College football coaching grades: Grading each hire, how they fit

The college football coaching carousel is in overdrive, and at least one big name has already found a ride .

Nine jobs in the Power Four conferences opened up in-season, including at blue-blood places like LSU , Florida and Penn State . Expect more jobs to become available once the dominoes start to fall.

USA TODAY college football columnists Blake Toppmeyer and Matt Hayes will grade each hire in this year's coaching cycle as the hires are made.

∎ WE WILL UPDATE AS MORE COACHING HIRES ARE MADE. STAY TUNED...

Dec. 6: Collin Klein to Kansas State

Grade: B+

We hear a lot about fit, when schools hire coaches. Well, you can’t find a better fit for Kansas State than Klein, a former Heisman Trophy finalist. He played for Bill Snyder, starring as K-State’s quarterback. He coached under Chris Klieman, the man he’s replacing after Klieman’s sudden retirement at age 58. Klein knows this program.

Go beyond fit, though, and you’ll see a rising talent who’d earned an opportunity to be a coach. Klein’s work as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator positioned the Aggies for the College Football Playoff, and he developed Marcel Reed.

Klein leaving Klieman’s staff a couple of years ago for Texas A&M improved his credentials. His years running an offense inside the SEC means he’s returning to Kansas State with a more complete resume.

If Kansas State hadn’t hired Klein, 36, someone else probably would have soon.

Kansas State is a tougher job than Snyder and Klieman often made it look, so Klein will have his work cut out for him as a first-time coach.

This hire marks a pivot from Kansas State’s hiring approach with Klieman, who’d already proven himself by winning four FCS national championships in five seasons coaching North Dakota State.

Hiring the famed alumnus doesn’t always work, as Nebraska and Scott Frost can attest, but, for Kansas State, it makes sense to give Klein his shot. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Dec. 6: Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State

Grade: B-

Iowa State kept Matt Campbell for 10 years. It would’ve kept him for life, if it could have. Campbell departs for Penn State as the best coach in Cyclones history.

Athletic director Jamie Pollard had a clear plan to replace Campbell. Iowa State hired Rogers within minutes of losing Campbell.

Can Rogers maintain a program’s momentum? Well, he’s already done that once before. He previously replaced South Dakota State legend John Stiegelmeier. In his first season as Stiegelmeier’s heir, Rogers’ Jackrabbits went 15-0 and won the FCS national championship. Not bad, eh?

Keeping the Cyclones roaring will be a greater challenge, and, unlike Big 12 rival Texas Tech, no oil money flows into Iowa State. It’s notable that Rogers, 38, has spent just one season at the FBS level. He went 6-6 at Washington State this season.

SDSU is Rogers’ alma mater. His years playing and coaching there give him familiarity with the Midwest terrain to which he now returns. As Pollard put it, Rogers brings “a knowledge of what it takes to be good in the Midwest.”

Defense is Rogers’ identity. In that way, he feels like a natural selection to replace Campbell, under whom the Cyclones could be trusted to field one of the Big 12’s best defenses.

Rogers’ lack of Power Four experience makes this hire a gamble. His resume looks pretty sharp, but it would have been a bit more reassuring if Rogers had spent another year or two at Washington State and proven himself there. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Dec. 5: Matt Campbell to Penn State

Grade: B+

Penn State took a circuitous route to making a solid hire, if not a home run.

Even after whiffing on Brigham Young’s Kalani Sitake, athletic director Pat Kraft managed to land a proven coach, one who was named the Big 12 coach of the year three times.

Campbell’s name has appeared on candidate lists for prime jobs for many years, but he repeatedly remained loyal to Iowa State. Now, finally, he saw an opportunity good enough to make a move. An Ohio native, the 46-year-old Campbell has spent his entire career in the Midwest. He’ll fit Penn State’s brand.

Campbell departs Iowa State as the best coach in program history , producing a winning record eight times in 10 seasons there. He’s headed to a program with superior resources — and more demanding expectations than Campbell has ever encountered in his career.

Campbell’s resume is not superior to that of the coach Penn State fired, but it always seemed unlikely the Nittany Lions would hire a more accomplished coach than James Franklin.

Campbell’s known more for being a player developer than an ace recruiter. He’ll need to prove he can win blue-chip recruiting battles to get Penn State onto Ohio State’s level, or even to keep it at the level Franklin had Penn State operating at in most seasons before this one.

