Most of the current top-tier HCs are first-timers.
by revressbo (2022-05-08 12:26:33)
Edited on 2022-05-08 12:39:55

In reply to: 4. I think division I 1st time head coaches more often fail *  posted by Father Nieuwland


Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley (at Oklahoma), Luke Fickell (unless you count his interim year at OSU, which I don’t really), Mike Gundy, Dave Aranda, Kyle Whittingham, Jimbo Fisher (at FSU, national champions). The head coaching experience group would include Saban of course and then I guess Harbaugh, Campbell, Kelly, Kiffin, Franklin, Ferentz (for three years at Maine in the early 90s, which isn’t much), Mack Brown and Cristobal? To me, the former group looks better than the latter overall. I’m possibly/likely forgetting some coach(es) on either list.

There have also been plenty of hot shot coaches that had success at Group of 5/lower Power 5 schools as head coaches who then failed as head coaches at more prestigious Power 5 schools (Tom Herman, Charlie Strong, Dan Mullen, Justin Fuente, Rich Rod, Hoke and our own Al Golden [who I think was a great DC hire for many reasons, including, ironically, his experience/lessons from failure at Miami], just to name a few).


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