Bleacher Report ranks the best coaching hires in college football

[aubiefifty 18,231]

i disagree with the "BEST" coaching hires with some of these names. bret b? lol gus? this does have a short piece on coach harsin.

 

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Bleacher Report ranks the best coaching hires in college football

BySam Marsdale

9-12 minutes

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The college football coaching carousel was thought to be complete. That was until this week when Kansas ousted Les Miles after sexual harassment allegations dating back to his time at LSU. The Jayhawks remain the only FBS program without a head coach, but all other vacancies have been filled.

There were some surprising moves, such as Auburn enduring a massive buyout to fire Gus Malzahn, eventually hiring Bryan Harsin away from Boise State. Texas also pulled something a little bit similar, moving on from Tom Herman out of nowhere the day after New Year's Day and immediately hiring Steve Sarkisian away from Alabama.

There were also a handful of other coaching hires. Bleacher Report ranked the nine hires from last to first, and we took a look at those rankings, which you can see below:

Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today.

Editor's note: South Carolina's Shane Beamer was not included in the article.

 

(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)

247Sports' take: After going the retread route with a disastrous result in Kevin Sumlin, who followed a 51-26 (25-23 SEC) tenure at Texas A&M (2012-17) by going 9-20 (6-17 PAC-12) for the Wildcats (2018-20), Arizona went outside the box and hired a first-time head coach. Fisch, 44, returns to college football after a three-year stint in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams (2018-19) and New England Patriots (2020). Previously, he was UCLA's offensive coordinator in 2017, taking over on a two-game interim basis after the Bruins fired Jim Mora, and went 1-1. His prior stops included Michigan's passing game coordinator (2015-16), the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator (2013-14) and Miami's offensive coordinator (2011-12). One way or another, Arizona is making a bold hire. But how much longer can the Wildcats afford to be patient after Sumlin's setback?

Bleacher Report: “Fisch needs to find a capable quarterback, but he's a known developer of the position, so either Will Plummer or one of transfers Jordan McCloud (South Florida) or Gunner Cruz (Washington State) will benefit from his tutelage.”

 

(Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics)

247Sports' take: A Nashville, Tennessee, native and former Vanderbilt fullback from 2002-04, Lea knows what he is getting into with essentially the SEC's toughest job. Lea, 38, needs assistance from the Commodores' administration but has a chance to get his alma mater back on track. After starting out as Notre Dame's linebackers coach in 2017, Lea received additional duties of defensive coordinator in 2018. Lea reportedly finished second in the Boston College coaching search last year, so his star has been rising.

Bleacher Report: “Lea understands the university and its unique challenges, having played fullback for the 'Dores from 2002 to 2004. He has recruited players to prestigious academic universities like Notre Dame and Wake Forest so he knows the balance well of elite academics and athletic ability.”

 

(Photo: Peter Aiken, Getty)

247Sports' take: A former North Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2012-13), Anderson went 51-37 overall and 38-18 against Sun Belt play with six bowl appearances in seven years at Arkansas State from 2014-20. He resigned from his head-coaching position and accepted the Utah State job Dec. 12. Until a 4-7 finish in 2020, Anderson never finished below the .500 mark. The 51-year-old gets a fresh start with the Aggies after a tenure with the Red Wolves in which he won a pair of Sun Belt championships at the helm.

Bleacher Report: “Andersen's Utah State offenses struggled the past two years and limited Jordan Love's impact in his final season. Anderson should inject a positive jolt of energy.”

 

(Photo: Matt Prehm, 247Sports)

247Sports’ take: Unlike many Group of 5 programs, Boise State already has the pieces in place for Avalos to step in and win when you're talking about facilities and personnel. This is a program that expects to win and having that mindset already established is a big piece of the puzzle for first-year head coaches.

Bleacher Report: “Much like Clark Lea at Vanderbilt, this hire made perfect sense. All that remains is the storybook ending. Avalos has the energy to do it, but we'll see how it translates in the first time running ‘his’ program.”

