Grading 1st-Year College Coaches' 2014 Seasons
This week, the college football coaching carousel started spinning again, with multiple high-profile jobs opening up as the 2014 regular season wound to a close.
Bo Pelini was fired by Nebraska. Michigan canned Brady Hoke after four years. SMU hired Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley locked in on Colorado State’s Jim McElwain as a prime candidate to replace Will Muschamp, per Scott Roussel of FootballScoop.com.
With the season ending and the carousel firing on all cylinders, it’s a perfect time to examine 2014’s coaching moves. Movement is a constant in college football, and last winter was no different. Twenty FBS programs made changes at the top. Here’s a look at how each new coach graded out in his first season at his program.
Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
1 of 20
When Blake Anderson arrived in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the locals were very anxious to keep him—with good reason. Anderson, formerly North Carolina’s offensive coordinator, was the Red Wolves’ fifth coach in as many seasons after predecessors Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin bolted after one season at the school. He was signed to a contract that included a $3 million first-year buyout and a $2 million second-year buyout.
And perhaps Anderson will hang around for a while. ASU finished the season at 7-5 and is bowl-eligible from the middle of the Sun Belt pack.
It had a balanced offense, and while losses to Appalachian State and Texas State were disappointments, ASU averaged 36.1 points per game, which ranks No. 24 nationally. Junior Fredi Knighten was solid as the starting quarterback, throwing for 2,874 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Not bad. ASU fans would love for Anderson to get comfortable.
Grade: B
Dino Babers, Bowling Green
2 of 20
Dino Babers inherited an excellent situation at Bowling Green. Dave Clawson left for Wake Forest following a MAC championship and a 10-win season, and Babers brought in his high-powered offense from FCS Eastern Illinois (which averaged 589.5 yards and 48.2 points per game in 2013).
The offense wasn’t quite as powerful in the MAC, averaging 30.8 points per game (which ranked No. 54 nationally). Sophomore quarterback James Knapke had ups and downs in his first season as a starter, throwing for 2,654 yards with 12 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Still, the Falcons beat Big Ten foe Indiana, won the MAC East and will face off with Northern Illinois in Friday’s MAC title game. BGSU will be the underdog, but that didn’t matter a year ago when it upset the Huskies for the league title.
Grade: B
Craig Bohl, Wyoming
3 of 20
When Bohl took the Wyoming job last winter, it was regarded as a solid hire. Bohl had tremendous success at the FCS level, winning three consecutive FCS national titles with North Dakota State and going 43-2 along the way. He inherited 14 starters from a 5-7 team, but the Cowboys took a slight step backward this fall, finishing the regular season 4-8.
They had trouble scoring points, averaging 21.1 points per game, which ranked No. 110 nationally, and also gave up 32.8 points per game, which ranked No. 102 nationally. Following a 3-1 start, the Cowboys won just one of their last eight games. Bohl will have success in Laramie if his track record is any indication, but this could be a tougher job than he expected.
Grade: C
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Jeff Brohm, Western Kentucky
4 of 20
When Bobby Petrino landed back at Louisville, Jeff Brohm was a natural replacement for the one-and-done Petrino. He had spent five seasons working under Petrino, including spending 2013 as the Hilltoppers’ offensive coordinator.
Brohm slid right into the head role. WKU got off to a rough start, going 2-4 with four losses by eight points or less, but the ‘Toppers rebounded in a big way to end the season, winning five of six to get bowl-eligible at 7-5.
That included last week’s 67-66 overtime win at Marshall, where WKU converted on a two-point conversion in overtime to ruin the Thundering Herd’s unbeaten season. Western Kentucky averaged 44 points per game, which ranked sixth nationally, and will make a bowl game. That's not a bad first season.
Grade: B+
Bill Clark, UAB
5 of 20
This is one of the best and also the saddest stories of the 2014 college football season. When Bill Clark took over at UAB, he took the helm of a program which had struggled in the shadows of SEC powers Alabama and Auburn. Garrick McGee went 5-19 in two seasons before leaving to become Bobby Petrino’s offensive coordinator at Louisville.
So what Clark did was nothing short of miraculous. He energized the program, and last week’s win over Southern Miss got the Blazers bowl-eligible at 6-6. So it was sad, shocking and stunning when UAB officials announced that they were shutting down the program Tuesday, the first FBS school to ditch football in 19 years.
