As college football fans, we have learned to adapt to change very quickly. But most of the names that we tend to be interested in are the ones who put the helmets and shoulder pads on. While there has been plenty of that (too much if you ask me), this year perhaps the more interesting changes in the Group of 5 involve the coaches.

This land is a bit of a college football purgatory. Some coaches are looking to move up the ladder from the FCS to possibly gain more experience and exposure that would ultimately land them a P4 job. Those names may not be as familiar, but their style is more likely to be innovative. Other coaches are looking to re-enter the coaching ranks or repair their image. You are likely to know what you are getting with those choices a little bit more. Either way is a crapshoot.

So with that in mind. let’s give out some grades for coaching hires. I’ll try to grade on a curve, as I’m not sure any hire necessitates a total failure. But there are definitely ones that make you say “it feels like they could’ve done more”.

Dan Mullen, UNLV (previously ESPN analyst)

This is probably the best coach that could be had for the best G5 team money can buy.

Mullen – who has had success at Mississippi State and Florida – has been a name linked to jobs in every offseason since he left Gainesville. And as far as a playcaller, there are few better in college football. His bugaboo has always been recruiting at a high level. But in this era of transfer portal and NIL, taking a job in Las Vegas for a team likely to be one of the conference favorites makes the recruiting process pretty easy.

Since Mullen’s arrival, he has added Alex Orji (Michigan) and Anthony Colandrea (Virginia) to the QB room, Keyvone Lee (Mississippi State) at RB and WRs Jojo Earle (TCU), Koy Moore (Western Kentucky), Daejon Reynolds (Pitt) and Tayshaun Lyons (Pitt) to the talent pool on offense, as well as CB Denver Harris (UTSA) and Justin Flowe (Arizona) to his defense. From a talent standpoint, this is the team to beat in the Mountain West and a real contender to represent the G5 in the CFP. All Mullen has to do is put his playmakers in a position to make plays.

Grade: A

Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic (previously OC at Texas Tech)

Tell me if this sounds familiar. Florida Atlantic hires a young, innovative offensive mind. It is pretty much their motus operandi, with varying degrees of success. (Lane Kiffin? Good, Willie Taggart and Tom Herman? Not so much.)

FAU was able to snag the hot, young name in coordinating circles, 33-year-old Kittley to Boca Raton. He made his name at Western Kentucky, where he introduced the world to Bailey Zappe. After parlaying that to two successful years as Texas Tech’s OC, he now has a team of his own.

The Owls have toiled in mediocrity ever since they joined the AAC. The main issue has been a lack of consistency at QB. But in comes Caden Veltkamp from Western Kentucky to fix that. Kittley will let him cook, and if he stabilizes the position, he is an all-conference candidate. There are certainly other holes to be filled on the roster, but that is a very good place to start.

Quite frankly, the only thing keeping Kittley from a P5 job was his relative inexperience. But if he is successful here for a couple years, it’s merely a matter of time before a bigger name job comes calling.

Grade: A

Tim Albin, Charlotte (previously HC at Ohio)

First things first, Charlotte hired a coach likely to wear sleeves. Congratulations on that.

Fashion choices aside, the hire of Albin greatly raises the floor of the program, which is something that was desperately needed after the failed Biff Poggi experiment. Albin, who took over an Ohio Bobcat program after Frank Solich, lifted that program to a consistent winner in the MAC despite year after year roster turnover as a result of the transfer portal. Charlotte is a sleeping giant that he can do the same with. It may take a year or two, but you can see parallels between Charlotte and programs like UTSA and Tulane. (Schools in fertile recruiting cities.)

What remains to be seen is what he can do with a decent NIL, something that didn’t exist in the Mid-American. (Bringing in QB Connor Harrell from UNC is a good start.) But if he proves he can consistently bring in significant talent, it’s realistic to hope for a bowl this year and bigger expectations in 2026.

Grade: A-

Eddie George, Bowling Green (previously HC at Tennessee St.)

First off, a personal thank you to Bowling Green. Usually the MAC exists in their own little bubble until MACtion gets started. This is one way to get eyes on their conference right away.

