Arkansas Razorbacks
In: Bret Bielema
Out: John L Smith
Analysis: There were plenty of names that gone thrown around. But when Arkansas finally hired Bret Bielema away from Wisconsin, everybody was shocked. It wasn't that Bielema wasn't a good coach, just that nobody saw it coming. The hire was also intriguing because Bielema has always coached in the Midwest and has no real recruiting ties to the South. That and he won't be able to find huge lineman like he had up in Cheese Land. This is a boom or bust hire in my opinion.
Grade: B+
Auburn Tigers
In: Gus Malzahn
Out: Gene Chizik
Analysis: This is a home run hire in my opinion. After having defensive coach after defensive coach the Tigers broke the mold and got an offensive mind. You had to know that when Malzahn left Auburn to Arkansas State he was just doing so to prep for his next job. Who knew that he'd be right back at Auburn. Malzahn brings his exciting brand of football back and even hired DC Ellis Johnson whose been a great DC in the SEC for years. Look for Auburn to be back on the rise.
Grade: A
Boston College Eagles
In: Steve Adazzio
Out: Frank Spaziani
Analysis: At one point Boston College was a consistent top 25 program. But after winning only two games this past season there needed to be a change. Adazzio was a surprise hire, but he makes a lot of sense. Adazzio is form the Northeast and has recruited the area in the past at Temple and with Florida. His big challenge will be keeping the talented players in the area to start coming back to BC. This wasn't an exciting or sexy hire, but Adazzio was a good choice.
Grade: B+
California Golden Bears
In: Sonny Dykes
Out: Jeff Tedford
Analysis: Much like what they did when they hired Tedford, the Bears went back to the well and brought in another offensive guru. This time they went out and plucked Sonny Dykes from Louisiana Tech. But the big change is that Dykes has head coaching experience prior to coming to Cal. Add in that he was a successful coordinator at Arizona and he should fit right in. I really like this hire.
Grade: A+
Cincinnati Bearcats
In: Tommy Tuberville
Out: Butch Jones
Analysis: Not a fan of this hire at all. The Bearcats have had some good coaches over the years. Mark Dantoni, Brian Kelly, and Butch Jones. They could have easily gotten a good MAC coach or coordinator looking to get their first job and been fine. But you have to believe that their AD wanted somebody who might look to be there for a while. Well if he believes that then he's failed because Tuberville is a lot like Bobby Petrino in that he's always looking for the next job and wants back into the SEC bad. The Bearcats will be looking for a new coach in three years.
Grade: D
Colorado Buffaloes
In: Mike MacIntrye
Out: John Embree
Analysis: Colorado has enjoyed some success in their past, but they've been just terrible ever since 2001. They need somebody to come in and build it from the ground up and they might have gotten the right guy to do so. Mike MacIntrye build the San Jose State job from one of the worst in FCS, to a BCS ranked team. His ties to California will be big, but he has to keep the likes of Collin Klein, Cain Kolter, and Kenny Bell's instate if he wants to be successful.
Grade: A
Kentucky Wildcats
In: Mark Stoops
Out: Joker Phillips
Analysis: I'll have to admit I wasn't a big fan of this hire when I first heard about it. But the more and more that I look the Wildcats could have made a great decision. Much like his brothers, Mark Stoops is a defensive guru and did a great job rebuilding Florida State's defense the last couple of years. Kentucky's defense lately has been atrocious. But Stoops made a great decision of hiring Neal Brown as his offensive coordinator. Brown was being talked about as a head coach for some jobs, but will bring his spread offense he ran at Texas Tech last year.
Grade: A-
North Carolina State Wolfpack
In: Dan Doren
Out: Tom O'Brein
Analysis: Doren comes to NC State from Northern Illinois after leading them to the MAC's first every BCS game. Doren is a defensive coach who was the defensive coordinator at Wisconsin before. My concern about Doren is that he's only been a head coach for two years and he took over a great situation that Jerry Kill left him. But he is bringing Matt Canada (former Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator) with him to run the offense and Canada is a very bright mind in my opinion.
Grade: B-
Purdue Boilermakers
In: Darrell Hazell
Out: Danny Hope
Analysis: Purdue kept the Big 10 tradition of hiring MAC coaches to fill their openings. They did so by hiring former MAC coach of the Year, Darrell Hazell from Kent State. Under Hazell's leadership the Golden Flashes were one win away from a BCS appearance. Hazell is an offensive minded coach and the Boilermakers want to get back to their offensive prowless they use to be under Joe Tiller. This was a pretty good hire in my opinion. Hazell did wonders with the Kent State program, but he'll have an upward battle trying to win the Leaders Division with Ohio State and Wisconsin in the same division.
Grade: B
South Florida Bulls
In: Willie Taggert
Out: Skip Holtz
Analysis: Out of all the recent hires, this is one of the ones I like the most. Taggert has shown that he can coach by leading Western Kentucky from a transitional team to their first bowl game. Taggert is a great fit in Tampa because he is from the state of Florida, has recruited the state while at Western Kentucky, and has the respect of the top coaches in the state. Taggert will succeed at USF and will probably be at an even better job in the future.
Grade: A+
Tennessee Volunteers
In: Butch Jones
Out: Derek Dooley
Analysis: The problem that I have with the Vols hiring Butch Jones is that he's never really proved that he can rebuild a program. In both previous jobs that Jones has had he's taken over for Brian Kelly. In both spots he inherited good teams. But in both spots he didn't really improve the teams much. Heck at Cincinnati they were coming off a BCS appearances and Jones never won the conference. How is he going to do at Tennessee and in the SEC. Let's just say I'm not optimistic.
Grade: C-
Texas Tech Red Raiders
In: Kliff Kingsbury
Out: Tommy Tuberville
Analysis: This was a bold move for the Red Raiders. they need to replace Tommy Tubberville and in my opinion went the route of getting somebody they hope would stick around for a while. That normally backfires. But Kingsbury was a hot name because of the success Texas A&M and Houston's offenses had while he was the offensive coordinator. But you wonder how much of that was Kingsbury and not Kevin Sumlin who in his own way is a great offensive mind. Plus Kingsbury is still very young in his coaching career with only five years under his belt. Can he run his own program and recruit against some of the best? We'll find out.
Grade: D+
Wisconsin Badgers
In: Brian Anderson
Out: Brett Bielema
Analysis: It seemed like an entirety, but when Wisconsin was finally ready to make a hire they knocked it out of the park. Anderson was a hot name in coaching circles who name popped up for jobs at Colorado and California. After being an coordinator at Utah under Urban Meyer he built the Utah State program into a WAC champion. Now he takes over the best job open this year and a team that is loaded. The thing to watch is what type of offense he'll run. He hired Andy Ludwig as his offensive coordinator who has been a spread guy in the past. But with the type of lineman and running backs it will be interesting to see what they do. But they should be fine either way.
Grade: A
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