At Iowa State, Campbell could be counted on to assemble one of the Big 12’s stingiest defenses, year after year. That’ll translate well at Penn State. Can Campbell develop quarterbacks that’ll allow Penn State to stand toe-to-toe with the best Big Ten programs?

As good as Campbell’s Cyclones defenses usually were, his offenses were more middle of the pack or even toward the bottom of the Big 12. Maybe, that’ll elevate with higher-caliber athletes at Penn State. Campbell only ever had one Iowa State quarterback selected in the NFL Draft. That was Brock Purdy , a four-year starter selected in the seventh round in 2022.

An 8-4 season at Iowa State would go down in the good-season column. At Penn State, that won’t cut it anymore. Welcome to the big leagues.

Campbell is a steady hand who now must show he’s ready to perform to the level Penn State demands. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Dec. 4: Brian Hartline to South Florida

Grade: B

South Florida had success going the offensive coordinator route the last time it made a hire, plucking Alex Golesh from Tennessee . Now that Golesh is off to Auburn , USF is doubling down with another offensive coordinator, and it nabbed one whom some had viewed as a possible candidate for Penn State.

Hartline has been an ace recruiter for the Buckeyes and a fixture of Ryan Day’s coaching staff. He’s spent his entire coaching career at Ohio State, his alma mater.

Coaching wide receivers is his forte, and he’s developed some of the best receivers in the country the past several seasons. Hartline took over play-calling duties this season with Chip Kelly off to the NFL, and Ohio State’s offense hasn’t skipped a beat.

Working under Urban Meyer and then Day, Hartline learned from two excellent coaches. If there’s a concern, it’s that he’s never experienced anything outside of the Buckeye bubble, and now he’s off to run his own program.

At least he’ll have resources at his back. USF enjoys one of the most well-heeled programs in the American Conference, and it’s located in choice recruiting territory. Pair USF’s bankroll with Hartline’s chops for recruiting, and the Bulls should regularly field one of the most talented rosters within the Group of Five. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: B

Terrific recruiter. Comes from an elite program, and arrives with the road map.

But there's one overriding question with all assistant coach to head coach hires: what happens when Hartline he's in the big chair and must make big decisions?

USF is arguably the best Group of Five job in college football, its NIL collective (Fowler Ave Collective) stronger than some in the Power conferences. A $350 million on-campus stadium will be complete in 2027, further strengthening USF's ability to recruit the talent-rich state of Florida.

It's a prime job, in a winnable conference and has been a stepping stone to major jobs: Willie Taggart to Oregon, Alex Golesh to Auburn. If Hartline can replicate the Ryan Day/Urban Meyer plan at USF, he'll be the next coach to turn a successful gig into a major job. ― Matt Hayes

Dec. 4: Bob Chesney to UCLA

Grade: B

Some other schools — looking at you, Penn State — might regret not hiring Chesney.

He wins. Google him.

Yes, Chesney is going to draw comparisons to Curt Cignetti, because Chesney succeeded Cignetti at James Madison and maintained his success.

But, also, their rise through the ranks shows some parallels. Chesney, 48, coached in Division III, then Division II, then FCS, before cracking into the FBS ranks with James Madison.

And, get this: In 16 years as a coach, he’s only had one losing season at any level. That’s darn impressive.

Like Chesney, Cignetti also coached in Division II and the FCS before moving to FBS. They’re not replicas, though. Unlike Cignetti, Chesney didn’t work under Nick Saban. In fact, he’s never coached in a Power Four conference, even as an assistant.

Chesney, a Pennsylvania native, will head to the West Coast after spending his entire career in the Eastern Time Zone. UCLA is replacing alumnus DeShaun Foster , so you get the sense with this hire that a winning track record mattered than knowing the words to “Sons of Westwood.”

This will mark the greatest challenge of Chesney’s career. UCLA is one of the Big Ten’s tougher jobs. Didn’t they say the same thing about Indiana, though? Let’s see how true those Cignetti comparisons hold up. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: B-

Before we go further, it must be one or the other: Did Curt Cignetti take the core of elite players from James Madison two years ago to rebuild Indiana, or is Chesney living off what Cignetti built?

Clearly, the former is the answer ― which makes the narrative that Chesney is benefitting from Cignetti utterly ridiculous. The coaching and recruiting and developing aspect isn't the problem with this hire, it's the school.

