Grading All 22 New FBS Head Coaching Hires

Yesterday we looked at the hottest seats in the country. Today we grade the 22 new FBS hires of 2010. Could some of these seats get hot in a short amount of time? Well based on some of the grades we doled out, there will be some programs scrambling for a new head coach sooner rather than later. Keep in mind the grades are relative to the school and its program.

Todd Berry (UL Monroe): F
Previous Job: UNLV Offensive Coordinator
We know UL Monroe doesn’t exactly get the pick of the litter when it comes to a coaching search, but there are only 120 FBS coaching jobs. It’s hard to believe they can’t find anyone better than Berry, whose last season as a head coach was an 0-13 campaign for Army in 2003. In fact, the man they fired – Charlie Weatherbie – is even a better coach, at least leading the Warhawks to a 6-6 record last year. Berry did a decent job as UNLV’s offensive coordinator but nothing that would make you believe he is better than a 29-60 career head coaching record.

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Larry Porter (Memphis): D
Previous Job: LSU Running Backs Coach/Chief Recruiter
Every coach needs to start somewhere but Porter has been a running backs coach his entire career, not once getting the chance to run an entire offense, or defense for that matter, as an assistant coach. He is, however, considered an excellent recruiter and he can only hope that trumps his inexperience at running anything more than the running game. Porter was essentially handed the job because he had SEC experience and was an alum. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite the school.

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Dan Enos (Central Michigan): D
Previous Job: Michigan State Running Backs Coach
Apparently RB coaches are all the rage these days. Enos came into a program that averaged over 200 yards a game on the ground in 2004 and 2005. During his time from 2006-2009, the Spartans have come close to 200 yards just once and haven’t been better than 137 yards a game otherwise. Not exactly threatening. And Central loses quarterback Dan LeFevour plus its top two receivers and its top running back. For a man that isn’t considered an offensive guru, those loses could make for a long season.

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Bobby Hauck (UNLV): C
Previous Job: Montana Head Coach
Hauck’s 80-17 record at FCS Montana is very impressive and we don’t doubt UNLV isn’t going to get a much more qualified candidate for the job. But the last two coaches from Montana to make the jump to FBS football were Joe Glenn and Mick Dennehy. Have you heard of them? Yeah, that’s how well they did. The Mountain West Conference also has TCU, BYU and Utah. Substitute Boise State for Utah next season and you’re coming into a conference that will be very tough to breakthrough as a new coach. A pretty uninspiring hire.

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Rob Ianello (Akron): C
Previous Job: Notre Dame Assistant Head Coach (offense)/Recruiting Coordinator
Ianello’s connection to Notre Dame’s offense can be both a positive and a red flag. For one, the offense was pretty solid last season despite the team’s overall mediocrity. But during the Weis era the offense wasn’t terribly consistent and as an offensive assistant head coach, Ianello has to share in that blame. Ianello does have experience recruiting in the Midwest as the recruiting coordinator at Notre Dame and Wisconsin before that, so he also has that going for him. And how much of getting great recruits to come to Notre Dame can Ianello really take credit for? The MAC East is pretty weak but Akron does draw the three top teams in the West (Western Michigan, Ball State and Northern Illinois).

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Doc Holliday (Marshall): C+
Previous Job: West Virginia Associate Head Coach/Director of Recruiting/Tight Ends and Fullbacks Coach
Marshall is yet another school that seems to follow the trend of hiring great recruiters and unproven coaches. Holliday has a ton of experience recruiting in the state of West Virginia and despite being hired late by Marshall. he pulled in a solid recruiting class for this season (fifth best in Conference USA according to some). But in 30 years of coaching he’s never been a coordinator. That seems like an awfully long time to go without getting a chance to run an offense or defense. One major plus: his time spent with Florida from 2005-07, which included a national championship season.

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Ruffin McNeil (East Carolina): C+
Previous Job: Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers coach
McNeil’s last job was defensive coordinator at Texas Tech and when you think of the Red Raiders, you don’t think shut down defense. While McNeil was an improvement over his successor, whose defense allowed three 100 yard rushers in a single game in 2007, that improvement isn’t saying much when the bar is so low. McNeil’s defense was never better than 45th in the country, a weakness hidden by the Red Raiders unforgiving offensive attack. Now, Conference USA isn’t the Big 12 and East Carolina has been a winner recently, so McNeil has a solid base to work with.

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Mike MacIntyre (San Jose State): C+
Previous Job: Duke Defensive Coordinator
MacIntyre has coaching experience with Mississippi and spent five seasons in the pro ranks under Bill Parcells in Dallas before spending his last two years at Duke. He’s learned a lot in 18 seasons. But, not counting his time with the NFL, this will be the first time he coaches outside of the Southeast, which doesn’t really give him much of an advantage in recruiting. He was also a defensive coordinator at Duke. While he improved the defense dramatically in his two seasons (60th and 61st from 92nd and 105th the previous two years), hiring anyone from the Duke football program doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. At least he won’t have much pressure. San Jose State plays about fourth fiddle to other teams in the Bay Area.

