ESPN Midseason First Year College Coaches Grades

[Tandaian]

Midseason grades for all 29 first-year college football coaches

WWW.ESPN.COM

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From Sonny Dykes at TCU to Lincoln Riley at USC to Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, here are our midseason marks for all the first-year coaches.

 

See the Pac 12 list coaches and former Duck coaches below.

 

Lincoln Riley, USC: A

2022 record: 6-1 | USC's 2021 record: 4-8
Previous job: Oklahoma head coach
Grade when hired: A

Riley arrived with high expectations but a low bar to clear at USC, which lost seven games by 10 points or more last season. His mastery of the transfer portal, headlined by quarterback Caleb Williams (Oklahoma) and wide receiver Jordan Addison (Pitt), gave the Trojans some juice as a preseason Pac-12 contender. But they needed a massive jump from a defense that finished 103rd nationally in points allowed in 2021. It turns out, the defense might be the biggest story of USC's first-half success. The Trojans have 16 takeaways, tied for fifth in the FBS, and have seen major increases in sacks and tackles for loss. Transfers certainly have helped on both sides of the ball, but a holdover, defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu, has been the biggest star with seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Despite Saturday's loss at Utah, which raised some concerns about what happens to USC's defense when it doesn't take the ball away, Riley has done an exceptional job early in his Trojans tenure. USC has a fairly easy remaining schedule, other than the Nov. 19 showdown at UCLA.

 

Kalen DeBoer, Washington: A-

2022 record: 5-2 | Washington's 2021 record: 4-8
Previous job: Fresno State head coach
Grade when hired: A-

DeBoer's hiring didn't generate nearly as much attention in the Pac-12 or nationally as that of Riley or Lanning, but he was a sneaky good choice for a Washington program needing a reset after the bizarre Jimmy Lake era. A proven playcaller at Fresno State, Indiana and Eastern Michigan, DeBoer has given Washington's dormant offense some real zest again. The Huskies averaged 44 points in four wins to open the season, as quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who played under DeBoer at Indiana, racked up big plays in the passing game. Penix slowed down a bit in Washington's first loss to UCLA, but he still has reached the 300-yard passing mark in every game, putting up a team-record 516 yards on Saturday against Arizona. Penix leads the nation with 2,560 pass yards. Washington incredibly ranks eighth nationally in scoring, a huge plus for DeBoer. The Huskies' defense looked shaky in road losses to UCLA and Arizona State, where the team still hasn't won since 2001. DeBoer's Year 1 success ultimately will hinge on Washington's ability to play away from home, as the team still must visit Cal, Oregon and Washington State.

 

 

Dan Lanning, Oregon: B+

2022 record: 5-1 | Oregon's 2021 record: 10-4
Previous job: Georgia defensive coordinator
Grade when hired: B

An Oregon coaching search that initially fixated on Cal coach and former Ducks player Justin Wilcox eventually pivoted to Lanning, a rapidly rising coordinator but someone without head-coaching experience or any direct ties to the program. Lanning assembled a young staff known for recruiting chops and made some important transfer portal additions, most notably Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. An opening game against his former team in a virtual road setting (Atlanta) did not go well, as Oregon fell 49-3 to Georgia. But the Ducks have responded well, pounding BYU and scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns in less than three minutes to rally past Washington State on the road. Nix has revived all of his good qualities and built on them under coordinator Kenny Dillingham, completing a career-best 70.4% of his passes for 1,526 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Oregon's post-Georgia schedule hasn't been overly taxing, and the defense, while solid lately, isn't dominant. Still, the Ducks are making clear strides under Lanning and, like they did under Cristobal, could once again challenge in the Pac-12. Their remaining schedule will be tough with UCLA this week and future matchups against Washington, Utah and Oregon State.

 

Jake Dickert, Washington State: B-

2022 record: 4-3 | Washington State's 2021 record: 7-6 (3-3 under Dickert)
Previous job: Washington State defensive coordinator (later interim head coach)
Grade when hired: B+

Dickert's grade has taken a dip with three losses in four games, beginning with a late implosion against Oregon at Martin Stadium. His promotion at Washington State was understandable, as he stepped into a strange and difficult situation and helped the team to its first Apple Cup win since 2012. But he still was somewhat of a mystery man, never working at a Power 5 program until joining Washington State's staff before the 2020 season. Dickert has taken advantage of his surprise opportunity at Wazzu, which stunned Wisconsin in Week 2 despite entering Camp Randall Stadium as 17.5-point underdogs. The Cougars' defense has continued to grow under Dickert, especially a front seven featuring Daiyan Henley and Brennan Jackson. The offense needs a bit of a reset after scoring a combined 24 points in the past two games. After hosting Utah on Oct. 27, the Cougars' closing stretch isn't overly taxing, and a return to a bowl game seems very likely.

 

Jeff Tedford, Fresno State: C-

2022 record: 2-4 | Fresno State's 2021 record: 10-3
Previous job: Fresno State head coach (2019, resigned because of health reasons)
Grade when hired: B-

Tedford's tepid hiring grade underscored the risk in bringing him back, even to a place where he flourished in 2017 and 2018, going 22-6. The team has faced a tough schedule, and it lost star quarterback Jake Haener to a significant ankle injury in Week 3 at USC. Fresno State has only one truly shocking loss, to UConn in a game in which the Bulldogs generated only 14 first downs and 187 total yards. They bounced back nicely on Saturday against surging San Jose State, holding the Spartans scoreless in the second half of a 17-10 win. Haener will return at some point and provide a big lift. A path to bowl eligibility remains, but Tedford must find solutions for an offense that has averaged just 17 points per game without Haener.

