On Monday we began to grade the coaching hires of this off-season (You can read more HERE). We are back to look at some of the latest moves and grade each hire at the FBS level this year. UNLV made the most recent hire with Barry Odom being named the head coach on Tuesday. Most of the positions remaining are at the group of five level but all the positions should be filled by the end of the week.
Tulsa, Kevin Wilson (Grade: B) – Tulsa made the decision to hire Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. Wilson was also the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma from 2002-2010 before accepting the head coaching job at Indiana. Wilson struggled early in his tenure at Indiana before leading the Hoosiers to two straight bowl games. He resigned after the 2016 season due to philosophical differences. Tulsa is a hard place to win but Wilson spent time in the state of Oklahoma giving him familiarity with the program.
UNLV, Barry Odom (Grade: B-) – UNLV is one of the hardest places to win. Marcus Arroyo won just seven games over the past three seasons before being fired. The Rebels have appeared in just one bowl game since 2001. Odom spent four years at Missouri compiling a 25-25 record before being let go. Odom brings head coaching experience but my concern is about the fit. He will need to recruit the west coast and most of his time has been spent on the east coast or in the SEC.
USF, Alex Golesh (Grade: A-) – USF has been a complete mess for the past few seasons. The Bulls have won just eight games over the past four seasons. Alex Golesh has been the offensive coordinator with Josh Huepel since 2020 when they were together at UCF. Golesh has been a major reason for the offensive success at Tennessee. The Volunteers improved from 101st to seventh in scoring offense during his first season in Knoxville. Golesh is still young at only 38 years old but he could bring a spark to the USF team and help them return to contention in the AAC.
Texas State, G.J. Kinne (Grade: B) – G.J. Kinne has made a rapid assentation in the coaching ranks. He started as a graduate assistant for SMU in 2017. He bounced around teams which included a one year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was named the coach for Incarnate Word before the 2021 season. He is currently 11-1 and has his team in the FCS quarterfinals. Kinne will bring offensive firepower to Texas State as his teams have scored at least 40 points in nine games this season. Kinne brings limited experience but he has been successful at each stop in his career.
Georgia Tech, Brent Key (Grade, B-) – Brent Key took over at Georgia Tech after Geoff Collins was fired midseason. Key went 4-4 on an interim basis which included wins over North Carolina and Pitt. Georgia Tech was rumored to be interested in Willie Fritz from Tulane before giving Key the permanent job. Georgia Tech is a tough job due to the academic requirements and being located in the heart of the SEC. Key is a Georgia Tech alum which should help him sell the program to recruits.
Charlotte, Biff Poggi (Grade, C+) – Bigg Poggi has one of the more interesting paths to becoming a college football head coach. Poggi spent three decades as a high school coach before becoming an analyst at Michigan for one season. He returned to high school coaching for four seasons and was named the Michigan Assistant Head Coach in 2021. Poggi won 13 state titles while coaching in Maryland. Poggi is likely to have his biggest impact in recruiting due to his knowledge and familiarity with Maryland and Virginia. Coaching high school is very different from college especially as Charlotte begins to transition the AAC.
Louisville, Jeff Brohm (Grade, B-) – Jeff Brohm is a better coach than Scott Satterfield so Louisville gets an upgrade but they will be paying him a hefty salary to bring him in. Brohm was making about $4.5 million per season at Purdue. He helped turn Purdue into a respectable program winning 17 games over the past two seasons which included an appearance in the Big Ten Championship game. Brohm should help Louisville win seven to nine games on a consistent basis but contending for the ACC seems unlikely.
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