Good Morning Guys and Gals! Hope each of you are having a good morning so far, and thought I’d start things off today with some fun discussion during the silly season of college football. Below are my Top 5 pre-season lists for “P5 Head Coaches With Something to Prove”, “P5 Coordinators Who Will Soon be Head Coaches”, and “G5 Head Coaches Who Are Ready to Make the Move to a P5 Program”. Interested to see what each of you think, and would love to hear your feedback when you have a moment. With that said, here we go:
P5 Head Coaches With Something to Prove
1. Bryan Harsin (Auburn) - Coming off a 6-7 season and what happened this off-season, it goes without saying this is a turning point season and recruiting class for Hars and Company. Can our Tigers make some noise this fall, that’s what I’m hoping for and I think how the first 5 games play out will likely dictate how the rest of season goes.
2. Steve Sarkisian (Texas) - Can Sark get it done at Texas? I think that’s the question on a lot of people’s minds that cheer for the burnt Orange and White, and the honest answer is I just don’t know. To his credit Sark recruited a top 5 class in year one (so the talent acquisition piece was good), but the on the field product was absolutely atrocious at times. Year 2 is definitely big year for Satk to show whether or not he’s got the chops to coach at a place as political as UT.
3. Mike Norvell (Florida State) - Posting two losing seasons in a row and losing the top recruit in the country the night before signing day to an HCBU coached by a FSU alum has pushed Norvell into an uncomfortable spot come year 3 of his tenure. I don’t believe he’s on the hot seat per say, but he definitely needs a winning season and to make a bowl game to insert some juice back into what was once a very proud program. Should he go 6-6 or worse this year, I’m not sure if he’s still with the program midway through year 4.
4. Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) - Coach Drink has recruited at a program level high for 2 straight seasons but has more or less been a .500 football coach on the field. Can he turn the corner this year with some some instability at the QB position? That’s going to be a question some Mizzu fans are asking as being a .500 football coach is a big part of what got Barry Odom fired.
5. Lincoln Riley (USC) - This one may surprise some people, but I’m of the belief that a lot of people in the industry are interested to see how Riley’s first year goes on the West Coast. Riley has never been in charge of a rebuild before, and his quick work in the transfer portal has some wondering if that will be a model for success for other rebuilding brands moving forward. So while he’s not in the precarious position that some of the other coaches on this list are, he’s definitely in new and uncharted waters for his career.
P5 Coordinators Who Will Soon be Head Coaches
1. Kendall Briles (Arkansas) - I fully believe if KB’s last name wasn’t Briles, he’d already be a Head Coach. If he puts up another good year for Pitt Boss and Company, I think he’s a name that gets some serious traction in this year’s coaching carousel.
2. Josh Gattis (Miami) - Big time recruiter who’s become a very good play caller. The team that finally gives Gattis a shot to run his own program is probably going to reap the rewards of that hire sooner rather than later.
3. Jeff Lebby (Oklahoma) - Another very good play-caller and recruiter. Lebby is a name that I’ve had my eye own for a while now and should his offense show the same explosion it has at prior stops with UCF and Ole Miss, he could certainly be someone that a sitting P5 AD has a lot of interest in hiring.
4. Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin) - One of the nations premier Defensive Coordinators, Wisconsin DC Jim Leonhard’s pro background mixed with his coaching acumen and style are liable to intrigue alot of AD’s around the country. The question is will he ever leave Wisconsin, my guess is for the right offer and job he will.
5. Jeff Grimes (Baylor) - The two time Broyles Award finalist has really started to catch the attention of P5 AD’s with his seemless transition from OL coach to being a successful P5 OC. One of the truly special people in the industry, someone soon is going to luck into hiring Grimes as a Head Coach, and I think they’ll be hiring a guy who’ll create long term success in building and sustaining a program.
G5 Head Coaches Ready to Make the Move to a P5 Program
1. Luke Fickell (Cincinnati) - Obviously he won’t be on this list for long as Cincy is moving to the Big 12 in 2023. That said Fickell is ready for a blue blood type job, and it will probably take an Ohio State, Notre Dame, or a Penn State to pry him away from his current position.
2. Hugh Freeze (Liberty) - Freeze has taken Liberty about as far as he can, and he’s 100 percent ready to walk through the door at a P5 program and show he belongs as an upper echelon coach. I’m a little bias here as I honestly want to see the man succeed and be given a second chance, as I’ve always been of the belief that you don’t judge a man by his fall, but by his attempt to rise up after that fall.
3. Bill Clark (UAB) - His resurrection of that program to the heights it’s at now is beyond anything I ever thought UAB could be. Because of his mannerisms and southern colloquialism I think he’s limited on where he can go, but if I’m Georgia Tech, I’m firing Geoff Collins and his capris tomorrow to hire an established program builder in Clark.
4. Jeff Traylor (UTSA) - Very good recruiter with big time Texas ties, I think he’s a star in the making for the right school. If I’m Arizona State after I part ways with Herm, I’m probably calling Traylor to see what his interest might be.
