Updated Stock Watch on 2023 Year 1 College Football Coaches
The modern coaching carousel seems to move quicker and quicker every season. During the 2022 offseason, we saw 24 new head coaching positions filled, including 11 in the Power Five.
In fact, it moves so quickly that we've already seen one of those new hires fired, Mississippi State's Zach Arnett. He took over the Bulldogs program following the death of head coach Mike Leach in December 2022.
The former MSU defensive coordinator was fired a day after the Bulldogs' 51-10 loss to Texas A&M, which dropped Mississippi State to 4-6 on the season.
What about the other 23 coaches who are in their first seasons? We measured their stocks earlier in the season, and as the regular season winds down, it's time for an updated look at their first year in charge.
The AAC, Part I
1 of 7
Brian Newberry, Navy
Brian Newberry has the unenviable task of replacing Navy's winningest head coach in school history in Ken Niumatalolo. Through mid-November, the Midshipmen are 4-5, with remaining games against East Carolina, SMU and Army.
Navy is coming off an impressive 31-6 win over UAB last week, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a 97-yard pick-six from Rayuan Lane III.
The Midshipmen have the same number of wins as Niumatalolo had his last three seasons in Annapolis. If Newberry can get to five or six victories and a bowl game, it will be a successful first season.
Beating a 2-8 East Carolina team this week and ending with a win over archrival Army is a way to do just that.
Stock: Steady, for now
Tom Herman, FAU
The Owls are still searching for their first winning season since 2019. Unfortunately, FAU fans will likely have to wait for that, as they are 4-6 so far.
FAU's remaining games include one at home against No. 23 Tulane, which currently sits atop the AAC standings, and at Rice.
There have been some bright spots that show signs of improvement, though. The Owls hung tough on the road against Illinois, leading the first quarter 10-0 but ultimately losing 23-17. FAU also blew out rival USF 56-14 in Week 7.
However, finishing below .500 isn't what Herman was hired to do.
Stock: Down
Eric Morris, North Texas
North Texas will miss out on a bowl game for the first time in three years in Eric Morris' first season. The Mean Green are 3-7 and riding a four-game losing skid.
With remaining games against Tulsa on the road and UAB, this might be UNT's worst finish since going 1-11 in 2010.
Stock: Down
The AAC, Part II
2 of 7
Kevin Wilson, Tulsa
Kevin Wilson's first season at Tulsa hasn't exactly gone great. The Golden Hurricane have just three wins over Arkansas Pine Bluff, Northern Illinois and Temple.
Since that 48-26 win over the Owls in late September, Tulsa has ridden a five-game losing streak.
If Tulsa can't find a way to beat its remaining two opponents, North Texas or East Carolina, it'll be the worst year for the program since a 3-9 season in 2019.
Stock: Down
Alex Golesh, USF
The Bulls have a real shot at making a bowl game for the first time since 2018 this season, sitting at 5-5 with two games left.
Obviously USF fans would like for this team to be more in the AAC hunt, but reaching bowl eligibility is a great start. Paired with nearly upsetting Alabama earlier in the season, that makes this a good year for Alex Golesh.
USF plays at 7-3 UTSA Friday night, and the Bulls are 15.5-point underdogs. The best chance for them to make a bowl will be on Nov. 25 against Charlotte at home.
Stock: Up
Biff Poggi, Charlotte
Speaking of Charlotte, it seems to be a struggle for head coaches to find a winning formula with the 49ers. They are on pace for a fourth straight losing season, currently sitting at 3-7.
The 49ers nearly upset Memphis at home last week, but they fell short 44-38 in overtime. Regardless of how they do in their final two games against Rice and at USF, it looks like 2024 will be another rebuilding year for Biff Poggi.
Stock: Down
Trent Dilfer, UAB
Winning hasn't come easy during Trent Dilfer's first season at UAB. The Blazers are 3-7 on the season, with remaining games against Temple and at North Texas left.
The majority of UAB's losses haven't been close, either—the narrowest margin being a 35-23 loss at Tulane earlier in the season.
With the sub-.500 finish already guaranteed, it'll mark the first losing season for UAB since 2013. It'll also be the first time in a while it has not reached bowl eligibility.
That's not where Dilfer wanted to finish in his first year in Birmingham.