UCLA is set up to fail, and has been for a long, long time.

it wasn't until Jim Mora essentially strong-armed the school more than a decade ago into building a palatial football facility, that the program at least had a chance to compete. Prior to that, UCLA's main practice field was 80 yards. Seriously.

Until the school commits to financially support the program like the rest of the Big Ten schools, it wil be a heavy lift for any coach. Until the private NIL world catches up with the rest of the Big Ten (and blue bloods of college football), UCLA will struggle to win games.

Chesney has a strong track record of winning wherever he has coached, but it takes more than Xs and Os. it's the ability to attract elite players. No matter the coach, elite players win big games. ― Matt Hayes

Dec. 4: Will Stein to Kentucky

Grade: B

Going the hotshot offensive coordinator route makes sense for Kentucky when you consider realistic options. The Wildcats landed a coach who’ll need no introduction to Kentucky. Stein is a Louisville native who played for the Cardinals — but, hey, he says he grew up rooting for the Wildcats, so all good there.

Mark Stoops served up some of the best seasons in Kentucky football history, but those days were finished. With the program heading in reverse, Kentucky swallowed a $38 million buyout to pull the plug.

Stein, 36, shot up the ranks quickly. As recently as 2019, he was an assistant coach at a Texas high school. His fast rise speaks to his success and ability to impress.

At Oregon, Stein coordinated one of the nation’s best offenses the past three seasons. He won’t have the same caliber of athlete at Kentucky, but after the Wildcats consistently produced one of the SEC’s most meager offenses under Stoops, Stein offers hope of fresh air — and hope of success through the air. Perhaps with Stein, Kentucky finally will produce a quality quarterback, a position that’s plagued Kentucky for years.

Stein coached Bo Nix , Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore at Oregon. That’s a heck of a run.

He’s shifting from a program awash with NIL resources to a basketball school, and Stoops persistently grumbled he didn’t receive enough financial support. This is one of the SEC’s toughest jobs, and it’s not getting any easier. The Wildcats were on a downward trend throughout the NIL era, but sometimes a new hire can galvanize more booster bucks.

Stein’s lack of head coaching experience makes him a bit of a gamble, but he’s a gamble worth taking for Kentucky. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: C+

This typically isn't a recipe that works in the big, bad SEC: hiring a coach who has never led a program ― not even a high school program ― and expecting rare results.

Stein is one of the game's top young offensive minds. His offenses at UTSA and Oregon have been impressive, his development of quarterbacks just as proficient (hello, Frank Harris, Bo Nix, Dillion Gabriel, Dante Moore).

Maybe Kentucky simply wanted a drastic change from the crawl ball days of Mark Stoops, and frankly, who could blame athletic director Mitch Barnhart? Stoops did some phenomenal work at Kentucky, but so did Rich Brooks when his teams were throwing the ball all over the park in the 2000s.

The offense will certainly change for the better under Stein, but it's the defense he better not ignore. Want to know why UK was so consistent under Stoops? Because the defense could stop teams, and get off the field.

Stein must hire a top-level defensive coordinator, preferably one who knows has coached in the SEC and knows the landscape. ― Matt Hayes

Dec. 3: Pat Fitzgerald to Michigan State

Grade: C

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Michigan State hired a coach who won at a place where winning is not guaranteed.

Isn’t that what Jonathan Smith did for Oregon State? Michigan State just fired Smith . So, now the Spartans are trying Pat Fitzgerald , who won more than you’d expect at Northwestern.

The rosy outlook says if Fitzgerald could win 10 games at Northwestern, as he did three times during his 17-year tenure, just think what he could do at Michigan State. Those who see a half-full glass might wonder whether Fitzgerald can rekindle Mark Dantonio-level success.

And yet, it seems relevant that Fitzgerald went 4-20 in his final two Northwestern seasons. He’s unproven in this era of NIL and transfer free agency. Like Mark Stoops, whom Kentucky just fired , isn’t it possible Fitzgerald already peaked in a bygone era?

As more and more Power Four jobs opened, though, it became increasingly likely some school would turn to Fitzgerald, whom Northwestern fired in response to a hazing scandal. Fitzgerald said he had no knowledge of the hazing. He filed a wrongful termination lawsuit and reached a settlement. That settlement and the fact no evidence showed Fitzgerald knew about the hazing made him hireable again.