Clark did an amazing job, and fans noticed, as UAB doubled its attendance, averaging over 22,000 fans per game at Legion Field.
AL.com's Kevin Scarbinsky said UAB president Ray Watts and his balance sheet killed Blazer football.
UAB tailback Ja'Won Arrington told Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com that Watts was emotionless.
"He was vague. He didn't show any emotion. Then he's gonna give us a bad excuse talking about you don't know what you don't know? What kind of answer is that? Explain to us. You can't even give us a clear, definite answer. All you can do is come in here and say you've supported us when you haven't.
"
Clark's success wasn’t enough to overcome what UAB officials said were tremendous financial difficulties. Clark will be a tremendous hire for someone else, and many of his players will land on FBS rosters next fall, as they can transfer without penalties. It’s just a shame they won’t get to do so in Birmingham.
Grade: A
Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
6 of 20
Dave Clawson rode a MAC championship at Bowling Green to a Wake Forest program which had fallen into the doldrums under Jim Grobe despite a 2006 ACC championship. It wasn’t expected to be easy, and it wasn’t.
Only a 6-3 double-overtime win over Virginia Tech prevented the Demon Deacons from finishing the season on an eight-game win streak, and they struggled mightily to score, averaging 14.8 points per game, No. 127 nationally. They also had immense trouble running the ball, averaging 39.9 points per game, which also ranks No. 127.
True freshman quarterback John Wolford took his lumps, throwing 12 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, but it wasn’t all his fault. The glory days under Grobe look like a long way away.
Grade: D+
Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan
7 of 20
Last winter, the former Drake coach walked into one of the nation’s toughest overall jobs. Eastern Michigan has not had a winning record since 1995 and entered 2014 winners of just four games over the past two seasons. In that sense, this fall was more of the same. The Eagles finished the season 2-10, with their only wins coming over FCS foe Morgan State and Buffalo.
EMU was No. 125 nationally in both scoring defense and scoring offense, getting outscored by an average of 40.9-15.7. In the 10 defeats, it came within 14 points of its opponent. That doesn’t sound very good, but Creighton didn’t exactly have a lot to work with. EMU fans should be patient with him.
Grade: C
Bob Diaco, UConn
8 of 20
UConn slipped into the bottom half of the American Athletic Conference, and it was Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s job to turn the Huskies around. It won’t be a one-year job. Entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against winless SMU, UConn is 2-9 and hasn’t been especially exciting or competitive in the AAC. Its only wins have come over FCS foe Stony Brook and Central Florida.
The Huskies have struggled to score, averaging 15.1 points per game, ranking No. 126 nationally, and senior quarterback Chandler Whitmer wasn’t the answer, throwing 14 touchdowns against three interceptions. He has been supplanted recently by sophomore Tim Boyle, who’ll get the chance to prove himself as the quarterback of the future.
Still, that future looks like it’ll have a few more clouds before the sun breaks through for the Huskies.
Grade: D+
James Franklin, Penn State
9 of 20
When James Franklin took the Penn State job, it looked like a smart call. After all, how could you get better than three consecutive nine-win seasons at Vanderbilt? Plus, he didn’t have to be the guy who followed legendary Joe Paterno. That was Bill O’Brien’s job before heading to the NFL’s Houston Texans.
But even after the NCAA restored Penn State’s bowl eligibility in the wake of progress following the Jerry Sandusky scandal, there’s some reason for uneasiness in Happy Valley.
The Nittany Lions are 6-6 and haven’t exactly looked pretty doing it. They average 19.8 points per game, which ranks No. 115 nationally. Sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg has struggled behind a beat-up, inexperienced offensive line. After throwing 20 touchdowns against 10 interceptions as a freshman, he’s tossed eight touchdowns against 15 picks this fall.
Penn State has a Top 10 national scoring defense that has kept it in games, but it has struggled to run the ball, averaging 103.6 yards per game, No. 119 nationally. Ugly losses to Northwestern, Maryland and Illinois took the shine off a 4-0 start.
Grade: C+
Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern
10 of 20
Georgia Southern was in excellent position for a great 2014 season. The Eagles were making the move from the FCS ranks to the Sun Belt and had a new coach in Willie Fritz, but they weren’t doing too much differently, using a spread option instead of former coach Jeff Monken’s flexbone.
