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Ranking all of the College Football Coaching Hires This Offseason

Caleb Calhoun
Caleb Calhoun

Saturday Blitz

Dec 6, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain is introduced as head coach during a press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

There will be 15 schools with new head coaches this fall. Here is how the college football coaching hires from this offseason stack up against each other.

The coaching carousel this offseason has brought in lots of new, interesting faces to schools. And with 15 new hires, four powerhouse programs all had to find new coaches as well.

As usual with coaching changes, there were a few obvious hires, a few interesting ones, and a few that make you scratch your head.

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And of course, there is often the obvious one or two home runs. We will get to that later.

There were seven schools from Power Five conferences that hired new coaches and eight from the Group of Five. But don’t think that the Power Five schools all found better coaches. There were quite a few Group of Five schools that made headlines with solid hires, and there were also Power Five schools who made very questionable decisions.

So how do the 15 new coaches compare to each other? What were the best hires. As we get set to rank them, know that we could be dead wrong. You never really know until two to three years in which hires were the best.

But anybody can judge in hindsight. These hires are ranked based on the evidence we have on these coaches right now.

Here are all of the college football coaching hires from this offseason ranked against each other.

Next: Begin Slideshow

August 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Detroit Lions special teams coordinator John Bonamego during the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Lions 27-26. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #14: David Beaty-Kansas

Sep 21, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receivers coach David Beaty against the SMU Mustangs in the second half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #13: Tony Sanchez: UNLV

View image | gettyimages.com

Next: #12: Neal Brown-Troy

Sep 6, 2014; Troy, AL, USA; Troy Trojans cheerleaders on the sidelines against the Duke Blue Devils during the second quarter at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

So Brown did not necessarily have the proven qualifications having spent two years there and two years at Texas Tech before that to actually be able to make the leap to a head coach yet. I thought that was meant for successful coordinators.

To be fair, he has been moderately successful, it just has not yet showed up in the wins column for Kentucky. Patrick Towles has generated a lot of hype as a quarterback, even if he is overrated, and the Wildcats did dramatically improve this past year.

All of that could be enough to get excited about Brown.

But he will have to prove he was a good hire with this first gig.

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12

Neal Brown

, Troy Trojans

Neal Brown at least has experience as a coordinator over the past seven years, and the first two of those were at Troy, so it is nice to see him come back.

But it did not seem like a coordinator from Kentucky should be able to make that leap to a head coaching position. After all, Mark Stoops may be building something in Lexington, but it is not built yet.

So Brown did not necessarily have the proven qualifications having spent two years there and two years at Texas Tech before that to actually be able to make the leap to a head coach yet. I thought that was meant for successful coordinators.

To be fair, he has been moderately successful, it just has not yet showed up in the wins column for Kentucky. Patrick Towles has generated a lot of hype as a quarterback, even if he is overrated, and the Wildcats did dramatically improve this past year.

All of that could be enough to get excited about Brown.

But he will have to prove he was a good hire with this first gig.

Next: #11: Mike Riley-Nebraska

Dec 5, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Mike Riley poses for the media at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #10: Mike Bobo-Colorado State

Apr 12, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo looks on from the sideline during the second half of the Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium. The Red team won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #9: Pat Narduzzi-Pitt

Jan 10, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head football coach Pat Narduzzi (front left) poses for a photo with members of the Panthers student section before the game against the Clemson Tigers at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #8: Lance Leipold-Buffalo

Dec 20, 2013; Salem, VA, USA; UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold reacts on the sidelines in the first quarter at Salem Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #7: Chad Morris-SMU

Nov 22, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris prior to the game against the Georgia State Panthers at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

It also includes one of the most successful four-year runs in Clemson Tigers football history with four Top 25 finishes, two BCS bowl appearances, and a BCS bowl win over Ohio State.

Morris developed the Tigers into a very fun offense to watch, and this past year, despite injuries and being stuck with Cole Stoudt under center, he made it work in helping the Tigers get to 10-3 on the season.

And he even made Stoudt look like Peyton Manning against Oklahoma. So Morris is a proven coordinator, and as a result, he has earned the right to be a head coach.