Still impossible to ignore is Fitzgerald went 1-11 in his final Northwestern season.

Unlike Smith, Fitzgerald knows the terrain. He’s a native Midwesterner forged inside the Big Ten. Fitzgerald should help Michigan State regain a base competence level it lacked under Smith, but this presents as a dependable-floor, capped ceiling hire.

If Michigan State desires steady bowl qualification, then Fitzgerald seems likely deliver. This is a meat and potatoes hire, and not an attempt to unearth the next Curt Cignetti. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: A-

There's nothing quite like getting a talented, motivated coach who knows the Big Ten and understands how to build and win in the ground and pound conference.

For years the question lingered over Fitzgerald: what could he accomplish with elite talent around him? He already did the unthinkable at Northwestern, how much better could it get with a program that attract game-changing players?

Michigan State gave up on Jonathan Smith after only two seasons for a reason. Fitzgerald won his lawsuit against Northwestern, and there was no more baggage to a potential hire.

Fitzgerald is an old school coach, but that doesn't mean he's not on board with the current landscape of the sport, or won't embrace it. He has always been a player's coach, and was at the forefront of paying players long before the explosion of NIL ― publicly declaring players should be paid as early as 2011.

Michigan State once ruled the Big Ten under Mark Dantonio, and can get there again. The infrastructure is in place, the motivation is there from both the school and the coach. Watch how quickly this takes off. ― Matt Hayes

Nov. 30: Lane Kiffin to LSU

Grade: A

If you’d formed a list of who LSU should pursue after it fired Brian Kelly , it might have looked like this:

1. Lane Kiffin

2. Revert to option 1 and get it done.

LSU landed the white whale . The Tigers secured the hire they should have made last time this job was open. Kiffin turning heel on Mississippi before the College Football Playoff is a bad look for the sport and the coaching industry, but that’s not LSU’s problem at this moment.

Kiffin torched his Ole Miss legacy on the way out the door , but the record books will say he was the program’s best coach since Johnny Vaught retired in 1973 after a tenure that peaked in the late 1950s and early ‘60s.

Kiffin is the nation’s best coach to never appear in a CFP game. Considering the coaches who have been to the playoffs aren’t leaving their jobs, he’s the top pony of this carousel.

Kiffin’s mastery on offense will be a boon for LSU, after the Tigers spent the season spinning their tires. He’ll upgrade the quarterback production. Just consider what he did with Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss. Simply sublime. That came after Jaxson Dart and Matt Corral thrived under Kiffin at Ole Miss . He’s close to a guarantee for quality quarterback production, and if you have a quarterback, you have a chance.

LSU played the transfer game in its final season under Kelly, but nobody plays portal roulette better than the Portal King himself. Kiffin will upgrade this roster, and LSU will give him the funds to do it. Bet on that.

Can Kiffin meet LSU’s demands for a national championship? That’s an unanswered question. Kiffin went 0-4 against Nick Saban and he’s 1-2 against Kirby Smart.

Also, how well will he recruit in Louisiana? Also unanswered.

Kiffin’s career never looked better than it did when he had an SEC underdog punching above its historical weight. Now, he’s rolling with the big boys again. That hasn’t brought out his best in the past, but that doesn’t mean LSU and Kiffin won’t pair well. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: A-

He was the first and only answer in the coaching hopper for LSU and Florida. One school opened its arms and was up for anything, the other hesitated and wanted some control (see: a general manager to oversee the program).

Guess which school won out?

LSU won big because it got one of the game's best coaches and a majority of his offensive staff. It won because Kiffin can bring what LSU has been chasing since 2019: a wide-open, get out of the way offense. The Tigers had it iin Year 2 under Brian Kelly, and Jayden Daniels won the Heisman.

But LSU couldn't stop anyone defensively, and was never really a factor in the SEC since. Now, the problem: Kiffin's history at Ole Miss is points in bunches, and eventually break serve on defense and get off the field.

LSU had that with Daniels in 2023, and doesn't want to go back to it. The idea isn't to upgrade the quarterback position, or find a way to score points. Until this year's blowout of a season, that hasn't been a problem.

So then what has LSU mortgaged its future (again) for? A coach that must win recruiting battles in the south, that must continue his hot streak of hits in the transfer portal, and must hire an elite defensive coordinator with SEC experience who can get his offense the ball. That's all.

