College Football 2011: 10 Head Coaches Poised for Instant Success at New Schools
Transitioning to a new football program is never an easy task for a college football head coach.
There are different philosophies, new coaches and different responsibilities and territories for a coach to get used to.
Nevertheless, certain coaches walk into better situations than others. In some situations it is not out of the question for a coach to enjoy substantial success in his first season on the sidelines.
Here are 10 head coaches who are ready to win at their new positions in Year 1. There are no five-year plans for these situations and coaches; rather, success is immediately within reach.
Todd Graham (Pittsburgh)
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Pittsburgh’s coaching search got messy thanks to the actions of former Miami [OH] head coach Mike Haywood. Nevertheless, Pittsburgh eventually found their man in Todd Graham.
Graham was formerly the head coach at Tulsa. During his time at Tulsa, he amassed an impressive record of 36-17 and led the school to three bowl victories.
Todd Graham steps into a situation at Pittsburgh where he can succeed immediately.
Wide receiver Jon Baldwin and defensive end Jabaal Sheard have both moved onto the NFL, but besides that, all the pieces are back from a Panthers team that won eight games last season.
Running back Ray Graham played excellent as a sophomore, rushing for 922 yards. His return should ease the pain of losing Dion Lewis to the NFL. Quarterback Tino Sunseri will have to continue to progress under center.
Pittsburgh only gave up 19 points per game last season, and will look to be just as stingy on defensive in 2011.
There is no clear-cut favorite in the Big East conference. Pittsburgh has always had some of the top talent in the conference, but could never get over the hump with former coach Dave Wannstedt. Todd Graham will have a legitimate opportunity to win the conference in his first season at Pittsburgh.
Will Muschamp (Florida)
2 of 10
Florida had a surprisingly average season last year, going only 8-5.
Urban Meyer has stepped down, and former Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will lead the Gators into the future.
Honestly, Florida recruits the highest caliber athletes in the country, and the Gators are always in position to have a big season. This holds true for next season as Florida tries to climb back to the top of the SEC.
Senior quarterback John Brantley only threw nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions last fall. Brantley will have to step up his game next season in order for Florida to move forward.
Jeff Demps, Mike Gillislee, Chris Rainey and Deonte Thompson are all big-time talents that will be some of the main contributors on offense.
Muschamp will look to immediately put his stamp on Florida’s defense next season. The biggest area concern for Florida is in the secondary, where safeties Ahmad Black and Will Hill have moved onto the NFL.
Jelani Jenkins will be Florida’s top talent on the defensive side of the ball.
The SEC schedule will be as brutal as ever for the Gators, along with a home finale vs. rival Florida State, but the talent is in place for Will Muschamp to succeed during his first season in Gainesville.
Brady Hoke (Michigan)
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Rich Rodriguez’s much maligned coaching tenure at Michigan has finally come to a close.
Brady Hoke was a winner at both Ball State and San Diego State. Hoke will attempt to move Michigan back amongst the nation’s elite next season.
The return of quarterback Denard Robinson is great news for Michigan, and will make Hoke’s job much easier next season. In addition to Robinson’s return, Michigan also brings back almost their entire offense from last season.
A lack of offense is not what has led to Michigan’s failures over the past few seasons though. It will be the defense that will determine whether Brady Hoke enjoys “immediate success” next season.
New defensive coordinator Greg Mattison will attempt to rejuvenate the Wolverines defensive unit. Mattison will have to repair the defense’s damaged psyche as well as coach them up in general.
Mike Martin and Jibreel Black are two young, promising prospects on defense.
Brady Hoke is a “Michigan man,” and he would love nothing more than to reclaim glory for his alma mater. Hoke will have an opportunity to win immediately next season.
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Don Treadwell (Miami [OH])
4 of 10
Former Michigan State defensive coordinator Don Treadwell takes over the Redhawks program after the team won the MAC Championship just last season.
Miami [OH] won just one game under former Head Coach Mike Haywood in 2009, and made an incredible turnaround in 2010, notching 10 victories in addition to the aforementioned conference championship.
Treadwell will attempt to maintain the Redhawks’ positive momentum next fall.
Junior quarterback Zac Dysert is an all-conference performer and will be the catalyst for the offense.
He will have to move on without wide receiver Armand Robinson, but Nick Harwell showed tremendous promise as a freshman and should smoothly transition into the No. 1 wide receiver slot.
Miami [OH] was solid on defense. Nine starters return from last year’s unit, and there is no reason not to expect an even bigger improvement next fall.
Miami [OH] will get everyone’s best shot as the reigning conference champions, but there is no reason to think that the Redhawks will not once again finish at the top of the MAC standings.
David Shaw (Stanford)
5 of 10
David Shaw’s spot on this list was cemented on Jan. 7.
Jan. 7 was the day that quarterback Andrew Luck announced he would return for his junior season at Stanford rather than enter the NFL Draft.
Luck is the top quarterback in the country and the early favorite to win the Heisman trophy next season. His return is one of the main reasons that many are projecting Stanford as a preseason top 20 team.
The fact that Shaw served as offensive coordinator at Stanford should make the transition from former Head Coach Jim Harbaugh that much easier for Luck and the rest of the team.
