3 Weeks until College Football - The New Head Coaches

Been chillin' all summer - just waiting for football to start

It’s getting close! Only three more weeks until
college football kicks off. 

Ellis was the first to get into the spirit when he hosted a Hall of Fame game party last Sunday. Sure it was preseason football. But it was football, outside on the deck with the usual beverages with which to imbibe, cigars and comradery. 

A couple of fingers into some Aberlour scotch and it didn’t take us long to get into football mode. We were slinging around trivia questions like which college team did the players play for. Easy with the stars but try the back up quarterbacks. We were nailing them though. 

Ellis did have a good stumperoony though. As they were interviewing Ray Guy as the first punter to get into the Hall of Fame – Ellis asked “There are three kickers in the Hall of Fame – name the three kickers” We struggled and after many misses got two. But despite plenty of hints from Ellis we failed to get the third. We were sure that Tom Dempsey or Morten Andersen had to be the third but they were not. Answer below. 
 
We were in preseason form - trying to remember the new rookies and new NFL rules. One being tried out during
the preseason is that extra points will be kicked from the 20 making it similar to a 37 yard FG. Going for 2 will still be done from the 2. I like the rule and hope it will become permanent. Extra points are too automatic. Only 5 were missed last year. 
 
There are some nits in the changes like the uprights will be 5 feet taller and the NFL NY office will be able to talk
directly to the officials during reviews. Hopefully it’s not so certain teams can get the benefit of the doubt for the betterment of the league. 

One key difference is that refs will be enforcing offensive interference more aggressively. Great! Michael Irvin made it into the Hall of Fame by his ability to make a timely push just as the pass was coming down. 
 
Another change will be that the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is now reviewable. Last year, during the Seahawks-49ers NFC Championship Game, NaVorro Bowman recovered a fumble but had the ball jarred loose after he had hit the ground. The play was ruled a Seahawks recovery. Under the new rule, that play would be subject to review. 

But the NFL is four weeks away  College is three! Time to get up to speed on the best sport in the land. NCAA Div 1A football. 

And a good way to start preparing for the upcoming season is to review all the new head coaches. Teams that were total crap last year may no longer be a slam dunk betting fade as a new coach can make a team half way respectable. And conversely, a team that was great can lose a coach up to a higher conference or the league. 

So here are all the new coaches, where they were before and my usual suspect insight. 

College

Arkansas State

Army

Boise State

 










Bowling Green

UConn

Eastern Michigan

Florida Atlantic

Louisville

UMass

Miami (OH)

Penn State

Texas

UAB

USC

Vanderbilt

Wake Forest

Washington

Western Kentucky

Wyoming

Old Coach    

Bryan Harsin
 
 
 












Rich Ellerson
 
 
 













Chris Petersen
 
 
 













Dave Clawson
 
 
 



















Paul Pasqualoni
 
 
 



















Ron English
 
 
 
 







Carl Pelini
 
 
 




















Charlie Strong
 
 
 
















Charley Molnar
 
 
 








Don Treadwell
 
 



















Bill O'Brien
 
 




















Mack Brown
 
 
 












Garrick McGee
 
 















Lane Kiffin
    
 
 























James Franklin
 
 













Jim Grobe
 
 
 










Steve Sarkisian
 
 
 














Bobby Petrino
 
 
 













Dave Christensen 

New Coach
Blake Anderson
 
 
 











Jeff Monken
 
 
 












Bryan Harsin
 
 
 












Dino Babers
 
 
 


















Bob Diaco
 
 
 



















Chris Creighton
 
 
 







Charlie Partridge
 
 




















Bobby Petrino
 
 
 















Mark Whipple
 
 








Chuck Martin
 
 
 

















James Franklin
 
 



















Charlie Strong
 
 












Bill Clark
 
 
 














Steve Sarkisian
 
 























Derek Mason
 
 
 











Dave Clawson
 
 
 









Chris Petersen
 
 
 













Jeff Brohm
 
 
 













Craig Bohl

Former Position
OC  North Carolina
 
 
 











HC  Georgia Southern
 
 
 












HC  Arkansas State
 
 
 












HC  Eastern Illinois
 
 
 


















DC  Notre Dame
 
 
 


















HC  Drake
 
 
 








DL  Arkansas
 
 
 




















HC  Western Kentucky
 
 
 















OC  Miami (FL)
 
 
 







OC  Notre Dame
 
 
 

















HC  Vanderbilt
 
 
 


















HC  Louisville
    
 
    
 











HC  Jacksonville State
    
 
    
 











HC  Washington
    
 
    
 





















DC  Stanford
    
 
    
 











HC  Bowling Green
    
 
    
 








HC  Boise State
    
 
    
 












OC  Western Kentucky
    
 
    
 











HC  North Dakota State
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Review

For  the fourth straight year it was one and done for coaches at Arkansas State.  After one great year they move on. And for the fourth straight year they go  with a up tempo OC. Andersen is a Larry Fedora disciple having coached under   him for two years at UNC and was with him prior to that at
Southern Miss. The  one and dones should stop as Anderson is likely to stick around for awhile.  But the Red Wolves will continue to put up the points. 
 
