Coaching Carousel
By Bruce Marshall
The Gold Sheet
There used to be a time when newly-hired football coaches had an extensive "honeymoon" with supporters and administrators who would often grant a couple of years worth of patience before expecting (or, in some cases, demanding) winning results. Of course, there would always be exceptions to the rule, especially when the new coach would be taking over a winning program from a predecessor who might have moved to a better job. In that case, maintaining the status quo has always been a minimum prerequisite. But in most cases, new coaches are in place to clean up messes left behind by former mentors, and success isn't expected (and usually doesn't happen) overnight.
Times, however, have changed, and though the "honeymoon" dynamics are generally still in place for most new coaches, that grace period isn't as long as it used to be. Indeed, in the win-win, new-age world of college football, many new coaches have less time to establish a winning pattern. Big-money boosters and administrators want results more quickly these days, which is probably why in recent years we've seen more college than NFL coaches get their pink slips during the middle of the season. Patience isn't what it used to be in college football. Just ask Tyrone Willingham, ejected unceremoniously at Notre Dame a few years ago after just three seasons on the job. And even non-gridiron factories such as Stanford have gotten into the act, recently canning a pair of coaches (Buddy Teevens, after three years on the job after the 2004 campaign, and Walt Harris, after just two seasons on the job after 2006) who in previous generations would have likely been given a bit more time to put their programs in place, as John Ralston was once granted on The Farm back in the early-to-mid '60s. Longtime Stanford backers are certainly glad then-AD Chuck Taylor and the boosters of the day displayed a bit of patience with Ralston, who eventually rewarded them with back-to-back Rose Bowl trips in 1970 & '71.
Having said all of that, we definitely think it's worth a look at some of the new college football coaches for 2009, and project how much grace period each of them might receive. For many, they'd better enjoy their honeymoons while they can. And with 21 new ones (!) on the job, there's a lot to keep an eye on this fall.
Rich Ellerson, Army...Count West Point among the unlikely places to recently hit the quick eject button, jettisoning Stan Brock after just two seasons. Ellerson, however, might have a bit more leeway considering his links to the program (his brother once captained the Black Knights, while Ellerson served on the staff of some of Bob Sutton's better teams in the '90s, as well as being a disciple of former Army coach Jim Young). To be safe, however, Ellerson, off a successful stint at lower-division Cal Poly, would be well-advised to beat either Navy (especially Navy) or Air Force...quickly.
Gene Chizik, Auburn...There really is no such thing as a honeymoon at any SEC program, which will come as no surprise to Chizik, not long ago an accomplished defensive coordinator on predecessor Tommy Tuberville's staffs. Chizik's background at Auburn might afford him a short grace period, but his failures the last two seasons at Iowa State add a bit more "win now" pressure, with some boosters unconvinced. Moreover, the power structure at Auburn is due for a makeover since mega-booster Bobby Lowder, forced out as head of Colonial Bank, figures to lose most (if not all) of his once-mighty influence on the school's Board of Trustees. Chizik can ill afford to miss a bowl game as did Tuberville a year ago, or he'll be under the gun immediately.
Stan Parrish, Ball State...This is one of those no-win situations for Parrish, who is being asked to pick up where the successful Brady Hoke left off before leaving for San Diego State. Hoke merely resurrected the moribund Cardinal program, and riding off in the Muncie sunset with him was QB Nate Davis, spending this summer in San Francisco 49er camp. Ball State figures to regress, and Parrish, who recorded a 2-30-1 mark at Kansas State in his last head coaching assignment in the '80s, could feel pressure immediately.
Frank Spaziani, Boston College...Another difficult situation for a new coach, as the bar has been set rather high for Spaziani at B.C. by predecessors Tom O'Brien and Jeff Jagodzinski. At least Spaziani (promoted from d.c.) is going to have the support of AD Gene DeFilippo, who followed through on his threat to can Jagodzinski when he went on interviews for NFL jobs despite DeFilippo's warnings. Thus hand-picked by the AD, at least Spaziani figures to be given some space by DeFilippo, whose reputation is even more on the line with this hiring. Whether Eagle boosters are as supportive as DeFilippo if BC regresses will remain to be seen.