It is not all good news for Shaw, though. Talents such as linebacker/fullback Owen Marecic and wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Ryan Whalen need to be replaced.
A pair of home games vs. Oregon and Notre Dame in November will be huge measuring sticks for the Cardinal.
It is uncertain as to whether David Shaw can keep Stanford near the top of the PAC 12 in the future, but for right now, he is definitely poised for immediate success.
Randy Edsall (Maryland)
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Regardless of whether you felt that Ralph Friedgen’s dismissal from Maryland was justified, the fact remains that Randy Edsall is now the new head coach at the school.
An abundance of talent returns from a Terrapins team that won nine games last season, and soundly defeated East Carolina in the Military Bowl.
Speedy wide receiver Torrey Smith and running back Da’Rel Scott are gone, but there are still plenty of playmakers left on the offense.
Quarterback Danny O’Brien played brilliantly as a freshman and looks to build on his success next season with Smith at wide receiver.
It will be interesting though to see if Edsall shifts the focus of the offense more to the rushing game and running back Davin Meggett.
Maryland will need to fill the holes left by linebackers Alex Wujciak and Adrian Moten in the front seven of the defense.
Randy Edsall’s UCONN teams for the most part were never spectacular, but they were always solid squads that usually made bowl plans. Maryland is hoping that Edsall will keep them in the bowl picture.
Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia)
7 of 10
Former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen is the head coach in waiting at West Virginia, and next season will technically be Bill Stewart’s last season as head coach of the Mountaineers.
With that being said, Holgorsen will have tremendous input on the West Virginia program next fall. He was an offensive guru during his time at Oklahoma State, and he will have plenty of talent to work with next season in Morgantown.
Quarterback Geno Smith returns under center after throwing 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions as a sophomore. Wide receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey will be Smith’s main two targets.
For all of the talent that Holgorsen will have in place, I am sure he would have loved to have one season with running back Noel Devine.
The offense is important, but it means little if the defense cannot consistently make stops. West Virginia was third best in the country last season in team defense giving up just 13.5 points per game.
The departures of safety Robert Sands and defensive end Scooter Berry will hurt. Cornerback Keith Tandy and defensive tackle Julian Miller will be the leaders of the unit.
Dana Holgorsen comes highly recommended from Oklahoma State, and he has the personnel in place to have immediate success at West Virginia.
Dave Doreon (Northern Illinois)
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Dave Doeren previously served as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin before accepting the head coaching position at Northern Illinois.
Doeren takes over for former head coach Jerry Kill, who accepted the head coaching position at Minnesota after leading the Huskies to a 40-17 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Fresno State.
Northern Illinois is locked and loaded on offense. The Huskies return nine starters. Senior quarterback Chandler Harnish will lead the charge offensively as he performs behind an offensive line that returns every starter from last season.
As good as the offense sounds, the defense will be far from a finished product. Only four starters return defensively from last year’s unit. Newcomers will need to be implemented inside the vacated holes.
Northern Illinois does get somewhat of the benefit of the doubt here, because Doeren’s specialty is the defensive side of the football. Doeren will be put to the test immediately, trying to rebuild Northern Illinois’ defense.
If the Huskies can get good production out of the defense, though, then there is no reason to believe that Northern Illinois will not have a big season in Doeren’s opening campaign.
Bill Blankenship (Tulsa)
9 of 10
Tulsa had an excellent season last year under former Head Coach Todd Graham. The Golden Hurricanes beat Notre Dame in South Bend and also won the Hawaii Bowl.
Todd Graham has now moved onto Pittsburgh, but Tulsa should once again be one of the top teams in Conference USA.
Bill Blankenship was an assistant under Todd Graham at Tulsa, and should make a smooth transition to the head coaching position.
Senior quarterback G.J. Kinne returns after throwing for 3,650 yards and 31 touchdowns last season. Kinne will be aided by the return of senior Damaris Johnson, who is skilled as both a running back and wide receiver.
Tulsa will play arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the country next season. The Golden Hurricane will play road games against Oklahoma and Boise State as well as a home matchup vs. Oklahoma State. This team will be battle-tested by the time they begin conference play.
Blankenship and Tulsa may struggle against the aforementioned non-conference heavyweights on their schedule, but the Golden Hurricane will be one of the front-runners to win the Conference USA crown.
Rocky Long (San Diego State)
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Can San Diego State sustain success without Brady Hoke on the sidelines for the Aztecs?
San Diego State is hoping that their football program will continue to thrive, despite the fact that Hoke is now in Ann Arbor.
Rocky Long was the defensive coordinator at San Diego State, and also served as New Mexico’s head coach for 11 seasons. Long will succeed Hoke as the Aztecs head coach.
It is uncertain if Long can win long-term at San Diego State, but the immediate future looks pretty bright.
Senior quarterback Ryan Lindley is back under center after throwing for 3,830 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior. Lindley has held down the starter’s job at quarterback since his freshman year.
Running back Ronnie Hilllman rushed for 1,532 rushing yards as a freshman, and looks to put up big numbers once again as a sophomore.
Only five starters return for the Aztecs on defense. Help is especially needed in the secondary
Rocky Long knows the Mountain West well from his time at New Mexico. Long will give conference powers TCU and Boise State a run for their money next season.
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