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Dennis Dodd: Grades for every hire in the 2021 College Football coaching carousel
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:10 am
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:10 am
quote:
Remember when COVID-19 was supposed to be a mulligan year for embattled coaches? Not exactly. While the pandemic probably lessened the volume of departures -- only 15 this offseason -- it didn't keep some big time programs from swallowing some big-time cash. Texas, South Carolina and Auburn paid a combined $42 million to buy out departed coaches.
The total buyout figure for the nine coaches fired on the list below is more than $53 million. (Vanderbilt's Derek Mason was a 10th fired coach, but buyout figures are not available because it is a private institution.) That's an average of $5.89 million. That's one consideration in making a change. The 15 changes now make it 86 schools that have switched coaches at least once in the last four seasons (66%). Patience is not a virtue among athletic directors.
Here's how we grade the hires as we enter the 2021 college football season.
Bryan Harsin [A-]
It's OK to refer to Harsin as Auburn's fourth (or fifth) choice. If he was the first pick, he would have been on the first flight out of Boise State when Malzahn was fired. Instead, the school went through Auburn's version of, ahem, "The Process". Harsin arrives unfamiliar with SEC culture but plenty of experience to back him up. The Tigers must get better offensively -- right now. There will be an SEC recruiting learning curve for any Boise newcomers on the staff.
Clark Lea [B]
What James Franklin accomplished at Vandy becomes more amazing each day. In three short seasons, he became the first Commodores' coach since Bill Edwards (1949-52) to leave with a winning record. Franklin skipped for Penn State after winning back-to-back nine-win seasons. Lea, Notre Dame's former defensive coordinator, needs to hire a difference-making offensive coordinator to keep up with the SEC superpowers. If you've spent any time around him, you get the sense he can do it. The former Vandy fullback is smart enough to realize the program's woeful lack of resources. He also may be able to coach through it.
Josh Heupel [C]
When Heupel was announced, it was largely a shoulder shrug. Not terrible, not great. Other, more accomplished candidates, were no doubt scared away by the NCAA investigation. Sure, he's the offensive-friendly guy that AD Danny White wanted, but in the end, this seemed like a fall back when the likes of Tony Elliott decided to stay put. Heupel's record at UCF declined each season. There were rumblings about how recruiting suffered. An offensive wizard who has a golden touch with quarterbacks will have to learn in a hurry how to recruit elite defensive tackles for Tennessee to contend once again in the SEC. For starters.
Shane Beamer [C-]
Frank Beamer's son is one of the most talented and likeable guys on his way up the ladder. But Shane has never even been a coordinator. There were defections galore upon his hiring. Two defenders transferred to Florida State. Leading tackler Ernest Jones declared for the draft. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo (who was retained) and offensive line coach Will Friend (who was hired from Tennessee) left for Auburn. The top two quarterbacks departed. For a program that is losing traction in the SEC -- 6-16 in the last two seasons -- Beamer can't afford any more slippage.
Other Notables
Gus Malzahn [A+]
Steve Sarkisian [A]
Bret Bielema [A-]
Butch Jones [B]
Terry Bowden [B]
Charles Huff [B-]
CBS Sports
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:11 am to paperwasp
quote:
Shane Beamer [C-]
One of the most head scratching hires I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:13 am to paperwasp
quote:
Bret Bielema [A-]
Bert gets a letter grade bump up because he brings Jen along with him.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:17 am to TigerLunatik
quote:
Bert gets a letter grade bump up because he brings Jen along with him.
She hasn't left his fat arse yet?
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:18 am to paperwasp
Maybe a great time to say this: What is going to be so different about college football in 2021? Same plague, same protocols. If a football program mismanaged COVID this past season, what changes? The NBA, NHL, college basketball are going into the second COVID year. No fans or just a few and guys are still falling by the wayside in bunches and games are being canceled at the speed of light.
Got to believe a lot of HCs like Franklin at Penn State, Orgeron, and many more mismanaged the disease completely. One more bad season could write their epitaph. 2021 is going to be the same thrill ride as 2020. Who's most ready for that?
Got to believe a lot of HCs like Franklin at Penn State, Orgeron, and many more mismanaged the disease completely. One more bad season could write their epitaph. 2021 is going to be the same thrill ride as 2020. Who's most ready for that?
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:18 am to TigerLunatik
Idk if it’s a meme at this point but some of you rantards have some rather odd tastes.
