The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: PAC 12 Head Coaches

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Just over a month until college football kicks off! With that, we are going to start taking a deeper dive into each Mountain West and PAC 12 squad. A big part of a team’s success is the head coach’s ability to rally their troops. Last week we took a look at each head coach from the Mountain West and ranked them on their ability to build a winning team this season and into the future. This week, we are continuing our series by taking a look at the Good, Bad, and Ugly of PAC 12 head coaches.

The Good

Spencer Danielson (Boise State)

Danielson enters his third full season as the head coach of Boise State. During his tenure, he has already led the Broncos to three conference championships and a playoff appearance. Expectations are high for this season’s Boise State team, as they are currently favored in 11 of 12 games, the Group of Five favorite, and have an experienced squad. Anything less than a double-digit win season and an appearance in the PAC 12 championship game would be considered a failure for this group.

Matt Entz (Fresno State)

Entz is a seasoned coach with championship experience. He had an impressive run as the head coach of North Dakota State and had a nice first season as head coach at Fresno State. The Bulldogs’ success will rely heavily on their ability to be consistent in the passing game, something they struggled with last season. I expect the Bulldogs to be a bowl team that is competing for a spot in the conference championship this season.

Sean Lewis (San Diego State)

Last season I had Lewis in the “Bad” category after a dismal first season in San Diego. Lewis’ second season was a different story. Despite inconsistent play at the quarterback position, the Aztecs had an elite defense and a solid rushing attack that had them contending for a conference championship into the final week of the season. I expect this team to be even better in Lewis’ third season, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this team is playing for a championship in early December.

Bronco Mendenhall (Utah State)

The most experienced of all the head coaches on this list, Bronco Mendenhall appears to have found a new home in Logan, in a state where he had great success as the head coach of BYU. Mendenhall is a great fit for this program; he has recruited the state of Utah for more than a decade and has a great relationship with many of the high school football coaches in the area. Last season, the Aggies had to depend heavily on the transfer portal as Mendenhall and his staff sought to rebuild the program. If he sticks around for a while, this team will be competing for championships sooner rather than later.

GJ Kinne (Texas State)

GJ Kinne enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Bobcats. During his time in San Marcos, Kinne has been consistent after taking over a program that struggled mightily. Over the past three seasons, the Bobcats have won 23 games and won all three bowl appearances. One criticism of Kinne is that Texas State has been stagnant during his tenure; this team is in “prove it” mode as it moves to the PAC 12 and is expected to have one of the best offenses in the conference.

The Bad

Kirby Moore (Washington State)

A new head coach that is inheriting a program that has dealt with a lot of difficult circumstances over the past few years. Usually that is a recipe for disaster, but I am a Kirby Moore believer and expect him to turn this program around quickly. Moore is young and only has few seasons as an offensive coordinator, but he has strong ties to the Pacific Northwest and should be able to recruit at a high level in the state of Washington. I think this team will have a solid season and Coach Moore will be in the “Good” category next fall.

Jim Mora Jr. (Colorado State)

Colorado State seems to have a recipe for hiring coaches. Outside of Jay Norvell, Jim Mora Jr. sort of reminds me of the Steve Addazio hire: a former Power Five head coach that is looking to fix his reputation in Fort Collins. While Addazio failed, I think Mora Jr. will find more success. But it will take some time. Mora Jr. brings with him a large number of transfers from UCONN where he previously coached. Most of Mora’s career was spent at the NFL level where he had mixed success. His first college gig was as the head coach of UCLA where he also had mixed success before losing his job in 2017. His time in Connecticut was a success, turning around a program that was struggling. Will he be able to do the same in Fort Collins? Only time will tell.

The Ugly

JaMarcus Shephard (Oregon State)

Oregon State had an awful season last fall, falling far short of the expectations this program has built over the past few decades. JaMarcus Shephard was brought in this spring to bring a new energy into a program that desperately needs it. I’m a bit skeptical of this hire because of Shephard’s lack of experience. While he has been a position coach for quite some time, he has never been a coordinator and that scares me. The potential is there, but this hire was risky for the Beavers. Maybe it will work out in their favor, but I’m skeptical.

How do you feel about your team’s head coach? Does he have what it takes to lead your team to a championship? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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