By: Mike Huesmann
We are now roughly halfway through the season and for many teams we have a good idea of where they are in terms of progress, meeting expectations, and performance compared with talent. Grades will be on a standard A-F schedule( +’s and -’s included). Year 2 head coaches will be graded on their whole work or a season and a half, not just this year.
ACC – Year 1
Brian Brohm, Louisville
Grade: B+
Louisville is off to a good 6-1 start despite a bad loss to Pitt. The roster looks better, and the future is bright.
ACC – Year 2
Mario Cristobal, Miami
Grade: C
Mario sits 9-9 at Miami and 0-2 in the ACC with a terrible loss to Georgia Tech. He is not meeting expectations on the field, though he is improving the roster.
Tony Elliott, Virginia
Grade: D
Elliott led Virginia stoically through an unspeakable tragedy, but before and after that the Cavs have been awful on the field. He sits at 4-12 and may not win anymore in 2023.
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Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
Grade: C
Pry would’ve been lower than this a few weeks ago, and I thought he may get fired, but the Hokies are showing signs of life with wins over Pitt and Wake Forest.
Mike Elko, Duke
Grade: A
Home run by the Blue Devils. Elko has them ranked and has been great across the board. They likely will lose him to a bigger program soon.
Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Grade: B-
Key is 7-7 after being the interim for much of last year. At 2-1 in the ACC this year with two recent wins, he is meeting, if not exceeding expectations. He took over a bad situation.
Big Ten – Year 1
Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Grade: B-
At 3-3, Rhule is ahead of schedule. He has historically, at Temple and Baylor, been poor in year 1 and not prioritized winning. Year 2 is when we can truly grade him.
Ryan Walters, Purdue
Grade: C-
Walters was one of the hottest names last offseason but has been disappointing with Purdue so far. We expected them to drop off, but not to the 2-5 they’re at now.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Grade: B
Wisconsin has met, but not exceeded year 1 expectations. He’s being paid a ton to win the Big Ten and make New Year’s Day bowls. That won’t happen this year, but the team is still better than most.
Big Ten – Year 2
None
Big 12 – Year 1
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
Grade: C-
Two wins to start the season have been followed by four consecutive losses. Satterfield has been a winner before, but he might have his work cut out for him here, and the midseason report isn’t ideal.
Big 12 – Year 2
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Grade: B
If we were going by just this year, it would be an easy A, but we aren’t, and last year was probably a D. Things look bright in Norman, and a playoff spot could be on the table this year.
Sonny Dykes, TCU
Grade: A
Last year’s run to the national title game ensured several years of grace. No one saw that coming. Evan at 4-3 this year, there is no argument that Dykes hasn’t exceeded expectations.
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Grade: B
McGuire sits at 11-9 overall and 3-4 this year. They show flashes of positivity followed by failure. They can be good but have not shown consistency in his time.
Pac 12 – Year 1
Troy Taylor, Stanford
Grade: B-
Taylor inherited maybe the worst P5 roster and combined with Stanford’s transfer policy, it was impossible for him to flip that. Winning 2 games so far is what was expected for the season. I don’t know if he’ll succeed here, I don’t know that anyone will.
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Grade: A-
Beyond all the hype and attention, this team is better than anyone expected. They have glaring deficiencies, but I expected 5 total wins, which was more than most did, and they’ll reach that. The talent won’t stop coming to Boulder, either.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Grade: Incomplete
I’m copping out on this one. We can’t grade him. They aren’t winning this year, in part because they aren’t trying to. Every decision was made with 2024 and the future in mind. They self-imposed a bowl ban, which they weren’t making anyway, as further evidence of future planning.
Pac 12 – Year 2
Lincoln Riley, USC
Grade: B+
Riley is 17-4, 6-1 this year, and coached the Heisman winner last year. He may not be meeting the playoff expectations yet, but few programs in the country wouldn’t trade for him in a second.
Kalen DeBoer, Washington
Grade: A
Atop the Pac 12 and sitting at 17-2 since 2022. DeBoer is proving to be one of the nation’s best. He’s another coach who will be targeted by blue bloods looking to triple his salary in the near future.
Dan Lanning, Oregon
Grade: A-
Over two years, Lanning has only 4 losses and has the Ducks looking like a top-10 team. With a resume that includes stops with Saban and Smart, he may be targeted by SEC teams soon.
SEC – Year 1
Zach Arnett, Mississippi State
Grade: C+
State sits at 3-3 but have not won a SEC game, and the schedule would indicate that they may not. He took over in the wake of a tragedy and has had a steadying, if not spectacular, tenure so far.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Grade: B-
Another 1st year who is 3-3 but has yet to win a SEC game. Freeze is recruiting well, has the fans’ support, and they are looking competitive. What he doesn’t have is a QB.
SEC – Year 2
Billy Napier, Florida
Grade: C+
Napier is a “Diet Venables” here; poor year 1 but pretty good year 2. The Gators are 5-2 with a tough schedule. Napier looks like he’ll get year 3, which wasn’t certain before. In 2024, he needs to improve.
Brian Kelly, LSU
Grade: B
Kelly took over a decimated roster from Coach O and won the West in year 1. Year 2 has not been as kind, and the Tigers’ defense is atrocious. QB Jayden Daniels has been electric, though, and this team won’t drop off going forward.
