2024 Stock Watch on Year-One College Football Coaches
The college football coaching carousel is constantly in motion, and the 2024 cycle was no exception. This offseason gave us a whopping 30 coaching changes, including 13 inside the Power Four conferences.
Although we're still inside the first month of the season, it's time to check in on how each new hire is doing early on in their careers.
While expectations for the first season under a new head coach are typically lower, a big first year can help build their respective programs a lot quicker than anticipated.
Let's run through a stock watch of year-one head coaches for the 2024 season, including 2025 recruiting-class snapshots for the power conferences.
Note: Northwestern's David Braun is excluded since he coached the entire 2023 season as interim HC before being made permanent for 2024.
AAC, C-USA and MAC
1 of 9
AAC
Jon Sumrall, Tulane
Stock: Steady
The Green Wave had a pair of tricky non-conference opponents, going on the road to play Kansas State and Oklahoma early in the season. Tulane looked competitive in both contests, and beat Louisiana 41-33 to start 1-0 in conference play.
Getting back to the AAC title game for a third straight season will be a definite goal for Sumrall in Year One.
C-USA
Scotty Walden, UTEP
Stock: Down
New Miners head coach Scotty Walden found success at Austin Peay, going 26-14 over four seasons. But early on at UTEP, it doesn't look like that success is translating. The Miners are 0-4 on the season, with just one loss against Southern Utah being decided by one score.
As the Miners get deep into conference play and have a Nov. 23 game at No. 5 Tennessee, this year could get ugly in El Paso.
Tony Sanchez, New Mexico State
Stock: Down
New Mexico State is rebuilding yet again, as head coach Jerry Kill stepped down for health reasons after leading the Aggies to consecutive bowl appearances. Replacing him is former receivers coach Tony Sanchez.
Despite getting a Week 1 win over Southeast Missouri, the Aggies have dropped three straight to Liberty, Fresno State and Sam Houston State. Missing out on a bowl for the first time in two seasons seems likely without a midseason turnaround.
Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee
Stock: Down
Former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason is back as a head coach in the state of Tennessee, this time for the Blue Raiders.
Although the 54-year-old is known for his skills as a defensive coach, MTSU is 1-3, and giving up 42.8 points per game, tied for 130th in the country.
It might take a couple of recruiting classes for Mason to get where he wants this program to go.
MAC
Pete Lembo, Buffalo
Stock: Up
Despite a Week 2 38-0 loss to Missouri, Pete Lembo has the Buffalo Bulls sitting at 3-1 and coming off of a huge upset victory over Northern Illinois.
Although the Huskies were 12.5-point home favorites and coming off of a shock win over Notre Dame, Buffalo took NIU to overtime and won 23-20. The Bulls are now in first place in the MAC standings with the victory.
Mountain West
2 of 9
Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State
Stock: Up
Although Ken Niumatalolo wasn't able to find long-term success at Navy, he has the Spartans off to a flying start in 2024.
SJSU is tied atop the Mountain West and 3-1 on the year. The one loss came last week to Washington State, a 54-52 defeat in double overtime to the Cougars in Pullman.
Niumatalolo's offense also has the country's leader in receiving yards in Nick Nash, who has 50 receptions for 637 yards and eight touchdowns—another FBS-leading number—through four weeks.
If the Spartans can win the Mountain West—which boasts heavyweights such as Boise State and UNLV—and get a win against Stanford at the end of the season, a playoff bid could be in store.
Bronco Mendenhall, New Mexico
Stock: Down
Bronco Mendenhall's return to coaching in the FBS hasn't exactly gotten off to a strong start. Through four weeks, the Lobos are 0-4, with losses by an average of 17.3 points.
We'll see if he can get things back on track as it gets deeper into conference play.
Jay Sawvel, Wyoming
Stock: Down
Replacing a legendary head coach like Craig Bohl, who retired last year after 10 seasons with the Cowboys, can't be easy. Unfortunately, Wyoming is off to an 0-4 start with losses to Arizona State, Idaho, BYU and North Texas.
