Grades for freshman class|
21 universities have filled their head coaching jobs this offseason, and it’s not too early to judge them. Here is a closer look at those hires as well as how we’ve assessed them.
There were 21 college football coaching openings during the offseason and now that each has been filled, check out grades for each hire.
Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech The Buzz: Collins returns not only to his home state of Georgia but back to a Georgia Tech program where he spent a few seasons as a graduate assistant during former head coach George O’Leary’s tenure. The Yellow Jackets are only four years removed from their last Coastal Division title, but they have since delivered several uneven performances. During two seasons at Temple, the 47-year-old Collins led the Owls to 15 wins and back-toback bowl appearances. He’s a strong recruiter and his familiarity with Georgia Tech should pay off. Grade: A
Ryan Day, Ohio State
The Buzz: When Ohio State had to look for a replacement for Urban Meyer, it didn’t have to look far. The 39-year-old Day was a hot commodity during the past couple of seasons. Luckily for the Buckeyes, he remained at the school and stepped in to lead the team earlier this season while Meyer was suspended for three games. His situation is reminiscent of Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, who reached the playoff semifinals in his first season after getting a promotion from Sooners assistant to head coach when Bob Stoops retired. Day inherits a program in a great position to make another run at another Big Ten title.
Grade: A
Mike Houston, East Carolina The Buzz: East Carolina is hoping it can get a boost from Houston, one of the up-and-coming coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision. During his three seasons at James Madison, he led the Dukes to a 37-6 record, including a national championship in 2016. Every stop he’s made, Houston has turned around the program. He’ll have a big task ahead of him with a Pirates program that last had a winning season in 2014. Houston’s roots run deep in the Carolinas, which should be a huge plus on the recruiting trail.
Grade: A
Jake Spavital, Texas State The Buzz: Spavital becomes the second youngest head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision after taking over a Texas State program that’s had just two winning seasons since moving up to the FBS level in 2012. In Spavital, the Bobcats are getting an offensiveminded coach who’s worked with talented quarterbacks Case Keenum, Johnny Manziel, Davis Webb and, most recently, Will Grier. As an offensive coordinator, he’s helped produce some of the prolific offenses in the country. This season, his West Virginia offense ranked No. 9 nationally in scoring. He’ll look to turn around a program that’s finished ranked near the bottom of the country in total offense the past three seasons. Grade: A
Chris Klieman, Kansas State The Buzz: Klieman’s hiring didn’t necessarily inspire the Kansas State fanbase, which was quick to dismiss the move — but that’s a mistake. In five seasons leading the North Dakota State program, the Bisons have won more games (67) than the Wildcats during that same stretch (45). He also guided the program to three Football Championship Subdivision championships (2014, 2015 and 2017). Klieman will need to salvage a recruiting class that ranks dead-last in the Big 12 heading into 2019 and must compete against Les Miles for attention in the Sunflower State. Grade: A-
Scott Satterfield, Louisville The Buzz: Satterfield had been a name mentioned in connection with several coaching vacancies this offseason before Louisville athletics director Vince Tyra hired him as the next Cardinals coach. The 45-year-old Satterfield helped Appalachian State make the transition from the FCS to the FBS in 2014 before leading them to a double-digit win season in three of the last four campaigns. He’ll need to relaunch a Cardinals program that is coming off its worst season since 1997.
Grade: A-
Les Miles, Kansas
The Buzz: Miles returns to the coaching ranks after being sidelined for nearly three years following his midseason firing at LSU in 2016. During his time away, Miles did everything from analyst to actor, staring in a series of commercials for Dr. Pepper and Dos Equis. But his biggest role could be his latest, reviving a Kansas football program that is a decade removed from its last winning season. The charismatic Miles could be just what the school needs when it comes to selling recruits and donors alike but other Big 12 programs will surely use his age – 65 – to recruit against him.
Grade: B+
Mel Tucker, Colorado
The Buzz: Tucker is highly regarded in coaching circles from a career that stretches from the NFL to the college game. Georgia featured a top-20 defense in each of the past three seasons while he was the defensive coordinator with the Bulldogs, seeing four players drafted in the NFL Draft. While this is his first head coaching job at the collegiate level, his time spent assisting under coaches like Kirby Smart and Nick Saban should help as he gets his feet on the ground in Boulder.
Grade: B+
Mack Brown, North Carolina The Buzz: Les Miles isn’t the only sexagenarian returning to the coaching ranks next season, with the 67-year-old Brown answering the call for another stint at North Carolina. Brown last roamed the sidelines while at Texas in 2013 but his previous experience includes resurrecting the Tar Heels from a one-win team in 1988 and 1989 to an 11-1 team in 1997. The recent success of older coaches like Herm Edwards at Arizona State lends credence to this move, especially if Brown brings in a talented coaching staff to complement his vision for the program.
Grade: B
Manny Diaz, Temple
The Buzz: Diaz is one of the best young defensive minds in the game today as well as a solid recruiter. He helped turn defenses at Texas and Miami into aggressive ballhawking units with the Hurricanes ranked second in the country in total defense this season. He steps into a perfect situation at Temple, where the program has flourished over the past five seasons, including back-to-back appearances in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game in 2015 and 2016.
