Whether they are trying to land another college football gig or maintain current jobs, these Group of Five coaches have a lot to prove this season.
When it comes to college football, having something to prove can mean a variety of different things. For head coaches, especially ones at the Group of Five level, that phrase can really mean two distinct and opposite options.
First, it could mean that a coach is on the cusp of gaining a huge employment opportunity at a bigger level. And for those who have no desire to leave their current location, it can mean an increase in value that serves as a valuable bargaining chip at the next contract negotiation. For these types of coaches, something to prove could be getting over the hump. Perhaps that means winning a championship, or prevailing in a bowl game, or getting to double digits in the win column.
On the other hand, having something to prove might also mean that a coach is playing for his continued existence among the ranks of FBS head coaches. When job security is tenuous at the FBS level, it can often mean the last gasp of employability in the sport. So for those coaches, the 2019 season is pivotal in terms of future earnings.
That’s what this Sunday Morning Quarterback is thinking about this morning as drift closer to summertime.
Looking at this year’s crop of Group of Five coaches, and culling from the list those first- and second-year head coaches that haven’t had time to prove anything yet one way or another, we can see guys who fit one of these patterns. Here are the 10 Group of Five coaches who have the most to prove entering the 2019 season.