Grading the College Football Coaching Hires

For what was supposed to be a slow coaching carousel season, we ended up with 23 total coaching changes out of 130 FBS programs to end 2018, and strangely enough, we ended up with exactly the same number of changes on the FCS level as well. Here is our look at the changes, and how each school did during the process of filling their openings:

Akron 
Out: Terry Bowden
In: Tom Arth
Arth is just 37 years old, and his playing career ended in just 2008, as a QB in the Arena Football League. He ended up at John Carroll as an assistant in 2010, and took over there as head coach in 2013, and stayed there until 2016, when he elevated from the D3 school to take over at FCS level Chattanooga after a 40-8 run. Things did not get off to a rolling start at Chattanooga, as he went 3-8 in year one, and then finished 6-5 in year two before being offered the job at Akron. He has a solid base of knowledge and contacts at the D3 level, but he has never coached, even as an assistant, at the FBS level before. This was a risky hire that could blow up, or it could pay long term dividends. I am not all that confident.
Grade: C

Appalachian State
Out: Scott Satterfield (Louisville)
In: Eli Drinkwitz
Drinkwitz is a career offensive assistant who will be getting his first opportunity as a head coach. He has a solid body of work, which includes being OC at NC State the last 3 seasons. He worked at Boise State, Auburn, and Arkansas State prior to joining the Pack as OC. He has a reputation as being a first rate QB guy who runs an offense that may open things up a bit at App State moving forward. Satterfield continued an era of big time success in Boone, and Drinkwitz is set up to succeed nicely moving forward.
Grade: B+

Bowling Green
Out: Mike Jinks
In: Scot Loeffler
Loeffler has been kicking around as an assistant since 1996, and finally gets his first crack at being head coach with the Falcons. This job is going to be a huge undertaking, as the program has disintegrated since Dino Babers left for Syracuse. Jinks was a mistake hire, one made sight unseen, and it could take years for the program to get back on track again. Loeffler comes most recently from Boston College, where he rebuilt a stagnant offense to get BC into the conversation for an ACC divisional title in 2018. He had been at BC since 2016 as OC, and came from Virginia Tech, where he spent from 2013-2015 as OC/QB coach. He has previous experience at Auburn, Temple, Florida, Michigan, and Central Michigan, and spent one season as QB coach with the Detroit Lions in 2008. He will need time and patience to get the job done, and so grading the hire is tough to do based on what he is walking into.
Grade: B

Central Michigan
Out: John Bonamego
In: Jim McElwain
Florida was a terrible fit for McElwain, and things fell apart there fairly quickly. He has an overall coaching record of 44-28, with stops at both Florida and Colorado State as a head coach. He significantly improved the Colorado State program over 3 years, as he started at 4-8 in year one, moved to 8 wins in year 2, and finished with 10 wins in year 3. He was in Fort Collins from 2012-14. He then left for the Gators, where he regressed each season, finishing with 10 wins in year one, 9 wins in year 2, and he was fired midway through year 3 with just a 3-4 record. He spent the 2018 season as WR coach at Michigan before landing on his feet at CMU, where Bonagemo finished with the worst season in Chippewa history with just one win in 2018. McElwain can coach, and this spot may just be perfect for him. It's not as bad a rebuilding task as Bowling Green or Kent State are, as success has come to CMU in recent years. The truth is, however, that if this does not work out, McElwain is done as a head coach. Take that to the bank.
Grade: B-

Charlotte
Out: Brad Lambert
In: Will Healy
Brad Lambert was the only coach that Charlotte has ever had, and while he did an admirable job getting this program started, it was obvious that he had done all he could to this point, and it was time for new blood and new eyes to guide the program to the next phase.
Healy comes in with a highly thought of reputation for doing the impossible...winning at Austin Peay. APSU was one of the worst programs in all of FCS football before his arrival, and he managed an 8 win season there in 2017. The program slowed in 2018, and that was a little bit concerning. What I have yet to see is if Healy is truly a youthful super hero head coach, or simply a flash in the pan that does not have staying power. We shall see shortly. He is just 33 years old, and has an overall record of 13-21. He slid from 8 wins in 2017 to 5 in 2018.
Grade: C+