The Cowboys look to be in real danger of missing out on a bowl game for the first time in three seasons.
Jeff Choate, Nevada
Stock: Steady
Jeff Choate has an impressive recent coaching resume, including leading Montana State to consecutive playoff appearances in 2018-19. He then spent the 2021-2023 seasons on Steve Sarkisian's defensive staff at Texas.
Through four weeks, his Nevada Wolf Pack are 2-3, with one-score losses to SMU and Georgia Southern, plus a 27-0 defeat at Minnesota.
Nevada opens conference play on the road against San Jose State this Saturday.
Sean Lewis, San Diego State
Stock: Down
The Aztecs got a tough draw at the start of their season, getting Oregon State and Cal in weeks two and three. So it's not too surprising that SDSU is 1-2, with a lone win over Texas A&M-Commerce. San Diego plays at Central Michigan this Saturday before opening conference play vs. Hawaii on Oct. 5.
Spencer Danielson, Boise State
Stock: Up
The Broncos entered 2024 as a playoff contender, and through three weeks look like one. Boise State is 2-1, with just a 36-34 loss at fellow playoff contender Oregon on its resume so far. Boise has another chance to make a statement, playing Washington State on Saturday night before opening conference play vs. Utah State on Oct. 5.
Sun Belt, Part 1
3 of 9
Dell McGee, Georgia State
Stock: Up
Although the Panthers lost 35-12 playing at nearby Georgia Tech in Week 1, Georgia State has won its last two straight against Tennessee-Chattanooga and Vanderbilt. The 36-32 win over Vandy looks even more impressive after the Commodores took then-No. 7 Missouri to overtime. The Panthers open conference play this weekend against Georgia Southern.
Major Applewhite, South Alabama
Stock: Up
Major Applewhite has a second crack at being an FBS head coach, going 15-11 with three straight bowl losses at Houston from 2016-18. Although the Jaguars dropped their first two games vs. North Texas and Ohio, South Alabama got back on track with back-to-back wins over Northwestern State and winning 48-14 at App State. The Jaguars play at LSU on Saturday before continuing on with conference play at Arkansas State on Oct. 5.
Sun Belt, Part 2
4 of 9
Bryant Vincent, UL-Monroe
Stock: Steady
Louisiana-Monroe hasn't made a bowl game since 2012, but Bryant Vincent—New Mexico's offensive coordinator last year and interim UAB head coach in 2022—has the Warhawks off to a solid 2-1 start.
The one loss? A 51-3 road one to the No. 1 team in the land, Texas.
Let's see if ULM can win four more games and make it to a bowl this year. It opens conference play at Troy this week.
Bob Chesney, James Madison
Stock: Up
What a start to the season new James Madison head coach Bob Chesney is having in Harrisonburg.
As if starting out 2-0 wasn't good enough, the Dukes went into Chapel Hill and hung 70 points on North Carolina, winning 70-50 last week. That is the most allowed by the Tar Heels in program history.
Quarterback Alonza Barnett III scored a school-record seven touchdowns as JMU put up 611 total yards of offense. If it wins the Sun Belt, a playoff bid could be in the cards.
Gerad Parker, Troy
Stock: Down
The Trojans look to be in danger of missing out on a bowl game for the first time in two seasons.
Troy dropped its first three games to Nevada, Memphis and Iowa before beating Florida A&M 34-12 last weekend.
We'll see how the Trojans fare against UL-Monroe this Saturday.
ACC
5 of 9
Bill O'Brien, Boston College
Stock: Up
What a start for Bill O'Brien at Boston College.
The Eagles first upset then-No. 10 Florida State 28-13 and hung tough against Missouri in Columbia, losing 27-21. Last week, they rallied to beat Michigan State 23-19 in the always-special Red Bandana game.
It's unclear if the Eagles are a legitimate ACC title threat just yet, but it looks like they could spoil some ACC teams' seasons this year.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 53rd overall, 13th in the ACC.
Fran Brown, Syracuse
Stock: Steady
Syracuse is hoping Fran Brown can elevate the Orange to new heights.
