Coaching Carousel 2021: 5 smartest new hires in college football (so far)

We’re taking a look at the five smartest hires so far during this year’s college football coaching carousel. See which team takes the number one spot.

We are nearing the end of phase one of the college football coaching carousel with most of the major exits and hires having been completed.

It’s always possible there could be a couple of surprise moves after bowls season, but right now we’re taking a look at the smartest hires so far in the new coaching cycle.

Some are no-brainers, but there are a couple of under-the-radar hires that are absolute home runs. First up is an honorable mention before we hop onto the coaching carousel.

Honorable Mention: Clay Helton, Georgia Southern Eagles

Previous: USC head coach

Clay Helton is a dynamite pick for the Georgia Southern Eagles in the Sun Belt. Helton had some great seasons in his previous stint at Southern Cal. In the eight seasons as the head coach, he led the team to appearances in the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl. His teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 for at least one week in every season as the head coach. The offensive-minded coach with a great resume will be a boon for recruiting and elevating the Eagles into a formidable foe in the Sun Belt.

5. Rhett Lashlee, SMU Mustangs

Previous: Miami offensive coordinator

Rhett Lashlee is a young coach who has slowly made his way through the ranks, largely under the tutelage of Gus Malzahn. Lashlee followed the current UCF Football coach as one of his assistants during stops at Springdale HS (Ark.), Arkansas, Arkansas State, and Auburn. Lashlee was an offensive coordinator at SMU under Sonny Dykes from 2018-19. Lashlee should maintain and build on the high-scoring offense that SMU has become known for in recent seasons.