Coastal Carolina
Out: Joe Moglia
In: Jamey Chadwell
Moglia stepped down in January, but it wasn't much of a surprise for a coach that has had some serious health issues over the last couple of seasons. Chadwell was the most sensible choice for the job, and was part of an apparent succession plan anyway, so he gets the job. He was responsible for building up a doormat program at Charleston Southern, and did so to a large degree, but there were some questionable measures taken to get there along the way. If he can keep his nose clean, and keep from cutting corners a second time, this may just work out in the end. Still, there are questions.
Grade: C

Colorado
Out: Mike McIntyre
In: Mel Tucker
Tucker was largely thought of as one of the best defensive minds in college football the last several years, but this will be his first shot as a head coach on the college level, after spending 5 games as an interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011, when he went 2-3. Tucker has been the DC at Georgia since 2016, and was the DB coach at Alabama prior, for one season in 2015. He worked at Ohio State as DB coach and Co-DC from 2001-04, and also had college stops at LSU, Miami (OH), and Michigan State. He spent 9 years in the NFL (2005-14), with stops in Cleveland, Jacksonville, and Chicago. A lot of people are high on this hire, but I am reserved on it, as I felt there were better candidates available with a better grip on the region. This is not one of the better jobs in the PAC-12, and Tucker could be set up to struggle.
Grade: C+

East Carolina
Out: Scottie Montgomery
In: Mike Houston
I gave the hiring of Montgomery, when it was made, an F. ECU was finally forced to rectify that mistake, and move on from Montgomery after a miserable run that would have had the Pirates as the worst team in AAC football, if U Conn didn't find a way to actually be worse.
Houston has been a winner at every stop on his career path. This will be his 4th stop as a head coach since 2011, where he has built winners along the way. He started at D2 Lenoir-Rhyne in 2011, finishing 29-8 overall, and 19-2 in conference play. He took the Bears to the 2013 national title game, and the Bears finished runner-up. He then moved on to the Citadel in 2014, and after a 5-7 first season coaching the perennial doormat Bulldogs, he turned the program into an 9 game winner in 2015, and took the team to the playoffs for the first time in modern memory, where they lost in the second round. He took over at James Madison in 2016 and won the FCS national championship in his first season with the Dukes, breaking the North Dakota State stranglehold on the title. He won 14 games in year one, and then won another 14 in year 2, as the Duke lost in the national title game that season. In 2018, JMU won 9 games, and lost in the second round of the playoffs. He finished 14-11 at The Citadel, and 37-6 at JMU. While at JMU, he finished 22-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play. His total record is 80-25 as a head coach. He has one other college stop as an assistant, working one season at Brevard (2006) as DC. He was the head coach at TC Roberson High School from 2001-05, and had served as DC there from 1996-2000. He was also the DC at Forbush High School from 1994-95.
Houston is purely a winner who knows how to get programs on track and keeps them there. His presence should be a breath of fresh air at ECU moving forward.
Grade: A+

Georgia Tech
Out: Paul Johnson
In: Geoff Collins
Collins has been in the coaching game since 1994, and has been all over the college football landscape since then. He comes from Temple, where he overachieved in some eyes, especially in 2018, when Temple overcame a slow start to win 8 games on the season, while making a run at the AAC East title that eventually fell just short. He finished 15-10 in his only stint as a college head coach, but at Temple, that is a celebrated number.
He had served as DC at Florida in 2015-16, and also served at Mississippi State in the same capacity from 2011-14. He also has stops at FIU, UCF, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Western Carolina, Albright, and Fordham, and served on the staff at Franklin High School for one season in 1995.
Collins is ready for this job, and will be transitioning the offense away from Johnson's triple option attack, so patience will be a required thing as he starts to change the face of the program to a more modern look. Still, this was a solid hire for a coach that knows how to get things done with less than his competition at times, and he has experience working in this program.
Grade: B+

