College Football Coaches' First-Year Reviews: Hits, Misses, and What's Next
A look at the first-year performances of college football coaches in 2024, including their hires, records, and grades.
The 2024 college football season saw a number of new coaches take the reins at various programs. Some made an immediate impact, while others struggled to find their footing. Here's a look at how the first-year coaches fared and what's next for them.
UCLA Bruins
DeShaun Foster took over as head coach at UCLA and led the Bruins to a 5-7 record. Foster was a late-cycle promotion, but he took over the role amid some skepticism about his readiness. He drew a better mark from me than other hiring evaluators, but the concern increased after his Big Ten media day freeze-up, and after the team started 1-5 while playing a very tough schedule. But Foster never lost the locker room and the Bruins put together a nice midseason win streak against Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa, claiming the first two on the road. Other than the Big Ten opener against Indiana, UCLA competed, even in its losses, and saw linebacker Carson Schwesinger emerge into a national star. Foster's offseason staff overhaul suggests he will have more of an imprint on the program this coming season. He also should have a greater comfort level overall.
Boston College Eagles
Bill O'Brien was hired as the head coach at Boston College and led the Eagles to a 7-6 record. O'Brien understands how to run a team, which came across in his first season at Boston College, despite some expected inconsistency in performance. He guided the Eagles to a 4-1 start that included wins against Florida State and Michigan State, with the lone blemish being a six-point loss at Missouri. Boston College then endured a three-game losing streak that culminated with a quarterback change from Thomas Castellanos to Grayson James. O'Brien made a tough call there but seemingly the right one, as James helped BC to wins over Syracuse, North Carolina, and Pitt. Despite a very late coaching change, the Eagles made their second straight bowl appearance in O'Brien's first season.
Michigan Wolverines
Sherrone Moore was hired as the head coach at Michigan and led the Wolverines to an 8-5 record. Michigan wasn't truly built to return to the College Football Playoff after winning the national title in 2023, especially without adding a transfer quarterback to replace J.J. McCarthy. But the team's offensive regression -- Michigan slipped to 130th nationally in passing, ahead of only the three service academies -- and some of Moore's in-game decisions stirred doubt about the first-year coach. Michigan split its first 10 games and went 0-3 on the road. Moore delivered down the stretch, though, as Michigan clobbered Northwestern and then stunned Ohio State in Columbus as a three-touchdown underdog. The Wolverines beat the Buckeyes for the fourth straight year and second under Moore, who served as acting head coach for the 2023 victory. Moore then guided a vastly undermanned Wolverines team over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, regaining the momentum lost during the first two-plus months of the season.
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