If any of that doesn't play out, and LSU stumbles around and loses to those it shouldn't ― I don't know, Ole Miss ― this shotgun marriage will run flat faster than a gin fizz on a steamy Bayou summer night.

This isn't wait and see. Kiffin must win now. Day 1. ― Matt Hayes

Nov. 30: Jon Sumrall to Florida

Grade: B-

Florida fans weren’t going to be wowed by anyone who isn’t named Lane Kiffin. Sumrall is not named Kiffin, but at least American Conference Jon doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as Sun Belt Billy.

Florida missed its chance to hire Kiffin when it retained Billy Napier last season , and LSU entering the sweepstakes this year ended any hope. That’s not Sumrall’s fault.

If Florida couldn’t hook Kiffin, I would’ve thought the immediate fallback plan would’ve been another proven offensive-minded coach from the Power Four ranks like Louisville’s Jeff Brohm. In Sumrall, the Gators landed the hottest name from the Group of Five tier.

Before coming to Florida, Napier had become the hot G5 name with an SEC pedigree, so I could understand why this might feel like a bad case of déjà vu, but Sumrall doesn’t present like a Napier replica in any way other than they both did a stop in the Sun Belt.

Sumrall will look and talk the part. If he’s feeling cheeky, he can borrow a line from Curt Cignetti. He wins. Google him.

He’s unproven at this level, but after Sumrall crushed it at Troy and kept Tulane humming on the heels of Willie Fritz’s success, it became more a question of where he’d be hired in the SEC and not if.

Sumrall led his teams to the conference championship game in each of his four seasons coaching in the Group of Five. Before that, one of Mark Stoops’ best Kentucky seasons came with Sumrall on staff in 2021, when the Wildcats won 10 games. Big Blue Nation is mournful that UK waited to part with Mark Stoops to allow Florida to nab Sumrall.

Although steady for Tulane, it’s not as though Sumrall had to build it. He maintained success but didn’t exceed Fritz’s momentum.

Stealing Kentucky’s man (and Auburn’s man) might seem like an underwhelming move for Florida, but consider that on a day when three SEC schools hired American Conference coaches, Florida nabbed the one with the most proven resume. That’s not nothing. It’s just not Kiffin — or even Brohm. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: C+

Here's the concern with Sumrall: did he simply take what Willie Fritz built at Tulane and hold on for the ride?

Fritz worked tirelessly at Tulane, cobbling together difficult, draining seasons in an attempt to build and sustain and convince players that the Garden District campus was more than just a party spot in New Orleans.

Fritz worked six long seasons ― that last of those a 2-10 team that nearly got him fired ― before winning 23 games in his final two seasons. Among those wins: a Cotton Bowl upset of mighty USC.

He left not only the framework for Sumrall, but the entire puzzle pieced together. Sumrall is 19-7 since, and if he wins the AAC conference championship game this weekend, will likely be playing in the CFP.

He said all the right things at Monday's introductory press conference, including the declaration that he will hire an elite offensive coordinator and bring the program back to its high-flying history. Sounds good, but Sumrall looks a lot like the coach Florida just fired and paid $20 million to go away.

Until proven otherwise, there's too much recent bad history of hiring coaches at Florida for this to be anything other than wait and see. ― Matt Hayes

Nov. 30: Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas

Grade: C

Three SEC schools hired coaches from the American Conference. This one earned the least fanfare. Silverfield won enough the past three seasons to move up the food chain in a coaches’ market. Go back to the 2023 preseason, and he faced a win-or-be-fired season.

Silverfield will shift from coaching at one of the biggest fishes in a smaller pond to being at one of the smaller fishes in the biggest pond, filled with sharks. It’s a tall order for someone with no SEC experience.

Memphis enjoys advantages to thrive in the American Conference in this NIL era. To Silverfield’s credit, he went 29-9 the past three seasons, the best stretch of his tenure.

He never made the conference championship game, though, and his overall winning percentage trailed predecessor Mike Norvell, who’s failing at Florida State. Justin Fuente also fizzled in his power-conference call-up after coming from the Memphis pipeline.

Silverfield delivered key wins this season against Arkansas and South Florida, but Memphis fizzled in the back half of its schedule, including a loss to a sunken UAB team playing under an interim coach.