Houston
Out: Major Applewhite
In: Dana Holgorsen
This was not a shocking move given the expectations that were laid out for Applewhite when he took the job. The simple fact was that Applewhite was not up to the task or the expectations, and alienated his best player in Ed Oliver during a tumultuous season. All of that was followed up by a bowl game disaster, where Houston gave up 70 points to Army in one of the worst bowl routs in college football history. For a guy who spent a better part of the last decade by getting a ton of hype that he had never really earned, Applewhite really disappointed.
Holgorsen's hire was an ambitious move, followed by a messy and poorly handled firing of Applewhite. Holgorsen had long been rumored to be losing his love of the West Virginia job, and was tied in a battle for an extension that he was never going to win. He never lived up to all of his hype in Morgantown, and the administration was not keen to give him a bloated contract that they would likely end up regretting later. In short, they allowed him to walk away.
For Houston, they get a re-energized Holgorsen that returns to his roots in the Southwest. He will get a massive payday for making the move, and will get a Power 5 assistant salary pool in a G5 league. With UCF likely to slow down and reload a bit, the door is open for Houston to take off under him, and become a power in their own right, which may very well be very good for the overall game in general, as another emerging G5 power is absolutely needed. In short, Houston completely upgraded themselves with this move.
Grade: A

Kansas
Out: David Beaty
In: Les Miles
Talk about upgrading...Beaty was another hire that got my dreaded F grade when he was brought on in Lawrence, and that proved to be correct, as the program continued to sink  under his watch. Kansas had made a series of such blundering hires since Mark Mangino was sent packing over a decade ago, and the program has suffered under the strain of bad management. Jeff Long was brought in as AD to fix the program by any means possible, and he fired a loud shot early on by moving on from the unheralded Beaty to sign Miles, which on paper, is a massive upgrade.
Miles is a national title winning coach who knows how to get the recruits on board. His biggest knock is his refusal to upgrade the offense to a more modern approach while at LSU. Nick Saban also emerged at Alabama, which forced LSU to a second stage situation in the SEC under his watch, and that hurt him there as well. Here is the thing...Miles will not have the pressure of chasing ridiculous national titles at Kansas. All he has to do is win regularly enough to get the Jayhawks out of the Big 12 basement and into solid bowl games, which is not too much to ask. If he can do that, he becomes a God in Lawrence.
Grade: A+

Kansas State
Out: Bill Snyder
In: Chris Klieman
This hire just made sense on every level. Klieman is 71-13 at North Dakota State, and 16-1 in the postseason, and his system is so close in nature to what Kansas State looks like, it's ridiculous to think anything other than he is simply changing color schemes. Klieman is the absolute perfect choice to take over for Snyder at Kansas State, and should bring in a period of harmonious change to the program, especially after the ego fueled drama as to how Snyder was handling his process the last 2 years.
Klieman is a winner, and winners win wherever they go. Kansas State should emerge from this change as a better, more focused program, and I would certainly be worried if I were the other Big 12 schools moving forward.
Grade: A+

Liberty
Out: Turner Gill
In: Hugh Freeze
This move had an element of tragedy, as Gill was forced to walk away to care for his Wife who has fallen ill. Gill was not really ready to retire, and had actually exceeded expectations a great deal in the first year of FBS membership for the Flames.
What the Freeze hire is religious lip service. He spouts all the crap one would expect him to based on his transgressions over the last few years, and while being fired unceremoniously for well publicized reasons at Ole Miss. He is simply a very risky hire at a very vulnerable time, and this move was made by an administration that proved that they just don't get it. Funny how even at a religious institution, souls can be sold for the convenience and the promise of glory.
Grade: D

