Power Ranking New College Football Head Coaching Hires
The coaching silly season for the 2015 college football season got a head start—like, a major head start...a one-lap head start.
This year was so bizarre away from the field that the first job opening came before the season even started when Illinois fired Tim Beckman. From there, the midseason firings/retirings were aplenty. Steve Sarkisian (USC), Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) and Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) were among the more high-profile departures.
The flip side of such a wide-open coaching carousel, though, is all 24 Football Bowl Subdivision positions have been filled before Christmas. Chances are, the only way things open up again is if there's a late firing or a college coach departs for the NFL.
So with the carousel at a stop (for now), let's take stock of all that's happened and rank all the coaching hires from best to....not best based on program fit and previous experiences.
24. Mike Jinks, Bowling Green
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Bowling Green hopes to continue its run of success through offense with Texas Tech running backs coach Mike Jinks. This past season, Jinks was promoted to associate head coach, but his responsibility stayed with the running backs. He hasn't been a head coach since 2012 when he coached Steele High School in Cibolo, Texas, which is outside San Antonio.
In fact, Jinks' experience up until a couple of years ago was at the high school level. It's not like he's fast-tracked his way through the ranks since he's been coaching for nearly 20 years, but he's still fairly new to the college level. That's not to say he won't have success at Bowling Green, but he's facing a big challenge.
23. Nick Rolovich, Hawaii
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Nick Rolovich has ties to Hawaii as a player and assistant coach. He'll be taking over his alma mater as a first-time head coach in 2016.
Rolovich spent the last four seasons as Nevada's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, working briefly under longtime Wolf Pack coach Chris Ault. In two of the last four seasons, Nevada finished in the top four in the Mountain West in scoring offense. From 2012-14, Rolovich worked directly with quarterback Cody Fajardo. Expect Rolovich to bring new life to a Hawaii offense that ranked worst in the Mountain West in interceptions thrown.
The Hawaii program has fallen on hard times since the June Jones years. It's good for the program to go in a new, younger, offensive-minded direction. Success on the island would mean going back to a bowl game.
22. Tracy Claeys, Minnesota
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Minnesota moved fairly quickly to remove the interim tag from Tracy Claeys' title after he took over for Jerry Kill. Still, his three-year contract shows Minnesota isn't fully committed to Claeys as the long-timer guy, either. If anything, it's a chance for him to prove he has what it takes, while the program concentrates on continuity.
Claeys has past experience filling in for Kill, who missed time in 2013 because of epilepsy. During a seven-game span, Claeys went 4-3 with the Gophers. This year, however, the Gophers went 5-7 with Kill and Claeys, losing five of their last six games.
The calming effect Claeys has on the program is a positive, but there's definitely a wait-and-see approach with this hire.
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21. Bill Cubit, Illinois
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Removing the interim tag from Bill Cubit's title at Illinois was a sign the program would rather punt (so to speak) on a coaching search and potentially revisit it in a couple of years. With an especially active coaching carousel, it's understandable why Illinois would want to do that.
Still, Illinois had an entire season to find its new coach but settled on one who went 5-7 and, fair or not, was a part of Tim Beckman's staff. Beckman was fired before the season amid a report of player mistreatment. It just seems as though the Illini needed to go in another direction and start over.
As for Cubit, he's an offensive mind who had some success at Western Michigan, but Illinois only averaged 22.7 points per game in 2015. That ranked 12th in the Big Ten.
Cubit might turn out to be a good stabilizing force, and players seem to love him, but the entire process was mishandled by the athletic department.
20. Tyson Summers, Georgia Southern
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Georgia Southern lost a heck of a coach in Willie Fritz—more on him later—but the Eagles may have found a solid successor in Colorado State defensive coordinator Tyson Summers.
“What we get in Tyson is someone who knows Georgia, someone who was born and raised in Georgia, someone who has recruited Georgia his entire career and someone who has been a part of a Group of Five school that has played on New Year's Day, which is the level we're aspiring to get to," athletic director Tom Kleinlein said in an email statement.
Fit-wise, Summers is excellent. He has a previous stint at GSU and has previous coaching experience at Central Florida and UAB. Georgia Southern is one of the few programs to thrive in moving from the FCS to the FBS. Can the success continue under Summers?
19. Kalani Sitake, BYU
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BYU's coaching search isn't like others in that ties to the LDS church are a requirement. That narrows the list of quality/qualified candidates. The splash hire would have been Navy's Ken Niumatalolo. However, a report from Jeff Call of the Deseret News indicated negotiations between Niumatalolo and BYU were strained at best.