 

(Photo: courtesy Illinois athletics)

247Sports’ take: Illinois parted ways with Lovie Smith after five years Dec. 13, and the Fighting Illini made a bold hire by bringing Bielema back to the Big Ten West after a successful Wisconsin stint from 2006-12. Bielema struggled at a tough job in the SEC West at Arkansas from 2013-17, going 29-34 overall and 11-29 against SEC play. The 50-year-old Bielema steps into an Illinois job that is positioned to take another step in a fluctuating Big Ten West, one that he found success with during his Wisconsin chapter, going 68-24 (37-19 Big Ten) with two Rose Bowl Game appearances. Bielema's return comes after a three-year stint as an assistant in the NFL with the New England Patriots (2018-19) and New York Giants (2020).

Bleacher Report: “Lovie Smith struggled to build anything sustainable with the Illini, and it will take time for Bielema to get the foundational blocks in place to do what he wants in Champaign. The woebegone program hasn't been relevant in a long time.”

 

(Photo: Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel Pool Photo)

247Sports’ take: Rarely does a Group of 5 program arguably upgrade after losing its coach to a bigger program, but that appears to be just what the Knights managed to do following Josh Heupel's departure to Tennessee. Gus Malzahn is a proven winner and should be able to improve UCF's recruiting efforts immensely.

Bleacher Report: “Malzahn will look to replicate that success at UCF, and he inherits a lot of playmakers, led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel. While this may not be the most exciting coaching move of the offseason, it could pay instant dividends.”

 

(Photo: Tennessee Athletic Communications)

247Sports’ take: Tennessee went full UCF this offseason, landing the Knights' athletic director and head football coach. This is a multi-year plan for the Vols to pull themselves out of the depths of irrelevancy. Whether Heupel can do that remains to be seen. 

Bleacher Report: “Heupel's public relations skills far surpass Pruitt's, so he's a refreshing change of pace in front of the microphone for a UT fanbase that needs positivity. The bottom line is his high-flying offensive attack could cover a lot of warts.

“Tennessee's cupboard is not bare. This team is a year removed from winning eight games. While it has plenty of holes to fill, Heupel was 28-8 as head coach at UCF and has spent time as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Missouri.”

 

(Photo: Shanna Lockwood / Auburn Athletics)

247Sports' take: Auburn fired Gus Malzahn after eight years Dec. 13, an understandable move if the Tigers had a sure thing lined up, but the process dragged out with twists and turns until seemingly settling for Harsin. With that said, Harsin was a nice find out of the Auburn coaching search. After going 7-5 overall and 5-2 against Sun Belt play as a first-time head coach at Arkansas State, Harsin kept Boise State humming along when Chris Petersen left the Broncos for Washington, with a 69-19 (45-8 Mountain West) mark from 2014-20. Harsin, 44, is stepping into a prestigious but tough job in the SEC West and lacks conference experience. But he is a proven winner and has the right mindset. How far that gets him against the likes of Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M in his division alone remains to be seen.

Bleacher Report: Though Harsin lost some games he wasn't supposed to at his alma mater, he finished with a 69-19 record, five seasons of 10-plus victories and three bowl wins in seven years. It may be difficult to gauge whether he'll be a success, especially in the huge crimson shadow of Alabama, but he has the track record.

 

(Photo: 247Sports)

247Sports’ take: Will Sarkisian bring Texas "back?" The Longhorns sure hope so. Tom Herman, 45, went 32-18 (22-13 Big 12) at Texas from 2017-20. The Longhorns won all four bowl games, including a 55-23 rout of Colorado in last Tuesday's Alamo Bowl. Texas appeared to turn the corner with a 10-4 (7-2) finish in 2018, Herman's second season, but the Longhorns took a couple steps back by going 8-5 (5-4) and 7-3 (5-3) from 2019-20. In comes Sarkisian, who evolved Alabam's offense from 2019-20 and revived his coaching career after he hit rock bottom at USC. First at Washington, Sarkisian went 34-29 (24-21 Pac-12) from 2009-13. After a 5-7 (4-5) debut on the 2009 season, Sarkisian registered three straight 7-6 (5-4) finishes before going 8-4 (5-4) in 2013. With the Trojans, Sarkisian posted a 12-6 (7-5 Pac-12) record before getting fired Oct. 12, 2015, due to several reported alcohol-related instances. Sarkisian will have the resources at Texas, and he has earned his second chance, but it will be an enormous one from with high expectations and little patience.

Bleacher Report: “That is no guarantee Sark will be successful, but his offense should translate in Austin with Texas' resources, the recruiting hotbed and some of the players in place. It's obvious this hire has the highest ceiling of any in college football.”