It was an immediate success. At 9-3, 8-0 in Sun Belt play, the Eagles won the SBC title, although they can’t go bowling since they’re transitioning from FCS to the FBS. Their only losses were last-second defeats at Georgia Tech and N.C. State and a 52-19 defeat at Navy, but they fit just fine in the Sun Belt.
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Ellison passed for 1,001 yards and rushed for 1,096 more with 12 touchdowns on the ground. The Eagles averaged 381.1 yards rushing per game, No. 1 nationally, and they look like they’ll be Sun Belt pests for years to come.
Grade: A
Bryan Harsin, Boise State
11 of 20
Bryan Harsin was an obvious choice to replace Chris Petersen as Boise State’s new head coach last winter. Harsin spent nine seasons as a Boise assistant, including four as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, and was a former BSU quarterback.
As he approaches the end of his first season, it looks like a solid fit. The Broncos are 10-2 and will host Fresno State Saturday night as the heavy favorites to win the Mountain West championship. Their only losses came to Ole Miss and on the road at Air Force. There's no shame in that.
Boise has won seven consecutive games, scoring at least 37 points in every game. The Broncos average 40.8 points per game, which ranks No. 9 nationally. Senior quarterback Grant Hedrick has thrown for 3,232 yards with 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, and junior tailback Jay Ajayi has been impressive, rushing for 1,619 yards with 24 touchdowns.
Boise looks like a favorite to win the "Group of Five" spot in the College Football Playoff-affiliated bowls, meaning it hasn’t lost a step under Harsin.
Grade: A
Chuck Martin, Miami (Ohio)
12 of 20
When Chuck Martin walked into Oxford, Ohio, last winter, he found a very difficult situation. Last fall, the Redhawks finished 0-12, losing their games by an average of 25.9 points. This fall has shown at least some improvement.
Miami finished the season 2-10, with wins over UMass and Kent State. Notre Dame transfer Andrew Hendrix was solid at quarterback, throwing for 3,280 yards with 23 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
Overall, the Redhawks showed minimal improvement, allowing 31.8 points per game (down from 35.7 a year ago). And they were significantly more competitive, losing eight games by 10 points or less. Given where the program was a year ago, that could be cause for celebration and a solid foundation to build off of.
Grade: C-
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
13 of 20
When James Franklin left Vanderbilt for Penn State, there was room for regression. After all, three consecutive nine-win seasons capped by bowl victories was unprecedented at Vandy. But former Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason saw his honeymoon end with a 37-7 season-opening home loss to Temple, and it never got better.
The Commodores finished 3-9. Vandy lost four games by at least 27 points, and its only wins came against FCS foe Charleston Southern, UMass and Old Dominion. And it could have been worse: Vandy held off Charleston Southern 21-20 and needed a fourth-quarter rally to edge UMass 34-31. UMass finished the season 3-9.
It was all-around bad. The ‘Dores averaged just 17.2 points per game and finished No. 120 nationally in scoring offense. Four different quarterbacks started games. The defense was no better, allowing 33.3 points per game, No. 106 nationally.
Mason has already begun shaking up his coaching staff, firing offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell, per FootballScoop.com (h/t Adam Sparks of The Tennessean). Vandy must show significant improvement soon, or he’ll be next.
Grade: F
Jeff Monken, Army
14 of 20
Willie Fritz had an opportunity to take Georgia Southern’s job after Jeff Monken left for Army following a 38-16 run at the Eagles’ helm. He was expected to breathe life into the Black Knights’ program, which had won just eight games in a three-year span.
His first season has been up and down. Entering Dec. 13’s huge rivalry game against Navy, Army is 4-7. The Knights average 305.5 yards rushing per game, sixth nationally. Senior quarterback Angel Santiago has more yards rushing (793) than passing (488).
But stopping foes has been Army’s real problem. Army has allowed 34.4 points per game, No. 109 nationally. This won’t be a one-year turnaround project for Monken.
Grade: C
Charlie Partridge, Florida Atlantic
15 of 20
Charlie Partridge walked into a tumultuous situation in South Florida. Florida Atlantic endured the mid-October resignation of coach Carl Pelini for alleged drug use, which he denies, per The Associated Press (via CBS Sports), and got bowl-eligible at 6-6. The Owls returned 10 starters from that team, giving themselves a solid foundation, but only one was on the offensive line.