Stock: Down
C-USA and MAC
3 of 7
Jamey Chadwell, Liberty
It looks like Jamey Chadwell is wasting no time replicating the success he had with Coastal Carolina for five seasons at Liberty. The Flames are 10-0 on the season and have a real shot at going unbeaten for the first time in school history since moving to the FBS.
Liberty has been winning each of its games pretty handily all year—its closest game was a 42-35 win over Middle Tennessee State last month. Other than that, all the Flames' wins have come by a margin of no less than 10 points.
What's missing for Chadwell this season? Some respect from the College Football Playoff selection committee. The Flames are ranked just 25th, the second-lowest unbeaten team in the rankings behind 18th ranked James Madison.
Stock: Up
Lance Taylor, Western Michigan
Despite being 4-6 on the season, the Broncos are tied for second in the MAC West, alongside 3-3 Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. With remaining games against NIU and Bowling Green, the Broncos could make it back to a bowl game this season.
WMU is riding a two-game win streak with victories over Eastern and Central Michigan, so we'll see if Taylor can keep this momentum rolling.
Stock: Steady
.jpg?w=256)
Sun Belt and Mountain West
4 of 7
G.J. Kinne, Texas State
G.J. Kinne is having a remarkable first season at Texas State. It got started with an upset road victory over Baylor in Week 1 for the Bobcats' first-ever victory over a Power Five team.
They are 6-4 on the season and reached bowl eligibility for just the third time in program history with a 45-24 win over Georgia Southern.
Texas State moved up to the FBS in 2012. Its best finish since then was a 7-5 mark under Dennis Franchione, but Kinne has a chance to top that and reach a program-best for wins in his first season.
Stock: Up
Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina
It's not easy to replace a head coach who led Coastal to three straight bowl appearances and back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2020 and 2021, but Tim Beck has the Chanticleers sitting at 7-3, with a real shot to reach eight, nine or even 10 wins this season.
Coastal goes on the road this week to face a 4-6 Army and is a 4-point road favorite. In the final week of the regular season, the Chanticleers welcome undefeated James Madison to Conway, S.C., and will be looking to pull off a huge upset.
This looks like a great first season for Beck and Coastal.
Stock: Up
Barry Odom, UNLV
Barry Odom is squarely in the running for the Associated Press' Coach of the Year Award, and for good reason. His UNLV Rebels are 8-2 on the season, a remarkable improvement following nine straight losing seasons.
UNLV is also first in the Mountain West standings, with a huge game looming at 8-2 Air Force this week. The winner will have an inside track to host the conference title game next month. It would mark the Rebels' first-ever MWC championship game berth if they can pull it off.
Odom's offense, led by quarterback Jayden Maiava, is a top-20 unit nationally in scoring, averaging 36.4 points per game.
Odom's eight wins matches the second-highest win total in UNLV history. If the Rebels win out the rest of the year, it'll be a program-best (UNLV's 11-2 season in 1984 was adjusted to 0-13-0 by the NCAA for using ineligible players).
What an incredible start for Odom and this UNLV team.
Stock: Up
The Big Ten
5 of 7
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Wisconsin's 2023 expectations were high with the hiring of Luke Fickell from Cincinnati.
With the arrival of offensive coordinator Phil Longo from UNC and landing SMU transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai, the Badgers looked even more like a dark horse for a wide-open Big Ten West this season.
Instead, things have gone less than ideally in Fickell's Year 1. Wisconsin is 5-5 on the season and currently riding a three-game losing streak to Ohio State, Indiana and Northwestern. The offense has put up just 34 points over the last three weeks as well.
Mordecai, who broke his hand earlier this season, threw for 255 yards and zero touchdowns in the 24-10 loss to Northwestern last week. What's worse? Wisconsin entered that game as 11.5-point home favorites.
Now, the Badgers will be fighting to preserve a bowl appearance streak that dates back to 2002. They will have to beat either Nebraska at home or Minnesota on the road over the next two weeks to do so.
Stock: Down
Ryan Walters, Purdue
Ryan Walters is having a tough time finding wins in his first season at his alma mater. The Boilermakers are just 3-7 and got their second Big Ten victory just last week over Minnesota.
The Boilermakers will miss out on a bowl game for the first time in two seasons this year, and they could be looking at their second-worst season since the 4-8 mark in 2019.
