South Carolina Gamecocks

Grading CFB coaching hires: Va. Tech aced it, but who nearly flunked?

Published Dec. 17, 2015 1:12 p.m. ET

Stewart Mandel

The 2015 coaching carousel began unusually early (Illinois fired Tim Beckman before the season even began) and is winding down much sooner than usual (we're mostly just waiting on BYU). Barring an NFL defector or two in early January, it appears next year's FBS coaching roster is nearly complete.

So why wait until January to grade the nation's ADs on their hires? Let's go ahead and do it now.

Virginia Tech: Hired Memphis head coach Justin Fuente. Replacing icon Frank Beamer should be a lot harder than Virginia Tech made it look. In Fuente, AD Whit Babcock landed the architect of Memphis' remarkable rise from FBS bottom-feeder to Top 25 team. Fuente's experience grooming star QBs Andy Dalton (as TCU's OC) and Paxton Lynch should excite Hokies fans tired of watching lackluster offenses. And the fact that longtime Hokies DC Bud Foster signed on to work for Fuente should ease the transition. Grade: A

Iowa State: Hired Toledo head coach Matt Campbell. Just 36, Campbell is one of the profession's rising stars after producing a 35-15 record in four seasons at Toledo. The Rockets, which beat Arkansas in September, play solid defense. Frankly, it's a bit surprising he wanted to go to Ames, where the Cyclones will always face a severe recruiting disadvantage in the Big 12. Kudos to AD Jamie Pollard for locking in Campbell before other suitors could come calling. Grade: A

Syracuse: Hired Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers. How do you get folks in Central New York re-energized about a sport in which the Orange have struggled for a decade-plus? Hire an Art Briles protege who's successfully imported the Baylor offense both to FCS (Eastern Illinois) and the MAC (BG averaged 43.4 points per game). Syracuse may not win the ACC with that formula, but it will score a lot of points and sell tickets. Grade: A

Miami: Hired former Georgia coach Mark Richt. What once seemed like a pipe dream -- will Mark Richt one day return to his alma mater? -- suddenly became reality when AD Blake James swooped in right after Richt's dismissal. If, as expected, Miami gets a re-energized Richt, the 55-year-old should at least lead the 'Canes to a long-overdue division title. But he'll need a staff of plugged-in South Florida recruiters to overtake Florida State and/or Florida. Grade: A-

Virginia: Hired BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. What a coup for the Cavs in landing an 11-year FBS head coach with a 99-42 record and five Top 25 finishes. BYU had not been quite as successful the past four years, but it also took on a more challenging schedule as an independent. The only concerns are that the 49-year-old has spent his entire career out west and only a couple of seasons in a major conference. Grade: A-

Missouri: Promoted defensive coordinator Barry Odom. Mizzou had a down year in 2015, but in general there's good reason to try to preserve some continuity from Gary Pinkel's wildly successful 15-year run. Odom, 39, a former Tigers linebacker, spent 10 seasons on Pinkel's staff and is widely revered in Columbia. He'll need some veteran assistants on which to lean, but otherwise it appears he's ready to run the show. Grade: B+

Maryland: Hired Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. How do you compete in a division with Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh? Hire a guy who's worked under both. Durkin, 37, is a highly respected defensive mind, and he's already added two recent head coaches, Mike London (Virginia) and Scott Shafer (Syracuse), to his staff. Expect Durkin and his staff to recruit very well. Whether that translates on the field remains to be seen. Grade: B+

Georgia: Hired Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. It's easy to see why Georgia would covet the former Dawgs safety-turned Nick Saban protege. It's a bit puzzling, though, why AD Greg McGarity put all his chips on a first-time head coach rather than conduct a search befitting a consensus Top 10 job. Smart has all the necessary training. Whether he has the chops to be an SEC head coach long term is unclear. Grade: B

Rutgers: Hired Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash. The 41-year-old knows the Big Ten, having spent five of the past six seasons at either Wisconsin or Ohio State. He'll be able to sell recruits on that 2014 national title ring. And he came cheap -- $2.2 million a year. Two questions: Can the career defensive coach produce a competent offense, and can he cultivate relationships with high school coaches in New Jersey and the surrounding region: Grade: B

Minnesota: Promoted interim coach Tracy Claeys. With all the recent tumult in Minnesota's athletic department, sticking with Jerry Kill's longtime lieutenant -- who's now filled in two of the past three seasons -- was a largely pain-free move. The Gophers finished this season 5-7 but will play in the Quick Lane Bowl. Claeys has already shaken up his offensive staff. Hopefully he imports some new ideas rather than trying to keep emulating Kill. Grade: B-

Illinois: Promoted interim coach Bill Cubit. It's a mess in Champaign. With an interim chancellor and an interim AD at the helm, the school basically threw up its hands rather than attempt an actual coaching search. It gave Cubit, who went 5-7 this season, a two-year contract, which is essentially like extending the interim tag. Either he'll lead the Illini to seven wins next year and get a better deal or if not, the school cuts its small losses and tries again. Grade: C

USC: Promoted interim coach Clay Helton. Given two months to lure any number of candidates to one of the nation's most attractive programs, USC AD Pat Haden opted once again for familiarity over innovation. Helton, who went 5-3 after Steve Sarkisian's departure, is well liked by his players and shares no resemblance to former bosses Sark and Lane Kiffin. But hiring from within the Trojan family yet again does not inspire much confidence. Grade: C

South Carolina: Hired Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. After striking out on names like Tom Herman and Rich Rodriguez, South Carolina AD Ray Tanner tried to spin that he wanted an SEC East retread all along. Muschamp went 17-15 in conference play at Florida, a school with infinitely more advantages than its divisional foe. Muschamp knows defense and recruiting, but it's unlikely he'll magically develop the necessary CEO traits the second time around. Grade: D

BEST OF THE REST

UCF: Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost. It won't take long for Frost to return the Knights (0-12 this season) to relevance. Running the Oregon "blur" offense with speedy Sunshine State recruits should be an exciting venture.

Tulane: Georgia Southern coach Willie Fritz. Fritz was wildly successful both at Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern running a unique offense that combines the Pistol with the triple-option. He'll confound AAC defenses.

Louisiana-Monroe: McNeese State coach Matt Viator. Having produced a regular FCS playoff participant in 10 seasons at McNeese State, the career-long Louisiana high school or college coach takes a logical jump to the FBS ranks.

Toledo: Promoted offensive coordinator Jason Candle. The 36-year-old has played an integral role in both Campbell's and predecessor Tim Beckman's Toledo success. He'll build on the momentum from this year's 9-2 season.

North Texas: Hired North Carolina offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. The 37-year-old and former national championship running back for Oklahoma has skyrocketed up the profession. He knows state-of-Texas recruiting well.