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

2. Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

Previous: Oklahoma head coach

The move that started this year’s frenzied college football coaching carousel was one that sent shockwaves throughout the country. Lincoln Riley left the Sooners for what should be an easier path to a hypothetical 12-team playoff.

USC had to spend ridiculous amounts of money to pry Riley away, but it should all be worth it. He could end up being the Torjan’s coach for decades. He’s young, he recruits well, he is consistently been in contention for the College Football Playoffs — all things that have eluded Southern Cal since Pete Carroll’s departure in 2009.

If college football moves to a 12-team playoff and the Pac-12 champion gets an automatic bid, the expensive hire will be 1,000 percent worthwhile.

1. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Previous: Notre Dame defensive coordinator

If you were going to build the ideal college football coach on paper, it would look a lot like first-time head coach Marcus Freeman.

Freeman, 35, was a star at one of the premier teams in college football: Ohio State (2004-08), dabbled in the NFL as a practice squad player, worked his way up through teams in the ACC and AAC, and is someone student-athletes will be able to relate to on multiple levels.

You only need to see the video of Freeman embracing his team after being named the Head Coach of Notre Dame to figure out what a great hire this was for the Irish.

Freeman’s experience of being a top player for a top program and then humbly having to bootstrap it as a practice squad player will allow him to reach every player on his team effectively.