Instead, BYU has named Oregon State associate head coach and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake as the successor to Bronco Mendenhall. Sitake has deep ties to the state of Utah and connections to former Southern Utah/Utah State coach Gary Andersen and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. That's a decent coaching tree.
“I want to express my appreciation to Gary Andersen and Kyle Whittingham who have given me tremendous opportunities in my career and helped prepare me for the chance to be a head coach,” Sitake said in a BYU release (via the NCAA).
In his one year at Oregon State, the Beavers finished last in the Pac-12 in points allowed per game, after having battled through injuries and youth. Sitake's Utah defenses from 2009-14 were more successful. In 2011, the Utes led the Pac-12 in scoring defense.
Though he's unproven as a head coach, Sitake has done well as a DC and has the support of two prominent area coaches.
18. Will Muschamp, South Carolina
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One season removed after being fired from Florida, Will Muschamp is back in the head coaching ranks at South Carolina. So what do we make of this?
There's the obvious, which is Muschamp never translated from "rising coordinator" to "competent head coach." He had one big season with the Gators (2012), but his tenure in Gainesville will be remembered for offensive struggles, bad losses and unnecessary blocking of one another.
The other factor involves Steve Spurrier, even though he's no longer the Gamecocks head coach. Spurrier is a coaching legend, one who was victorious at every college stop. He made South Carolina relevant. It's tough in general to be the guy after the guy. Muschamp's 2014 stint as Auburn's defensive coordinator, coupled with his time at Florida, make this uninspiring.
The key for Muschamp—and not just to win, but to show he's grown as a coach—is to nail his assistant coaching hires.
17. Chris Ash, Rutgers
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Things can't get worse for Rutgers, right? Right?
Chris Ash has a ton of experience as a defensive coach, with stops at Ohio State, Arkansas, Wisconsin and Iowa State. He's coached under some big names, including Bret Bielema and Urban Meyer. He's certainly earned his opportunity. It just happens to come at a program trying to turn a corner in what is becoming one of the hardest divisions in major college football.
The definition of success is different altogether from when Greg Schiano turned things around at Rutgers in the old Big East. (Interestingly, Schiano replaced Ash at Ohio State.) If Ash can regularly get the Scarlet Knights to the postseason, then he'll have done an excellent job.
16. Scottie Montgomery, East Carolina
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First thing's first: Unless something comes out at a later time showing Ruffin McNeill was involved in a huge scandal, East Carolina made an all-time awful decision to fire him as their head coach.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at what the Pirates are getting with new head coach Scottie Montgomery.
For one, Montgomery definitely knows North Carolina. He was a player at Duke in the 1990s and has spent all but three seasons coaching for the Blue Devils. He's also earned the respect of one of the top coaches in the game—David Cutcliffe. And it's easy to see why. In 2014, Montgomery's first-season as the offensive coordinator, the Blue Devils scored their second-highest single-season total for points in program history.
East Carolina has thrived as a wide-open, offensive-minded team. Montgomery should fit right in. Whether he's an "upgrade" over McNeill remains to be seen, but there's potential here.
15. Jason Candle, Toledo
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Toledo already had one successful promotion when it hired Matt Campbell to succeed Tim Beckman. That worked out well. So what's another promotion with offensive coordinator Jason Candle right?
This could be a sneaky-good hire. Candle's been on the Rockets staff since 2009, so he knows the program and what it takes to win there. He also has been promoted from within before, and it's paid off. In three of the last four years, Toledo has improved in points per game scored. This year, the Rockets dropped to No. 2 in the MAC in points per game.
With Candle, Toledo will keep a familiar face to give the program continuity while maintaining its identity as an offensive-minded football team.
14. Clay Helton, USC
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Like Illinois with Bill Cubit, USC opted to keep its hire in-house by promoting interim coach Clay Helton to full-time head coach. Unlike Illinois, though, USC can get—or at least seriously talk to and consider—a wider variety of quality candidates.
Helton is a stabilizing figure in what was another tumultuous season for the Trojans. He's been in this position before, and the players really gravitate toward him. Winning five of the last seven games of the season helps, too, though USC still lost to the two best teams in the Pac-12: Oregon and Stanford.
Helton, by his own admission, isn't the "glitzy" hire many thought USC would get. But who knows with these things. Sometimes, the glitzy hires don't work out. If he's a good hire, the glitzy part won't matter. But there seems to be more unrest with athletic director Pat Haden and how he's handled the program than there is with Helton specifically.