 
Army's  death march under Ellerson is finally over. Smartly, they went with another  HC that runs and runs and runs the ball. And then runs it some more. Monken comes from Georgia Southern where they led all of college football in rushing yards per game at just  under 400. Monken was last seen running past Florida in a huge 26-20 upset.  Monken learned the option attack after coaching under Paul Johnson at Navy  and Georgia Tech. Great fit for the Black Knights. Now can they get a QB to  run the offense. 
 
Harsin  is the latest of HC who spends a year at Ark State and
goes up a level in Div  1A. And like Gus Malzahn before him he will return to be the HC at the school  where he was an OC before. Harsin was OC at Boise from 2001-10 including the  famous 2007 Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. As OC at
Boise, the Broncos went  61-5 and are looking to return to their winning ways after slipping to 8-4  last year. Should be another great fit for the smurfs as the go back to being  a Mountain West powerhouse. 
 
 
When  MAC teams look for experienced HCs they have to go down to the FCS. So when  the Falcons went shopping they ended up promoting the HC at
Eastern Illinois.  Babers led the Panthers to a #2 ranking in Div1AA and the quarterfinals of  the playoffs. His QB, Jimmy Garoppolo went on to win the Watler Payton award  as the best player in Div 1AA before getting drafted by Patriots in the  second round. Prior to EIU Babers was the WR coach at Baylor and OC at  Arizona and Texas A&M. With only 2 years as a HC and an undistinguished  career as an assistant this choice is fraught with risk. But, hey, football  needs more Dinos so I'll be rooting for him. 
 
  
When  Pasqualoni was chosen as HC for the Huskies I pissed all over the selection.  UConn finally felt the warmth and recognized the mistake.
After trying and  failing to lure Narduzzi from MSU they went with another DC, this time from  Notre Dame. And while he is no Narduzzi, Diaco does have solid credentials  having been the 2012 Broyles Award as college football's top
assistant coach.  That year his defense, led by Manti Te'o, took the Domers to the National  Championship game (where they proceeded to get crushed by Bama 42-14). Diaco  will bring energy and toughness to UConn. Something that has been sorely  missing in Storrs. UConn will begin a long march back to respectability. 
 
 
Another  MAC team drops down to the FCS to get their HC. This
time its EMU promoting  Drake HC Chris Creighton. But unlike Dino at EIU, Creighton has only a  middling record going 6-5 last year and 44-22 overall. There is nothing in  his record that screams promotion to Div 1A. Eastern will continue to be a  laughing stock. 
 
 
C'mon  get happy! I'm sorry FAU but if you hire a Partridge you're going to have to  get used to that song. FAU made they classic mistake of the brother hire when  they selected Carl Pelini. It promptly backfired when Pelini was caught smoking some Thai stick with a few coeds. Pelini admitted to it then denied it  (you can't make this stuff up). No matter he was canned and the Owls went  shopping for a new HC. They ended up taking, not a coordinator, but the DL coach  from Arkansas. After blowing it with a Pelini disciple they moved over to the  Bret Beilema coaching tree. Not sure which is the bigger dick head.
Doesn't  really make a difference. FAU is going to continue to flounder. 
 
 
Motor  Cycle Papa moves back to his old stomping grounds. His
time in coaching limbo  was a short one indeed. One year at Western Kentucky and all is forgiven.  When Charlie Strong up and left to go to Texas, Cardinal fans were hoping  against hope that Petrino would return. He had great success at
Louisvile  going 41-9 over 4 years from 2003 to 2006. But things are never quite the  same the second time around. Louisville is coming off an outstanding 12-1  season and expectations are now through the roof. And the ACC is a step above  the American. Expect to see records more like the 8-4 he compiled at Western Kentucky

Speaking  of second time arounds - Mark Whipple returns as HC for UMass. He was HC  there from 1998 to 2003 going 49-25 including a 1AA championship. Unlike  Louisville, Minuteman fans are going to end up liking the hire. UMass has  been so bad for so long that there is only one way to go - up. Expect to see  lots of Charmin being squeezed in the stands.  
 
One  branch of the Mark Dantonio coaching tree has now been lopped off. The  RedHawks are coming off an 0-12 season and so decided to grab Notre Dame's  other coordinator. After taking over for Brian Kelly after he left Grand  Valley State, Martin had great success going undefeated during the regular  season from 2005 to 2009. They also racked up Div II champioships in 2005 and  2006 and were runners up in 2009. He then followed Brian Kelly to Notre Dame  in 2010. He has the background and track record to turn around a miserable  RedHawk program and should be in the championship hunt before
long. 
   