Arkansas went the longtime veteran assistant route with its last hire, Sam Pittman, so of course it would try something different here with a 45-year-old sitting coach.

Silverfield’s prolonged stay at Memphis makes him a familiar face in terrain important to Arkansas. He must galvanize donors at a school where men’s basketball demands dollars under John Calipari and baseball is a priority, too.

He’s not a splashy choice. The Razorbacks must hope the lackluster manner in which Silverfield finished his final season at Memphis isn’t a caution flag it missed. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: C

Former players love Silverfield's coaching style, and his ability to develop quarterbacks and passing game concepts. If that sounds familiar, let me reintroduce Justin Fuente and Mike Norvell.

The two coaches before Silverfield at Memphis, Fuente and Norvell were considered elite young offensive minds who knew how to score points and put fans in the seats. Both left for Power conference jobs and had uneven results.

Fuente had two good season at Virginia Tech, and was fired after five, and Norvell has had two good seasons at Florida State ― and if FSU had the money, would've been fired after his fifth or sixth season.

But at this point at Arkansas, you'd take two good seasons in five. You'd take a 10-win season, a flirtation with the CFP, or a spot in the national spotlight once or twice, if it meant it all unraveled after five years and you were looking for another coach.

In other words, another Sam Pittman-type run. Only now, with Texas and Oklahoma further strengthening the SEC, the odds of that happening aren't good. ― Matt Hayes

Nov. 30: Alex Golesh to Auburn

Grade: B-

Auburn made an outside hire, at least. That’s something. Athletic director John Cohen had said he’d consider DJ Durkin, but if Auburn had promoted Hugh Freeze’s leftover lieutenant to the top job, that would’ve been the ultimate slice of humble pie.

Auburn needs help on offense to pull it out of yearslong rut, and Golesh shows some chops for the assignment. He’s worked inside the SEC and was Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator when Tennessee toppled Alabama in 2022 and the Vols’ up-tempo spread system led the nation in offense.

Golesh did a solid job at South Florida in his first coaching gig. The Bulls were 1-11 the year before he arrived. By this season, Golesh’s Year 3, the Bulls upset Florida and went 9-3. They fizzled a bit in the second half of the schedule. USF enjoys an advantage as one of the best-resourced programs in the American Conference, and it’s located in enviable recruiting territory.

Golesh can’t expect such a head-start on his SEC peers while at Auburn, and USF fans were appropriately disappointed Golesh couldn’t get this year’s team to the American Conference championship game, after peaking early in wins against Boise State and Florida.

Golesh is a more unproven hire than Auburn’s past two, but after Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze failed miserably, you could argue it’s worth taking a shot on a rising 41-year-old talent.

The up-tempo spread system Golesh is trained in has become less novel inside the SEC in recent years. Golesh will join Heupel, Lane Kiffin and Jeff Lebby as coaches who operate a version of this offense. Does that increase in familiarity sacrifice some of the advantage Tennessee enjoyed while Golesh was there? Perhaps.

He also must prove himself as a recruiter while going toe-to-toe with the likes of Kirby Smart, Kalen DeBoer and others in blue-chip battles.

Golesh is a bit of a gamble, but not a total Hail Mary, and he’s a hopeful choice after the retread shot with Freeze flopped. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: B

This was a no-brainer. No matter what Auburn did, it had to hire a coach who embraced the idea of scoring points. A lot of points.

So here's Golesh, a disciple of the Josh Heupel coaching tree, who will turn Auburn into something closely resembling what Heupel has at Tennessee. But the wide-open offense only reaches peak performance with an elite quarterback who can throw accurately and be a willing runner.

Like Hendon Hooker. Or Byrum Brown.

If you're going to tell me Brown is applying for a fifth year of eligibility (watch how many players do so with the NCAA heading toward five years to play five seasons) and is transferring to Auburn, I'd sign up for that. More than likely, you're looking at a couple of raw but talented quarterbacks (Ashton Daniels, Deuce Knight), and anything Golesh signs from the transfer portal.

The Heupel offense is quarterback-driven, and can result in some wild Saturdays by stressing both defenses. After four years of watching crawl ball under former coach Hugh Freeze, Auburn was desperate for any semblance scoring points. -- Matt Hayes

Nov. 30: Pete Golding at Ole Miss

Grade: B-

To grade this hire, first consider the situation. Lane Kiffin’s stay-or-go saga held the Ole Miss job hostage, even while the Rebels approached their first College Football Playoff bid.