Dave Clawson, Bowling Green...The Falcons expected a bit more than they got from Gregg Brandon the past few years, and Clawson hardly inherits a bare cupboard. Indeed, Bowling Green appears to have enough talent on hand to compete for MAC honors this season, and the job is a perfect opportunity for Clawson to redeem himself after a disastrous stint as Tennessee's o.c. last fall. Remember, Clawson, off a successful run at Richmond, was a highly-regarded, up-and-comer when he arrived in Knoxville a year ago, thought by some to be Phil Fulmer's possible successor before things went pear-shaped for the Vols. Getting the Bowling Green gig allowed Clawson to land on his feet and gives him a chance re-establish his HC credentials for a big-time program down the road.
Ron English, Eastern Michigan...English will at least not be burdened by expectations in Ypsilanti, where the Eagles have gone almost a generation since Jim Harkema had the then-named Hurons at the top of the MAC in 1987. And no EMU coach has fashioned a career winning record at the school since Dan Boisture registered a 45-20-3 mark between 1967-73 before taking the HC job with the WFL's Detroit Wheels (really...there was such a team, and they also played at EMU's Rynearson Stadium!) in 1974. The Eagles are also a cool 69 games under .500 since 1993. Not long ago considered a possible successor to Lloyd Carr at Michigan, where he was defensive coordinator, English saw that chance go up in smoke when the Wolverines cleaned house following a disappointing '07 campaign, and English is probably lucky to find a HC job at all after another subpar showing as Louisville's d.c. last season. He might end up regretting this job, but for now he'll at least work in relative peace and quiet at EMU.
Paul Rhoads, Iowa State...No one is expecting any immediate miracles in Ames from Rhoads, who inherits a Cyclone program that regressed the past two years under the aforementioned Chizik and has fashioned a decidedly subpar 9-27 mark the past three seasons, as well as entering '09 on a 10-game losing streak. But Rhoads, an area native who served on Dan McCarney's ISU staffs before becoming d.c. at Pitt, then, ironically, at Auburn a year ago, appeared to make some shrewd staff hires and inherits a core of talent that should be able to improve upon last year's 2-10 mark. Whereas a new coach such as Stan Parrish has almost nowhere to go but down at Ball State, Rhoads really has nowhere to go but up at ISU. Not a bad situation.
Bill Snyder, Kansas State...This one comes with an asterisk, because Snyder returns to the KSU sidelines he roamed between 1989-2005. He's also coaching a stadium now named after himself and his family, and has already been granted virtual sainthood by the Wildcat Nation for resurrecting the program during his first stint. Having said that, sequels have rarely turned out as well as originals in recent college football history (witness Bill Walsh at Stanford, John Robinson at Southern Cal, and Johnny Majors at Pitt), so history says that a not-so-happy ending would be no surprise. Although Snyder has a lot more influence and clout than any other "newcomer" this year.
Mike Haywood, Miami-Ohio...Not too dissimilar from Clawson at Bowling Green, Haywood inherits a once-proud program that has experienced a few lean years after not-long-ago success. Although Haywood has a lot to live up to if he wants to be embraced in the "Cradle of Coaches" at a legendary program that has spawned the careers of gridiron luminaries such as Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, Sid Gillman, and Weeb Ewbank in the distant past. Improvement from last year's 2-10 mark under the dismissed Shane Montgomery shouldn't be hard, but Haywood has his detractors after a recent awkward run as Charlie Weis' o.c. at Notre Dame. Will be expected to have Miami back on track soon.
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State...Like Rhoads at Iowa State, no one is expecting Mullen to win right away in Starkville, considered one of the most difficult outposts to excel in the SEC. He'll be importing the same wide-open, spread offense he used while Urban Meyer's o.c. at Florida, quite a switch from the staid, conservative attack employed by predecessor Sly Croom. For the moment, Bulldog fans will be satisfied with a more entertaining product before major win pressure starts to build thereafter.
