National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance looking at the top five from the year 2000 and where they are now, five questionable coordinator hires led by Tommy Rees and coaches who just don’t get enough love.
Where Are They Now?
— It’s odd sometimes the way I think, but for some reason, I wondered who the top teams were heading into the new century and what the state of the program is now.
1. Florida State
— The ‘Noles beat Michael Vick to win it all at the turn of the century and were one of the most dominant programs in college football history. Since then it’s been consistent, then down, then up with another natty with Jimbo Fisher and then a disaster. But Mike Norvell has them back near the top of the ACC and possibly the country next season.
2. Virginia Tech
— Ugh. Vick was the pinnacle for the Hokies under Frank Beamer but the remained a dominant program for a long time into the 2000s. Then Beamer retired and Justin Fuente dragged things down. Now Brent Pry is off to a horrible start as they are one of the worst teams in the country.
3. Nebraska
— Ahhh the power says were winding down and we didn’t even know it. That Nebraska team was nasty as usual and Frank Solich had things rolling nicely until AD Steve Pederson ruined it all. Bo Pelini was solid but after him it’s been awful and Scott Frost has been a disaster. There is hope however with Matt Rhule but this program is a far cry from the old days.
4. Wisconsin
— Barry Alvarez had things rolling and Ron Dayne couldn’t be stopped. The Badgers have been very solid since and a consistent winner in the Big Ten but haven’t reached these same heights. There is hope for a next step with a new offense under Luke Fickell.
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5. Michigan
— Tom Brady was the QB and Lloyd Carr was the head coach and things were going well. With Jim Harbaugh turning the corner now they are as strong as they were at the turn of the century.
Strange Coordinator Fits
— Some coordinator hires are home runs and others are just odd. These ones strike me as the latter.
1. Tommy Rees, Alabama
This feels like a step back scheme-wise for the Crimson Tide, as Rees’ system is more akin to the pro-style attack of the early-mid 2010s Alabama squads. Yes, Rees will be working with much better quarterback talent than he had in South Bend, but this does not quite seem like a match made in heaven.
2. Bobby Petrino, Texas A&M
There’s a chance that this year’s Aggie staff is the most toxic group we’ve seen. Fisher, Petrino, DJ Durkin, and Steve Addazio all have some serious skeletons in their closet, but the former Arkansas and Louisville head coach is the one who puts it over the top. How many second chances should he get? It’s a desperate move by a desperate head coach.
3. Chip Lindsey, North Carolina
It’s going to be tough to follow in the footsteps of Phil Longo, whose offenses were some of the best in the nation in each of his four seasons under Mack Brown. Lindsey had some success as the Auburn OC followed by a middling stint as the head coach of Troy before reuniting with Gus Malzahn at UCF last season. We’ve never seen him have any success without Malzahn, so it’s an iffy proposition.
4. Ron English, Louisville
While I really like the hiring of Jeff Brohm back to his alma mater, English as a DC simply doesn’t move the needle. His defenses at Purdue were adequate at best, and this was an opportunity for Brohm to hire someone who brings more to the table.
5. Brian Ward, Arizona State
A bit of a coaching nomad, Ward has been all over the country in his 25 years of coaching. Arizona State is his seventh different defensive coordinator job in 11 years, which is not a great sign. Add that to the fact that his Washington State defense last season was no great shakes against the same competition they’ll be facing at Arizona State, and it makes for a head-scratcher.
Underappreciated Coaches
— And sometimes coaches just don’t get enough love and for some reason Chip Kelly makes me think this weekly. Here are the underappreciated.
1. Chip Kelly, UCLA
It may have taken him a second to get going at UCLA, but he’s got things rolling again and will be a force for years to come now that he has enough recruiting classes under his belt that fit his system. People still forget just how dominant he was at Oregon, and the Bruins offense will definitely reach new ceilings now that five-star Dante Moore is in the fold.
2. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
It is so immensely difficult to win at Wake Forest, the smallest Power Five program in the country, yet Clawson makes it routine. Even without Sam Hartman they’ll be just fine next year, as he can seemingly create a potent offense out of thin air. While his Demon Deacons teams may never be title contenders, they over-perform their expectations almost yearly.
3. Bret Bielema, Illinois
The end of his tenure at Arkansas was tough, but he’s bounced back at Illinois to remind people why he was Barry Alvarez’s hand-picked successor at Wisconsin. He’s a great culture builder and will always find a way to win in the trenches.
4. Lance Leipold, Kansas
There was a blip during the regular season where we started to appreciate how good of a coach Leipold is, but I think most people have probably already forgotten. The messes he inherited at Buffalo and Kansas were both monumental, yet he turned the Bulls into a MAC contender and now has the Jayhawks in the thick of it in the Big XII.
5. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Yes, 2022 ended with a whimper against Iowa in one of the ugliest bowl games you’ll see, but let us not forget just what a remarkable job he’s done at Kentucky. He’s far and away the best coach in Lexington since Bear Bryant.