Louisville
Out: Bobby Petrino
In: Scott Satterfield
Sattefield comes off a very successful run at Appalachian State, while Petrino 2.0 was a big disappointment. Even when he had Lamar Jackson, a once in a generation college player, he simply never could meet expectations or get over the hump at Louisville, and with a total collapse in the midst of a chaotic year for the Louisville athletic department, the administration decided on a full revenue sport reset button hit, and fired Petrino despite a large buyout. It was a gutsy move that should pay dividends moving forward, even if it takes more time than some would like.
The football program is on the skids, and this is, make no mistake, a rebuilding project that begins now. Satterfield has the personality to get it done, and the smarts, and he could have the project working at an accelerated pace soon. This was, in short, a rock solid hire.
Grade: A

Maryland
Out: DJ Durkin
In: Mike Locksley
Locksley has largely rebuilt his reputation at Alabama on the backs of great talent, but his record as a head coach, on and off the field, has been nothing short of awful. He is 3-31 overall as a head coach in one stint at New Mexico, and that stint was shrouded in drama with accusations aplenty regarding harassment claims. Maryland moved on from DJ Durkin in the wake of a player death scandal, and if they really wanted to move on and upward, this was likely the last hire they should have made. They also failed to land any of the top rated transfer talent in the market, namely Jalen Hurts and Tate Martell, which should also dampen expectations overall. Josh Jackson of Virginia Tech is coming, but he is hardly a proven commodity at this point, and has an injury history as well to be concerned about.
Grade: F

Miami
Out: Mark Richt
In: Manny Diaz
Diaz has a history in Miami that runs deeply, but he has just accepted the Temple job, and then bailed on them within days when this job opened up. Hardly what one could call classy.
Richt took this job after departing Georgia with the thought that the program was not very far away from being a top national power once again, but he could not have been farther from the truth. Miami is no better with his departure as they were with his arrival, and the career of Diaz, who has moved around extensively over the last decade, is a mixed bag. Going home again is not always the right answer, and Diaz could very well work, but as for now, he seems in over his head here, and the hire seemed to be pre-determined, and extensively knee jerked.
Grade: C-

North Carolina
Out: Larry Fedora
In: Mack Brown
Speaking of never going home again, Brown returns from retirement to take back over a program that he had once built into a power. The main issue is that Brown built that program quite some time ago, and nobody on his roster is old enough to remember when he did it. This has all the trappings of expectations gone wrong, much like when John Robinson once returned to USC for a second time. Brown's last years at Texas were frought with a coach who had lost his grip, and had lost his toouch, and seemed to lack the energy to carry on. I can't see that enough time has gone by to energize his engine, and like at Miami, this seemed like such a knee jerk hire.
Grade: D

Northern Illinois
Out: Rod Carey
In: Thomas Hammock
Hammock comes over from a stint as RB coach with the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL to take over from Rod Carey, who, no matter his successes, always seemed to be embattled with a fickle fan base at NIU. Hammock's RBs with the Ravens were hardly what I would call a stellar group, and he is a first time head coach, who has never been a full time coordinator. He has also hired a who's who list of who the hell is that type assistants, so this move has some issues. Stay tuned, but it looks like a reach hire early.
Grade: D

Ohio State
Out: Urban Meyer
In: Ryan Day
Day was the interim coach last season when Meyer was suspended, and did a stellar job, but if anyone thinks that he actually coached that team during that time, and Urban Meyer did not completely script the game plans for him, then you are simply foolish. Day has still got to prove himself as the undisputed head coach of the Buckeyes now, and there is no curtain to hide behind if things don't work out immediately. BY all impressions, this was a solid hire, and there were plenty of other teams interested in hiring him if he did not get the head job in Columbus, including NFL teams. His reputation as a stellar, young offensive mind is universally accepted in the business, and it should all be on display at a place where slipping backwards is not afforded.
Grade: A

Temple
Out: Geoff Collins, Manny Diaz
In: Rod Carey
The coaching carousel seemed a bit of a circus for the Owls, but I believe that the job ultimately ended up in solid hands with Carey, who escapes his harsh treatment by demanding people at Northern Illinois. Remember that Carey did the unthinkable at NIU, by getting the Huskies into a BCS era Orange Bowl appearance, where they pushed Florida State. The money earned by that appearance was used by Carey and the athletic department staff to seriously upgrade football facilities at NIU, something they had not envisioned being able to do prior. Carey can coach, and Temple probably got a better option the second time around in the hiring process. Carey also brought seven of his assistants with him from the Huskies.
Grade: A

