There is plenty going on during this offseason, including teams putting the finishing touches on recruiting classes, players deciding whether to turn pro or return to school, and the always turning coaching carousel.
With jobs now filled, we rate the coaching hires heading into the 2018 season.
These ratings are with the long-term in mind. Some of these guys may struggle due to the state of the program but turn things around, and some may be immediate hits before bogging down into mediocrity.
A
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| Chip Kelly (GoJoeBruin) |
Chip Kelly/UCLA (Jim Mora Jr) -- Will Kelly be able to make a seamless transition back to the college game after some time off? He does have a proven track record, and his glitzy offense should play well in Hollywood. The Bruins must get tougher, however, and Kelly's defenses at Oregon were hit and miss. There's no doubt that there will be a ton of eyes on Kelly, which is a win for the Bruins, who had become second fiddle to their crosstown rival USC. The Bruins were one of the younger teams in the Pac-12 last season, and once Kelly gets the recruiting machine they could be one of the most talented. The only question here is whether or not Kelly will once again get a wandering eye for the NFL.
Dan Mullen/Florida (Jim McElwain) -- This might end up being the best coaching hire of 2018, even if it isn't quite as high-profile as Chip Kelly returning to college football. Mullen turned Mississippi State into a very good program, and with more money, resources and better talent in Gainesville could be on the verge of returning the Gators to championship level. He was part of the last UF coaching staff to win a national title in 2006, and his work with quarterbacks should give Gators fans hope that the offense will get it going sooner rather than later.
Scott Frost/Nebraska (Mike Riley) -- Frost "going home" was about as much of a slam dunk as any coaching hire this season, and after leading UCF to an unbeaten record the natives will expect big things right away. It might take a season or two, but Frost should be able to recruit better than his predecessor, and it's already apparent that he can put his players in the best position to succeed. He brought defensive coordinator Erik Chinander with him from UCF, which might be an issue -- UCF was not good defensively despite being athletically sound and fast. If the D is as bad as it was in 2017 (Nebraska ranked 101st in total defense and 116th in scoring defense), what Frost is able to get done offensively might not matter. Still, this one has the feel of a grand slam hire.
Willie Taggart/Florida State (Jimbo Fisher) -- The surprising move by Jimbo Fisher to leave Tallahassee for College Station opened the door for Taggart, who has improved every program he's coached and who is a tireless recruiter. He won't need to really "program build" the Seminoles as there is already a boatload of talent on hand, and he should be able to spice up an FSU offense that hasn't finished in the nation's top 20 since 2013. His lone recruiting class at Oregon was top 20, so you have to believe he will get that machine humming as well.
A-
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| Jimbo Fisher (Texas Tribune) |
Joe Moorhead/Mississippi State (Dan Mullen) -- Moorhead was the architect behind Penn State's resurgent offense, and has one of the brightest offensive minds in all of football. With quarterback Nick Fitzgerald returning next year, Moorhead has one of the most dangerous weapons in America at his disposal. Moorhead turned FCS Fordham into a team that won 12 games in his second season after inheriting a one-win squad. Moorhead gets his chance to shine at a high profile program, and the belief here is that he succeeds wildly.
B+
Chad Morris/Arkansas (Bret Bielema) -- Things never worked out for Bielema, who tried to bring a Midwest approach to the SEC, with poor results. Morris resurrected an SMU program that was winless when he took over, and he has connections in Texas which means recruiting should pick up. His hiring of veteran defensive coordinator John Chavis is a signal that Morris is serious about making the Razorbacks a player in the SEC title race.
Mike Bloomgren/Rice (David Bailiff) -- Bloomgren may not have the profile of a lot of coaches on this list, but he spent the last seven seasons at Stanford as David Shaw's right hand man as well as spending some time as an assistant in the NFL. Like Stanford, Rice has stringent academic requirement, so Bloomgren should be able to figure out how to win with those limitations. He has zero head coaching experience, but Rice is a good level for him to cut his teeth. If he can win there, the 40 year old will be able to write his ticket to a Power 5 job in a few years.
B
Jeremy Pruitt/Tennessee (Butch Jones) -- Tennessee gave a blueprint on how not to handle a coaching search after it fired Butch Jones, hiring then not hiring Ohio State's Greg Schiano after an uninformed fan revolt. After interviewing/pursuing some second-tier candidates, the Vols end up with Pruitt, which really was a good save all things considered. Pruitt has been the architect of Alabama's stifling defenses the past two seasons and was at Georgia prior to that, so he knows the SEC. He's been great at developing players and is a solid recruiter but has zero head coaching experience, at any level, the main reason he doesn't get a higher grade.