">247Sports

BySam Marsdale

9-12 minutes

---

 

Manage

1. 

    

   Trending

   Football Recruiting: Weekly commitment recap

    

2. 

    

   Trending

   CBS Sports ranks 2021 NFL Draft's Top 25 players

    

 

The college football coaching carousel was thought to be complete. That was until this week when Kansas ousted Les Miles after sexual harassment allegations dating back to his time at LSU. The Jayhawks remain the only FBS program without a head coach, but all other vacancies have been filled.

There were some surprising moves, such as Auburn enduring a massive buyout to fire Gus Malzahn, eventually hiring Bryan Harsin away from Boise State. Texas also pulled something a little bit similar, moving on from Tom Herman out of nowhere the day after New Year's Day and immediately hiring Steve Sarkisian away from Alabama.

There were also a handful of other coaching hires. Bleacher Report ranked the nine hires from last to first, and we took a look at those rankings, which you can see below:

Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today.

Editor's note: South Carolina's Shane Beamer was not included in the article.

 

(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)

247Sports' take: After going the retread route with a disastrous result in Kevin Sumlin, who followed a 51-26 (25-23 SEC) tenure at Texas A&M (2012-17) by going 9-20 (6-17 PAC-12) for the Wildcats (2018-20), Arizona went outside the box and hired a first-time head coach. Fisch, 44, returns to college football after a three-year stint in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams (2018-19) and New England Patriots (2020). Previously, he was UCLA's offensive coordinator in 2017, taking over on a two-game interim basis after the Bruins fired Jim Mora, and went 1-1. His prior stops included Michigan's passing game coordinator (2015-16), the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator (2013-14) and Miami's offensive coordinator (2011-12). One way or another, Arizona is making a bold hire. But how much longer can the Wildcats afford to be patient after Sumlin's setback?

Bleacher Report: “Fisch needs to find a capable quarterback, but he's a known developer of the position, so either Will Plummer or one of transfers Jordan McCloud (South Florida) or Gunner Cruz (Washington State) will benefit from his tutelage.”

 

(Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics)

247Sports' take: A Nashville, Tennessee, native and former Vanderbilt fullback from 2002-04, Lea knows what he is getting into with essentially the SEC's toughest job. Lea, 38, needs assistance from the Commodores' administration but has a chance to get his alma mater back on track. After starting out as Notre Dame's linebackers coach in 2017, Lea received additional duties of defensive coordinator in 2018. Lea reportedly finished second in the Boston College coaching search last year, so his star has been rising.

Bleacher Report: “Lea understands the university and its unique challenges, having played fullback for the 'Dores from 2002 to 2004. He has recruited players to prestigious academic universities like Notre Dame and Wake Forest so he knows the balance well of elite academics and athletic ability.”

 

(Photo: Peter Aiken, Getty)

247Sports' take: A former North Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2012-13), Anderson went 51-37 overall and 38-18 against Sun Belt play with six bowl appearances in seven years at Arkansas State from 2014-20. He resigned from his head-coaching position and accepted the Utah State job Dec. 12. Until a 4-7 finish in 2020, Anderson never finished below the .500 mark. The 51-year-old gets a fresh start with the Aggies after a tenure with the Red Wolves in which he won a pair of Sun Belt championships at the helm.

Bleacher Report: “Andersen's Utah State offenses struggled the past two years and limited Jordan Love's impact in his final season. Anderson should inject a positive jolt of energy.”

 

(Photo: Matt Prehm, 247Sports)

247Sports’ take: Unlike many Group of 5 programs, Boise State already has the pieces in place for Avalos to step in and win when you're talking about facilities and personnel. This is a program that expects to win and having that mindset already established is a big piece of the puzzle for first-year head coaches.

Bleacher Report: “Much like Clark Lea at Vanderbilt, this hire made perfect sense. All that remains is the storybook ending. Avalos has the energy to do it, but we'll see how it translates in the first time running ‘his’ program.”