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Derek Dooley (Tennessee): B-
Previous Job: Louisiana Tech Head Coach
Just about anyone that can shake hands and look people in the eye would be an improvement over Lane Kiffin in terms of character, but that doesn’t give Dooley enough credit for being a class act. Likely hired more for his anti-Kiffin persona than his actual coaching acumen, Dooley is already loved on campus, which is a good thing because his head coaching record is weak. Louisiana Tech went 17-20 during his tenure and never beat a conference opponent that had a winning conference record. It doesn’t get any easier in the SEC. The anti-Kiffin sentiment will buy him some time at the beginning but even being a nice guy won’t cut it if Dooley can’t win in Knoxville. Tennessee also didn’t have much to pick from because Kiffin bolted in the middle of January.

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Lane Kiffin (USC): B-
Previous Job: Tennessee Head Coach
First his positive: Kiffin was a USC assistant when the Trojans were running roughshod over opponents in the 2000s. Having said that, Kiffin’s head coaching record is mediocre at best (5-15 with the Raiders, 7-6 at Tennessee). And his willingness to straddle the line between legal and illegal when it comes to the NCAA rulebook should concern USC, who is already dealing with alleged NCAA violations within the football program. We think this hire, while perfect for a flashy program like USC, was too much of a risk. If they think the NCAA punishments are bad now, imagine how much worse it’ll be if Kiffin is caught breaking rules.

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Joker Phillips (Kentucky): B-
Previous Job: Kentucky Offensive Coordinator/Head Coach-In-Waiting
There isn’t much wrong with this hire. Phillips has been an integral part in Kentucky’s slow rise as a program, which includes four straight bowl appearances. There was no use in messing with a successful formula. Well, successful by Kentucky standards. Phillips still has a very long way to go before the Wildcats can compete in the SEC (their best conference record in the last four years is 4-4). But since Phillips has been there already, the regime change should be seamless and Phillips can hit the ground running. It’s at least been a great boost for morale as Phillips starred as a receiver at UK in the 1980s.

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Turner Gill (Kansas): B
Previous Job: Buffalo Head Coach
There was essentially nothing in terms of a football program at Buffalo before Gill arrived. In the four previous seasons to his arrival, the Bulls notched five wins. Gill won five games in just his second season after a two-win season the year before. Gill managed to not just create an actual football team but one that won a conference title and reached a bowl game in 2008. He followed it up with another losing season and overall he has a sub-.500 record as a head coach after a devastating injury to his star RB. A slight worry. And the transition from the MAC to the Big 12 will be tough. The other problem is that there will be a huge adjustment in going from a Mike Leach-style offense to a more traditional attack, though Gill gives many offensive looks. Bottom line: The Jayhawks are in a much better position now than Buffalo was when Gill took over and that should get KU fans excited.

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Jimbo Fisher (Florida State): B+
Previous Job: Offensive Coordinator/Head Coach-In-Waiting
In the last three seasons under Fisher, the Florida State offense was fourth, second and second in total offense in the ACC. The Seminoles aren’t dominating competition like they used to in the ‘90s but it’s the defense that’s been the main problem. Fisher now has to help Florida State make the jump from good to elite. Can the Seminoles succeed in making that jump with someone from the old regime in place or did the school miss a chance in injecting new blood to jumpstart the program? Everyone at FSU seems sold. Fisher’s tenure is being anticipated with excitement in Tallahassee even though he’s never been a head coach. And he did a great job of cleaning house on the defensive side and bringing in Mark Stoops as defensive coordinator from Arizona. Considering how integral Fisher’s been to the program in recent years, there is little reason to think he can’t keep the forward progress going.

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Sonny Dykes (Louisiana Tech): B+
Previous Job: Arizona Offensive Coordinator
Prior to Dykes’ arrival, the Wildcats offense was anemic (16.6 PPG). In his three seasons as the offensive coordinator, ‘Zona’s offense improved dramatically (28 PPG, 36.6 PPG, 27.4 PPG). We guess that’s what happens when you’re a Mike Leach protégé. We have to believe that moving from the Pac-10 to the WAC will only improve Dykes’ offensive attack and make Louisiana Tech an exciting team to watch in 2010. Will they compete in the WAC? Probably not right away. But averaging 40 points a game won’t hurt.

