Grading College Football's First-Year Coaching Hires for 2016
College football’s coaching carousel was active prior to the 2016 season, as 28 programs hired a new full-time coach. It’s no secret coaching changes can have an instant impact on a problem, but some hires need a couple of years to rebuild a mess inherited from the previous staff. Winning right away as a new coach doesn’t necessarily guarantee long-term success, but it’s easy to get a read on the outlook for any coach after one season. Virginia Tech's Justin Fuente ranks as Athlon's No. 1 coaching hire after one year, followed by USC's Clay Helton, UCF's Scott Frost and Hawaii's Nick Rolovich.
With the season officially in the books, Athlon Sports has ranked and graded the 28 full-time coaching hires from the 2016 coaching carousel. Interim coaches (Jim Grobe at Baylor) were not considered for this ranking.
Grading College Football's First-Year Coaching Hires for 2016
1. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
2016 Record: 10-4
Fuente ranked as Athlon’s No. 1 hire for 2016 and maintains that place in the postseason after a strong debut in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech finished 10-4 last year and claimed the ACC Coastal Division title for the first time since 2011. The Hokies scored key road wins over divisional foes Pitt (39-36), North Carolina (34-3) and handled Miami 37-16 in Blacksburg. Additionally, Fuente’s team scored a road win over Notre Dame, rallied from a 24-0 deficit to beat Arkansas 35-24 in the Belk Bowl and gave Clemson (42-35) all it could handle in the ACC Championship Game. Fuente’s background on offense provided a needed spark for the Hokies. This unit averaged 34.1 points in league matchups, compared to 25.4 in 2015. The offense also recorded 5.8 yards per play in ACC contests, up from 4.65 from the previous year. With Bud Foster handling the defense, and Fuente working with Brad Cornelsen to run the offense, Virginia Tech will quickly reload and push for another trip to the ACC title game in 2017.
Final Grade: A
Related: Early Top 50 College Football Players for 2017
2. Clay Helton, USC
2016 Record: 10-3
USC was one of the nation’s most-improved teams throughout the course of the 2016 season. The Trojans started 1-3 but found a spark behind redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold. USC finished 2016 with a nine-game winning streak, which included a win at USC, victories over rivals UCLA and Notre Dame, along with a 52-49 thrilling win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. The 10-win season was USC’s first in double digits since 2013. Additionally, the Trojans earned their first Rose Bowl trip since 2008. Helton is 16-7 overall as head coach at USC and has this team primed to contend for the College Football Playoff in 2017.
Final Grade: A-
3. Scott Frost, UCF
2016 Record: 6-7
Under Frost’s direction, it’s safe to say UCF is a program on the rise and one to watch over the next couple of years. The Knights’ six-game improvement in the win column tied for the most among FBS teams in 2016. Additionally, all seven defeats came at the hands of bowl teams from 2016, and three losses came by seven points or fewer. Even though Frost was regarded for his work on offense, UCF’s defense led the way for this team last fall. The Knights limited opponents to 24.6 points per game and ranked second in the American Athletic Conference by holding opposing offenses to 4.8 yards per play. With another offseason for Frost to find the right answers on offense, UCF could be USF’s biggest challenger in the AAC’s East Division in 2017.
Final Grade: A-
4. Nick Rolovich, Hawaii
2016 Record: 7-7
With playing experience at Hawaii under June Jones and a tenure under Greg McMackin as an assistant, Rolovich was the perfect coach to take over in Honolulu after Norm Chow’s dismissal. The Rainbow Warriors showed marked improvement in Rolovich’s first year and finished 2016 with a four-game jump in the win column. Rolovich inherited a team with plenty of issues, so this wasn’t an easy fix. Hawaii finished last in the Mountain West in scoring offense and 11th in scoring defense in 2015. Additionally, a brutal schedule, which featured a trip to Australia to start the year, followed by a road matchup at Michigan the following Saturday wasn’t easy to overcome. But Rolovich helped the offense take a step forward, and Hawaii finished the season by winning its final three games, including a 52-35 victory over Middle Tennessee in the Hawaii Bowl.
Final Grade: A-
Related: College Football's Top 15 Teams on the Rise for 2017
5. Kalani Sitake, BYU
2016 Record: 9-4
After Bronco Mendenhall’s departure to Virginia, BYU dipped into its past and hired Sitake to take over. The former BYU fullback under LaVell Edwards worked under Kyle Whittingham at Utah (2005-14) and Gary Andersen at Oregon State (2015) prior to taking the top job in Provo. Sitake’s debut was a success, as he guided BYU to a 9-4 record and a bowl win over Wyoming. Additionally, all four of the defeats came by three points or fewer, including a one-point loss at rival Utah and a three-point defeat to West Virginia. The Cougars scored three wins over Power 5 opponents last season by knocking off Arizona, Mississippi State and Michigan State.
Final Grade: A-
6. Mark Richt, Miami
2016 Record: 9-4
Despite a successful (145 wins) tenure at Georgia, Richt was fired at the end of the 2015 season. But it didn’t take long for the veteran head coach to find work. As a former Miami quarterback, the opportunity to return was a homecoming of sorts for Richt. The marriage between Richt and the Hurricanes seems to be a perfect one for the program, and he started things off with a 9-4 record. The first season provided its share of ups and downs, as Miami opened at 4-0 before losing four straight. However, the Hurricanes rebounded to win their final five games, including a 31-14 victory over West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Three of Miami’s losses came by a touchdown or less, which included a one-point defeat to Florida State (20-19). Replacing quarterback Brad Kaaya won’t be easy in 2017. However, Richt has this program on the right track and the ACC Coastal Division title is within reach next fall.
Final Grade: B+
7. Tracy Claeys, Minnesota
2016 Record: 9-4
Claeys’ first (and only) season in Minneapolis ended in controversy after he showed his support for a player boycott prior to the Holiday Bowl. Claeys was dismissed in early January, and Minnesota acted quickly in hiring former Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck to guide the program in 2017. After Jerry Kill’s sudden retirement, Claeys was promoted to the full-time position following the 2015 season. He went 2-4 as the program’s interim coach in 2015 but guided the Golden Gophers to a 9-4 record in '16. The nine-win campaign was only the eighth time Minnesota exceeded more than eight since 1901.
Final Grade: B+
Related: Very Early Big Ten Predictions for 2017
8. Frank Wilson, UTSA
2016 Record: 6-7
Wilson proved he is more than just an ace recruiter in his first season at UTSA. The Louisiana native worked his way through the coaching ranks as an assistant in the SEC at Tennessee and LSU and also was a standout high school coach at O.P. Walker in New Orleans. Wilson replaced Larry Coker (UTSA’s only head coach in its short history) and guided the Roadrunners to a 6-7 mark last season and their first bowl trip in program history. Wilson’s team hung tough against Texas A&M (23-10), nearly defeated Arizona State (32-28) and scored quality conference wins against MTSU and Southern Miss.