Grading every college football coaching hire from 2022 after year 1
By John Buhler
Brian Kelly could have LSU contending for a national championship in year two
It was a bold, bold move for Brian Kelly to leave Notre Dame for LSU. He got killed for it immediately, mostly because he pandered to all of Louisiana with a fake Cajun accent. Well, he got the last laugh alright, as LSU beat Alabama to win the SEC West in year one. Yes, his Bayou Bengals were Dawg food to Georgia in Atlanta, but LSU is ready to contend for a national title now.
Grade: A+
No head-coaching hire was a bigger year-one flop than Mario Cristobal at The U
Without question, Mario Cristobal leaving Oregon to go back to his alma mater at Coral Gables was the biggest disappointment of last year’s hiring cycle. Yes, Miami needed some work, but how do you go 5-7 and not make a bowl game in year one leading the Hurricanes? Cristobal can recruit and assemble a staff, but how sure are we he is a great head coach? We saw FIU Mario once again.
Grade: D
Ken Wilson was handed the deflated balloon left by Jay Norvell over in Reno
Ken Wilson may have been a staple on many Nevada coaching staffs previously, but he went 2-10 overall and 0-8 in Mountain West play with Jay Norvell’s players. This is not like Norvell taking over for Steve Addazio at Colorado State. For a guy who saw first-hand how to win big at Nevada on Chris Ault’s staff, 2-10 is not going to cut it. Hawaii fared better than Nevada in conference play…
Grade: D
Jerry Kill took independent New Mexico State to a bowl game in his first season
Since when does New Mexico State go to bowl games? Better known for their men’s basketball program, the Aggies not only achieved bowl eligibility in Jerry Kill’s first year in Las Cruces, but they won seven games! Keep in mind the Aggies were an FBS independent program, which made things even harder for them to achieve most sacred bowl eligibility. These Aggies are trending up!
Grade: B+