The Bowling Green job is open. Scot Loeffler announced on Friday he had accepted an assistant coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving the Falcons with a coaching search at an inopportune time.

Loeffler went 27-41 in six seasons but took the Falcons to three consecutive bowl games (all losses). BG’s 6-2 record in MAC play last season was its best under Loeffler’s watch. Now the school must find a new coach after signing day and right before the start of spring practice.

So how good is the Bowling Green job? What names could get in the mix? How much will the timing impact the search? Based on conversations with industry sources, here is a report card for the job and the potential candidates to watch.

Recent history/tradition: C

The past decade of BG football has been difficult, but there has been success here. Dave Clawson and Dino Babers led the Falcons to three consecutive MAC East Division titles from 2013-15, including two MAC championships in 2013 and 2015. But both left for Power 4 jobs, and the Falcons have struggled since. Bowling Green has reached three consecutive bowl games, but that came after six consecutive losing seasons. The Falcons haven’t won more than seven games in a season since 2015.

On-field outlook: D+

Gone is All-America tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who is off to the NFL. Top receiver Malcolm Johnson Jr. and quarterback Connor Bazelak are out of eligibility, and top running back Terion Stewart transferred to Virginia Tech. That’s life in the MAC these days. The Falcons added 15 transfers, five of them from Power 4 programs, but it’s hard to predict what the roster will look like, especially since the upcoming spring portal window could create more roster uncertainty.

Money matters: D

Loeffler’s $582,000 salary was the second-lowest in the MAC and the fifth-lowest in FBS among public school jobs. BG was sixth in the MAC in football spending in 2023, according to Sportico’s database. Name, image and likeness efforts have not been too prominent in the MAC, and it’s unclear how much BG will have to spend on revenue-sharing with players if the House settlement is approved. The Sebo Athletic Center is attached to Doyt L. Perry Stadium and provides a 42,500-square-foot training and meeting center for all of Bowling Green’s sports. The Perry Field House provides an indoor practice field.

University stability: B-

Just a week ago, athletic director Derek van der Merwe received a contract extension through 2030, so there likely won’t be any changes there. The school highlighted that the athletic department has set a donations record for unique donors since he was hired in late 2022 and implemented the school’s Life Design program across the department. The university continues to grow, with new student enrollment up 22 percent during the past two years.

Coach pool: C-

Mercer head coach Mike Jacobs is a Northwest Ohio native with an impressive 85-20 record as a head coach. He went 11-3 in his first year at Mercer, reaching the FCS quarterfinals. Before that, Jacobs went 32-9 at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, creating a top-10 program, and he was 42-8 at Division II Notre Dame (Ohio), also creating a top-10 program. But would a sitting head coach be willing to leave his team in March?

Mount Union head coach Geoff Dartt is 56-4 at the Division III Ohio powerhouse. While the program hasn’t won a national title since 2017, Dartt has reached the national championship game twice in the last three years, including last season. The former Mount Union player has spent all but one year since 2017 with the Purple Raiders. Lance Leipold made the move from Division III to the MAC and won at Buffalo. Could another coach do the same?

Toledo defensive coordinator Vince Kehres was Mount Union’s head coach from 2013-19, winning two Division III national titles. The 48-year-old knows Ohio through and through, and he regularly has produced one of the top three defenses in the MAC since arriving in 2020.

Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford has been trying hard to get a head coaching job. The Akron native spent 2015-23 at Ohio State and joined the Wolverines a year ago. He knows the area and has produced several NFL running backs, like Ezekiel Elliott and J.K. Dobbins. Alford previously coached at Notre Dame and Louisville.

Kansas offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski spent 2017 to 2020 in the MAC at Buffalo, and he has developed quarterbacks like Tyree Jackson, Jason Bean and Jalon Daniels. Zebrowski has head coaching experience at Division III Lakeland, going 28-12 in four seasons and reaching the playoffs for the first time in program history. He was promoted from Kansas’ co-offensive coordinator to sole offensive coordinator this offseason.

Minnesota co-defensive coordinator Nick Monroe coached at Bowling Green from 2010-15 winning two MAC championships under Clawson and Babers, before following Babers to Syracuse. Monroe spent seven years with the Orange and has been with the Gophers since 2023. Last year’s Minnesota defense finished ninth nationally in points allowed.

John Carroll University (Ohio) athletic director Brian Polian has been in the mix for several MAC jobs through the years. He went 23-27 as Nevada’s head coach from 2013-16, reaching two bowl games. The former Notre Dame and Stanford special teams coordinator last coached football in 2022 at LSU.

Eastern Kentucky head coach Walt Wells has reached the FCS playoffs in two of his past three years, including an 8-5 record last season. The 57-year-old Tennessee native previously coached at Kentucky and Tennessee and other stops.

Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright is 37-27 six seasons, including five consecutive winning seasons and an FCS playoff appearance last year. The South Carolina native was a Miami (Ohio) assistant from 2005-08 but has spent most of his career in the South.

Could Dino Babers return? The former Bowling Green head coach was Arizona’s offensive coordinator last season, but won’t return in 2025. Babers went 18-9 as BG’s head coach from 2014-15, including 12-4 in MAC play.

Overall grade: C-

Coach historically can win here, but coaching in the MAC has never been tougher in the transfer portal era, which is one reason Loeffler left. The timing makes this job very hard to predict, especially for sitting head coaches. The Falcons haven’t paid up in a way to make this as competitive and appealing as it should be. Still, Loeffler showed that annual bowl games are a fair expectation. But the next coach could have his hands full trying to keep a roster together in the spring portal.

​(Photo: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)