The annual game of musical chairs as played by NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football programs seems to have ground to a halt for another year. A total of 21 schools will have new coaches when the fall, 2011 season begins in a few months. Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh left Stanford for and NFL job with the San Francisco 49rs. Others such as Rich Rodriguez of Michigan were fired. Some coaches, such as Brady Hoke of San Diego State, left for another college position (in Hoke’s case the University of Michigan).
One thing all of these new coaches have in common is that they have had to hastily assemble new staffs and try and finish recruiting for next year before the national signing period for high school seniors begins on Feb. 2. Some of the new coaches have arrived at their new positions with more fanfare and positive publicity than others. All of them are proclaiming that they know they will be successful in their new jobs.
Those fans for whom football season never ends annually take the time between the end of one regular season and the date when high school seniors can begin to sign with their schools of choice as an opportunity to analyze and debate the chances for success of these new coaches. It certainly helps keep college football near the top of the daily sports news cycle during this period.
Mike Hugenin is the college football editor for Rivals.com. This site is probably best known for its annual ratings of high school seniors who are being recruited to sign on to the college of their choice. Rivals.com does, however, cover the full spectrum of news concerning college football.
Are you interested in whether Randy Edsall is more likely to succeed at Maryland than Jerry Kill at Minnesota? Are you concerned with how James Franklin might adjust to life in the SEC at Vanderbilt? Mr. Hugenin has recently written an article for Rivals.com where he rates all 21 new hires. He rates both the quality of the job itself as well as the wisdom of the school’s most recent hire. He uses the same 5 point rating system that Rivals.com uses to rate high school seniors.
Click here for a complete analysis of this year’s new hires.
Greg Tyler, MPA, JD, MLIS
Mr. Tyler is the Director of the Library/Archivist at the United States Sports Academy. He is also a former practicing attorney.