3 College Football Coaches we are excited to see at their new job

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New coaches bring excitement because the prospect of change is in the air. Not all excitement is created equal; here are 3 coaches we are REALLY excited to see at their new job in 2020.

Lane Kiffin, Mississippi

Ole Miss has won 10 games only twice since the turn of the century, but that’s done nothing to damper the ambitions of the administration or the fanbase. Just because the program hasn’t been winning SEC championships recently doesn’t mean the program doesn’t expect to or demand it of their Coaches. We love the attitude, why should it be good enough to settle for 3rd place? But the Rebels need a coach that has the same attitude to match.

Enter Lane Kiffin. The traveled coach may not have succeeded everywhere he’s been, but he’s not short on confidence or desire. He has never shied away from expectations, but instead shoots for the moon, sometimes with the reckless abandon of a daredevil. His short stints at Tennessee and USC ended memorably to say the least (he left Tennessee in the middle of the night while the fans burned couches in outrage, and was allegedly left on the tarmac while the team headed home after a USC loss). He compiled an unremarkable 35 – 21 record but swung for the fences repeatedly, sure he struck out but we admired his zeal, and when he connects, watch out.

Kiffin then went to Alabama where he learned under Nick Saban. Despite their tenuous relationship at times, the tutelage was exactly what Kiffin needed. Saban knew how to win, how to recruit and how to manage a program under the brightest of spotlights and the greatest of expectations. For a young coach who wants nothing more than to reach the pinnacle of the profession there could be few better spots to learn.

Kiffin went on to Florida Atlantic and for 3 years he won games and proved he could build a program. He wasn’t uncontroversial and he still had plenty of personality but he had matured some and learned to channel that desire. There were signs that maybe Kiffin was ready to move to a bigger program and with positive results that opportunity would present itself. The results were a 27 – 13 record and he parlayed those results into this opportunity at Mississippi.

Now, Kiffin returns to the SEC, where he was the beloved head coach for a year at Tennessee, before becoming the most hated man in the state when he abruptly left at the end of they year. Also in the SEC, and in the SEC West is Alabama and Nick Saban, where Kiffin learned from but also butted heads with Nick Saban. The possible story lines are numerous and the drama alone is enough to make college football fans salivate.

But truth be told we are excited about this move from a football perspective as well. Mississippi is in a division with Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn; it’s not an easy place to win given who you have to play every year and its not an easy place to recruit because you recruit against those same programs. A coach needs to be innovative on the football field and have the personality to recruit players off the field. Kiffin checks both of those boxes and despite his winding path to this point, he won’t shy away from the challenge of meeting those teams head on; on and off the field.

Success is not guaranteed but in the division they are in Mississippi needed a coach like Kiffin, who would try to leap for the stars and rip them right out of the sky if he could. It may not happen right away, but if the recruits start to buy in and Kiffin can give them some reasons to believe on the field; we might see Ole’ Miss start to approach those lofty goals; either way it will be one hell of a ride.

Greg Schiano, Rutgers

They say you can’t go home again and that’s largely true, but for every rule there’s an exception. Schiano revived the program once and led Rutgers to an 11 win season in 2007. Schiano left to try his hand at the NFL, and soon after Rutgers moved to the Big 10, Schiano struggled in the pros, and Rutgers struggled to find a leader for their football program.

In 4 seasons Kyle Flood put the program on life support and the next 4 years Chris Ash could do nothing to revive it. The program had reached a new low and was regularly talked about as possibly the worst team in the Power 5. When Ash was fired there was only one choice as far as the fans were concerned; Schiano was their guy and only he could revive the program. It took some time and some fan protests but it got done.

Schiano gives Rutgers instant credibility in state. He is well know and well liked by the high school coaches. He’s a tireless worker and resonates with the fan base. Recruits and their families know who he is, and getting an offer from Schiano means something to the in state kids. Similar to Mack Brown who returned to North Carolina and found recruiting success quickly, Schiano appears capable of a similar success story.

There’s no way to know for sure if Schiano can win in the Big 10, but he’s probably the best chance the program has. The top players in New Jersey are not only considering Rutgers but they’re committing to Rutgers. He may not be able to get all of them, but for the past several years Rutgers was getting none of them. Rutgers hit the transfer portal hard bringing in quality players from Ohio State, Michigan and Baylor among others. It’s clear that Schiano is going to upgrade the talent level on the roster.

Rutgers is in the Big 10 East and regular battles with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan on the docket make winning a challenge. But there are advantages to being in a stronger conference for Schiano’s second time around; recruits respond better to playing in a quality conference, the TV contracts provide more money to invest in the program and the bigger stage provides better opportunities to showcase your program.

We love when a program can rise from irrelevance to being a factor week in and week out. Schiano may be the only coach with the ability to make that happen for Rutgers. It probably won’t happen right away, but there should be signs of life from the team this fall and that’s a welcome sight in the Garden State. If Schiano can rekindle some of the magic he had in his previous run at Rutgers we may be writing a brand new story in a few years.

Mike Leach, Mississippi State

Mississippi State is not far removed from success. The program had a successful run under Dan Mullen who had the team ranked number 1 at one point in 2014. But when Mullen left for Florida the good fortunes left with him. Jay Moorehead lasted just 2 years before the Administration felt they needed a change of direction.

As we discussed above the SEC West is not an easy place to climb the rankings, but Mississippi State has made the climb before. The blue print from the Dan Mullen years was to have an exciting offensive coach who can recruit and scheme ways to score against the top defenses in the country. This gave them a chance to compete with the juggernauts in their division.

Leach is one of the most entertaining coaches in college football on and off the field. His air raid offense has put up points since his days at Texas Tech and his press conferences have been must watch just as long. But the Big 12 and Pac 12 don’t have the reputation of playing defense the way the SEC does. On the surface it would appear that despite his creative offensive schemes Leach is doomed against the teams he will face in his new conference.

While we agree that Leach will face the toughest competition he has ever faced, we also believe his roster will be the best it has ever been. Neither Texas Tech nor Washington State were known for their ability to get recruits. The SEC brand and the talent heavy region will automatically give Leach access to some of the most talented players he has ever been able to recruit. If he can connect with the players and coaches and recruit talented players his offensive schemes may prove to be overwhelming for anyone.

As fans we are guilty of believing only what we have seen before. We know that Mike Leach will score points and create schematic advantages but we are also conditioned to think his teams are not loaded with NFL talent. We will find out over the next few years if that was because Leach can’t recruit top talent or if he just never had a chance to. Label us as excited to find out.

And if all else fails, the press conferences and the verbal sparring with the other coaches in the conference will provide plenty of entertainment. We actually think Leach will become a thorn in the side of the SEC powers and if things break the right way on the recruiting trail who knows where things could go. The only thing for sure is that it will be an exciting journey.

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Lane Kiffin image take by Neon Tommy is licensed under CC BY 2.0