will be much more effort put into the program as a whole.

Curious to see who the new coach will be, maybe they'll start to turn it around now that we're in the mountain west, have some hopes tbh. Either way its embarrassing to be running slower times than many highschools and always last in conference as a "d1" team.

Dood. Can they just get someone in there to operate in such a way that they stick around for 5-8 years so they can get something going.

Sorry to hear that. Davis is a great small college town with a history of quality runners going back decades. It's shameful that Makusha couldn't make it work. I do know that he was approached by a couple of well qualified world class distance coaches and simple ghosted them. Not sure what his issue was, aside from being incompetent.

Make it make sense!

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach
Jackson College
Jackson, MI
$7,500 per year
Athletics - Coaching
Posted Today

Head Coach Cross Country Men and Women's
Jackson College
Jackson, MI
$8,000 per year

Any intel on the WashU associate head coach position posted in early May? Have they started interviews?

Then why didn't you end up transferring?

These situations, along with the Portland States, Chicago States & Cleveland States etc are becoming more and more common as these mid majors attempt to keep up with the real DI's in basketball and football. Which obviously isn't going to happen. So most of these smaller DI's will eventually collapse or go DII or DIII. If they're not AT LEAST P4 already, they will not be DI within the next five years or so...if that even still exits.

Joe Lynn at UNC Charlotte fired today

I think Makusha has been awful, but a couple of world class coaches approached him? For the $40K, or whatever they were paying? Really?

Really? He’s been doing a good job, must be unrelated to performance