Stock: Down
Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Speaking of first-year head coaches struggling in the Big Ten West, Matt Rhule's Nebraska team is also sitting at 5-5.
The Cornhuskers have dropped two straight games against Michigan State and Maryland in back-to-back weeks.
The biggest problem plaguing Nebraska this season? Turnovers. The Cornhuskers had five in a 13-10 loss to Maryland last week, and they rank 132nd in turnover margin, losing 27 total turnovers on the year.
If Nebraska doesn't get at least one win over either Wisconsin or Iowa, it will miss out on a bowl for a seventh straight season.
Still, Rhule finishing at or above .500 would be an improvement in Lincoln, so things are steady for now.
Stock: Steady
Pac-12, SEC
6 of 7
Deion Sanders, Colorado
It's remarkable to see how quickly a team can fall from grace from the start of a season like Colorado has. The Buffaloes were college football's Cinderella story through the first three weeks, starting out 3-0.
But since then, they are just 1-6, with just one lone victory over Arizona State. The Buffs have had to face three straight ranked opponents in the last three weeks in UCLA, Oregon State and Arizona, losing all three games by just one-score margins.
For Colorado to make a bowl game—something that looked quite plausible at the start of the season—it'll have to win at Washington State this Friday night and at Utah on Nov. 25.
If Colorado finishes below .500, it would obviously be a disappointment for Sanders. But there's no question the national attention and record-setting attendance numbers he's brought to a struggling program is worthy of praise.
The next step will be making the Buffs relevant in the Big 12 starting next season.
Stock: Up
Troy Taylor, Stanford
Stanford fans might need to be patient with Troy Taylor as he builds his program. The Cardinal are 3-7 on the season, including a 1-3 mark over the last four weeks.
The 46-43 come-from-behind win at Colorado was positive, but with remaining games against Cal and Notre Dame left on the schedule, a third-straight three-win season looks possible.
Stock: Down
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Like Stanford, Arizona State is just 3-7 on the season. The wins have been few and far between—the Sun Devils opened with a 24-21 win over Southern Utah and then lost their next six straight.
Recent wins over Washington State and UCLA are encouraging, but this ASU offense is nowhere near where it needs to be for success. The Sun Devils are averaging just 17.7 points per game, good for 128th in the country.
Stock: Down
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
The good news is that Auburn will make a bowl game for the first time since 2021. The bad news is that the Tigers haven't looked great against the bulk of their divisional opponents. In fact, they are 3-4 in SEC West games on the season.
Auburn has won its last three straight against some struggling SEC teams: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
If the Tigers can look somewhat competitive against Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 25 and win their bowl game, that may help fans swallow an underwhelming first year under Freeze.
Stock: Down
ACC, Big 12
7 of 7
Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Out of all the coaches we've named so far, Jeff Brohm might be having the biggest year of them all.
The former Cardinals quarterback has led his alma mater to a 9-1 year, and Louisville is on track to play in the ACC Championship against Florida State next month.
As long as Louisville takes care of business on the road against Miami this week, Brohm will lead his team to its first ACC Championship berth in school history. It looks like this Cardinals team could be a legitimate challenger to FSU as well. That's one heck of a way to start a coaching tenure.
Stock: Up
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
The Bearcats have struggled in their first season in the Big 12. They are 3-7 on the year, and lost seven straight games until last week's 24-14 win over Houston.
Being a first-year head coach is a challenge in itself, but especially for Satterfield as Cincinnati navigated moving up to the Big 12 this season.
This year will mark the first losing season for the Bearcats since 2017, even if they beat West Virginia and Kansas over the next two weeks.
Stock: Down
Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Brent Key's first full season as Georgia Tech head coach after serving as the interim last year has been a bit of a mixed bag.
GT is 5-5, with a bad 38-27 loss to Bowling Green at home earlier in the season. But since then, there have been plenty of bright spots, such as the road upset win over then-No. 17 Miami in early October and upsetting North Carolina 46-42 two weeks ago.
If the Yellowjackets can beat Syracuse at home this week, they will be looking at their first bowl berth since Paul Johnson's final season in Atlanta in 2018.
Stock: Up
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Texans Giants Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Full Bryce Young Trade Return 🔁")
.jpg?w=600 "Deion's Message to Pavia 💯")