By the time Kiffin officially pledged to LSU, many top coaching candidates who might have been willing to consider Ole Miss already had been hired elsewhere. Kiffin’s heel turn on the doorstep of the Rebels’ first playoff bid put pressure on athletic director Keith Carter to make a hire who could keep the roster and coaching staff intact for a postseason run. Players can rally around this hire.

In the short term, that makes this a strong move. In the long term, stay tuned.

Golding is a skilled defensive coordinator who trained under Nick Saban. Ole Miss’ best stretch under Kiffin came after he hired Golding to run his defense ahead of the 2023 season. He’s built a reputation for being a good recruiter, too.

This is the zig to the zag of new industry norms. Many Power Four athletic directors have shied away from turning to the coordinator ranks for their coaching hires in the past couple of seasons, as the job of being a head coach is bigger than ever.

And yet it’s worth noting the SEC’s best active coach had no head coaching experience, before Georgia hired Kirby Smart. In the Big Ten, Ohio State elevated Ryan Day from coordinator to coach to succeed Urban Meyer.

That’s not to compare this hire to those. It’s only to say hiring a good coordinator steeped with SEC experience feels like no more of a gamble than hiring a coach from the Group of Five.

Considering Ole Miss’ available moves, this is a fine choice. Re-evaluate in a year or two. For now, this hire provides stability in a moment the Rebels desperate need it. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: C

This just screams panic hire. Or hire the guy who knows the team better than anyone, because we've got a group of players who can make a run in the CFP.

Golding is well thought of in the coaching fraternity, a skilled defensive mind who was turning heads at UTSA long before Nick Saban hired him as defensive coordinator at Alabama. But that doesn't mean Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter shouldn't have played it down the middle.

Make Golding the interim, and watch him coach the team in the CFP. See how the players react to him over the course of a few weeks, not a few, drama-filled days. At the same time, see what other coaches are interested in a job that is night and day better than when Carter and Kiffin hooked up to change the culture.

Ole Miss is a legitimate destination job now. The NIL financial support is elite, and the support structure is as good as any in the SEC.

It wouldn't have hurt to at least see who would be interested. That doesn't mean Golding won't or can't be the right fit, it just means you're performing due diligence.

The offensive coordinator hire will be critical for Golding. He has to build an offensive staff that will keep players from jumping into the transfer portal, including QB Trinidad Chambliss ― who was recruited and developed by Charlie Weis Jr. (now with Kiffin at LSU), and who is petitioning the NCAA for a fifth season of eligibility.

And just in case it isn't obvious: LSU needs a quarterback for 2026. -- Matt Hayes

Nov. 28: Tavita Pritchard to Stanford

Grade: B

Everything about this screams success. Pritchard is a Stanford alum, and a former walk-on quarterback under Jim Harbaugh. He led the Cardinal to an upset of mighty USC in 2007 ― as a 41-point underdog. The greatest upset of the modern era.

He knows what it takes to persevere under difficult circumstances, but also knows what the buildout looks like when everything falls into place ― like it did under Harbaugh. Pritchard was general manager Andrew Luck's leader for the job early on, and it never really changed.

Pritchard has college and NFL experience, and most recently was quarterbacks coach for Jayden Daniels with the Washington Commanders. The only hiccup of the Stanford hire: Pritchard has zero head coaching experience.

It may not matter in this unique era of player empowerment, where it's as much about managing personalities and motivation as anything. ― Matt Hayes

Nov. 26: Jim Mora to Colorado State

Grade: B

Hey, UCLA, how do you like Mora now?

Mora went 46-30 in six seasons coaching the Bruins before they fired him in 2017. Successors Chip Kelly and then DeShaun Foster each fared worse, while Mora burnished his credentials with consecutive nine-win seasons at UConn these past two years.

Mora took over a UConn program that went 1-11 before his arrival. This season, in Year 4, his Huskies went 2-1 in games against ACC schools. An impressive turnaround. UConn athletic director David Benedict applauded Mora for exceeding expectations during his tenure.

Agreed. He did.

He’s a solid coach, and he needs to be, because he probably wouldn’t win many Mr. Congeniality competitions.