Mike Locksley, New Mexico...This assignment for Locksley didn't appear to hold any inordinate hurdles at the outset, at least until Locksley apparently constructed a few of those himself. Being the target of a sexual harassment complaint by an administrative assistant just a few months after taking the job is not recommended procedure for new coaches. Whatever the result of that scenario, Locksley has nonetheless put himself under the gun, with Lobo Nation not at all convinced that Locksley will be an upgrade over Rocky Long, who retired after sustaining the program as a bowl contender for a longer period than any prior New Mexico coach. Locksley, most recently the o.c. at Illinois, gutted Long's staff and will be starting from scratch. Something tells us this won't be an easy transition.
DeWayne Walker, New Mexico State...Be careful what you wish for. Or words to that effect could be applied to Walker, recently a serious candidate for openings at higher-profile outposts such as UCLA and Washington but instead landing in Las Cruces for his long-awaited opportunity as a head coach. A respected defensive mind whose credentials were enhanced in a recent run as the Bruin d.c. in Westwood, Walker inherits a moribund Aggie program that failed to take flight (literally) under predecessor Hal Mumme and has acted as a coaching graveyard for several well-regarded predecessors (besides Mumme, Tony Samuel, Jim Hess, and Mike Knoll all took the job in the recent past at NMSU with solid credentials, and failed). Walker has already junked Mumme's pet "Air Raid" in hopes of playing some smashmouth football in Las Cruces. If Walker is lucky he will have come early success and parlay it to a better job elsewhere, because sustaining gridiron success at NMSU has proven nearly impossible in the last half century.
Chip Kelly, Oregon...We suppose there's nowhere to go but down for Kelly, too, after Mike Belotti retired following 14 mostly-superb seasons in Eugene. But Kelly was the pre-ordained successor to Bellotti and hasn't had to turn his staff or playbook inside-out as have other new coaches across the land. The Ducks will be running the same wide-open "O" they've used the past two years when Kelly was o.c., and importantly return some key weapons (namely QB Jeremiah Masoli and RB LeGarrette Blount) to once again detonate the attack. We think there's a decent chance the Ducks don't miss a beat with Kelly, although with such big shoes to fill, Kelly could immediately find himself in hot water if Oregon regresses.
Danny Hope, Purdue...Like Kelly, another pre-ordained successor, as Hope was the coach-in-waiting on Joe Tiller's staff in West Lafayette. Hope was hired from Eastern Kentucky a year ago with just that in mind, as he returned to Ross-Ade Stadium, where he was a successful OL coach earlier in Tiller's regime (1997-2001, where his teams included the 2000 Rose Bowl squad featuring Drew Brees at QB). The Boilermakers began to slip a bit in Tiller's last few years, however, and didn't make a bowl game at all a year ago, so the thought persists that Hope is inheriting a program in decline. Purdue, however, isn't used to losing for extended periods, and in the past has run off coaches in short order (most notably Bob DeMoss, a onetime Boilermaker QB great who lasted just three years after Jack Mollenkopf's retirement following the '69 season, and Fred Akers, whose teams made no progress in the late '80s and was chased out of town after four losing years). Hope is thus forewarned.
Brady Hoke, San Diego State...Although the Aztecs have been a mysterious underachiever for most of the past 35 years, the thought persists on the coast that SDSU is a "sleeping giant" waiting to be awakened by the right coach. And that could be Hoke, who recently resurrected a downtrodden Ball State program and inherits an Aztec program that hit rock bottom under the watch of Chuck Long, one of the great false alarms in recent coaching annals. Hoke impressed Mountain West onlookers by quickly hiring two shrewd coordinators (the respected and well-traveled Al Borges for the offense and former New Mexico HC Rocky Long for the defense) and stewards a talent base probably much better than it showed under Long. Many MWC observers will be surprised if Hoke doesn't make an immediate positive impact and have the Aztecs quickly moving up in the conference table.
Doug Marrone, Syracuse...Like Hoke at San Diego State, many feel Marrone can't help but be an improvement over his predecessor, Greg Robinson, who like Chuck Long proved to be a career coordinator ill-suited to a head coaching job. Whether Marrone falls into that category remains to be seen, but most Big East observers expect the Orange to make some immediate strides under their former alum who arrives at the Carrier Dome from a stint on Sean Payton's New Orleans Saints staff. Marrone's debut coincides with Greg Paulus' one-year shot at QB after a hoop career at Duke (and decorated high school QB career at in-town Christian Brothers Academy). Although Robinson set the bar pretty low, keep in mind this is a program with a storied history, so despite the "prodigal son returns home" angle, Marrone's honeymoon could still be brief if he doesn't win soon.