The New Jersey native, who coached Georgia's defensive backs the last two seasons, is also known as an excellent recruiter, which should help Syracuse tremendously in an expanded ACC.
Although the Orange lost 26-24 at home to an impressive Stanford, they should be 3-1 with wins over Ohio and Georgia Tech after their game against Holy Cross this weekend.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 42nd overall, ninth in the ACC.
Manny Diaz, Duke
Stock: Up
Manny Diaz's return as a head coach is off to an incredible start, as the Blue Devils are 4-0.
Unsurprisingly, the defense has shone bright early, ranking 17th nationally in total defense, giving up just 259.3 yards per game. Per ESPN's S&P, the unit ranks 10th in success rate allowed and fourth in havoc rate.
We'll see how it holds up when Duke starts conference play Saturday against UNC.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 34th overall, sixth in the ACC and includes 4-stars like edge-rusher Bryce Davis and tight end Bradley Gompers.
Big Ten, Part 1
6 of 9
Deshaun Foster, UCLA
Stock: Down
It hasn't been the best start for Deshaun Foster in year one at UCLA.
Following a close 16-13 win at Hawaii Week 1, the Bruins got stomped at home by Indiana 42-13. Although UCLA was tied with LSU at halftime in Baton Rouge last week, it was shut out in the second half and allowed the Tigers to score 17 unanswered points.
The Bruins open conference play against Oregon and Penn State the next two weeks, so they could be 1-4 quickly.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 38th overall, 12th in the Big Ten. Includes 4-star QB Madden Iamaleava (younger brother of Nico Iamaleava) and safety Jadyn Hudson.
Sherrone Moore, Michigan
Stock: Up
A lot of people were writing the Wolverines off following their 31-12 Week 2 loss at home to Texas. But after a 27-24 home win over No. 11 USC, they look like they could be a contender in a loaded Big Ten title race.
The big question is if Michigan's quarterback play is sustainable—after Moore switched from Davis Warren to Alex Orji under center, the latter finished with just seven completions for 32 yards in the win over USC.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 15th overall, fifth in the Big Ten. Includes 12 4-star prospects, including cornerback Ivan Taylor.
Jedd Fisch, Washington
Stock: Steady
Despite a 24-19 Apple Cup loss to rival Washington State in Week 3, the Huskies are 3-1 for the season.
The bright spot early has been Washington's defense, which gave up an average of 5.7 points in wins over Weber State, Eastern Michigan and Northwestern.
We'll see how it holds up on the road against Rutgers this Friday night. The Scarlet Knights have a Top-10 rushing offense, led by star running back Kyle Monangai.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 18th overall, sixth in the Big Ten. Includes eight 4-star prospects, including Washington's No. 1 overall ranked recruit in linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.
Big Ten, Part 2
7 of 9
Jonathan Smith, Michigan State
Stock: Steady
Jonathan Smith has the Spartans in a good spot through four weeks, sitting at 3-1, after a close loss at Boston College.
MSU got off to a 1-0 Big Ten start with their Week 2 road win over Maryland. But the next four games look particularly tough, featuring Ohio State, at Oregon, Iowa at home and at No. 12 Michigan on Oct. 26.
How Michigan State fares in that stretch should give us a better idea of where the team is.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 56th overall, 15th in the Big Ten.
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Stock: Up
It's been a difficult road at Indiana in recent years. The last two head coaches, Tom Allen and Kevin Wilson, went a combined 59-96 dating back to 2011.
This year, though, it seems former JMU head coach Curt Cignetti is starting to turn things around.
The Hoosiers are 4-0, with a 42-13 rout of UCLA in the Rose Bowl as its signature win. Indiana is also ranked fifth in scoring offense, averaging 50.5 points per game.
We'll see if the Hoosiers can keep up this early-season momentum as they continue with Big Ten play against Maryland this Saturday.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: 48th overall, 13th in the Big Ten including a 4-star safety Byron Baldwin.