Although Mora spent the past few years out East, he’ll bring necessary West Coast connections to Colorado State . He played at Washington, and he coached the Seattle Seahawks after his stint with the Atlanta Falcons.

Other candidates might have teased the potential of a higher ceiling, but Mora offered Colorado State a high-floor option as a steady hand for a program that’s never found its way back since Jim McElwain left more than a decade ago. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: B

This surprises me only because it's strange that Mora either didn't receive interest from Power conference schools, or didn't want to wait for the dominoes to fall.

I don't want to say he's better than Colorado State, but he most certainly has the resume and track record to land any number of Power conference jobs available. So instead of getting a young coach on the rise or a top assistant coach, CSU got a coach who has proven he can build and win.

So he didn't win big at UCLA, who has since Terry Donahue? Frankly, who has won with any semblance of consistency at UCLA since Donahue?

Here's a hint: no one.

If CSU upgrades its NIL base, Mora will recruit well to a school with wildly underrated facilities. Have you seen Canvas Stadium , and the integrated football facility? ― Matt Hayes

Nov 25: Eric Morris to Oklahoma State

Grade: A-

Will it work? Don’t know.Do I like the hire? Absolutely.

Oklahoma State is catching Morris, 40, on his way up. After two losing seasons to start his North Texas tenure, he’s enjoyed a breakout campaign in Year 3, steering the Mean Green into playoff contention. If UNT’s star freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker follows Morris to Stillwater, all the better. Mestemaker played safety as a high school senior. Paired with Morris, he’s become the American Conference’s best quarterback. Impressive.

Morris suits Oklahoma State’s needs. He’s from Texas, a crucial state for Cowboys recruiting, and he’s spent most of his coaching career within the state. He’ll bring a track record for quarterback development within the Air Raid offense. That system makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys. Plenty of high schools in Texas run the Air Raid, inspired by former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach. Morris played for Leach at Texas Tech and worked under him at Washington State.

Just consider the quarterbacks Morris has helped develop. Baker Mayfield. Patrick Mahomes. Cam Ward.

Is it any wonder I like this hire for a program that needs a revolution of offense? ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: A

Yet another Power conference coach from the Mike Leach coaching tree. Better yet, a former player for Leach at Texas Tech, where Morris was a tough, undersized wide receiver they called Elf.

it was only a matter of time before he landed a Power conference job. But this one, with the infrastructure in place and the expectation of an elite pass game from all those successful Mike Gundy seasons, seems like the perfect fit.

He's a native Texan, and has connections throughout the deep and talent-rich Texas high schools. He'll be the surge of different ideas Oklahoma State has needed.

Make no mistake, this will be all about the quarterback. The overriding question: can Morris convince prolific freshman QB Drew Mestemaker to come to Oklahoma State ― over any number of Power conference offers he's bound to receive.

When the Cowboys get it going, there are few better places for a football game than Stillwater. ― Matt Hayes

Nov. 17: James Franklin to Virginia Tech

Grade: A

Virginia Tech — with the hiring of James Franklin — is making perhaps the best move of the coaching carousel, despite not being anywhere near the best job available.

Virginia Tech securing Franklin is a big-boy move, reinstalling gravitas to a program that went the Group of Five hiring route to replace Frank Beamer, and then went the coordinator route with Brent Pry to replace Justin Fuente, who was previously head coach of Memphis.

It’s not hyperbolic to say Franklin is far and away the most accomplished coach to ever accept the Virginia Tech job. Beamer's stardom occurred after taking the Hokies job, not before.

Virginia Tech doesn’t need Franklin to reinvent himself. It just needs Franklin to be who he’s been his entire career. ― Blake Toppmeyer

Grade: B

If we're basing this on James Franklin alone, it's a higher mark. But in the new and ever-evolving college football world, it's about coach, revenue sharing and private NIL commitment.

The hope is private money starts flowing because of Franklin and his history of winning big (yes, he won big at Penn State and Vanderbilt), and elite high school players in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads start returning to Blacksburg. Because Franklin will land his share of impact transfer portal players, but to truly make it work, he needs to organically build through two wildly underrated areas for high school football.

Never underestimate a coach who has won big everywhere, who's full of motivation after the way it ended at Penn State, from completing a heavy lift and carrying Virginia Tech back to the elite of the ACC. ― Matt Hayes

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football's top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football coaching hire grades: Good, bad, we'll see