5. Sean Lewis (Kent State) - Anybody that can make Kent St. relevant is a hell of a ball coach. Runs a great offensive system and is a very energetic young coach that is likely to inject enthusiasm and excitement into a fan base.
We’ll that’s it for today, but interested to read y’all’s thoughts!
P5 Head Coaches With Something to Prove
1. Bryan Harsin (Auburn) - Coming off a 6-7 season and what happened this off-season, it goes without saying this is a turning point season and recruiting class for Hars and Company. Can our Tigers make some noise this fall, that’s what I’m hoping for and I think how the first 5 games play out will likely dictate how the rest of season goes.
2. Steve Sarkisian (Texas) - Can Sark get it done at Texas? I think that’s the question on a lot of people’s minds that cheer for the burnt Orange and White, and the honest answer is I just don’t know. To his credit Sark recruited a top 5 class in year one (so the talent acquisition piece was good), but the on the field product was absolutely atrocious at times. Year 2 is definitely big year for Satk to show whether or not he’s got the chops to coach at a place as political as UT.
3. Mike Norvell (Florida State) - Posting two losing seasons in a row and losing the top recruit in the country the night before signing day to an HCBU coached by a FSU alum has pushed Norvell into an uncomfortable spot come year 3 of his tenure. I don’t believe he’s on the hot seat per say, but he definitely needs a winning season and to make a bowl game to insert some juice back into what was once a very proud program. Should he go 6-6 or worse this year, I’m not sure if he’s still with the program midway through year 4.
4. Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) - Coach Drink has recruited at a program level high for 2 straight seasons but has more or less been a .500 football coach on the field. Can he turn the corner this year with some some instability at the QB position? That’s going to be a question some Mizzu fans are asking as being a .500 football coach is a big part of what got Barry Odom fired.
5. Lincoln Riley (USC) - This one may surprise some people, but I’m of the belief that a lot of people in the industry are interested to see how Riley’s first year goes on the West Coast. Riley has never been in charge of a rebuild before, and his quick work in the transfer portal has some wondering if that will be a model for success for other rebuilding brands moving forward. So while he’s not in the precarious position that some of the other coaches on this list are, he’s definitely in new and uncharted waters for his career.
P5 Coordinators Who Will Soon be Head Coaches
1. Kendall Briles (Arkansas) - I fully believe if KB’s last name wasn’t Briles, he’d already be a Head Coach. If he puts up another good year for Pitt Boss and Company, I think he’s a name that gets some serious traction in this year’s coaching carousel.
2. Josh Gattis (Miami) - Big time recruiter who’s become a very good play caller. The team that finally gives Gattis a shot to run his own program is probably going to reap the rewards of that hire sooner rather than later.
3. Jeff Lebby (Oklahoma) - Another very good play-caller and recruiter. Lebby is a name that I’ve had my eye own for a while now and should his offense show the same explosion it has at prior stops with UCF and Ole Miss, he could certainly be someone that a sitting P5 AD has a lot of interest in hiring.
4. Jim Leonhard (Wisconsin) - One of the nations premier Defensive Coordinators, Wisconsin DC Jim Leonhard’s pro background mixed with his coaching acumen and style are liable to intrigue alot of AD’s around the country. The question is will he ever leave Wisconsin, my guess is for the right offer and job he will.
5. Jeff Grimes (Baylor) - The two time Broyles Award finalist has really started to catch the attention of P5 AD’s with his seemless transition from OL coach to being a successful P5 OC. One of the truly special people in the industry, someone soon is going to luck into hiring Grimes as a Head Coach, and I think they’ll be hiring a guy who’ll create long term success in building and sustaining a program.
G5 Head Coaches Ready to Make the Move to a P5 Program
1. Luke Fickell (Cincinnati) - Obviously he won’t be on this list for long as Cincy is moving to the Big 12 in 2023. That said Fickell is ready for a blue blood type job, and it will probably take an Ohio State, Notre Dame, or a Penn State to pry him away from his current position.
2. Hugh Freeze (Liberty) - Freeze has taken Liberty about as far as he can, and he’s 100 percent ready to walk through the door at a P5 program and show he belongs as an upper echelon coach. I’m a little bias here as I honestly want to see the man succeed and be given a second chance, as I’ve always been of the belief that you don’t judge a man by his fall, but by his attempt to rise up after that fall.
3. Bill Clark (UAB) - His resurrection of that program to the heights it’s at now is beyond anything I ever thought UAB could be. Because of his mannerisms and southern colloquialism I think he’s limited on where he can go, but if I’m Georgia Tech, I’m firing Geoff Collins and his capris tomorrow to hire an established program builder in Clark.
4. Jeff Traylor (UTSA) - Very good recruiter with big time Texas ties, I think he’s a star in the making for the right school. If I’m Arizona State after I part ways with Herm, I’m probably calling Traylor to see what his interest might be.
5. Sean Lewis (Kent State) - Anybody that can make Kent St. relevant is a hell of a ball coach. Runs a great offensive system and is a very energetic young coach that is likely to inject enthusiasm and excitement into a fan base.
We’ll that’s it for today, but interested to read y’all’s thoughts!
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