Grading College Football’s Coaching Carousel: How Did Key Programs Fare?
The 2023-24 college football coaching carousel saw significant movement, with several programs seeking to revitalize thier leadership. Here’s a look at how some key hires are being graded, based on initial assessments of their potential impact.
Kentucky hires Mark Stoops: B+
While not a new hire, retaining Mark Stoops after he interviewed for other jobs is a significant win for Kentucky. Stoops has brought consistent bowl appearances and a program-best 11-win season in 2023. His ability to build a competitive program in the SEC, despite resource limitations, is commendable. The key now is continued investment in the program to maintain momentum. This move helps, but maintaining success in a rapidly evolving landscape remains a challenge.
Michigan State hires Jonathan Smith: B
(Hired Nov. 20)
Smith’s arrival at Michigan state represents a calculated risk. He successfully rebuilt Oregon State from the ground up,demonstrating a clear vision and a commitment to player development. Though, transitioning that success to the Big Ten, and specifically to a program like Michigan State that has struggled recently, is a considerable undertaking. He’ll need to quickly establish a strong recruiting base and address the Spartans’ on-field deficiencies.
LSU hires Blake Baker: B-
(Hired Dec 6)
Baker’s hiring is a bit of an unknown.He has a solid resume as a defensive coordinator, but this is his frist head coaching prospect at a Power Five program. He’s known for his aggressive defensive schemes and recruiting prowess,but can he translate that into consistent success in the SEC? LSU is a program with high expectations,and Baker will be under immediate pressure to deliver.
Colorado State hires Jim Mora: B
(Hired Nov. 25)
It’s a compliment to the hire that most observers were surprised Mora didn’t land a bigger job. Mora has a rare spectrum of experience, from being an NFL head coach who reached an NFC Championship Game to taking over a 1-11 UConn program and winning nine games twice. His UCLA tenure also looks better in hindsight. His ceiling as a coach may not be as high as others’, but he shoudl be able to bring structure, planning and vision to a program that has mostly lacked it for two decades, outside of one brief spurt. Can Mora use his West Coast connections to get better players to Colorado State? He has done more with less, and Colorado State’s resources shouldn’t make it a “less.”
Oklahoma State hires Eric Morris: B+
(Hired nov. 25)
Morris checks a lot of boxes for Oklahoma State. He has deep ties to Texas, having spent almost his entire playing and coaching career there. and he knows how to develop quarterbacks, as names like Patrick Mahomes, Cam Ward, John Mateer and now Drew Mestemaker have thrived under his watch. He has also shown an ability to do more with less at North Texas and FCS Incarnate Word.
But while Morris’ offenses have long been good, his defenses have been up and down, and he’s won six games or fewer in four of six non-pandemic seasons as a head coach as an inevitable result. The hire of skyler Cassity as Mean Green defensive coordinator in 2025 was one of Morris’ best moves.We don’t know yet whether Cassity will follow him to stillwater, but that side of the ball will have to keep up with the offense.
Virginia Tech hires James Franklin: A-
(Hired Nov. 17)
Franklin was the No. 1 target from the moment he was fired at Penn State, and for good reason. he’d never missed a bowl game in 15 years at Vanderbilt or Penn State, outside of the pandemic-altered 2020 season. He turned Penn State into a top-10 program again. He dominated recruiting in the state of Virginia while at Penn State. He has a long track record of fostering alignment and investment. All the characteristics Virginia Tech needed,Franklin has them. He has only won one conference championship, and his game management has come under fair criticism, but he checks off all the other boxes of what Virginia Tech needed.
Kent State promotes Mark Carney: B
(Named interim coach in April, hired to full-time job Oct. 30)
What Carney has accomplished this season cannot be understated. He became the interim head coach on the eve of spring practise in April,when coach Kenni Burns was fired amid an investigation into his financial dealings. then his defensive coordinator left in the summer for an assistant job at North Dakota State.The Golden Flashes were 1-23 in the previous two years and appeared headed for a doomed 2023 season. Yet this year’s team is 4-7 and remained in bowl contention until a loss to Central Michigan in the season’s penultimate week. Kent State is arguably the toughest
