6 College Football Coaching Hires That Teams Will Regret

Of the 120 FBS head college football coaches that began the 2011 season on the sidelines, 25 didn’t make it to the end of the year or were let go/resigned when the season finished.

That means that the coaching carousel effectively turned at the rate of 21 percent of FBS programs having new leadership for the 2012 season.

And the next set of questions is fairly obvious:

Who among these 25 will be successful at their new posts immediately, who will tank, who will leave quickly for greener pastures and who will be afforded the time for a slow approach to success to work its way through a program?

Yes, who will institutions (and therefore, fanbases) ultimately be glad they hired and whose hiring will soon be considered regretful and a black mark upon the history of a great program?

The following slideshow attempts the almost impossible and predicts six members of the class of 2012 coaching changes that institutions may soon want to forget they ever gave a W-2 form to.

Todd Graham, Arizona State

After leading Rice to a rare 7-6 winning record in 2006 and enjoying an ultra-successful four-year run at Tulsa (36-17 from 2007-10), Todd Graham looked to be just the ticket for Pittsburgh’s quest to make it to the next level.

Yes, Pitt dismissed alumnus Dave Wannstedt (42-31 from 2005-10) after the 8-5 2010 campaign and after a coaching search fiasco finally landed Graham as the proverbial coaching “answer man.”

And what they got in return was an uninspired 6-6 record in 2011 that landed flat (after Graham’s surprise exit) with a 28-6 beat down at the hands of C-USA’s SMU in the BBVA Compass Bowl.

And if that wasn’t enough, Graham literally left Pitt in the night for the seemingly-friendly shores of the Arizona State job. He purportedly didn’t address his players face-to-face on his way out the door.

Now, you could argue that a job in the Pac-12 is a better opportunity than a job in a dwindling Big East, but how are you going to trust a man to stay and build your program when he just jilted his last lover in an unprofessional manner?

It’s absolutely true that coaching provides no stability or security for the job holder and he/she must look out for him/herself but despite this, Graham’s flee from Pitt deserves calling out.

The other reason Arizona State should be wary is the fact that Pitt (a team that returned 11 senior starters in 2011) never looked like they were truly improving as the year went on.

This was a team that many prognosticators had as Big East contenders this season and at the end of the day, the only BCS schools they beat were USF, UConn, Louisville and Syracuse who went 22-27 combined in 2011 (only one was above the .500 mark).

Graham might indeed have what it takes to be successful at Arizona State but if he is successful, how quickly will he drop the Sun Devils to take a job at an even higher-profile institution?

It’s the same thing you’d tell your buddy if he started dating some girl who just dumped all over a good guy in public…everybody knows how it’s going to end before it even begins.

Charlie Weis, Kansas

Charlie Weis was hired as Kansas’ 38th head coach following the firing of Turner Gill after he went 5-19 in two seasons in Lawrence (2010-11).

Though Weis’ resume is extensive and highlighted by successes at an astounding variety of institutions, his record as a head coach is 35-27—which all comes via a five-year stint at Notre Dame.

Yes, 35-27 doesn’t sound that bad until you break it down to per-season results, which are: 9-3, 10-3, 3-9, 7-6 and 6-6.

Can anyone say slide?

The Kansas job would be a huge challenge for even the most seasoned and successful of head coaches but with Weis, we’re talking about a guy who let it slip away at a school with all the prestige, recruits and advantages.

And Kansas obviously doesn’t offer those same amenities.

More concern can be mustered by pointing to Weis’ hiring as the 2011 Florida OC under first-year head man Will Muschamp.

How did it go?

Well, the Gators dropped to a lowly No. 71 in offensive points scored per game in 2011, averaging only 25.5 on their way to an uninspired 7-6 finish that was bolstered by defense, not offense.

It’s hard to argue that the Jayhawks will “regret” hiring Weis right away because any improvement on a two-win season will be welcomed and celebrated, but long term what is Kansas looking for?

If it’s sustainable winning and competing for championships, Weis might not be the guy.

Bob Davie, New Mexico

I, for one, am excited about Bob Davie’s journey from the broadcasting booth back to the college football sidelines, but it’s hard to imagine that he could have chosen a bigger challenge than what lies ahead at New Mexico.

