Pat’s POV: Ranking first-year head coaches with the most to prove
The start of the college football season is just weeks away. The festivities will start on Aug. 27 for a handful of teams. The LSU Tigers will have to wait until Sept. 5 when they tangle with the Florida State Seminoles in the Big Easy.
The start of the 2022 campaign also rings in a new era of Tigers football with Brian Kelly taking over the program. The former Notre Dame coach became the fourth head coach of the program since 2000. The previous three all won national championships. Can Kelly finally get his hands on the elusive trophy? Only time will tell.
This past offseason was a wild one in terms of the coaching carousel. With that being said, we ranked the new head coaches in the Power Five who face the most pressure to perform in year one.
Mike Elko, Duke
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When it comes to Duke football, there is little to no pressure. While the school would like to see better results, the Blue Devils haven’t had a winning season since 2018. This was the second winning season since 1994. With no expectations, new head coach Mike Elko should have plenty of time to put his program in place.
Jake Dickert, Washington State
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Last season Jake Dickert took over midway through the season after the Cougars relieved head coach Nick Rolovich of his duties due to the state’s COVID vaccine mandate. Dickert finished the year with a 3-3 record but led Wazzu to the Sun Bowl. He was maintained as the head coach and has already shown what he can do for the program.
Kalen DeBoer, Washington
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Much like their in-state rivals Washington State, the Washington Huskies made a coaching move under abnormal circumstances. Jimmy Lake was relieved of his duties after an altercation with an athlete. In steps Kalen DeBoer from Fresno State. DeBoer will be tasked with rekindling the winning edge that the Huskies enjoyed under Chris Petersen.
Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
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The Justin Fuente era in Blacksburg was one that left many of the Hokie faithful disappointed. After two years Virginia Tech finished 19-8 only to win just 25 games over the next four seasons. Brent Pry is now tasked with returning VT to its former glory under legendary coach Frank Beamer. Pry will have some pressure to perform but not among the top coaches in the land.
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
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Texas Tech was once among the most consistent programs in the country. A lot of that was due to Spike Dykes and Mike Leach. Since the firing of Leach in 2009, the program has been mediocre. They have enjoyed just five winning seasons since 2010 and now first-time head coach Joey McGuire must turn it all around. He enjoyed early success on the recruiting trails but can he do the same on the field of play?
Tony Elliott, Virginia
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It was a strange offseason for the Cavaliers after head coach Bronco Mendenhall abruptly resigned from his post. Virginia countered by bringing long-time Dabo Swinney assistant Tony Elliott north to Charlottesville. After back-to-back .500 seasons, Virginia is hoping to continue their upward ascension that began under Mendenhall in 2016.
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
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The prodigal son returns home in a way. After leaving Norman to become the defensive coordinator at Clemson, Brent Venables returns to Oklahoma after 10 years with the Tigers. Prior to his gig as defensive coordinator and associate head coach, Venables served under Bob Stoops for 13 years with the Sooners. With Lincoln Riley leaving hastily for Southern California, it gave Venables his first opportunity to run his own program. Can he help OU regain their stranglehold on the Big 12?
Sonny Dykes, Texas Christian
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Replacing a legend is never easy and Sonny Dykes has that task ahead of him. After Gary Patterson led this program from 2000-21, Dykes has to bring TCU back to where they once were. There is also some added pressure to perform as he did at SMU. Leaving one cross-town rival for another just brings another layer to the amount of pressure to win. They are poised to win but is it going to be enough to compete with Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Baylor?
Mario Cristobal, Miami
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Mario Cristobal returns to South Beach this season. His presence has already breathed life into the Hurricanes program. The Canes have been looking for a leader that can give Miami their next national championship. With his work on the recruiting trails already, it seems the team is closer than they have been in some time. However, Cristobal needs to show they can win consistently and not just hover around the .500 mark.
Dan Lanning, Oregon
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With Cristobal now in Miami, the Oregon Ducks had to quickly organize a search for their next head coach. The administration chose to bring Dan Lanning to Eugene during the national championship run at Georgia. Lanning must now continue the winning tradition and even do it better than Cristobal. A tough task for a first-time head coach. Lanning learned from the best in Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. He will get his first shot early on as the Ducks faceoff with Smart and the Bulldogs to open the season.
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
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For a short period, it was thought that Freeman would join Kelly in Baton Rouge but ultimately gets his shot to run a program. He and Tommy Rees were both thought to leave for LSU, now they will continue their hunt for a national championship. Despite Kelly’s exit from the program, the Fighting Irish were still in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. Can Freeman continue their string of double-digit wins in 2022? He will be tested in the opener when he faces off with his alma mater, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Billy Napier, Florida
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Billy Napier was a highly sought-after head coach candidate for a couple of seasons now. The Tennessee Vols and Auburn Tigers were among those that were interested before the Florida Gators ultimately lured him out of the Bayou. Now in the swamp, Napier must turn the Gators program around. After a failed experiment under Dan Mullen, Florida must step up to dethrone their bitter rivals. Mullen started out hot and fell off quickly, can Napier avoid the same fate?
Lincoln Riley, Southern California
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There might not be a more hated man in the Sooner State than Lincoln Riley, not even those wearing burnt orange received the level of vitriol that the former Leach assistant did. However, the pressure to win for Riley doesn’t come because of his time in Norman. The pressure to win here all surrounds the fact that USC football has been a shell of their former selves. Not to mention they will depart the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024. The Trojans need a monster year and Riley, Caleb Williams, and Jordan Addison are poised to give it to them.
Brian Kelly, LSU
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It was a moment that we had not seen in a long time. Notre Dame became a stepping stone to another job for Brian Kelly. After over a decade in South Bend and five straight 10+ win seasons, he left for the Bayou. Kelly had come close to the national championship but fell short on multiple occasions. He needed to level the playing field and Kelly gets that opportunity with a talent-rich recruiting landscape without the academic requirements of his former school. The last three head coaches of the LSU Tigers each won a natty, so the pressure is on for Brian Kelly who looks to finally get his hands on the trophy.