Lane Kiffin, Tennessee...Certainly the most-controversial of the new coaches, Kiffin has already angered much of the SEC and drawn warnings from the conference and NCAA for his recruiting activities. UT fans won't care as long as Kiffin wins, which Phil Fulmer didn't do enough of in his last few years on the job. The young Kiffin, off a failed experiment as Oakland Raider HC (nobody is really holding that against him these days) and previously a successful o.c. for Pete Carroll at Southern Cal, made perhaps his best staff hire by luring his dad, legendary d.c. Monte Kiffin, from the NFL Tampa Bay Bucs. But Kiffin's honeymoon might not last into October if the Vols stumble from the gate and get creamed at Florida September 19. More than a few people want to see him fail, and Kiffin would be well-advised to hit the ground running after making more enemies than friends in the early going at Knoxville.
Tim Beckman, Toledo...Another MAC newcomer, Beckman returns to his home region after a couple of years as Mike Gundy's d.c. at Oklahoma State. Previously, Beckman had served on Jim Tressel's Ohio State staff and spent several years at Bowling Green, where he coached under Urban Meyer. Things had gone stale at the Glass Bowl under Tom Amstutz, but Beckman inherits a veteran roster (including QB Aaron Opelt) that should be able to improve from last year's forgettable 3-9 mark. In basically the same boat as MAC colleagues Clawson and English, all trying to resurrect recently competitive programs and having relatively favorable dynamics to do so. Whether Clawson's prior experience as a college HC (which the others lack) proves an advantage over Beckman and English remains to be seen.
Gary Andersen, Utah State...Another tar pit for coaches, Utah State can be a thankless job except for those lucky few coaches who can win for a season or two and then get out of town (as John L. Smith and Charlie Weatherbie have done in recent memory). Otherwise, the mentors who have stayed in Logan more than a couple of years have all failed, and this will be a challenge to Andersen. On the plus side, the Utags began to show a bit of progress in the latter stages of predecessor Brent Guy's regime, and some key playmakers (including QB Diondre Borel) return. And Andersen at least is familiar with the region after serving with much distinction as Utah's defensive coordinator. But if Andersen is still in Logan three years from now it probably won't be a good sign, because if history is any indicator, he'll find a way to escape if he does well enough for another higher-level program to notice.
Steve Sarkisian, Washington...We hardly recall a program falling as fast and as hard as U-Dub's. At least Sarkisian's background with legendary o.c. Norm Chow (under whom Sark played QB at BYU and later coached under at Southern Cal) and then Pete Carroll (under whom Sark coordinated the Trojan offense the past two years) suggests a bright future, although this will be his first HC job. The thought persists in Seattle that the Huskies played in some bad luck during Ty Willingham's miserable 4-year stint that included an 0-12 mark last season, with QB injuries ruining each of the past three seasons. A healthy QB Jake Locker should alone be worth a few wins to Sarkisian. Given the resources and history of this program, U-Dub could be expected to rally, although the damage done by the regimes of Willingham, Keith Gilbertson, and Rick Neuheisel (at least in his later days with the Huskies) could mean the process might take longer than Husky backers are willing to admit.
Dave Christensen, Wyoming...Many Mountain West observers are still surprised that things went so pear-shaped in Laramie for Joe Glenn, who seemed to have the Cowboy program headed in the right direction after the '04 season, but lost momentum thereafter. If indeed Wyo was simply a huge underachiever the past few years, maybe Christensen, who arrives in Laramie fresh from a stint as Missouri's o.c., could effect a quick turnaround. He'll try to install a version of the spread offense that Chase Daniel ran so effectively for the Tigers the past few years, although there sure doesn't appear to be anything resembling Daniel on the Cowboy roster. Keep in mind that this is another former coordinator who has never been a head coach, so be careful before assuming an immediate upgrade in Laramie.