By: JC Nevils
It has been a whirlwind of breaking news after the conclusion of the
regular season. Not only does the transfer portal officially open again on December 4th, but there has already been a lot of activity on the coaching carousel at both the head coach and coordinator levels. Here, I will be grading the top coaching hires so far, in order of when they were hired.
1. Jonathan Smith
Head Coach, Michigan State
This may be a name a lot of people don’t have on their radar,
but I would tell them they should do their research. The 44-year-old
replaces Mel Tucker, who was fired back in September amid an
investigation into sexual harassment allegations. While the
circumstances may not be ideal, Smith can certainly coach with the
best of them. After being a star quarterback for the Beavers in the early
2000s, he returned to lead the team in 2017 as a first-time
head coach.
What makes him one of the hottest commodities in the nation is his ability to make the most of the talent that he has on hand. Oregon State is historically one of the toughest schools to recruit at, and he inherited an empty cupboard. In the four seasons prior to his return, the Beavers were one of the worst
Power Five teams, with a record of 12-36.
In six seasons with Smith in charge, the
Beavers went 34-35, including 25-13 in the past three seasons. Before
their recent loss to Oregon, they were ranked as high as No. 11 in the CFP
rankings.
I like this hire for the Spartans, but don’t necessarily love it. He inherits a true mess in terms of both talent on the roster and team culture. He’s proven that he can succeed under difficult circumstances, but there were also a lot more big names in the mix that may have been able to get MSU headed in the right direction quicker.
Grade: B+
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2. Jeff Lebby
Head Coach, Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby has been all over recently, it seems. The son-in-law of former Baylor head coach Art Briles will now take over
the reins in Starkville. He spent the past two seasons under Brent Venables at Oklahoma and the previous two at Ole Miss, working with Lane Kiffin. Schematically, he puts up big numbers on the
scoreboard and puts his playmakers in the best position possible to
be successful.
On the flip side, this will be his first-ever head coaching job, and it is unknown how he will respond to the pressures and responsibilities that come with the title. I think he will be able to recruit and put out an
explosive product offensively, but I have questions about the
defensive side of the ball. His best bet is to get a veteran staff around him to help out as he embarks on his maiden voyage as a head coach.
Grade: B-
3. Mike Elko
Head Coach, Texas A&M
Mike Elko is certainly no stranger to Aggieland, as he was
the DC before taking his first head coaching job at Duke two years ago. His
defensive prowess is his biggest asset by far, which is why the
Aggies had a top-three defense in the SEC in his last two years. Even before these two stops, he made a name for himself at
Wake Forest and Notre Dame.
After leading Duke to a 16-9 record in his two seasons,
Texas A&M came calling back with the checkbook wide open. While I do think he can coach, I just don’t know how successful he
will be in College Station. They have big expectations and little
patience. But can you blame them with the resources they have? I
like Elko a lot as a coach, but the pressure and spotlight for any Aggie coach may be too
much to overcome for someone with his personality.
Grade: C+
4. Bobby Petrino
Offensive Coordinator, Arkansas
By now, we all know what Bobby Petrino brings to the table.
While there may be questions off the field with integrity, along with
other things, one thing for sure is he can coach some ball. Especially
the offensive side of things, as he can draw it up with the best of
them. That is why Jimbo Fisher hired him to run and give a spark to
the Aggies’ offensive woes. While that stint didn’t quite work out, the
Hogs called him back home immediately after Fisher’s firing to run
the offense, as they know very well what he is capable of.
Petrino was one of the best coaches Arkansas has had, given their
standards, ending with a record of 34-17 as the head man. Along
with that came explosive plays and players benefitting from
that. Just ask Lamar Jackson when he was being coached by him at
Louisville. All in all, I love the hire for the Hogs.
Grade: A-
5. Fran Brown
Head Coach, Syracuse
After elite development and churning out draft pick after
pick, the New Jersey native gets his first shot at being the head man.
If you’re not an avid CFB fan, then you may not know much about
him, but he gets results. He got his first big shot with Matt Rhule at
Temple from 2011-16, who he then followed to Baylor in 2017 before returning to Temple in 2019. He then went on to Rutgers in 2020, and finally to
Georgia for a couple of seasons.
During all those stops, he was either leading the defense as a
coordinator or coaching the DBs. Not only can he coach and
develop, but he can also recruit with the best of them. I would
assume that’s why he was named the No. 1 recruiter for the class of
2024 by 247Sports. Given his abilities as a recruiter, along with his ties to the Northeast area, this was a pretty solid hire
for the Orange.
Grade: B