Texas State
Out: Everett Withers
In: Jake Spavital
It has long been assumed that Spavital would end up as a head coach somewhere, and he gets his first shot at one of the toughest jobs in the nation at Texas State. The Bobcats were never a serious FCS (1-AA) threat, and have been even less of one as an FBS program, and there seems to have been a lack of coaches with the vision to change that narrative. Spavital is, by their credit, the biggest name they have hired in some time, and now he has to prove that he can get it done at a program that has never known sustained success in the modern era. One note of interest is that Spavital hired known offensive guru Bob Stitt to run the offense, and this is a very good thing.
Grade: B+

Texas Tech
Out: Kliff Kingsbury
In: Matt Wells
Kingsbury never got it going at Texas Tech despite having plenty of time to do so. Wells was a hot target a few years ago, but then saw his star diminish somewhat with a downturn at Utah State. Wells bounced back in 2018 as Utah State made a solid run in Mountain West play, and Wells didn't stick around to watch his popularity diminish once again, which was quite smart. He brought a majority of his USU staff along with him (9 assistants), so there should be some operational efficiency in order. He won't have to win Big 12 titles every year to succeed, he just has to make a run and go bowling, and that should be within reach.
Grade: B

Troy
Out: Neal Brown
In: Chip Lindsey
Neal Brown is a rock solid football coach who took Troy from a program that was sinking in indifference to a program that was fully restored to previous glory. Brown, however, does not define Troy football, and he moved on to a power job, as had been long rumored. Chip Lindsey now has his shot to put his stamp on a program that has long had terrific coaches, and his reputation is that of a guy who will make it happen. Brown was fantastic, and Lindsey should pick up the ball and carry it to the next successful chapter. Troy should be in very good shape moving forward.
Grade: B+

U Mass
Out: Mark Whipple
In: Walt Bell
Whipple is one of those guys who we talk about in the warning tale of never going home again. His second stint with the Minutemen was simply not remotely up to par, but, in his defense, the program was a member of the FCS ranks when he was there before, and the competition was more of a level field than when he returned to an FBS program that has annually been at the bottom of those ranks. Bell comes from Florida State, where he was the OC of an offense that stumbled at times last fall. This will also be his 7th school in less than a decade, which shows a lack of staying power and consistency as he rose up the ranks. His name has not been one on the lips of people in the industry that talk about rising stars, so this should be interesting. The one question is, however, who else were they going to get?
Grade: D-

Utah State
Out: Matt Wells
In: Gary Anderson
Anderson is yet another coach going back to where it all began, a second time hitting the home well as it were. This time, it could actually work. Anderson simply never should have left this job for Wisconsin, and then Oregon State, as he did. When he took over in Logan, the Aggies were an abominable mess, and he built the program up in a short time by committing to 4 year players instead of taking the lazy route of JC transfers that other struggling and middling programs often do. He built a sustainable pipeline at Utah State, and handed that off to Matt Wells, who has now handed it back. In short order, bringing Anderson back was the only move that really made sense here.
Grade: A

West Virginia
Out: Dana Holgorsen
In: Neal Brown
Holgo had basically worn himself out at West Virginia, and largely failed to grab the golden ring when it was available for him to do so by not winning any Big 12 titles, and largely falling short of expectations. He moves on to Houston, where he has a better shot a rebranding himself moving forward. There was not a lack of any success, however, but the program enters what appears as somewhat of a rebuilding process with the departure of Will Grier at QB. Without him in the bowl against Syracuse, the Mountaineers looked largely pedestrian in a loss. Brown will get things running in the right direction in short order, and while there may be a bit of a step back in 2019, WVU is in good hands moving forward.
Grade: A

