2023-24 coaching carousel: Grading all 15 Power conference hires including Alabama, Michigan & Texas A&M
At long last, the 2023-24 coaching carousel has stopped spinning.
I think.
It’s been another dizzying cycle, lasting from late July — when Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald for alleged hazing in his program — to this week when UCLA quickly hired beloved alum DeShaun Foster to replace Chip Kelly.
In all, 30 different FBS programs had head coaching changes this year — roughly a quarter of the sport! With the dissolution of the Pac-12, there are no longer five power conferences, but since Oregon State still technically has a seat at the big boy table, there were 15 changes among power conference programs.
Grading coaching hires is mostly just a silly exercise, but it’s fun and provides a baseline context depending on how the hire ultimately plays out.
Here are my grades for all 15 Power Conference hires in the 2023-24 cycle.
Alabama, Kalen DeBoer (Washington head coach)
Grade: A
DeBoer may have been an unconventional replacement for Nick Saban, but he’s rapidly emerged as a Top 5 coach in college football. He’s 104-12 as a head coach, with three NAIA national titles, a nine-win season at Fresno State and a runner-up finish with Washington in 2023. He’s an offensive savant who should do wonders with the talent he should be able to amass in Tuscaloosa. He’s not going to sign No. 1 recruiting classes, but DeBoer isn’t some bum on the trail, either.
Arizona, Brent Brennan (San Jose State head coach)
Grade: B
The Wildcats’ program is broke, recently fired its AD and is entering a new conference in 2024, so Brennan is walking into a whirlwind. He took San Jose State from the ditch to competency, though, with the Spartans going to a bowl game in three of the last four years. He’s a former Arizona GA and has spent his entire career on the West Coast. He nearly got the job in 2021, and now he is the man in charge in Tuscan. The situation off the field is a mess but he does inherit a Top 25 team capable of competing for the Big 12 in Year 1, so a fast start is expected.
Boston College, Bill O’Brien (Ohio State offensive coordinator)
Grade: B
Bill O’Brien was not a good NFL general manager. Nor was he the best offensive coordinator of the Nick Saban era. But he’s still a darn good coach who navigated the difficult circumstances at Penn State and then won the AFC South four times in five years with the Houston Texans. He knows offense, developing Bryce Young into a Heisman Trophy winner, and he has knack for building quality staffs. BC is a tough job, but O’Brien won’t be undeterred by the challenges.
Duke, Manny Diaz (Penn State offensive coordinator)
Grade: B
Diaz’s first go-round as a head coach ended poorly at Miami, but the successful defensive coordinator gained valuable experience navigating a difficult situation and he will have much better alignment at Duke. Following Elko’s success won’t be easy, though. The good news is Diaz is familiar with the ACC and has a strong track record of hiring quality assistants.
Houston, Willie Fritz (Tulane head coach)
Grade: A
While it took a long time for Fritz to land a Power Conference job, the well-liked 63-year-old coach landed at a great spot with the Cougars. He has Texas ties and is someone who has built impressive programs at the FCS and Group of 5. Fritz was 23-4 the last two seasons at Tulane, beating USC in a New Year’s Six Bowl and making the AAC title game twice (winning one).
Indiana, Curt Cignetti (James Madison head coach)
Grade: B+
Cignetti is a capital ‘F’ Football coach from a Football family (dad is a Hall of Fame coach, brother is a longtime assistant) who has the requisite track record (no losing seasons in 13 years as a head coach) and temperament (and Eff-you attitude) to do something with a moribund Indiana program. The 62-year-old has won at the D-II level, FCS (a national championship appearance with James Madison) and FBS. Cignetti had the Dukes in the Top 25 in their first season in the Group of 5.
Michigan, Sherrone Moore (Michigan offensive coordinator)
Grade: B
Moore deserves his shot as a head coach, but the stars certainly had to align for the 37-year-old OC to get a Top 10 job in the country as a first-time head coach. That said, Moore was 4-0 as the interim, with as good of an on-the-job audition imaginable by leading the Wolverines to wins over Penn State and Ohio State. He is beloved by players and alumni and should guide Michigan through some potential murky waters with looming NCAA investigations. Moore has quickly learned the challenges of following a legend, though, watching Jim Harbaugh raid his potential staff for most assistants.
