College Football

College football coaching carousel: Marcus Freeman hire earns best mark in RJ Young's grades

Published Dec. 8, 2021 6:44 p.m. ET

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By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

In 2019, when Clemson's Dabo Swinney signed a 10-year, $93 million contract, there was much hand-wringing over that amount of money being paid to a college football coach. 

In just the past few months, however, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, Penn State coach James Franklin, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker, LSU coach Brian Kelly and Miami coach Mario Cristobal all signed 10-year contracts worth between $70 million and $95 million.

A long and lucrative deal used to mean you won a national title or, in Swinney's case, two national titles. Now, it just means it's December.

The spending spree is an example of what a banner year it has been for coaches and how valuable it is for athletic directors and university presidents to get the right man at the right time for their programs. 

RJ Young grades the new head-coaching hires in college football I No. 1 Ranked Show

RJ Young grades the recent head-coaching hires across the college football landscape.

Did all the schools with new hires get it right? Here are my grades for each, on a 100 scale, and my criteria.

GRADING CRITERIA

Does he have regional or school ties? (25 percent)
What's left on the roster? (25 percent)
Is he familiar with recruiting in the area? (25 percent)
Is he a winner? (25 percent)

Brian Kelly to LSU: 92

Kelly takes over a program that won a national title with each of its past three head coaches, and that was at the top of his list of reasons for leaving Notre Dame: He wants to win a national title.

Now, ND is not a difficult place to win, but it has proven to be a difficult place to win national titles over the past 30 years. With this move, though, Kelly is walking into a situation in which the roster will be good enough to compete, and the talent pool in the Louisiana area is one of the deepest in the country.

Although the fit feels odd, it’s clear that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward targeted a coach antithetical in personality to Ed Orgeron, and he got the man he wanted in Kelly, a proven winner.

If he can ingratiate himself to the LSU fan base — by being himself — Kelly can win a national title with the Tigers in the next five years.

Brent Pry to Virginia Tech: 94

Before becoming head coach at Virginia Tech, Pry led Penn State to a top-10 ranking in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 16.75 points per game.

In hiring Pry, Va. Tech harkens back to the days when former Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster routinely produced one of the top defenses in the country under head coach Frank Beamer.

The Hokies have never won a national title, but they finished as a national finalist in 1999. The bar in Blacksburg is competing for ACC titles, and Pry should do more than that. In the next three years, he'll have the Hokies in line for possible selection to the College Football Playoff.

Billy Napier to Florida: 94

The thought was always that Napier was going to become an SEC coach. It was only a matter of when, and he’d have his pick of jobs as they inevitably became available.

After sharing the Sun Belt title with Coastal Carolina last year, Napier led Louisiana to an outright league championship this season, furthering his rep as a coach on the rise.

At Florida, he takes over a team that has the capability to recruit like a top-five program. Like Kelly at LSU, Napier is the opposite of his predecessor and a calming presence at a program that looked capable of winning the national title just over a year ago, before losing its way.

Give him time, and results are likely to follow. Napier has never had a losing season as a head coach, and he posted a 38-5 record the past three seasons at Louisiana.

Geoff Schwartz discusses Mario Cristobal to Miami, Lincoln Riley's impact on Pac-12, NFL O-Line tiers I THE HERD

Geoff Schwartz joins Colin Cowherd to discuss the college football coaching carousel. Hear what Mario Cristobal's departure means for Oregon and why Lincoln Riley's move to USC is "good for the Pac-12."

Mario Cristobal to Miami: 95

It doesn’t get much better in terms of fit than Cristobal returning to The U. He's not just a former player but also a two-time national champion as a player and assistant coach, as well as a Miami native. 

Yes, Cristobal's exit from Oregon felt messy. But, hey, former Miami coach Manny Diaz accepted the job at Temple before leaving for Miami 18 days later. Sometimes you have a smooth transition. Sometimes you have a Lykan Hypersport crashing through a window at the Etihad Towers like in a "Fast and Furious" movie.

Oregon was 4-8 when Cristobal arrived in Eugene. He won two Pac-12 titles and a Rose Bowl. Justin Herbert and Kayvon Thibodeaux were his recruits.

Miami needs Cristobal. The Canes haven’t been great since 2002, and they've finished in the Top 25 at season’s end just four times in the past 16 years.

Give Cristobal what he asks for, and turn him loose to recruit the most concentrated, talent-rich high school football state in the country.

Lincoln Riley to USC: 96

I wrote at some length about Riley’s decision to become the Trojans' coach. But it must be said: Athletic director Mike Bohn hit a home run with this hire.

Riley is a proven winner and dynamic offensive mind. He has already put together a staff he’s comfortable with — including Oklahoma's former defensive coordinator, wide receivers coach, cornerbacks coach, strength coach and director of operations. And he has added blue chips to USC’s 2022 and '23 recruiting classes, including some players who were once committed to Oklahoma.

USC will be good in a hurry. The question remains, though, whether Riley can win a CFP game — let alone a national title — at USC. He has made the semis four times as a coordinator and head coach but has yet to earn a win.

RJ Young: Oklahoma got its man with Brent Venables, and the Sooners should be excited | No. 1 Ranked Show

RJ Young reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners' announcing the hire of Brent Venables as football coach.

Brent Venables to Oklahoma: 96

I wrote about Venables’ hiring at OU at some length, too. I named him my No. 1 target for Oklahoma, and athletic director Joe Castiglione agreed. Venables has already added to the staff some names that carry weight with recruits and coaches who are valued in the industry.

With former Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby joining Oklahoma's staff, the Sooners get an alumnus and a coach who has worked for Lane Kiffin and Art Briles. The Rebels finished 10-2 with an offense that averaged 506.6 yards and 36 points per game.

In hiring Lebby, Venables followed the path Bob Stoops laid out 20 years ago, when he called then-Kentucky head coach Hal Mumme and asked to interview Mike Leach. The logic is this: Ask yourself who runs the kind of offense that gives you fits. Then hire that guy.

Bringing Jerry Schmidt back to Norman as strength and conditioning coach is bringing back the toughness OU had in 1999. You've never met a more intense human. And, like me, Schmidt likes a StepMill.

When word broke that Venables had accepted the job at Oklahoma — had accepted Oklahomans — I dove into my favorite playlist, tapped Kirk Franklin and the family's rendition of "Gonna Be A Lovely Day" and hummed along to a gospel choir. What I'm saying is I had a little church, a little praise and worship. I suspect most other Oklahoma fans did, too.

Marcus Freeman talks Brian Kelly's departure from Notre Dame and his transition to head coach I THE HERD

Marcus Freeman talks with Colin Cowherd about Brian Kelly's departure from Notre Dame and Freeman's transition to head coach.

Marcus Freeman to Notre Dame: 99

When Kelly accepted the job at LSU, the consensus was that Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Freeman was the man for Notre Dame, especially after he and athletic director Jack Swarbrick succeeded in keeping offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on staff. I wrote as much.

This hire gets my highest grade because it represents the smoothest transition in the sport this year. A smooth transition helps keep not just the roster but also the next two recruiting classes mostly intact. As a result, Notre Dame is likely to be a top-five program next season.

ND seemingly values its status as an independent more than winning national titles, and the Irish haven’t won one since 1988. But there’s more pressure in South Bend to win double-digit games every year.

If Freeman can keep that standard, he can stay for as long as he likes. That means fans of "The Boondocks" are now fans of Notre Dame, which is worth more in growing the brand than any CFP spot the Irish might earn.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.

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