The 5 most impressive first-year coaching jobs from the Group of 5 and Independents
Of the 29 FBS openings in 2022 coaching cycle, 16 were Group of 5 or FBS Independent programs — including some of the hardest jobs in the country at the likes of UConn, New Mexico State, UMass, Hawaii and FIU.
Even in the most difficult of situations, some coaches clearly faired better than others.
After handing out Year 1 Report Card grades for all 13 Power 5 head coaches, here’s a rundown of the five most impressive first-year coaching jobs from the Group of 5, Independents.
Jon Sumrall, Troy
The former Kentucky linebackers assistant started his head coaching career 1-2, including a gut-wrenching loss at Appalachian State on a last-second Hail Mary.
But then the Trojans ripped off 11 straight wins, with a Sun Belt Championship and a bowl victory over UTSA. They fielded one of the best defenses in the country, led by the FBS’ all-time leader in tackles in linebacker Carlton Martial.
Jon Sumrall found a way to win 12 games in Year 1 with an offense that averaged just 25.1 points per game — including two victories with only 10 points apiece.
The Trojans will be among the Sun Belt favorites again in 2023, but Sumrall likely isn’t long for Troy. The 40-year-old Huntsville native will be on SEC radars (or other Power 5 jobs in the South) in next year’s coaching cycle.
Jim Mora, UConn
Considering the circumstances, what Jim Mora pulled off at UConn in 2022 was rather remarkable. The former UCLA head coach took over a program that was 4-31 the last five years and sat out the entire 2020 COVID year, yet guided them to a bowl game in Year 1 with a stellar second half of the season.
The Huskies started the season 1-4, but then they upset Jeff Tedford’s Fresno State — the eventual Mountain West champs — beat Boston College for the first time in school history and stunned a Top 25 Liberty team.
UConn was bad offensively (19.4 points per game with a quarterback who had more interceptions than touchdowns), but Mora dramatically improved the Huskies’ defense, shoring up a unit that allowed 39 points per game in 2021 to a respectable 26.2 (60th nationally). They doubled their season sack total (13 to 26) and finished with a positive turnover margin (+1) for the first time since 2015.
If Mora delivers a winning season in Storrs in 2023 then he could become a potential candidate for P5 openings in the Pac-12 or ACC.
Jeff Tedford,Fresno State
After sitting out the last two seasons due to health concerns, Jeff Tedford’s return to coaching didn’t get off to the fastest of starts, as the Bulldogs dropped four of their first five games — including an ugly loss to UConn and a pair of blowouts to USC and Boise State.
But then Tedford, one of the most respected QB whispers in the sport — got his gunslinger back, and with Jake Haener leading Fresno State’s offense, the Bulldogs never lost another game to finish the season 10-4.
They went 9-0 down the stretch, winning a rematch against Boise State for the Mountain West Championship and blowing out Washington State in the LA Bowl.
Haener started the final seven games of the streak, throwing 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
Jerry Kill, New Mexico State
Unlike several others on this list, this is (very likely) Jerry Kill’s last job, but the well-traveled veteran head coach unexpectedly led the Aggies to just their second bowl game in 62 years.
With a win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl, New Mexico State finished the season 7-6 — only their second winning season in 20 years.
Sure, NMSU needed a semi-staged victory over FCS Valparaiso in the first week of December to get to six wins (the NCAA granted the Aggies a waiver to play the game after their game against San Jose State was canceled), but they were projected to be among the worst teams in all of FBS in 2022.
Instead, Kill, who has a checkered history of rebuilding moribund programs from Southern Illinois to Northern Illinois and Minnesota, provided the program so momentum as it leaves its Independent status for Conference USA next year.
Clay Helton, Georgia Southern
It was a wonky first season for Clay Helton in Statesboro, but the former USC head coach did get the Eagles back to a bowl game after a 3-9 year in 2021.
Georgia Southern won at Nebraska, creating some comical irony where Helton was essential the Michael Myers masked killer by ending Scott Frost’s tenure in Lincoln exactly a year after he was fired by the Trojans.
The Eagles also upset a Top 25 James Madison team and won a wild double-overtime game against rival Appalachian State. But GSU finished the year dropping four of five, with four one-score defeats on the season.
While Georgia Southern has extensive triple-option roots, Helton turned the Eagles into a pass-happy offense in 2022, finishing the year No. 4 nationally in passing. A year after throwing just five touchdowns all season, GSU had 28 passing scores in 2022 with Buffalo transfer quarterback Kyle Vantrease.
With Vantrease off to the NFL, Helton will need to dip back into the portal for another quarterback if the Eagles are to become Sun Belt contenders in 2023.