Looks like she came straight out of the grinch or cat in the hat.
Looks like she came straight out of the grinch or cat in the hat.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:20 am to paperwasp
quote:Wow.
Gus Malzahn [A+]
Steve Sarkisian [A]
Bret Bielema [A-]
Butch Jones [B]
Terry Bowden [B]
Talk about falling upward. Nothing shows success like failure, I guess.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:21 am to FourThreeForty
quote:
Idk if it’s a meme at this point but some of you rantards have some rather odd tastes.
Looks like she came straight out of the grinch or cat in the hat.
I mean... for a middle aged woman, she looks pretty damn good, IMO.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:22 am to geauxbrown
quote:
Dennis Dodd has spoken.
Let's run it back since he wants to keep putting it out there. I found one from a few years ago.
Grading the coaching hires from December 2016
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:26 am to paperwasp
Bryan Harsin A- ? 2 years total P5 coaching in any capacity seems like he would be a bigger risk than an A-
Bret Bielema [A-] Did they not see what he did to Arky? Ok it’s University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Butch Jones [B] Even for Arky st this is a risky higher. He was a used car salesman at Tennessee and Sabans Do boy at Bama.
Bret Bielema [A-] Did they not see what he did to Arky? Ok it’s University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
Butch Jones [B] Even for Arky st this is a risky higher. He was a used car salesman at Tennessee and Sabans Do boy at Bama.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:42 am to FourThreeForty
quote:
Idk if it’s a meme at this point but some of you rantards have some rather odd tastes.
Looks like she came straight out of the grinch or cat in the hat.
quote:
What? Are you crazy?
She may not be an OT 10, but she was one of the more attractive coaches wives that we've had in the SEC, even if she is a butter face.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:48 am to FourThreeForty
quote:
Looks like she came straight out of the grinch or cat in the hat.
You must be pulling some grade A wool to be this picky. I did OK back in my day but I had a few buddies who were ridiculous like this and I almost felt sorry for them....almost.
I was always there to comfort the young ladies after they had their hearts broken, like a good wingman should.
This post was edited on 2/17/21 at 11:50 am
Posted on 2/17/21 at 11:49 am to FearlessFreep
quote:
Wow.
Talk about falling upward. Nothing shows success like failure, I guess.
Get your tape measure out and mark off the distance from Boise State to Auburn. Then mark off the distance from Auburn to UCF. There you go.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 3:54 pm to paperwasp
All these writers grade on a curve. To me anything A or above should be a really good hire.
I’m not sure any of the coaches this cycle fit that.
Sark was a great OC for us, but Texas (the richest athletics program in the country) pulling a coordinator is hardly an A hire.
I’m not sure any of the coaches this cycle fit that.
Sark was a great OC for us, but Texas (the richest athletics program in the country) pulling a coordinator is hardly an A hire.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 4:18 pm to TomRollTideRitter
quote:
All these writers grade on a curve. Pulling a coordinator is hardly an A hire.
Gotta agree, I think his scale was a bit too generous (although I like the Sark hire).
Posted on 2/17/21 at 4:34 pm to TomRollTideRitter
quote:
All these writers grade on a curve. To me anything A or above should be a really good hire.
The curve they're using is how likely they think these guys are to succeed at the position not how good of a HC they are overall. That's why failures in the SEC are getting praise as small school hires. It's not that they're suddenly great coaches but that they're good enough for that level of the game.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 4:39 pm to paperwasp
If every other year national writers do these grades is any indicator, I'd expect the inverse of these grades to be correct.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 4:44 pm to Prof
quote:
The curve they're using is how likely they think these guys are to succeed at the position not how good of a HC they are overall.
I get that. That’s how it should be graded. Dodd still gave out too many A’s. If Saban, Urban, Dabo went to Texas, that’s an A+. Sark is more than a half a step below that.
Sark to Texas is a solid hire but nothing special. It’s a B.
In my memory the only SEC hires I would have given an A are Urban to Florida, Saban to Bama and Spurrier to South Carolina. I’d accept an argument that Jimbo to A&M would fit as well although I’ve never been particularly high on Jimbo.
An “A” should be reserved for really good hires.
Posted on 2/17/21 at 5:06 pm to Tuscaloosa
I think they just wanted to get it over so they didn't frick up like Tennessee.
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