What is a "typical" career track for a CFB Head Coach?

[Cincydawg]

Have most played ball at some level?

Graduate assistant
Special teams coach?
QB/RB/WR coach
Offensive coordinator?
Head coach?

I know on occasion HS coaches have been tried, with sparing success (I think).  

If they spend say 2 years, 4 years, 4 years, 6 years, at those slots, they spend a lot of time before being potentially HC, at the early age of about 38, at best.  How old is Scott Frost?  And they could have periods of unemployment in there somewhere.

[ELA]

I believe at one point there were 3 FBS coaches who hadn't played at least college, it was Weis, Leach, and ...?  No clue now

[ELA]

I know on occasion HS coaches have been tried, with sparing success (I think).  

Directly?
Mike Jenks had 3 years as an FBS position coach between being a HS head coach and a college head coach, that went horribly.
Art Briles did the same (same school, same position too, 3 years, Texas Tech, RB coach), that went well, on the field
North Texas hired Todd Dodge straight from HS, that went beyond horribly
Todd Graham had a slower rise, 5 years, including 4 as a coordinator first.
Guz Malzahn spent 6 years as an OC first

[Cincydawg]

Notre Dame hired the Cincy Moeller coach directly, didn't go well.

[847badgerfan]

Yeah, not a wise move on ND's part there.

[Cincydawg]

Gerry Faust

[847badgerfan]

Yep. Led to Lou Holtz getting the job. He did OK.

[ELA]

Notre Dame hired the Cincy Moeller coach directly, didn't go well.

I think at one point they probably hired a guy right off the farm, and paid him 8 cents a day plus lodging too ya old fart.  

[Cincydawg]

Do most major program head coaches have previous HC experience at a lower level (G5 or other)?

I see a fair number of coordinators getting promoted these days, is that fairly new?

[ELA]

Do most major program head coaches have previous HC experience at a lower level (G5 or other)?

I see a fair number of coordinators getting promoted these days, is that fairly new?

Feels like there is a bit of a swing back in that direction.  I think part of it was that there is so much coaching turnover now, that if you want the hot Group of 5 coach, you have to pluck him after his first big year, or someone else will.  See Purdue grabbing Darrell Hazell after one good year at Kent State, or Frost from UCF, or Kansas with Turner Gill.  And while some may hit, you are too often basing it on too little.  Maybe the stars aligned with a bunch of seniors (that they didn't even recruit).  That maybe getting a big time coordinator, who doesn't have head coaching experience can work out just fine.  Kirby ain't doing too shabby out of the gate.
What seems to be totally gone is the internal promotion.  That seems to only happen in a case where the previous coach is fired midseason, and the interim guy does a good enough job in a half season, the AD feels pressure, like at LSU or USC.
Switching sports, but Tom Izzo would have never even been considered for the MSU job now, let alone actually gotten it.  And even though it worked, if Izzo retired and MSU promoted one of his assistants, the fan base would lose their minds.