Reviewing The Post-2010 College Football Coaching Hires
By Ty Duffy
Michigan and Florida could be looking for coaches at the same time this off-season! But, lest we forget, they were four years ago, along with Miami and some other notable schools. After three-plus seasons, the jury has decided on most of these hires. Here are some grades.
Yes, with perfect hindsight, schools whiffed by not locking down Kevin Sumlin and Gus Malzahn.
Arkansas State [Hugh Freeze – A] Freeze took over a program that had one above .500 season (6-5 in 1995) since transitioning to FBS. He went 10-2 his first year, with two power five losses, and won the Sun Belt. He was the first of three-straight coaches to get hired away after one year. That’s the price for a great hire at Arkansas State.
Ball State [Pete Lembo – B+] Lembo got Ball State back to 6-6 his first season and won 19 games in the Mac his next two seasons. The Cardinals are off to a 1-3 start in 2014, though, including a loss to FCS Indiana State.
Colorado [Jon Embree – F] Colorado fired Dan Hawkins for not putting it all together. They hired a Colorado Man, Jon Embree, and everything fell apart. Embree won four games over two seasons. It was impossible to justify granting him a third. In one three week stretch, he lost to Colorado State, lost to Cal-State Sacramento and gave up 69 points to Fresno State.
Connecticut [Paul Pasqualoni – F] UConn has to take risks. They went incredibly safe, hiring an experienced head coach in his 60s based on…his rapport with Connecticut high school coaches? Pasqualoni missed bowl games his first two seasons and was fired after an 0-4 start to his third. If UConn were bigger, making a blatantly uninspired hire would be termed a “pulling a Pasqualoni.”
Florida [Will Muschamp – D+] Florida’s offense has been a wreck since Tebow left. Muschamp, with multiple coordinator hires, has not been able to salvage it. His 11-win 2012 season was swiftly cancelled by the 4-win 2013 effort. The Gators began the real season inauspiciously, nearly blowing a game to Kentucky at home and losing by three touchdowns to Alabama. The well of angry Will Muschamp GIFs may soon run dry.
Indiana [Kevin Wilson – C] Wilson has held serve since taking over at Indiana. The Hoosiers are what they have been in years past. They have a decent to good offense and too few athletes on defense to do anything with it. Indiana beat Missouri on the road this year, but lost to Bowling Green and Maryland.
Kent State [Darrell Hazell – A] Hazell won 11 games at Kent State in his second year, before being hired away by Purdue. Kent State had won seven games once since 1978 before that.
Louisiana-Lafayette [Mark Hudspeth – A-] Hudsepth has won nine games each of his three seasons. Before he arrived, the Ragin Cajuns had not won seven in a season since 1993. He can also out bench your coach, which is crucial.
Miami [Al Golden – C] Golden stuck with the Hurricanes through unexpected postseason bans and scholarship restrictions. He has recruited some talent. But, we’re still waiting to see a coherent, well coached football team. Or, at the very least, a defense that can finish in the top half of the FBS in yards allowed/play.
Michigan [Brady Hoke – D+] Hoke started high with 11-wins and a BCS bowl bid in year one. It has all but ended in incredible disarray in year four. He has recruited on an elite level and somehow produced lines that get bullied by MAC opponents. The verdict is in: he is over-matched.
Minnesota [Jerry Kill – A-] Kill has battled health issues and built Minnesota from the ground up into a solid bowl team. They just returned the Little Brown Jug. They remain a factor in a Big Ten race that looks wide open.
North Texas [Dan McCarney – B] McCarney brought North Texas nine wins in his third season. That’s basically the Mean Green’s apex outside of the slew of EA Sports-simulated BCS title game appearances.
Northern Illinois [Dave Doeren – A] Doeren picked up where Jerry Kill left off. He went 23-4 in two seasons with the Huskies, before leaving for N.C. State. Three of his four losses were against power five opponents.
Pittsburgh [Todd Graham – C] Pitt was screwed over by Mike Haywood’s arrest. They made a second hire on short notice. Graham had one 6-6 transition year before bolting for Arizona State. It might have worked out had he stayed. But, you can’t trust an inveterate climber.
San Diego State [Rocky Long – B] The Aztecs kept Rocky Long to smooth the transition after Brady Hoke’s departure. He has kept them at the same level. They take care of business against teams on their level. They don’t get embarrassed in paycheck games and win 8-9 games.
Stanford [David Shaw – A-] Jim Harbaugh laid the foundation. David Shaw has been dutifully building the house. He has gone 34-8 at Stanford and 24-5 in a tough Pac 12. We dock Shaw slightly because his conservatism and play-calling have cost Stanford at key moments in some close games.
Temple [Steve Addazio – B-] Addazio won nine games his first year and took a step back to 4-7 his second year before leaving for BC. It’s not easy to win at Temple. This was a decent hire, for Temple.
Tulsa [Bill Blankenship – C-] Really successful high school coach turned assistant turned successor to Todd Graham. Blankenship won 19 games his first two seasons, and a conference title in 2012. He is 4-12 since.
Vanderbilt [James Franklin – A+] Franklin inherited a program with one winning season since 1983. He took the Commodores to three-straight bowl games, when they had never been to consecutive ones. He won nine games in back to back years, the only nine-win seasons in school history. Derek Mason is making his job look more impressive with each successive week.
West Virginia [Dana Holgorsen – C] Holgo started 15-3, including a Big East title and an assassination of Clemson in the Orange Bowl. He is 8-16 since. The Mountaineers faced a rough transition moving to the Big 12. His teams have been competitive, including in two losses to Alabama and Oklahoma this season. There’s still hope, but a probable ceiling lower than where they were under Rich Rodriguez.