Grading the First-Year Group of Five Hires

The Group of Five coaches need love too and here’s how I rank the new guys.

Barry Odom, UNLV

A+

Odom held his own at an SEC school but got a raw deal at Missouri. Getting a second chance at the GO5 level is actually below what Odom deserves. He will make UNLV very happy.

Nov 9, 2019; Athens, GA, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Barry Odom reacts after a play against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Sanford Stadium.

Jamey Chadwell, Liberty

A+

Chadwell is the perfect guy to replace Hugh Freeze and this should be a seamless transition for a program that has been very solid in recent years.

Oct 1, 2022; Conway, South Carolina, USA; Coastal Carolina Chanticleers head coach Jamey Chadwell on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Brooks Stadium.

G.J. Kinne, Texas State

A

He was solid in one year at Incarnate Word and while he’s young and inexperienced he’s an excellent offensive mind.

Texas State football Head coach GJ Kinne watches players closely during the Texas State football spring game at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday, April 22, 2023.

Tom Herman, FAU

A-

Herman gets a bad rep for his time at Texas but he’s the last coach to win ten games there and his time at Houston was excellent. He’ll have FAU moving in the right direction.

Dec 29, 2020; San Antonio, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns coach Tom Herman celebrates after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome.

Alex Golesh, South Florida

B+

Josh Heupel gets all the credit but Golesh is a terrific offensive mind. He has his work cut out for him but it’s a solid hire.

USF board of trustees chairperson Will Weatherford, athletic director Michael Kelly and president Rhea Law welcome new Bulls football coach Alex Golesh

Lance Taylor, Western Michigan

B+

Coaching Christian McCaffrey and his time at Stanford was beyond impressive and he’s been good at stops since.

Lance Taylor was introduced as the new head football coach at Western Michigan University during a press conference in Kalamazoo on Friday.

Kevin Wilson, Tulsa

B+

The former Indiana head coach was good for the Hoosiers and was excellent at Ohio State as well. I assume the player mistreatment issues at Indiana are in the past and this is a good fit for Tulsa.

Nov 12, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson walks across the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium.

Brian Newberry, Navy

B

A solid internal hire for Navy, he’s a good defensive mind and an excellent leader.

Proud to introduce our new Head Football Coach Brian Newberry!#GoNavy | #RollGoats pic.twitter.com/p5JysKhf1j

— Navy Football (@NavyFB) December 19, 2022

Kenni Burns, Kent State

B-

Burns helped Mo Ibrahim turn into a college star and while he has some big offensive shoes to fill, he can bring a balanced offense.

Kent State Golden Flashes head coach Kenni Burns is introduced with his family

Eric Morris, North Texas

B-

Morris has some of the development of Patrick Mahomes on his resume and he will recruit the area well.

Dec 17, 2022; Frisco, Texas, USA; New North Texas Mean Green head coach Eric Morris reacts on the sidelines during a game against the Boise State Broncos at Toyota Stadium.

Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina

C+

Beck has a ton of experience but this is his first go around as a head coach and he has some serious shoes to fill. It’s not going to be easy to replace Chadwell and all he’s done for the program.

Coastal Carolina introduced Tim Beck as Coastal Carolina football’s fourth head coach in a press conference today at the college. Beck replaces Jamey Chadwell who departed this week for Liberty. Beck was the N.C. State offensive coordinator before coming to Coastal Carolina.

Trent Dilfer, UAB

C

He’s got NFL playing experience but this is an odd hire to me from high school to college. Dilfer can’t get out of his own way so this could be a disaster.

Lipscomb Academy coach Trent Dilfer leads his team during a game against CPA at CPA in Nashville on Friday, Oct. 21.

Biff Poggi, Charlotte

C

Poggi was a great high school coach and helped Jim Harbaugh a lot at Michigan but this is a hire out of left field.