George didn’t exactly set the world on fire at Tennessee St., amassing a 24-22 record in his 4-year stint there. But last year, he took the Tigers to the FCS playoff, so credit him for striking while the iron was hot. It also is a relatively soft landing spot, as Bowling Green is generally a solid program even if they are undergoing a time of transition. (Previous coach Scot Loeffler left to be the QBs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.)

Bowling Green lost some very key pieces from last year’s team. (Something tells me George would have loved to had Harold Fannin on campus.) The Falcons had success bringing in a QB from Missouri before (Connor Bazelak) so they are double dipping in that pool, bringing Drew Pyne in. I sense this may be a bridge year with an eye toward 2026. But with that in mind, there are worse strategies for a MAC program than to bring in an Ohio St. legend to mold a program in his vision.

Grade: A-

Blake Harrell, East Carolina (previously DC at East Carolina/Interim HC)

East Carolina has always been a tough job.

They haven’t been consistently bad, nor have they been consistently a threat to win the conference. It’s tough to bring in transfers and there isn’t a ton of NIL to work with. So expectations are tough to set. But the end of last year suggests they are trending in the right direction.

After the firing of Mike Houston, the Pirates went from 3-4 to a 9-5 finish, including a win over NC State in the Military Bowl. A lot of the credit for that can be attributed to inserting Katin Houser at Quarterback, but the internal hire of Blake Harrell had a hand in that as well. Keeping Harrell, who was the DC Coordinator, suggests the culture is solid in Greenville, it just needed a boost of energy.

Houser returns, but the Pirates also did bring in journeyman QB Mike Wright (Vanderbilt/Mississippi St./Northwestern) to challenge him. They also brought in receivers from Penn St. (Tyler Johnson) and Oklahoma (Jaquaize Pettaway) who could be difference makers on offense. If the momentum from last year carries over, this is a team that could easily make noise in the AAC.

Grade: B+

Jason Eck, New Mexico (previously HC at Idaho)

Say what you want about New Mexico last year, but they were exciting.

Behind quarterback Devon Dampier and a porous defense, they were an Over betters dream. However, that didn’t translate to many wins. And coach Bronco Mendenhall found a better opportunity at Utah St. (I’ll get to him in a minute.) So here we are.

The Lobos will look much different behind new coach Jason Eck, who comes from Idaho. He led the Vandals to a 26-13 record and 3 playoff births over the last 3 years. Not bad in a very competitive Big Sky Conference. He doesn’t have Dampier on campus, as he is the new QB at Utah. But he brings a familiar face with him in QB Jack Layne, who was his guy in Idaho.

It’s a tough place to recruit and keep talent, and a non-conference schedule that includes games at Michigan and at UCLA don’t instill much optimism. But it does feel like there is an energy and enthusiasm in Albuquerque, and with some patience this program could get out of the Mountain West cellar.

Grade: B+

K.C. Keeler, Temple (previously HC at Sam Houston)

You had to really be paying attention, but one of the more impressive turnarounds in 2024 was that of Sam Houston. It took them a year, but they found their footing after transitioning from the FCS to FBS. And the key component of that was coach K.C. Keeler, who used that opportunity to find himself a higher profile job in the AAC at Temple.

Keeler, who was at Sam Houston for 11 years, is from Pennsylvania originally, so the opportunity was likely one he couldn’t pass up. Much like Sam Houston’s move to the FCS, it may take a year for him to mold the Owls in his image in the very good AAC. But when he does, expect the Owls to resemble Matt Rhule’s squads.

Grade: B+

Bronco Mendenhall, Utah St. (previously HC at New Mexico)

BYU-Virginia-New Mexico-Utah St. feels like a very full circle career for the 59-year-old, Utah native Mendenhall. I sense he intends to finish his career out with the Aggies, a team that has had moments of success in the Mountain West but perhaps not a sustainable amount.

For Mendenhall, he sees this opportunity as one where he can leave a position he only held for one season to go to a place closer to home. Will he cast a wandering eye if things don’t go well this season in Ogden or is he content? I sense the 59-year-old is in this for the long haul, but people in Albuquerque probably felt the same way. (Utah St. travels there Oct. 25 by the way.)

Grade: B

Charles Huff, Southern Miss (previously HC at Marshall)

On the other end of the “coaches leaving one job for another within the conference” spectrum is Charles Huff.