College Football Quarterbacks to Watch: AAC 2019

The American Athletic Conference QB position will have some dynamic shifts and changes as we head into 2019, with McKenzie Milton, the undoubted star of the league, likely set to miss the season with his severe leg injury from 2018 still in play. Ben Hicks, who would be starting for SMU, has also moved on as a transfer to Arkansas. With that in mind, here are the QBs in the conference that you should be looking for to make a splash in the AAC for 2019:

D'Eriq King, Houston
King broke through as a big time star, even if he was marred by a poor coaching job by Major Applewhite and his staff last fall that ended with the firing of the entire staff. With Dana Holgorsen leaving West Virginia to take over at Houston in 2019, that can only serve as good news for King, who may very well be a dark horse for QB of the year nationally in the new system. King passed for 2983 yards and 36 scores last season, and with just 6 INTs on the season, he finished with a striking 6:1 TD to INT ratio. He also shined when it came to accuracy, showing improvements in that area by completing 63.5% of his passes. He averaged 271.1 yards per game through the air, and added a dynamic 674 yards rushing and 14 more scores, while averaging 6.71 yards per carry. If you are looking for a breakout star that should be getting more national attention, this is your candidate for that role.

Shane Buechele, SMU
Taking over for Ben Hicks will be Buechele, who fell out of favor at Texas the moment Tom Herman landed in Austin. He was never going to beat out Sam Ehlinger for the job again, so he moved on and found a landing spot in Dallas with the Mustangs and coach Sonny Dykes, as Ben Hicks moved on to Arkansas. Buechele should flourish in Dykes' offense. He was solid, but unspectacular, as a freshman for Charlie Strong at Texas, as he passed for 246.5 yards per game, with 21 TDs to 11 picks, while completing 60.4% of his passes. He was limited by injury as a sophomore in 2017, playing just 9 games. He passed for just 156 yards per game that season, but completed 64.3 % of his passes, which was still a nearly 7% bonus above what Ehlinger did that season. He repeated his accuracy increase last fall to 68.2% in 2018, but played in just 2 games. With his accuracy levels being what they are, he should be a hero in the SMU offensive system.

Brady White, Memphis
White may not be as effective as Riley Ferguson was, but he was completely dependable in 2018 as a first year starter, and should show signs of development as a senior in Mike Norvell's system in 2019. He passed for 3296 yards and 26 TDs to just 9 INTs on the year, and completed 62.8% of his passes. He averaged 235 yards passing per game, while the Tigers adjusted to a more balanced attack, with more emphasis on the run game. Some talent has moved on from that run game, so he may need to take on an increased work load this fall, which should be fun to watch.

Desmond Ritter, Cincinnati
There has been no secret that the QB position at Cincinnati has been a rotating door of slop for some time now. There is also no doubt that with the installation of Ritter at QB last fall, the Bearcats shocked everyone and made a legitimate run at an AAC title under Luke Fickell as head coach. It would seem that the dark times have moved for the Bearcats. Ridder passed for 2445 yards with 20 TDs to just 5 INTs, and rushed for 572 yards and 3 more scores, all as a freshman.

Holton Ahlers, East Carolina
Ahlers makes this list based on his 4:1 TD to INT ratio last season, but he has a long road to travel. Still, he showed some flashes that he can get the job done, but first, he must improve upon his dismal accuracy, as he completed just 48.8% of his passes as a freshman. Still, there is plenty to mold for a new coaching staff under Mike Houston, who replaces Scottie Montgomery, who was an abject failure as head coach of the once proud Pirates. If ECU is to get back on track as being a power in this league, it all starts at the QB position, and while he is the likely starter, there is no guarantee until the new staff has evaluated the position in camps.

Darriel Mack, Jr., UCF
With Milton out this season with his injury, it all falls on Mack, a talented, yet streaky performer, who will have to carry a large load with plenty of expectations. Mack had some streaks that were just hard to watch in the AAC title game and in the bowl game against LSU, but still showed enough promise that he should be considered the starter from day one. He will be one of the biggest position question marks heading into 2019 in the AAC, but if it all works out, he could become a rising star.