13. D.J. Durkin, Maryland
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There are two ways to look at Maryland hiring Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. There's the hire itself, and then there's the misdirected mission statement Maryland gives but never acts on.
Hiring Durkin looks good on paper. He's a Jim Harbaugh disciple dating back to their Stanford days. He had one of the SEC's better defenses while at Florida. This year, Michigan was No. 1 in passing yards per attempt allowed and tied for 10th in points allowed per game. If nothing else, the Terps should have an excellent defense.
However, Maryland has made no secret it wants a wide-open offense, yet its recent hires include Durkin, a defensive guy, and Randy Edsall.
This is where Walt Bell comes in. The Terps' new offensive coordinator from Arkansas State will be tasked with making Maryland football more exciting, while Durkin handles the defense.
12. Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia
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Once a year, there's typically one coaching move that makes you say "wow." BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall leaving for Virginia was 2015's weird coaching move. Weird doesn't mean bad, per se. It just means, well, what it means.
Although, in some ways maybe a split was the best thing for BYU and Mendenhall. It had been a great fit for many years, but recently, the Cougars have struggled to take that next step as a FBS Independent. It was probably time for Mendenhall to move on.
As for Virginia, the Mendenhall marriage is certainly intriguing. There are players in the area, but Virginia hasn't been able to capitalize on the field in some time. Mendenhall has spent his coaching career out West, so this will be unique pairing.
11. Seth Littrell, North Texas
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There are a lot of unproven commodities with this Seth Littrell-North Texas marriage, but there's a lot of potential here.
For one, there's no reason North Texas, which has nice facilities and resides just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth recruiting metroplex, should be this bad. Dan McCarney's a good coach who had some success at Iowa State, but defensive football isn't thriving in Conference USA. Offense is where it's at, and offense is where UNT went.
Littrell helped orchestrate a North Carolina offense that finished 10th in the nation in points per game and 19th in total yards per game. His ties to Oklahoma and the region should help in recruiting as well. If Littrell succeeds in Denton, he'll move on to bigger and better things. But right now, UNT just needs to get out of its hole.
10. Scott Frost, Central Florida
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It was only a matter of time before Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost landed a head coaching job. Many thought he'd return to his alma mater—Nebraska. However, he could pair nicely with Central Florida, even though the Knights went winless in 2015.
For one, UCF has a recent history of winning. Two years ago, they beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. This program isn't that far away from being successful again. Frost obviously has a great offensive background. For each of the last two seasons, Oregon quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Vernon Adams Jr. led college football in passer efficiency.
Frost will have to assemble the right staff to recruit the area, but his X's and O's should put UCF in a position to challenge for American Athletic Conference championships.
9. Mike Norvell, Memphis
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Memphis lost one of college football's rising coaches in Justin Fuente. However, it may have found the next great one in Arizona State offensive coordinator Mike Norvell.
At just 34 years old, Norvell has been at Todd Graham's side at Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arizona State. He was promoted to deputy head coach in late 2013. Though the Sun Devils took a step back on offense in 2015, they were among the Pac-12's best scoring units from 2012-14.
Like Fuente was when he took the Memphis job, Norvell will be a first-time head coach. But he's earned Graham's trust over the years, and Graham has turned around multiple programs. Fuente's offensive acumen and ties to the region should make for a good fit.
8. Barry Odom, Missouri
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Say this for Barry Odom: He's a Missouri guy, and no one knows the program better than him. He's also a major reason why the Tigers were even in a spot to possibly win six games in 2015. His promotion from defensive coordinator to head coach is the job he wanted.
Odom's had a fast rise in the coaching ranks. Just 10 years ago, he was director of football recruiting at Mizzou and received his first coordinator job with Memphis in 2012.
Though promoting Odom maintains a sense of program continuity, he's also making some wholesale changes. One of his recent hires is Josh Heupel as the team's offensive coordinator. The other is TCU co-defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross, who will be promoted to DC at Mizzou in a move that David Ubben of Sports on Earth calls a "great, great hire."
7. Kirby Smart, Georgia
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Until new Georgia head coach Kirby Smart establishes his own era, there will be questions about the program's decision to move on from Mark Richt. On one hand, yes, Richt underachieved regarding Georgia's annual expectations. During Richt's tenure, the Bulldogs hadn't won an SEC Championship since 2005 and had not won a national title. Still, Richt averaged nearly 10 wins per year.