Grade: B
Eliah Drinkwitz, Appalachian State
The Buzz: Drinkwitz inherits an Appalachian State program that has three double-digit win seasons in the past four years as the Mountaineers hit the ground running after making the transition from FCS to FBS in 2014. Over the past three seasons, Drinkwitz has been in charge of the offense at NC State, where he helped the Wolfpack make considerable improvements while developing quarterback Ryan Finley.
Grade: B
Hugh Freeze, Liberty
The Buzz: If you’re Liberty and you’re looking to make a hire everyone is talking about — good or bad — then Freeze was your man. If you’re Freeze and you’re looking to rehabilitate your coaching career, Liberty may be the perfect spot. Freeze has a proven track record of winning, including an impressive mark (39-25) during his five seasons at Ole Miss. Before this hire, he was in the mix as offensive coordinator at several spots, including Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama. He brings immense name recognition to a program making the full transition into the FBS.
Grade: B
Mike Locksley, Maryland The Buzz: Locksley is making his second stint with the Terrapins after guiding the program to a 1-5 record as an interim coach back in 2015. His recruiting connections in the Washington, D.C., area will come in handy for a school in desperate need of rebuilding its reputation following last season’s offthe-field issues following the death of Jordan McNair and the subsequent firing of coach D.J. Durkin. Locksley’s growth under Nick Saban at Alabama was enough to convince administrators to overlook his 3-31 overall record as a head coach.
Grade: B Jim McElwain, Central Michigan
The Buzz: McElwain’s hiring comes as somewhat of a surprise considering the 56-year-old had just wrapped up his first season under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. Things didn’t necessarily end well for him during his last head coaching stint at Florida, where he was fired after a reported rift developed between him and the administration. That said, McElwain has a proven track record of success, including a brief stint at Colorado State where he led the Rams to a 10-win season in 2014. He inherits a Central Michigan program that is coming off a one-win season in 2018 and hasn’t played for a MAC championship since 2009. Grade: B
Matt Wells, Texas Tech
The Buzz: It was only a matter of time before a Power 5 school was going to scoop up Wells, who led Utah State to two double-digitwins seasons and four bowl appearances in his six seasons with the Aggies. Along the way, he won a Mountain West Conference championship and earned the league’s coach-of-the-year honors twice (2013, 2018). While he has no ties to the state of Texas, he is bringing some of his coaching staff with him to Lubbock, including offensive coordinator David Yost, who was a Broyles Award semifinalist. Grade: B
Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green The Buzz: The 44-year-old Loeffler has been a bit of a journeyman in the coaching ranks, spending time on the coaching staffs of eight different teams, including the past two at Boston College. He took over an Eagles offense that was ranked dead-last (127) in the FBS in 2016 and helped the group improve to No. 66 this season. He’s been credited for his work developing quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Tim Tebow and Logan Thomas. Loeffler inherits a Falcons program that is three years removed from a 10-win season in 2015 and which has been a stepping stone for young coaches like Dino Babers, Dave Clawson and Urban Meyer.
Grade: B-
Will Healy, Charlotte
The Buzz: At 33, Healy becomes the second-youngest coach in the FBS right behind Texas State’s Jake Spavital. In two seasons at Austin Peay, he helped the Governors to 13 wins over the past three seasons, including an 8-4 season in 2017. His biggest attribute is his ability to recruit, something that will be huge in rebooting a 49ers program that hasn’t had a winning season since moving up to the FBS Orlando Sentinel level in 2015. Grade: C+
Gary Andersen, Utah State The Buzz: Andersen takes over the Utah State program for the second time, returning to where he spent four seasons from 2009-12 turning the Aggies into a winning program before bolting for a job at Wisconsin. His previous head coaching experience turned out to be a disaster after guiding Oregon State to a 7-23 record in two-and-ahalf seasons before resigning. He takes over for Matt Wells, who left to take the head coaching job at Texas Tech.
Grade: C
Tom Arth, Akron
The Buzz: The 37-year-old Arth is no stranger to Ohio, having played quarterback in both high school and college in the Cleveland area. His returned to John Carroll University, a Division III school first as an assistant and then as a head coach before moving on to lead the program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He inherits an Akron program that’s had two winning seasons since 2005. Grade: C
Walt Bell, UMass
The Buzz: Bell’s grade is more indicative of the job he inherits rather than his previous performance. UMass has struggled since transitioning from FCS to FBS in 2012, with the Minutemen failing to win more than four games in a season. The decision to become an independent in football in 2016 hasn’t helped with the program searching for an identity. It’s a perfect match for a young coach looking to cut his teeth with his first head coaching job.
Grade: C
Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky
The Buzz: Helton returns to Western Kentucky, where he spent a brief time as the Hilltoppers’ offensive coordinator under Jeff Brohm. He returns to a program that has taken a backward slide from back-to-back doubledigit-wins seasons to just three wins in 2017. WKU AD Todd Stewart said the decision to hire Helton was partly based on his innovative offensive mind and ability to motivate players. The Hilltoppers finished this season ranked at the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision rankings in total offense. Grade: C