Huff was last seen leading the Marshall Thundering Herd to a Sun Belt Championship. But it never felt like it was Kumbaya between him and Marshall administration, so they parted ways. Reaping the benefits are a Golden Eagles team that has struggled the past few seasons under Will Hall. Both divisions are generally considered wide open with the West a little weaker than the East. So a turnaround is certainly possible under a coach who ever won fewer than 6 games at Marshall.. There is more work to be done than Huff might realize, but bringing his QB (Braylon Braxton) from a conference champion team is a nice foundational block.

Grade: B

Brian Smith, Ohio (previously OC at Ohio)

As I mentioned above, I do think the loss of Albin is a significant one. But all things considered, the defending MAC Champs should look a lot like last years team.

Smith has been with the team since 2022, with his focus on the passing game and the running backs. And he will see a familiar face at both positions. Parker Navarro stayed in Athens where he has a very real chance to be the conference player of the year. He will be handing off to RB Sieh Bangura, who returns after one year playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Having likely the best QB in the conference makes for a pretty smooth transition from OC to HC. I do expect the Bobcats to contend for another conference crown. The question will be what can Ohio do going forward once Navarro is gone.

Grade: B

Tony Gibson, Marshall (previously DC at NC State)

Maybe you remember this, maybe you don’t. But the defending Sun Belt champs are the Marshall Thundering Herd.

I don’t blame you if you forgot. They don’t have a sexy offense like JMU, Coastal Carolina, ODU or Georgia Southern and had a lame duck coach. But they won 9 of their last 10 games (with only a one point loss to Georgia Southern) behind the aforementioned Braxton, who was a very good dual-threat quarterback, and the top defense in the Sun Belt East.

Whether they can duplicate that this year remains to be seen. Braxton is gone (following Huff to Southern Miss), replaced by either former Jacksonville St. QB Zion Turner or former Syracuse QB Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, both of who are pretty unproven. But they leaned into their identity by hiring former NC State DC Tony Gibson. The division is always wide open and fun, but if the Herd can be the antithesis to the rest of the division, there is no reason they can’t stay towards the top of the standings.

Grade: B

Phil Longo, Sam Houston (previously OC at Wisconsin)

A bit of a college football journeyman, Longo was added to the coaching staff in 2014. In his final year at Sam Houston State in 2016, Longo’s offense was one of the most prolific offenses in FCS, averaging 547 yards a game as the Bearkats went on to a 12–1 record. Since 2017, he has been OC for Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Ole Miss, but this is his first time as HC at this level.

This team isn’t starting from scratch after Keeler left for Temple. Quarterback Hunter Watson was pretty solid last year for a bowl team. If he can take the next step and challenge for all-conference accolades, there is a change this team can challenge for the conference title.

Grade: B-

Dowell Loggains, App. St. (previously OC at South Carolina)

Hiring a first time HC brings with it a lot of unknown. But when that guy has spent 12 years coaching in the NFL and another four in the SEC, you take your chances.

Loggains has extensive experience as an OC and a QB coach. The proof is in the pudding with what relative unknown LaNorris Sellers turned into last year. However, a large resume suggests he might be a flight risk sooner rather than later.

AJ Swann coming in from LSU is certainly interesting, and I think he is talented enough to be successful in the Sun Belt East. But this would be a lot higher if Joey Aguilar was still here.

Grade: C+

Charles Kelly, Jacksonville State (previously co-DC at Auburn)

The defending CUSA Champions lost Rich Rodriguez back to West Virginia, but I think he served his purpose by smoothly guiding a team into the potentially difficult waters of transitioning from FCS to FBS. The Gamecocks won the conference in only their second season at this level behind a dominant rushing attack and up-tempo offense, staples of a Rich Rod team. I kinda wish they would have looked for a hire in the same mold, but they chose a familiar face instead.

It has been a minute, but Kelly was at Jacksonville St., coordinating both the offense and defense between 1994-98. He was most recently the co-defensive coordinator at Auburn and has spent time at several other P4 teams, so it stands to reason that the D will be stout (especially by CUSA standards).