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Mike London (Virginia): B+
Previous Job: Richmond Head Coach
In just two seasons at FCS Richmond, London went 24-5 and won a national championship. No big deal. He also spent time as a Virginia assistant during two different stints during his coaching career. So not only does he know how to recruit the state – a battle ground he must win in order to challenge Virginia Tech in state supremacy – but he’s also familiar with the program and the ACC as a whole. While Virginia isn’t moving completely away from Al Groh since London worked under the former coach, they are getting an excellent candidate that fits well and already has recruiting connections that can help the program immediately.

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Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech): B+
Previous Job: Auburn Head Coach (2008)
We don’t think this hire is talked about enough and Tuberville’s horrendous 2008 may be why. That was the season he tried to go to the spread at Auburn with comically bad results. Tuberville has already said he would keep the spread that has become a staple at Texas Tech but is this just like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? Regardless of those concerns we actually like this hire. Part of Tuberville’s issues at Auburn likely stemmed from him needing a change of scenery. People forget this is the same man that led the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 record in 2004. Lubbock just might be the new locale he needs to showcase why he should be talked about more as a great college coach.

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Butch Jones (Cincinnati): B+
Previous Job: Central Michigan Head Coach
Well it worked very well for Central Michigan, so why not hire the man who knows what it’s like to replace Brain Kelly? Jones went 20-3 in conference play with the Chippewas after Brian Kelly left for Cincy, but he also did almost all of it with Dan LeFevour as his starting quarterback. Fortunately he has Zach Collaros behind center with the Bearcats, but the level of competition will be much higher and he must follow up a 12-0 regular season which isn’t exactly a walk in the park. He also loses 12 starters and who knows if he can rely on the same +9 turnover ration the Bearcats had last season. This is a very good hire but could end up being an average first season.

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Jeff Quinn (Buffalo): A-
Previous Job: Cincinnati Offensive Coordinator
To say Quinn is part of the Brian Kelly coaching tree is a bit of an understatement. He’s essentially been a Siamese twin, working under Kelly all the way back to Division II Grand Valley State. The good news is that Quinn has worked so closely with an incredibly successful coach. The bad news is that you’re hiring a coach who is on his own for the first time in 19 years. But for Buffalo, a mid-level MAC team at best, this is as good as it gets. It’ll be interesting to see how well he calls plays on his own, something he never did under Kelly. His interim head coaching gig in the 2010 Sugar Bowl was a bomb, but how would you like to go up against Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer to start your job?

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Charlie Strong (Louisville): A-
Previous Job: Florida Defensive Coordinator
Strong has long been considered an excellent defensive coordinator and he has two national championship rings to his credit during his time as Florida’s defensive coordinator. It says a lot when he was the only coach Urban Meyer kept on staff after the firing of Ron Zook. In his last two seasons, the defense allowed just 12.4 and 12.9 points a game, better averages than 2006 when the Gators won their first title. There are some powerful offenses in the Big East but Strong should have little problem on that side of the ball this year. Overall, this was a long overdue hire.

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Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky): A
Previous Job: Stanford Running Backs Coach
Yes, another running back coach. A running backs coach can’t get any hotter in the market after having a runner like Toby Gerhart under his tutelage and that’s exactly what happened with Taggart. But even before his two seasons at Stanford he gained valuable experience as an assistant under Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky when it was an FCS school. He was even the co-offensive coordinator during Western Kentucky’s FCS national title run in 2002. He’s learned under two great coaches and he’s a former Hilltopper. Western Kentucky couldn’t do much better.

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Skip Holtz (USF): A
Previous Job: East Carolina Head Coach
Simply put, Skip Holtz wins. He was successful at UConn (34-25) when they were an FCS school and at East Carolina (38-27) when it had less talent than a middling FCS school when he arrived. South Florida got about as far as it could under Jim Leavitt and it’ll be up to Holtz to help the program become that conference power. Considering he needs to succeed here to get himself an even bigger job down the road, we don’t doubt his hunger will be as intense as ever. Watch out for the Bulls.

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Brian Kelly (Notre Dame): A+
Previous Job: Cincinnati Head Coach
When you hire the top coaching prospect in the country, it’s hard to disagree with the move. Unlike Notre Dame’s last two hires (Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis), Kelly has an extensive record of winning at various levels of college football. He’s won back-to-back two Division II national title (and reached the title game three years in a row), he’s won a conference championship at a mid-major football school and back-to-back conference titles at a school that was traditionally woeful in football. Kelly has done it all and won over Notre Dame fans by openly accepting the coverage that goes with being Notre Dame’s coach, in stark contrast to Charlie Weis’ dour persona. We half expected him to develop stigmata during his first press conference at Notre Dame.

Sadly for the country’s Notre Dame haters, which is probably most of the country, we think Kelly will bring the Golden Domers back to national prominence within a few years.