Michigan State, Jonathan Smith (Oregon State head coach)
Grade: A
Smith led his alma mater to just its second 10-win season in 2022, and he followed that up with a 8-4 showing last year. It was a slow, long rebuild at Oregon State, but the former Beavers quarterback has a creative offensive scheme that should play well at Michigan State. Smith’s calming presence is also much-needed for a Spartans’ program that’s been riddled by various controversies in recent years.
Mississippi State, Jeff Lebby (Oklahoma offensive coordinator)
Grade: C+
The Bulldogs pulled the plug on the Zach Arnett experiment after just a single season, and like most failed hires, they went 180 degrees in the opposite direction by hiring Lebby. The former UCF, Ole Miss and Oklahoma OC doesn’t hail from the Mike Leach tree, but he should infuse Mississippi State’s offense with similar pizzaz. But he’s another first-time head coach. Is he ready to be a first-time head coach at one of the toughest jobs in the best conference in college football? We’ll see.
Northwestern, David Braun (Northwestern defensive coordinator)
This time last year, Braun had just been named the new defensive coordinator for the Wildcats. Months later, he inherited a program suddenly on fire — so much so that it was forced to fire its favorite son and best head coach in school history. Braun took over a team that went 1-11 in 2022 and then led Northwestern to a stunning 8-5 season. He earned Coach of the Year honors. The question is whether Braun has delivered the best results Northwestern will see during his tenure. He won with Pat Fitzgerald’s players and staff. Can he replicate similar success in a more difficult Big Ten moving forward?
Grade: B
Oregon State, Trent Bray (Oregon State defensive coordinator)
Truly, good luck to Trent Bray. He faces an unprecedented challenge of taking over a program in major limbo as a first-time head coach. Bray is a former Beavers linebacker who cares deeply for Oregon State, but now he’s tasked with being Moses and leading the program into an unknowable future. Again, good luck.
Grade: C
Syracuse, Fran Brown (Georgia defensive backs coach)
Grade: B-
The New York native returns home in his first head coaching gig, as Syracuse is taking a swing on a fast-riser with Grade-A recruiting chops. We’ll see if it works out. Brown was a successful position coach at Temple, Rutgers and then Georgia, winning a national title in 2022 and being considered one of the best recruiters in the country. He’s already infused the Orange’s roster with some immediate talent upgrades, and he’s hired a quality staff, too.
Texas A&M, Mike Elko (Duke head coach)
Grade: B+
The Aggies flirted with the idea of hiring Kentucky’s Mike Stoops, but landed on a less experienced, yet higher upside version of Stoops in Mike Elko. The former Texas A&M defensive coordinator won 16 games in two years at Duke, leading the program to one of its best seasons in school history in 2022. Elko’s personality should play well with the program’s unique culture. He’s already filled some roster holes via the transfer portal.
UCLA, DeShaun Foster (Las Vegas Raiders runnings back coach)
Grade: C
The viral video of the players going crazy when Foster was introduced as the team’s new head coach is not nothing. That being said, it doesn’t eliminate the real uncertainty with the hire. Foster is a die-hard Bruin who has been at UCLA for the majority of his coaching career — including the last seven years. Can he garner more NIL support than Chip Kelly? Will he generate more excitement around the program and improve the team’s recruiting capabilities? We’ll find out.
Washington, Jedd Fisch (Arizona head coach)
Grade: B
Fisch did wonders at Arizona, including leading the Wildcats to a 10-3 season in Year 3. He got out just at the right time, as the program has financial issues and commitment is in question. Investment is not in question at Washington, where Fisch will have ample resources for staffing, NIL, etc. He certainly wishes his star quarterback Noah Fifita and stud wideout Tetairoa McMillian followed him to Seattle, though, as he inherits a roster that must replace 20 of 22 starters.