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5 college football hires I can't stop applauding, Lane Kiffin to Matt Campbell
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- 5 college football hires I can't stop applauding, Lane Kiffin to Matt Campbell
When a school fires its college football coach, it aims to achieve two goals.
Change the vibes. Upgrade the coach.
This season brought us a coaching carousel unlike any that preceded it. The vibes in Happy Valley quickly soured after Penn State lost to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. It fired James Franklin just six games after he coached in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
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If we thought that was wild, it got zanier. Lane Kiffin walked away from a playoff-qualifying team to accept a job at a rival and reaffirm his renegade bona fides.
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Now that the carousel has stopped (for about eight months, anyway), I can't stop thinking about five hires, in particular.
I awarded each of these hires high marks, shortly after they happened. Upon further reflection, I'm doubling down and buying more stock in these hires.
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Lane Kiffin , LSU
On Kiffin's way out of Mississippi, he trampled on the redemption story he'd spent years authoring in Oxford, and he surrendered some of the goodwill he'd earned. So what? LSU is just the type of program that can embrace being a supervillain.
Look, you can hate how Kiffin left Ole Miss, but there's no denying Kiffin left the Rebels much better than he found them. He's performing better than ever before, with 32 wins in the past three seasons, and now he's positioned at a premier job.
Unions with Kiffin rarely end neatly, but, in the meantime, this has a chance to be a beautiful partnership between a star coach who's on top of his game and a program thirsty for the limelight. To quote LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry, Kiffin is "a big enough personality to operate in a state full of big personalities."
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Better yet, he's a portal maestro. Kiffin signed one of his most impressive transfer hauls ever, making it possible for LSU to go from mediocrity to playoff qualification in short order.
I've got but one question: How will Kiffin handle the pressure and scrutiny at a job that will demand national championships? He's done his best work while coaching Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss in an underdog role, removed from the brightest spotlight.
Eric Morris , Oklahoma State
The Air Raid worked well for Mike Leach at Texas Tech in the old Big 12.
Morris, a Leach disciple, found success with the Air Raid coaching North Texas in the American Conference.
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So, will Morris' Air Raid offense thrive for Oklahoma State in the reconfigured Big 12? I don't see why it shouldn't.
Drew Mestemaker, a zero-star recruit, became a star quarterback at North Texas. He followed Morris to Oklahoma State , along with several other players from a 12-win North Texas team.
A Texas native who spent most of his career in the state, Morris should excel recruiting overlooked prospects from the Lone Star State. Some will even have experience in the Air Raid. The system is popular at Texas high schools, a sign of Leach's lasting influence.
At the peak of Mike Gundy's career, he allowed the Cowboys to punch above their weight. Morris and his Air Raid allow for the same effect. Morris fits what OSU needs.
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James Franklin , Virginia Tech
Franklin and Penn State were good together for so long, until he'd raised the Nittany Lions ' expectations to a level he couldn't meet. Twelve seasons with any coach is a long time. Twelve years with a coach of Franklin's personality is an eternity. When the wins stopped, it understandably became time for a breakup.
None of that means Franklin isn't right for Virginia Tech. He's a program builder. The Hokies need rebuilt. He brings experience recruiting the area known as the DMV — that's D.C., Maryland and Virginia — that's vital to Virginia Tech. He's a high-floor coach coming to a program that must elevate its foundation. Never mind Franklin's ceiling, because the Hokies haven't won more than seven games in any of the past five seasons.
Virginia Tech has never hired a coach with as good of a resume as Franklin carries.
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After hiring Franklin, the Hokies signed their best-rated recruiting class since 2019. He seems determined to show Penn State it made a mistake. That's perfect for Virginia Tech.
Will Stein , Kentucky
Kentucky zigged where other SEC programs zagged. LSU, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas were set on hiring someone with head coaching experience. In contrast, Kentucky nabbed Oregon's hot-shot offensive coordinator, under whom three consecutive quarterbacks flourished: Bo Nix , Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore .
Sure, it's risky hiring a rookie coach to a difficult SEC job. But, face it, guarantees don't exist for UK football. Take a chance. Roll the dice.
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The way Mark Stoops liked to tell it, Kentucky operated from the NIL poorhouse. Hiring a native son like Stein, who says he grew up rooting for the 'Cats, seems just the way to provide a jolt to donors. Kentucky's top-10 transfer class suggests Stein had a few shekels to spend on a roster flip.
Kentucky fans should feel inspired the university didn't just kick the can down the road with Stoops, once it became obvious his best days were behind him.
Whatever Stoops' achievements, persistently paltry quarterback play placed a ceiling on his teams. With Stein, there's a chance that changes.
Matt Campbell , Penn State
When Penn State fired Franklin, a couple of reactions naturally emerged.
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Response 1: It was probably time for a change.
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Response 2: Does Penn State seriously think it can do better than a coach who won nearly 70% of his games there?
I subscribed to both beliefs — and then Penn State hired Campbell. Well, now, let's revisit this. Could Campbell win 70% of his games at Penn State? I think he can.
Campbell thrived at Toledo for five seasons. In 10 seasons at Iowa State, he became the best coach in program history . He made consistent winning look far easier than it had ever been in Ames, Iowa. Now, he's got more resources at his disposal. More pressure, too.
Campbell suits the Penn State brand, with a track record for stingy defenses.
Will he beat Ohio State more frequently than Franklin? That's debatable, although Franklin set a low bar by beating the Buckeyes just once.
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If a school can thread the needle of a generating a vibes change while hiring a proven but still ascending coach, it's done well. Penn State achieved that.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football hires worth applauding, Lane Kiffin to James Franklin
