First Year Coaches Review: Part 1

Here is a list of the records for all Division 1 first year coaches in 2007.

Air Force
Troy Calhoun 9-4
Alabama
Nick Saban 7-6
Arizona State
Dennis Erickson 10-3
Army
Stan Brock 3-9
Boston College
Jeff Jagodzinski 11-3
Central Michigan
Butch Jones 8-6
Cincinnati
Brian Kelly 10-3
FIU
Mario Cristobal 1-11
Idaho
Robb Akey 1-11
Indiana
Bill Lynch 7-6
Iowa State
Gene Chizik 3-9
Louisiana Tech
Derek Dooley 5-7
Louisville
Steve Kragthorpe 6-6
Miami (Fla.)
Randy Shannon 5-7
Michigan State
Mark Dantonio 7-6
Minnesota
Tim Brewster 1-11
North Carolina
Butch Davis 4-8
North Carolina St.
Tom O'Brien 5-7
North Texas
Todd Dodge 2-10
Rice
David Bailiff 3-9
Stanford
Jim Harbaugh 4-8
Tulane
Bob Toledo 4-8
Tulsa
Todd Graham 10-4
UAB
Neil Callaway 2-10

A few records stand out in particular. On the positive side, Troy Calhoun came in and led a 4.5 game turnaround for Air Force, from 4-8 to 9-4. This bodes well for the Falcons, especially given the coaching change at Navy. Paul Johnson had a stranglehold on the Commander in Chief’s Trophy while he coached the Midshipmen, but do not be surprised if Calhoun takes it back to Colorado Springs in 2008.

In addition, Dennis Erickson gave Arizona State a shot in the arm. While Dirk Koetter was able to put together some solid seasons, Erickson stepped in and immediately had the Sun Devils in BCS contention. One thing Erickson has been known for over the years is the quick program turnaround, so look for Arizona State to field Pac-10 contenders for the near future.

Unfortunately, not every new coach had a positive effect on their team’s record in 2007. The most obvious example is Steve Kragthorpe at Louisville. The Cardinals seemed primed for a BCS run in 2007, but instead regressed in every area of the game and missed the bowls altogether. The season resulted in the firing of both coordinators, but unless Kragthorpe picks things up, it may not be enough. Another interesting note is the fact that Todd Graham stepped in for Kragthorpe at Tulsa and duplicated his success from 2006. Needless to say, Kragthorpe needs a good 2008.

Finally, there is the curious case of Tim Brewster at Minnesota. Glen Mason had brought the program to a respectable level, but could never get over the hump to challenge for Big Ten titles. Brewster was a high risk/high reward hire, but no one could have expected the Gophers to be so terrible in 2007. While the offense developed as the season went on, the defense was one of the worst in recent memory. However, he has managed to build some excitement over the program with an excellent recruiting class. Regardless, Brewster needs to have some success on the field if he wants to last long enough in Minneapolis to reap the benefits of his recruiting.

It is impossible to gauge the long term health of a program one year following a coaching change. However, in parts 2 and 3 of our first year coaches review, CGB plans on taking a closer look at how these coaches performed, and looking into the future to guess which coaches will be the most successful in the long term.