The Lobos have won only seven total games since 2008, and have reached the seven-plus win plateau only twice in this millennium.

Davie is another guy who has been around the coaching circuit as an assistant but, like Charlie Weis, had his only experience as a head guy during a stint at Notre Dame.

Bob Davie went 35-25 during his five seasons at the helm of the Irish (1997-2001) and like Weis, he only really flirted with success.

Notre Dame went 7-6 in 1997, 9-3 in 1998, 5-7 in 1999, 9-3 in 2000 and 5-6 in 2001.

Davie was 0-3 in bowl games as the Irish head coach and the team finished ranked only twice in his tenure in South Bend.

Again, here’s a guy who couldn’t get it done where the recruiting is easier, the support is stronger and the media (and therefore, pollsters) want you to win.

New Mexico may not “regret” hiring Davie, especially if he can talk the Lobos out of their huge defeat-ridden hole, but can he really return them to long term respectability?

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

First things first with Kevin Sumlin, I like the guy and respect what he did at the University of Houston.

But despite all the good feelings, why did Texas A&M hire an offensive-minded coach when they just got rid of one during their transition to what is definitely a more defensive league?

Yes, somebody had to pay for a bizarre 7-6 finish in 2011 that included a rash of comeback-infused losses but if you were going to can Mike Sherman, why hire Kevin Sumlin?

Sumlin, who actually played LB at Purdue from 1983-86, held a variety of offensive assistant positions nationwide before landing the Houston job in 2008, where he went 35-17 in four seasons and won C-USA West titles in 2009 and 2011.

But, and again, why bring in a guy who has coached an offense that has been ranked no lower than No. 13 in scoring in four years (and were No. 1 twice in that time period) to coach a team that is moving to a defense-dominated conference?

The last five SEC champions have ranked in the Top 15 nationally in defense…the 2011 Aggies ranked No. 70 and the 2011 Cougars ranked No. 35.

Texas A&M likes to hire guys who have some sort of connection with their uniquely tradition-laden institution (Sumlin was an Aggie assistant from 2001-02) but you just have to wonder why they couldn’t have found an ex with a defensive pedigree.

Jim Mora, Jr. (Jim L. Mora), UCLA

Jim Mora Jr. seemed a bit of a curious hire for UCLA, seeing how his only college coaching experience came when he served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Washington in 1984 (he played DB for the Huskies from 1980-83).

Yes, Mora’s dad (Jim Mora, Sr. or Jim E. Mora) made a stop at UCLA in the mid-70s, but the younger Mora has spent his entire coaching career in the NFL ranks.

Mora has enjoyed two brief stints as a head coach (2004-06 at Atlanta and 2009 at Seattle), but his overall record is a less than promising 31-33.

So, why Mora and can he make a successful transition to the college ranks and lead a team that has endured six years of obscurity back to the Promised Land?

Or, instead, is this hire yet another stop gap as UCLA looks for someone to bring them back to the success they experienced in the '80s and '90s?

Urban Meyer, Ohio State

Now seriously, how would Ohio State ever regret hiring their native son Urban Meyer?

Yes, how could the Buckeye State bemoan bringing on the man who will surely make an entire football society forget about a guy named Jim Tressel?

Meyer has experienced (and earned) success at every head job on his resume and along with two national titles, he has four conference titles and three divisional crowns notched in his belt.

Urban Meyer was absolutely the hire of the century for Ohio State, but what if the cyclical nature of football, combined with the pressure cooker of the job itself and the changing landscape of the Big Ten make success more difficult to earn than anticipated?

Yes, what if Tressel really was that good and what if nine BCS appearances in 12 seasons and seven Big Ten titles in 10 years are, in reality, unobtainable?

What if Meyer’s health concerns crop back up due to the pressure of an entire state living by every point, every down and expecting national championships aplenty (these people don’t just want to win the division and the conference)?

What if the new Big Ten format will make those titles harder to come by (a ha…you have to win that championship game now and shared titles are a thing of the past) and therefore, BCS bids aren’t as easy to garner.

Indeed, what if the resurgence of Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and the addition of Nebraska beefs up the conference and makes it a slug fest not unlike the SEC?

And what if the Meyer hire isn’t the “sure thing” everyone thinks it is?

I’m not saying…I’m just saying.