College Football Coaching Changes: Ranking the best hires

Nov 21, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys looks on during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

18. Minnesota Golden Gophers – Tracy Claeys replaces Jerry Kill

Jerry Kill had to resign with five games remaining on the schedule to lingering health effects stemming from his epilepsy. It was as emotional of a goodbye as you’re ever gonna see from a coach leaving the job, but Tracy Claeys stepped up to fill the void.

If you can’t have Jerry Kill as the coach, the next best thing may be having Tracy Claeys who has been an assistant on Kills staff for a staggering 21 years. He is well versed in what Kill did to be a successful head coach and CEO of a football program and with five games under his belt this year and seven games in the 2013 season when Kill had to take a leave of absence for health reasons, he’s not exactly a first-time head coach.

Claeys got a taste of what it’s like to be a full-time head coach, but now he doesn’t have the safety net of Kill coming back, so this will be a true taste to see what he can do. I think Minnesota can still win seven-eight games under Claeys in a manageable Big Ten West, but I don’t know if he can lead this team to division titles.

Next: Bill Cubit