NCAAF · 1 year ago

2024 College Football Coaching Carousel: Grading the Top 5 Hires

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

5. Bronco Mendenhall - New Mexico - A
The hiring of Bronco Mendenhall may have flown under the radar of most college football fans, but it needs to be recognized for what it is: a terrific move by New Mexico. Mendenhall was a long-time winner at BYU and Virginia but has been away from the game for several seasons. He would have made sense at Boise State, but the Lobos locked him up. BYU never missed a bowl game in his 11 seasons, and Virginia won the ACC Coastal in 2019 (an unbelievable accomplishment). New Mexico is a tough job with limited resources, but hiring Mendenhall guarantees a physical and well-coached team. The Lobos could not have realistically done any better.

New Mexico National Title Odds: +100000
1. Kalen DeBoer - Alabama - A+
Legendary head coach Nick Saban retired, leaving Alabama in the unenviable position of finding a successor to the greatest collegiate football coach ever. This is a challenging, nearly impossible job, regardless of who was hired, but the Alabama Crimson Tide hired a coach who has won everywhere he has been. Kalen DeBoer is 37-9 in his four seasons as an FBS head coach and led Washington to the College Football National Championship Game before falling short against Michigan. Overall, DeBoer is a remarkable 104-12 as a head coach, with three national titles at the NAIA level. He’s an offensive savant and should be able to have incredibly productive attacks with the talent he’ll have in Tuscaloosa. The most significant question mark is whether or not he can recruit in the South, and losing his offensive line coach and long-time assistant, Ryan Grubb, has early alarm bells ringing. Still, if Alabama gives DeBoer a chance, he has proven he can win big. This was about as well as the Crimson Tide could have done.

Alabama National Title Odds: +1200
2. Curt Cignetti - Indiana - A
Indiana football has long been an afterthought and a doormat. When the Hoosiers moved on from Tom Allen, they needed to hire a proven winner who could change everything about the program. The Hoosiers have done just that by hiring Curt Cignetti, previously the head coach at James Madison. His early bravado and confidence have fired up a fan base that has seldom had anything to be excited about. Cignetti has been a head coach for 13 seasons and has never had a losing campaign. He brought most of his James Madison staff with him, and they hit the ground running in the transfer portal, flipping a roster that needed an infusion of talent. Time will tell if Cignetti will succeed at IU, but if anyone can turn the Hoosiers into a consistent bowl team, he can.

IU's 2024 Win Total: 5.5
3. Jonathan Smith - Michigan State - A
The Michigan State Spartans thought they had their long-term coach when they hired Mel Tucker. Questionable results on the field and an ugly scandal off it caused the MSU administration to fire Tucker for cause. They had the entire 2023 season to search for a coach who would lead the program into the newest edition of the Big Ten. Jonathan Smith is a terrific hire for the Spartans. He was brought from Oregon State, where he turned that program around and won ten games in 2022. Oregon State played a physical style that should translate well to East Lansing. Smith brought quarterback Aidan Chiles with him and has a solid roster set to improve MSU immediately.

Michigan State 2024 Win Totals: 5.5
4. Willie Fritz - Houston - A
The Houston Cougars fired Dana Holgorsen and quickly zeroed in on Tulane's head coach, Willie Fritz. The move makes a ton of sense. Fritz has been a force at Tulane and was the head coach for Texas school Sam Houston State before that. The Green Wave were fun to watch under Fritz, and he is known as one of the brightest minds in the sport. His age is a possible concern (Fritz is 63), but he likely has another six or seven years, an eternity in college football. With Fritz’s connections to Texas and his proven production, he could help raise NIL funds from the Houston base and turn the Cougars into a force to be reckoned with in the reconstituted Big 12.

Houston National Championship Odds: +100000
5. Bronco Mendenhall - New Mexico - A
The hiring of Bronco Mendenhall may have flown under the radar of most college football fans, but it needs to be recognized for what it is: a terrific move by New Mexico. Mendenhall was a long-time winner at BYU and Virginia but has been away from the game for several seasons. He would have made sense at Boise State, but the Lobos locked him up. BYU never missed a bowl game in his 11 seasons, and Virginia won the ACC Coastal in 2019 (an unbelievable accomplishment). New Mexico is a tough job with limited resources, but hiring Mendenhall guarantees a physical and well-coached team. The Lobos could not have realistically done any better.

New Mexico National Title Odds: +100000
1. Kalen DeBoer - Alabama - A+
Legendary head coach Nick Saban retired, leaving Alabama in the unenviable position of finding a successor to the greatest collegiate football coach ever. This is a challenging, nearly impossible job, regardless of who was hired, but the Alabama Crimson Tide hired a coach who has won everywhere he has been. Kalen DeBoer is 37-9 in his four seasons as an FBS head coach and led Washington to the College Football National Championship Game before falling short against Michigan. Overall, DeBoer is a remarkable 104-12 as a head coach, with three national titles at the NAIA level. He’s an offensive savant and should be able to have incredibly productive attacks with the talent he’ll have in Tuscaloosa. The most significant question mark is whether or not he can recruit in the South, and losing his offensive line coach and long-time assistant, Ryan Grubb, has early alarm bells ringing. Still, if Alabama gives DeBoer a chance, he has proven he can win big. This was about as well as the Crimson Tide could have done.

Alabama National Title Odds: +1200

2024 College Football Coaching Carousel: Grading the Top 5 Hires

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