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College football coaching carousel grades 2023: Auburn, Colorado ace tests

By John Buhler

Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes. (Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes. (Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Matt Rhule, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Matt Rhule, Nebraska Cornhuskers. (Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports) /

Let’s take a look at what college football teams crushed, or got crushed by, the coaching carousel.

For now, the coaching football coaching carousel seems to have stopped, but we all know that it can get back going in a hurry, as Black Monday in the NFL is less than a week away.

Heading into Black Monday, the college game gave us 24 head-coaching changes this cycle. Nine were made before the end of the regular season, resulting in the use of an interim for extended stretches. 15 came after Thanksgiving Weekend and before bowl season began in earnest. While most teams made incredible hires in this cycle, not everybody was so lucky. We have some grades!

Each college football team will receive a letter grade based on the initial hire. Remember, Scott Frost was a can’t-miss, home run for Nebraska … until he wasn’t. Also, keep in mind that Sonny Dykes would not have gotten the highest mark last cycle by moving across the DFW metroplex from SMU to TCU. He has his Horned Frogs playing for a national title. Here is to being wrong!

This is each team’s coaching carousel grade, listed in order by which the job first became available.

If you do not remember when each job opened up, you can click one of the many links from below:

College football coaching carousel grades 2023: Who aced the test, who failed it?

Head Coach. UAB Blazers. Trent Dilfer. . player. Scouting Report. 2367. Pick Analysis

UAB Blazers went way outside the box by hiring Trent Dilfer, but will he ball?

UAB had the longest runway of any team in the country this past hiring cycle. The Blazers opted to replace the iconic Bill Clark, who retired because of health issues, to hire former first-round pick and Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer away from Lipscomb Academy in Nashville. Dilfer is synonymous with Elite 11 and developing quarterbacks, but this feels every bit a boom/bust hire.

Grade: B-

Matt Rhule has tall task of rebuilding the Nebraska Cornhuskers after NFL failure

If anybody can return the Nebraska Cornhuskers to their former glory, it would have to be Matt Rhule. The former Penn State linebacker did the lord’s work at Baylor and Temple previously before flaming out in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. While we are all hoping it works out, as Nebraska will be so screwed otherwise, Rhule does not carry the same shine he once did in Waco.

Grade: A-

Kenny Dillingham landed his dream job with the Arizona State Sun Devils … at 32

Believe me. I want this to work for one of my peers. However, I have major reservations about Kenny Dillingham succeeding at his alma mater of Arizona State at 32-years-old. He may hail from The Valley and may have been on Todd Graham’s staff very early in his coaching career, but the Pac-12 has had a bit of a coaching renaissance of late. Let’s hope Dillingham does not get lapped.

Grade: C

Brent Key could be the one who makes Georgia Tech football matter once again

After a decade of triple-optioned nonsense, followed up by Geoff Collins corniness, Brent Key has been a breath of fresh air for the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech. The former offensive lineman played for George O’Leary. He thrived in the interim, enough to the point where he got the gig full-time. While this is not an easy job, Key is well-equipped to get Tech back to its 8-4 ACC standard.

Grade: B+

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