The  Big Ten continues its poaching of SEC coaches. First it's suburban Meyer now  its Franklin. And Franklin is bringing in an $EC mentality too. Exploiting  recruiting loopholes, taunting other coaches. The whole bit. But he has been  stellar on the recruiting trail and is bringing a ton of energy and charisma  to a handcuffed program. Former HC O'Brien was just what PSU needed coming  off scandals and sanctions. He is gone to the pros and its up to Franklin to  take it to the next level. I don't know - they guy seems a bit immature to  me. I think he ends up like Hoke - gets recruits but doesn't coach them up to  their abilities. PSU will get better but not to the "reawaken the  sleeping giant" level.

 
Charlie  Strong is what James Franklin wishes he could be. Tough, disciplined and a  winner. Mack Brown was a tremendous person and good coach but failed to meet  the extremely high Longhorn expectations. And Texas should have high  expectations. They are the Big School in a highly contested recruiting hot bed. There is little competition in their conference compared to the SEC.  Strong will bring a toughness to Austin along with coaching ability. I like  the hire. Texas gets back on top. 
  
Like  the MAC, the Sun Belt drops down to the FCS to get
experienced HCs. But Bill  Clark does not have a ton of HC experience, at least at college. He has been  a HS head coach for most of his career with all but 1 year in Alabama. In his  1 year college head coaching career he did take Jacksonville State (a school  much better known for their great marching bands) to the playoffs. UAB has  been horrible for years with losing records going back as far as 2004. Not  sure if Clark is the coach to turn things around. Maybe he can bring the band  with him. 
 
USC  got what they deserved when they hired Kiffin. A couple of years of turmoil  and disappointing records and they finally moved on. Kiffin has hooked up as  Saban's OC to form a jerk and prick led coaching staff at Bama. Sarkisian was  the OC under Pete Carroll back in the day while Kiffin was the DC. Carroll preferred Sarkisian when he left. Never doubt a Super Bowl
winning HC.  Sarkisian was brought in to return Washington to its past glory days. That  didn't quite work out. He took them from winless to slightly above average  going 34-29 overall and 24-21 in the PAC 12 (including a couple of wins over  USC). I'm not about to disagree with Carroll so I say that USC will be a  contender in the PAC 12 surpassing UCLA, and having epic battles with Oregon 
and Stanford for PAC 12 supremacy. If I'm wrong blame Pete.
  
Derek  Mason! Bump..Bump..bump.bump.bump!! Except it's not the famed Spartan WR/KR.  He was a weapon. No, this Derek Mason is the former DC at Stanford. He  started out as DB coach under Harbaugh and worked his way up to DC. Mason was  the runner up for the Broyles award the year Bob Diaco won it. Vanderbilt  aspires to be the Stanford of the SEC. Mason brings over that experience.  Vandy will continue to be a tough out. Nice hire. 
 
Dave  Clawson is a football turnaround guy. He took Fordham from 0-11 to 9-3,  Richmond from 2-9 to 11-3 and Bowling Green from 6-6 to 8-5. He can only take  a program so far and there is a hard cap on what he can do being in the same division as Florida State. Wake Forest seemed quite happy going to bowls  every year under Jim Grobe. They will return to that level but not challenge  in the ACC. 
 

Washington  is the latest team to hire the HC from Boise State to turnaround their  fortunes. Washington lost Sarkisian to USC and grabbed Petersen from Boise.  Boise is a great program and wins no matter who their coach is. As far as  their coaches winning after leaving BSU. Ugh. Dirk Koetter
left for Arizona State where he went 40-34 before getting canned. Dan Hawkins was horrible  going 19-39 at Colorado. Can Petersen do better? The track record
says no.  I'll go with the trend. Washington stays in the middle of the pack in the PAC  12. 
 
Jeff  Brohm has been bouncing around quite a bit lately. He has gone from one train wreck  program to another. In 2010-2011 he was OC with Ron Zook. That didn't end well.  He then joined Garrick McGee at UAB and got out before the total meltdown there. He went back to rejoin Bobby Petrino at  WKU as OC but in reality Petrino runs the offense. WKU
will have some  continuity but the PillPoppers are about to begin a downward slope. Brohm  will last around 2-3 years before getting canned. 
 
If you  are going to go down to the FCS to get a HC why not get the best? Wyoming did  just that taking Craig Bohl from North Dakota State. All he did there was go  104-32 and won 3 straight FCS championships. Talk about bringing rings and a  winning attitude. If he can bring players to North Dakota,
Wyoming should be  no problem. He has already brought over most of his staff. This is shaping up  to put Wyoming in the hunt for the MWC championship. Great
hire. 

The usual coaching turnover this year. And as always some teams will get better and some - well not so good.
 
No matter what happens though - it's going to be a great season again. Plenty of wild games and amazing plays.

And to get those football juices flowing - it's time for some pump up videos.

Remember - the GO JUMBO trip is Nov 15th at the old LVH now Westgate Resort.

Trivia Answer
George Blanda  - Oakland

Lou “the Toe” Groza – Cleveland

Jan Stenerud – Kansas City – the first pure kicker to get in and the only one we didn’t get. Seems obvious now.