 

Mario Cristobal, Miami: D+

2022 record: 3-3 | Miami's 2021 record: 7-5
Previous job: Oregon head coach
Grade when hired: A

Miami made an unprecedented investment in Cristobal, and a discouraging first six games doesn't reduce excitement much or change the long-term outlook about returning to championship contention. The product on the field hasn't looked much different so far in the Cristobal era. After opening with 70 points against Bethune-Cookman, the Canes have averaged just 23.4 points against five FBS opponents, losing to three of them. Two of their losses came by a single score -- Texas A&M (road) and North Carolina (home) -- but a 45-31 defeat to Middle Tennessee, which is 0-3 in Conference USA play, shouldn't happen at The U. Cristobal has work ahead, both in recruiting and player development, with positions such as offensive line and wide receiver. Other than the Middle Tennessee debacle, the defense has been solid with several playmakers emerging (Corey Flagg Jr., Akheem Mesidor, Kamren Kinchens). The second-half schedule is fairly navigable until Clemson on Nov. 19.

 

Joe Moorhead, Akron: D+

2022 record: 1-6 | Akron's 2021 record: 2-10
Previous job: Oregon offensive coordinator
Grade when hired: A

The MAC is known for parity, but Moorhead took over an Akron program that had bottomed out under Tom Arth, going 3-27 over the past three seasons. Akron was outscored 474-238 last year, and even a coach with Moorhead's pedigree on offense faced an uphill climb. Still, the first half wasn't pretty for the Zips, who have yet to beat an FBS team after outlasting FCS St. Francis in overtime to begin the Moorhead era. There were very ugly losses early on against both Michigan State (52-0) and Tennessee (63-6), but Akron has been more competitive during the past four games, dropping three by single digits. Moorhead's offense is showing some life behind dual-threat quarterback DJ Irons, who is completing 66.4% of his passes. If Akron remains on its trajectory, a win or two down the stretch wouldn't be surprising and would change the mood around a challenging season.

[Charles Fischer]

I think the order and rankings of a few of these are going to change!  I cannot complain about the grade given Lanning, as the reasons make sense, but I would like to think the team will continue to improve (especially on defense) and his ranking will rise.

 

[noDucknewby]

Mostly agree, but I would put Lannning at least on par with DeBoer (better record and has beaten a ranked team).

 

Snickering at MC and Miami.  Not saying he's not going to get it going there, but you really have to give the Oregon Athletic Department credit considering how our last two former coaches have performed in comparison to their tenure at Oregon.

[Notalot]

Some of these HC's are in their first year with the program, but they are experienced head coaches.

 

On the other hand, Dan Lanning is fresh out of the crib as a first time first year head coach. I don't dispute the subjective "B+" given, but Lanning has accomplished so much on and off the field.

 

Give Lanning an off-season to reboot, another crack at the Transfer Portal, spring season workouts (teaching), and another recruiting cycle, then watch out!

 

Let's first finish strong this season.

Lanning and his Ducks are coming on.

[Charles Fischer]

I hate to write it, but the Husky coach has done a heck of a job.  While the jury is still out on them--they have looked much better thus far than I thought they would.

[The Kamikaze Kid]

How many coaches on this list are first time head coaches? How many are in the top 10?

 

B+? Seems more like an A to me.

[CalBear95]

I would put DeBoer ahead of Riley given the state of each program inherited.  
 

As the article notes, USC was pretty rich on the offensive side of the ball.  Add to that his national name recognition, the hype around his hiring, and his existing relationship with Caleb, his strong transfer performance, while impressive in terms of talent, isn’t unsurprising.

 

Add to that he has done little to nothing to upgrade the defense which has always been a liability with his teams.  Also unsurprising (and not in a good way)
 

Contrast that with DeBoer who took over a program that was imploding from the dysfunction of Lake’s debacle of a regime and the associated loss of any recruiting momentum.  The fact the Huskies have looked as good as they have is I think fair to say very unexpected. 
 

DeBoer has over performed whereas I would say Riley is performing to baseline (which isn’t a negative BTW). 

Edited October 21, 2022 by CalBear95

[Log Haulin]

On 10/20/2022 at 2:26 PM, The Kamikaze Kid said:

How many coaches on this list are first time head coaches? How many are in the top 10?

 

B+? Seems more like an A to me.

Thats my thought. OBDF members have much more insights surrounding the state of the progr'm last november v. Today. Our fanaticism has us digging deep into the details.

 

I am fine with the grade coming from a national "expert". But we know the details of this story. We have picked through and discussed it from every angle, ad infinitum. 

 

 

[Dr Hilarius]

On 10/20/2022 at 1:52 PM, Charles Fischer said:

hate to write it, but the Husky coach has done a heck of a job

I agree

 

When DeBoer was hired, I was much more concerned than I was w the Riley hire.