B-
Billy Napier/Louisiana-Lafayette (Mark Hudspeth) -- Napier has a Power 5 pedigree, serving as Arizona State's OC last season after spending five seasons coaching receivers at Alabama. He was also at Clemson, and that kind of cache could turn into an upgrade of on-field talent for the Ragin' Cajuns. He may not be a household names to college football fans, but those in the profession know that he has the goods to be successful. He has an excellent offensive mind and has been a very good recruiter.
Steve Campbell/South Alabama (Joey Jones) -- Campbell is one of the few new coaches with a national championship under his belt -- two in fact, albeit at lower levels. He won a Division II title at Delta State and a JUCO crown in 2007 at Mississippi Gulf Coast. He went 20-5 the last two years at Central Arkansas and won this past season's Southland Conference crown, which is no mean feat given the collection of teams in that league. Campbell loves playing tempo on offense and had numerous players from his JUCO team go on to play FBS football.
C+
Mario Cristobal/Oregon (Willie Taggart) -- Oregon's players stumped for the former Florida International coach and Ducks assistant after Taggart left for Florida State, and hiring Cristobal full time brings familiarity. His record at FIU wasn't good (27-47) but he was undertaking one of the most massive rebuilds in recent memory, so on balance he did all right. Cristobal is an elite recruiter, and Oregon has been a big brand for a number of years now, so the players should show up. How well Cristobal does with them remains to be seen.
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| Kevin Sumlin (AZCentral) |
Chad Lunsford/Georgia Southern (Tyson Summers) -- Lunsford got the job after leading the Eagles to a 2-3 mark following the ouster of Summers. The players love him, and the effort and results were apparent after he took over the program. Georgia Southern is a proud program and doesn't like being down, and Lunsford was part of the very good recent past as an assistant on Willie Fritz's staff.
C
Sean Lewis/Kent State (Paul Haynes) -- Lewis is a brilliant offensive mind, orchestrating Syracuse's high-scoring offense and being with Dino Babers since his Eastern Illinois days. He knows the MAC and he knows how to formulate an offense that will put up points, which was a huge issue for Haynes in his five seasons. Lewis is unproven as a recruiter, but you can bet he'll look for some diamonds in the rough types, players who might be undersized but who fit his offense.
Dana Dimel/UTEP (Sean Kugler) -- Dimel comes from Kansas State, where he ran the offense from 2009 to last season, and has been a head coach before (Wyoming, Houston). UTEP does not routinely get high-profile players, but Dimel has proven adept at getting more out of less working with the Wildcats offense. That has to be the hope for the admins in UTEP, which hasn't won a bowl game since 1967 and has been to the postseason just four times since 2000 and has posted just three winning seasons in that span.
Josh Heupel/UCF (Scott Frost) -- Heupel knows offense, coordinating Missouri's high powered attack in 2017. Still, this one was a bit of a head-scratcher as there were more proven candidates out there. The Knights may not be quite as prolific as they were in 2017 under Frost, though Heupel should be able to keep McKenzie Milton in the spotlight with an offense that depends heavily on quarterback playmaking.
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| Matt Luke (CBS Sports) |
C-
Jonathan Smith/Oregon State (Gary Anderson) -- It wasn't a sexy hire, but Smith is a former Beavers player and knows what it takes to win in Corvallis. He has spent the last six seasons working under Chris Petersen, which is a positive. He's an unknown when it comes to recruiting, but he definitely will provide passion as a former OSU player, and recruits will see that. If he can tap into the Washington and California markets, he could get enough talent to make the Beavers at least competitive.
D+
Sonny Dykes/SMU (Chad Morris) -- Dykes has shown his offensive chops, and he does have a good knowledge of the state of the Texas, but he has an overall losing record and has won eight games or more just three times. He wasn't good in rivalry games while at Cal (going 1-11 against USC, UCLA and Stanford), and his defenses have seldom been more than mediocre. Maybe this works out, but the feeling is this is a big step down from Morris.
F
Herm Edwards/Arizona State (Todd Graham) -- I love Herm -- who doesn't? His analytical mind, his way of turning a phrase, all of it. It's a joy to listen to. But coaching a major college football after not coaching collegiately since 1989, or at any level since 2008? He was clumsy in his introductory press conference, and this just doesn't have the feel of something that will end well.
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