2013 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year Jaquez Johnson was solid, throwing for 2,215 yards with 17 touchdowns against five interceptions and added 513 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. But defense was a major issue.
FAU allowed at least 31 points in each of its last eight games and finished 3-9. The Owls allowed 34.4 games on the year, which ranked No. 110 nationally, and finished 3-9—a big step back in Partridge’s first season.
Grade: D
Chris Petersen, Washington
16 of 20
When Steve Sarkisian left for Southern California, Chris Petersen saw Washington as the perfect next step in his career. The Huskies had Pac-12 money, 14 starters returning and a solid landing spot. However, Petersen’s first season was just, well, average.
At 8-5, Washington will go to a bowl game. The Huskies beat everyone they were supposed to but didn’t really make a splash, losing to all five ranked teams they faced, falling 27-26 to Arizona and 20-13 to Stanford. Junior linebacker Shaq Thompson was one of the nation’s most exciting players, making plays as both a tailback and linebacker. But the Huskies weren’t spectacular anywhere, giving Petersen room to grow.
Grade: B-
Bobby Petrino, Louisville
17 of 20
Who says you can’t go home again? Not Bobby Petrino. In his first Louisville tenure, Petrino impressed, going 41-9 over a four-year span with an Orange Bowl win and a pair of Top 10 finishes. But following high-profile exits from the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Arkansas, Petrino impressed in a one-year pit stop at Western Kentucky, going 8-4, before coming back to Louisville after Charlie Strong left for Texas.
While the ACC is significantly tougher than the AAC, Louisville didn’t slip much from last season’s 12-1 record, going 9-3 with close losses to Florida State, Clemson and Virginia. Safety Gerod Holliman tied an FBS single-season record with 14 interceptions, and while senior wideout DeVante Parker played just five games due to injury, he looked very impressive doing it, making 35 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns.
Louisville allowed 20.5 points per game, No. 19 nationally, and showed it can hang in the ACC. Not bad, Bobby. Not bad.
Grade: B+
Steve Sarkisian, Southern California
18 of 20
When Steve Sarkisian moved down the West Coast to take the Southern California job, it was worth wondering if he took the position at the perfect time. The Trojans were coming off a 10-4 season, and even though they had only 70 scholarship players, they were a dark-horse College Football Playoff contender.
That didn’t quite happen. USC enters the bowl game 8-4, with losses to Boston College, Arizona State, Utah and UCLA. And it needed a final-play Hail Mary to stun Arizona 28-26.
With Cody Kessler (3,505 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, four interceptions), tailback Javorius Allen (1,337 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) and wideout Nelson Agholor (97 receptions, 1,223 yards, 11 scores) as well as dominant defensive end Leonard Williams, the Trojans don’t lack for talent. This feels like it should be better than an 8-4 team. But it isn’t, which is Sarkisian’s problem to solve.
Grade: B
Charlie Strong, Texas
19 of 20
Charlie Strong certainly made a big first impression in Austin, Texas. Charged with restoring some toughness to a Texas program that was sorely lacking in it, he dismissed nine players and also lost quarterback David Ash to career-ending concussion problems.
Still, the Longhorns appeared to get better as the year went on. Following a 2-4 start, they won four of their last six to grab bowl eligibility and looked like a more cohesive group as the season progressed.
Sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes had an ugly regular-season finale against TCU, throwing four interceptions against one touchdown in a 48-10 loss. But he grew into the role as the Longhorns’ starter, and there’s plenty of optimism around him. The Horns are showing their toughness. They just need more talent.
Grade: B
Mark Whipple, UMass
20 of 20
UMass is one of the toughest jobs in college football with good reason. When Mark Whipple took over he inherited a team that went 2-22 in its first two seasons in the FBS and is scheduled to leave the MAC following the 2015 season.
Whipple led the Minutemen to an FCS title in his first go-round at UMass from 1998-2003, and while this season won’t touch that success, there’s no denying it’s an improvement.
Following an 0-6 start against a brutal slate that featured Boston College, Colorado, Vanderbilt and Penn State, UMass finished the season 3-3 against MAC foes. Senior Blake Frohnapfel, a Marshall transfer, threw for 3,345 yards with 23 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in just 10 games.
Playing in Gillette Stadium, miles from main campus, and looking for a new league home isn’t easy, but it’s hard to argue against the incremental progress UMass showed this season.
Grade: C
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