SMU got a steal with this guy. Dabo Swinney is proving to be a major success as a head coach, and Morris is a big reason for that. It’s about time he got handed the keys to a program.

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7

Chad Morris

, SMU Mustangs

The SMU Mustangs desperately needed a good higher this year for their football program. Chad Morris is that good higher.

Given the size of the school, a solid and proven coordinator is perfect. And Morris is a very proven offensive coordinator. Morris has spent the past four years as offensive coordinator of Clemson, and that has included developing Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins.

It also includes one of the most successful four-year runs in Clemson Tigers football history with four Top 25 finishes, two BCS bowl appearances, and a BCS bowl win over Ohio State.

Morris developed the Tigers into a very fun offense to watch, and this past year, despite injuries and being stuck with Cole Stoudt under center, he made it work in helping the Tigers get to 10-3 on the season.

And he even made Stoudt look like Peyton Manning against Oklahoma. So Morris is a proven coordinator, and as a result, he has earned the right to be a head coach.

SMU got a steal with this guy. Dabo Swinney is proving to be a major success as a head coach, and Morris is a big reason for that. It’s about time he got handed the keys to a program.

Next: #6: Philip Montgomery-Tulsa

Sep 6, 2014; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Chris Johnson (13) talks with quarterbacks coach Philip Montgomery during the game against the Northwestern State Demons at McLane Stadium. The Bears defeated the Demons 70-6. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #5: Gary Andersen-Oregon State

Nov 15, 2014; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers new football coach Gary Andersen speaks at a press conference at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Ragan-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #4: Paul Chryst-Wisconsin

Oct 4, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Paul Chryst watches from the sidelines against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second quarter at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers won 24-19. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #3: Tom Herman-Houston

Feb 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars football coach Tom Herman talks to the crowd during the game between the Cougars and the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Hofheinz Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Next: #2: Jim McElwain-Florida

Apr 11, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain points during the first half at the Orange and Blue Debut at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Anyway, McElwain runs an offense that maximizes his stars and talent, and as a Nick Saban protege he has proven his success as a head coach. What he did at Colorado State was incredibly remarkable, and he showed that when things get turned around, he finds offensive players who can put up huge numbers.

And McElwain has already proven himself on the recruiting trail, securing a late class to have a decent one already. With a great offensive mind, prove success as a head coach, and a proven ability to recruit along with a great coaching pedigree, there is honestly nothing to question about McElwain except whether or not a pro-style offense is a good fit for Florida.

But if McElwain does what he has done in the past, he will mold his offense around that Florida talent built heavily on speed.

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2

Jim McElwain

, Florida Gators

The Florida Gators are at their most successful as a football program when they hire offensive minds to run them. Ron Zook and Will Muschamp failed. Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer succeeded.

Now enters offensive mind Jim McElwain, who is very different from the other two: he’s focuse entirely on running the pro-style offense. Meyer and Spurrier obviously did not do that.

Anyway, McElwain runs an offense that maximizes his stars and talent, and as a Nick Saban protege he has proven his success as a head coach. What he did at Colorado State was incredibly remarkable, and he showed that when things get turned around, he finds offensive players who can put up huge numbers.

And McElwain has already proven himself on the recruiting trail, securing a late class to have a decent one already. With a great offensive mind, prove success as a head coach, and a proven ability to recruit along with a great coaching pedigree, there is honestly nothing to question about McElwain except whether or not a pro-style offense is a good fit for Florida.

But if McElwain does what he has done in the past, he will mold his offense around that Florida talent built heavily on speed.

Next: #1: Jim Harbaugh-Michigan

Apr 4, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is seen during the Spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

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Caleb Calhoun

Caleb Calhoun

As a Maryland graduate who was born and raised in Memphis, Tenn., I have been following college football since Peyton Manning played at the University of Tennessee. I went to school for journalism because of the fact that I wanted to write about sports, and despite growing up a Volunteer fan and an SEC fan, moving to the East Coast has allowed me to embrace college football from a more national perspective. As of right now I still live in Maryland and consider the DMV home, but I never have forgotten my Memphis roots, which I consider home as well.