The key will be if the offense can resemble last year’s production behind likely starter Gavin Wimsatt, who has spent time at Rutgers and Kentucky. I happen to think they will still be pretty good, so I likely grade this slightly higher than I probably should.

Grade: C+

Tre Lamb, Tulsa (previously HC at East Tennessee St.)

When you are the smallest school in the FBS, you might need to take a few more chances in college football. So in that regard, Lamb to Tulsa works.

Lamb, 35, has been aa head coach since 2020, spending time at Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee St. (for one year). I don’t know if I love the sample size, but he is an offensive minded guy, so maybe Tulsa can put up numbers reminiscent of when GJ Kinne was QB. I don’t know if the Golden Hurricane will be good, but they could be fun.

Grade: C

Mike Uremovich, Ball State (previously HC at Butler)

Hiring a coach with ties to the state of Indiana is a smart move for Ball St. as Butler has found success at the FCS level. Having that knowledge of the state (specifically the Indianapolis area) may help with recruiting. But he has a long way to go to get the Cardinals to the top of the MAC, even with quarterback Kiael Kelly returning.

Grade: C

Matt Drinkall, Central Michigan (previously Offensive Assistant at Army)

Like Bowling Green’s hire of George, this feels like a real dart throw. But again, the MAC lives by its own rules. Pulling an offensive coach from Army suggests a strong emphasis on the running game and defense, if not elements of the Wishbone. That does align with the Chippewas to a degree, and they have always been one of the better ground attacks in the conference. But returning QB Joe Labas is no Bryson Daily. This feels like a year of transition in Mount Pleasant.

Grade: C

Scott Abell, Rice (previously HC at Davidson)

Apparently I’m in the minority, but I think Mike Bloomgren was doing a good job the last few years at Rice. In a world where the transfer portal is what it is, when you have stringent academic expectations, it is hard to get anyone you want. They were building something, and at a school like Rice, it is going to take some time. The Rice brass viewed things differently and hired Abell from Davidson.

Abell had winning records in each of his 7 seasons at Davidson, so maybe he is the guy to take the Owls over the hump after bowls in 2022 and 2023. But I question if this is too steep a step up for Abell and if Rice has too far to climb in the AAC. It just feels like one of those schools that has a ceiling to how good they can be.

Grade: C-

Matt Entz, Fresno St. (previously Defensive Assistant at USC)

Entz has never been a head coach, but is a longtime defensive coordinator at the FCS level, making the largest impact at powerhouse North Dakota State. This suggests that the Bulldog defense should be stout. But this just feels like a mismatch between talent and philosophy.

Ultimately, your opinion of this hire may depend on your opinion of EJ Warner.

I personally don’t think he is all that great, and hiring a former defensive assistant doesn’t bring out the best in Warner. (If Jeff Tedford were still here, I would think differently.)

Grade: D+

Joe Harasymiak, UMass (previously Defensive Assistant at Rutgers)

This is far from the most exciting hire, but he used to be head coach at Maine, so he has ties to New England. That should help with recruiting because UMass is a tough sell otherwise, even with their return to the MAC. (90s rap fans will love that pun.)

Grade: D+

Jerry Mack, Kennesaw St. (previously Running Back Coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars)

I personally thought the firing of Brian Bohannon was a bit curious. Sure, for most of last year Kennesaw looked a bit overwhelmed in CUSA. But it was their first year at the FBS level, and they did pull off maybe the shocker of the year beating Liberty. If you are going to let your HC since 2013 go, then maybe make a bigger splash than an NFL running backs coach whose collegiate head coaching experience is limited to four years at North Carolina Central?

Grade: D

Willie Simmons, FIU (previously Running Back Coach at Duke)

Similar to Mack at Kennesaw St., FIU looked at the success Jacksonville St. had under Rich Rodriguez and decided they didn’t want to take a chance? I get Mike McIntyre kinda fit that bill, but that was before Pitbull took a financial interest in the program. Simmons had success at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M, so I’m not questioning his ability. It’s just not a sexy choice in a league that has seen newcomers Sam Houston and Jacksonville St. pass you by and may again with Delaware and Missouri St.

Grade: D

So here are my takes on the coaching hires at the G5 level. Did I overrate or underrate any of them? Sound off on our Walk-on Redshirt socials.