An NFL coach who landed in the league after a wildly successful rise in the college game — and who has rumored interest from several Power Five schools currently looking for a new head coach — was fired on Monday.

Matt Rhule is out as the Carolina Panthers’ head coach after 38 games, the team announced on Monday. Rhule was 11-27 in Carolina. The team was off to a 1-4 start to the new season and had just lost to San Francisco at home on Sunday.

Rhule came from the college game and many expect him to make a return now that the Panthers have officially moved on.

Rhule has been a name that comes up in discussions for both the Arizona State and Colorado openings. Hired by the Panthers in 2020, Rhule was coming off an 11-3 season with Baylor that saw the Bears climb as high as No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and play for a Sugar Bowl.

He’s viewed as a program builder. When he took over at Baylor in 2017, the team was one year removed from Art Briles. Baylor won just one game in Rhule’s first season. It improved to 7-6 the next season with a bowl win and then to 11-3 the year after. In 2019, Baylor was one of the best defenses in America — seventh nationally in sacks produced and second in turnovers forced.

The Baylor job came after rebuilding Temple, which had fallen flat in 2012 and was transitioning to the American Athletic Conference from the Big East. Rhule took over in 2013. He went 2-10 his first year, then 6-6, and then posted back-to-back 10-win seasons with the Owls in 2015 and 2016.

Arizona State parted ways with Herm Edwards on Sept. 18, one day after a 30-21 loss at home to Eastern Michigan.

Karl Dorrell lost his job as the Colorado head coach on Oct. 2, one day after the Buffs lost to Arizona 43-20 to fall to 0-5 on the season.