But Smart comes from the Nick Saban coaching tree, which already features Jim McElwain at Florida and Mark Dantonio at Michigan State. Routinely, Smart made Alabama's defense into one of the most formidable units in all of college football.
Saban thinks so highly of Smart, in fact, that he got emotional talking about Smart leaving for Georgia.
"He's as good an assistant coach and as loyal an assistant coach as I've ever had on my staff," Saban said (via Jon Solomon, CBS Sports).
As a first-time head coach, Smart needs to nail his assistant coaching hires. But he's right at home at his alma mater.
6. Matt Viator, Louisiana-Monroe
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Todd Berry had some good moments at Louisiana-Monroe, but he also had four losing seasons in six years. That'll do it, unfortunately.
Matt Viator, on the other hand, had a terrific run at FCS-member McNeese State. Five times in 10 years, Viator took the Cowboys to the NCAA playoffs. This year, the Pokes had an undefeated regular-season record, and Viator was a FCS Coach of the Year finalist.
Viator was an assistant at McNeese State for a number of years, too, before being promoted. He knows Louisiana well and should be able to translate that winning mentality to a program that's seen intermittent success, but can do well in the Sun Belt.
5. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
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Ultimately, Iowa State hated to let go of head coach Paul Rhoads. There were few better "fits" in college football. No, the results weren't there, and the two sides needed to part ways, but the fact Iowa State let Rhoads coach the last game of the year tells you everything you need to know.
Matt Campbell is a terrific hire, though. Can he have success in Ames? It's always been a hard place to win, but it's even harder now that the Big 12 plays a round-robin schedule.
Campbell was 35-15 in four full seasons with the Rockets, winning nine games in three of those years. Though Toledo never represented the MAC East in the conference championship, Campbell got the program close a couple of times during Northern Illinois' unprecedented six straight MAC title appearances.
Campbell is considered one of the industry's rising young stars. If he wins at Iowa State—meaning, if he takes the Cyclones to a couple of bowl games—he could be in line for an even bigger job.
4. Mark Richt, Miami (FL)
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Miami hiring Mark Richt is, in a word, surreal. The U is Richt's alma mater, but he's been with Georgia so long it feels weird seeing him throw up the hand sign.
Is it a good hire? As noted earlier with Smart, Richt won a lot of games with the Bulldogs, but lately he hadn't won enough of the right games. There's potential with Miami that hasn't been realized in a long time, and Richt is good enough to get the Hurricanes to the ACC Championship Game.
Sometimes, these things come down to timing. It's tough to maintain an elite standard at the same job for 15 years, which is how long Richt was at Georgia. Richt is also a guy who doesn't need to coach anymore, but the opportunity to come to Miami was the right fit at the right time.
3. Dino Babers, Syracuse
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Dino Babers has been successful everywhere he's been. He led Bowling Green to a Mid-American Conference championship and had one of the better teams outside the power conferences in 2015.
With apologies to Syracuse fans, it seems like Babers could have done, well, better. However, I actually like his chances of being successful in New York. The Orange play indoors in the Carrier Dome, so weather isn't a factor. That lets Babers run that high-flying offense uninhibited at least a half-season. The 'Cuse play in a tough division with Clemson and Florida State, but if Babers gets the right athletes, he could win. At the very least, he could cause a ton of headaches around the rest of the league with this offense.
2. Willie Fritz, Tulane
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Is an "underrated hire" still underrated if everyone keeps talking about how good it is? Well, that's what Tulane is apparently getting in Willie Fritz. The former Georgia Southern coach did an outstanding job transitioning the program from the FCS to the FBS.
Tulane, however, is actually an underrated job. It has a new stadium to call its home and resides in one of the country's more talent-rich areas. Fritz's triple-option offense should make the Green Wave one of the harder teams to defend every week.
It's not a major name going to a blue-blood Power Five program, but this is a nice hire by Tulane.
1. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
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Hands down, Justin Fuente moving from Memphis to Virginia Tech is the best hire of the coaching silly season. And it's not just because Fuente did a remarkable job of turning the Tigers program around. Fuente will keep longtime Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster on the staff. Talk about having the best of both worlds.
Fuente's shown the ability to win with unheralded recruits while developing them into NFL-caliber players (see: Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch). Fuente's offensive mind combined with Foster's blue-collar, defensive approach should be a great pair if the two can make it work.
Virginia Tech will always be a Frank Beamer program, but the Hokies haven't been what they once were in recent years, and Fuente should be the shot of energy they need to compete for ACC Championships again.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
