Todd Miles of the Tacoma News Tribune investigates just how unique it is for both University of Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian and University of Southern California football coach Lane Kiffin to be head coaches given how young they are.
The reins to FBS programs have usually been given to men in their 40s or older.
A 1999 study published in a journal for coaches and athletic directors revealed the average age for men hired for their first head-coaching job – FBS or otherwise – was nearly 38 years old.
At the time, the average age of FBS coaches was 48.
The numbers today haven’t changed much. Of the 120 FBS coaches, 28 were in their 30s when they were hired for their first NCAA Division I head job.
Both Sarkisian and Kiffin fall in that small group. Sarkisian was 34 when he was hired by the University of Washington; Kiffin was 30 when he got his first head coaching job with Tennesssee.