 

(Photo: courtesy Illinois athletics)

247Sports’ take: Illinois parted ways with Lovie Smith after five years Dec. 13, and the Fighting Illini made a bold hire by bringing Bielema back to the Big Ten West after a successful Wisconsin stint from 2006-12. Bielema struggled at a tough job in the SEC West at Arkansas from 2013-17, going 29-34 overall and 11-29 against SEC play. The 50-year-old Bielema steps into an Illinois job that is positioned to take another step in a fluctuating Big Ten West, one that he found success with during his Wisconsin chapter, going 68-24 (37-19 Big Ten) with two Rose Bowl Game appearances. Bielema's return comes after a three-year stint as an assistant in the NFL with the New England Patriots (2018-19) and New York Giants (2020).

Bleacher Report: “Lovie Smith struggled to build anything sustainable with the Illini, and it will take time for Bielema to get the foundational blocks in place to do what he wants in Champaign. The woebegone program hasn't been relevant in a long time.”

 

(Photo: Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel Pool Photo)

247Sports’ take: Rarely does a Group of 5 program arguably upgrade after losing its coach to a bigger program, but that appears to be just what the Knights managed to do following Josh Heupel's departure to Tennessee. Gus Malzahn is a proven winner and should be able to improve UCF's recruiting efforts immensely.

Bleacher Report: “Malzahn will look to replicate that success at UCF, and he inherits a lot of playmakers, led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel. While this may not be the most exciting coaching move of the offseason, it could pay instant dividends.”

 

(Photo: Tennessee Athletic Communications)

247Sports’ take: Tennessee went full UCF this offseason, landing the Knights' athletic director and head football coach. This is a multi-year plan for the Vols to pull themselves out of the depths of irrelevancy. Whether Heupel can do that remains to be seen. 

Bleacher Report: “Heupel's public relations skills far surpass Pruitt's, so he's a refreshing change of pace in front of the microphone for a UT fanbase that needs positivity. The bottom line is his high-flying offensive attack could cover a lot of warts.

“Tennessee's cupboard is not bare. This team is a year removed from winning eight games. While it has plenty of holes to fill, Heupel was 28-8 as head coach at UCF and has spent time as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Missouri.”

 

(Photo: Shanna Lockwood / Auburn Athletics)

247Sports' take: Auburn fired Gus Malzahn after eight years Dec. 13, an understandable move if the Tigers had a sure thing lined up, but the process dragged out with twists and turns until seemingly settling for Harsin. With that said, Harsin was a nice find out of the Auburn coaching search. After going 7-5 overall and 5-2 against Sun Belt play as a first-time head coach at Arkansas State, Harsin kept Boise State humming along when Chris Petersen left the Broncos for Washington, with a 69-19 (45-8 Mountain West) mark from 2014-20. Harsin, 44, is stepping into a prestigious but tough job in the SEC West and lacks conference experience. But he is a proven winner and has the right mindset. How far that gets him against the likes of Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M in his division alone remains to be seen.

Bleacher Report: Though Harsin lost some games he wasn't supposed to at his alma mater, he finished with a 69-19 record, five seasons of 10-plus victories and three bowl wins in seven years. It may be difficult to gauge whether he'll be a success, especially in the huge crimson shadow of Alabama, but he has the track record.

 

(Photo: 247Sports)

247Sports’ take: Will Sarkisian bring Texas "back?" The Longhorns sure hope so. Tom Herman, 45, went 32-18 (22-13 Big 12) at Texas from 2017-20. The Longhorns won all four bowl games, including a 55-23 rout of Colorado in last Tuesday's Alamo Bowl. Texas appeared to turn the corner with a 10-4 (7-2) finish in 2018, Herman's second season, but the Longhorns took a couple steps back by going 8-5 (5-4) and 7-3 (5-3) from 2019-20. In comes Sarkisian, who evolved Alabam's offense from 2019-20 and revived his coaching career after he hit rock bottom at USC. First at Washington, Sarkisian went 34-29 (24-21 Pac-12) from 2009-13. After a 5-7 (4-5) debut on the 2009 season, Sarkisian registered three straight 7-6 (5-4) finishes before going 8-4 (5-4) in 2013. With the Trojans, Sarkisian posted a 12-6 (7-5 Pac-12) record before getting fired Oct. 12, 2015, due to several reported alcohol-related instances. Sarkisian will have the resources at Texas, and he has earned his second chance, but it will be an enormous one from with high expectations and little patience.

Bleacher Report: “That is no guarantee Sark will be successful, but his offense should translate in Austin with Texas' resources, the recruiting hotbed and some of the players in place. It's obvious this hire has the highest ceiling of any in college football.”

">247Sports