Pac-12, Big 12
8 of 9
Pac-12
Trent Bray, Oregon State
Stock: Steady
The Beavers are 3-1 on the season, with a 49-14 loss to in-state rival Oregon in Week 3 on their resume. But they did bounce back with a 38-21 win over a poor Purdue team.
Although the start is a solid one, Oregon State hasn't exactly gotten into the tougher part of its schedule just yet. The rest of the slate includes games against UNLV, Cal, San Jose State, Washington State and Boise State.
We should have a better idea of where things stand in Corvallis at the end of the year.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: 73rd overall, second in the Pac-12 behind Washington State.
Big 12
Willie Fritz, Houston
Stock: Down
The expectations for Houston under Willie Fritz were high thanks to the success he had at Tulane. But things have gotten off to a slow start for the Cougars, who are 1-3 on the season.
Houston is struggling to get things going offensively, with the unit ranked 129th in scoring offense and putting up just 13 points per game.
The rest of the schedule doesn't get much easier, featuring three ranked Big 12 opponents in Iowa State, Utah and Kansas State, plus a road trip to BYU to close out the year.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: 45th overall, eighth in the Big 12. Includes two 4-star commits in offensive tackle Demetris Dean and defensive lineman Travis Buhake.
Brent Brennan, Arizona
Stock: Steady
Arizona is 2-1 with wins over New Mexico and Northern Arizona, but a 31-7 loss on the road to Kansas State. So, it's hard to draw too many meaningful conclusions through these three games.
The good news is quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan are both playing well early; the former has 863 yards passing with five touchdowns and three interceptions through three games, while the latter has 453 yards with four touchdowns.
We'll how the Wildcats can navigate a Big 12 schedule featuring a trip to No. 10 Utah this weekend, home games vs. Texas Tech, Colorado, West Virginia, Houston and Arizona State. The other three road trips include BYU, UCF and TCU.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 47th overall, 10th in the Big 12. Includes a commitment from 4-star receiver Terry Shelton.
SEC
9 of 9
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Stock: Up
It sure looks like Alabama isn't missing a beat after replacing college football's greatest coach of all time.
The Crimson Tide defense is allowing just 8.7 points per game, and the offense is getting at least 20 yards on 10.6 percent of its snaps, good for seventh in the country per ESPN's S&P.
Saturday's monster game against No. 2 Georgia won't make or break Alabama's playoff chances, but it will tell us just how good the Tide (and Georgia, for that matter) really are.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked second nationally, and first in the SEC. Includes four 5-star prospects, including quarterback Keelon Russell, offensive tackle Ty Haywood, receiver Caleb Cunningham and cornerback Dijon Lee.
Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Stock: Up
Although the Aggies lost Week 1 at home to Notre Dame, they are 3-1, with a 33-20 road win at Florida on their resume. Equally impressive is that they have done so with a backup quarterback in Marcel Reed, who has started the last two games for injured Conner Weigman.
The redshirt freshman QB has thrown for 351 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. Weigman is expected to be a game-time decision for the game vs. Arkansas on Saturday.
Texas A&M has three home games against ranked opponents remaining on its schedule in No. 11 Missouri next week, LSU on Oct. 26 and a renewal of the Lonestar Showdown against Texas on Nov. 30.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Eighth nationally, seventh in the SEC. Features 16 4-star prospects, tied for the second-most in the conference with LSU.
Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
Stock: Down
Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has had a rough start to 2024, as it is 1-3.
The Bulldogs got blown out at home in Week 3 against Toledo and allowed 45 points against a struggling Florida team.
And things might get even uglier in Starkville in the coming weeks. Mississippi State's next three games include at No. 1 Texas this Saturday, at Georgia following a bye week on Oct. 12 and No. 24 TAMU at home on Oct. 19.
Mississippi State's season ends with three straight playoff contenders in November, going to No. 5 Tennessee and No. 6 Ole Miss on Nov. 9 and 29, with a home game against No. 11 Missouri on Nov. 23. Oof—hang in there, Bulldogs fans.
2025 recruiting class snapshot: Ranked 32nd overall, 14th in the SEC including six four stars.
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