What will we say about Lane Kiffin and 16 other new coaches in December?
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Lane Kiffin hasn't coached a game yet for LSU, but the spotlight is blindingly bright on college football's most controversial coach.
In other words, LSU is getting what it paid for: Drama, drama, drama.
Well, it paid for wins, too, and that pursuit will begin this weekend against Clemson.
As Kiffin sucks up all of the attention (just the way he likes it) ahead of Week 1, remember he's but one of 17 new coaches in the Power Four.
If we fast-forward to the end of the season, what will we be saying about each of these new coaches? OK, I'll bite.
Here's what I think we'll say about these coaches after their first season:
Lane Kiffin, LSU
LSU got the full-throttled Lane Kiffin experience.
A lot of wins, a hard-to-explain loss, and a season’s worth a drama. It’s all on the table, served up by Chef Boyardrama. Forget Kiffin's Mississippi arc of a coach all grown up. With no adult in the room at LSU (or in the governor’s mansion), Lane gets to be OG Lane, to the max. Get your popcorn ready.
Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas
What’s his buyout?
Silverfield fared fine the past three years at Memphis, but he’s transitioning from coaching a school that’s more advantaged than many of its Group of Six peers to now coaching one of the most challenging SEC jobs. Arkansas remains flawed. Smells like fried bacon.
Jon Sumrall, Florida
He talked a good game. Then, the games started.
Sumrall’s an entertaining sort, and he’ll be a breath of fresh air for a Florida press corps that had the misfortune of covering Boring Billy for four seasons. Sumrall’s interviews will be catnip, but Florida’s uprising has a ways to go.
Eric Morris, Oklahoma State
He fits, anyway.
A Fit Factory couldn’t make a more made-for-the-Cowboys coach than Morris. He’s a ball coach who shoots armadillos and owns a farm as a side hustle. His Air Raid offense will suit Oklahoma State, too.
Kyle Whittingham, Michigan
At least he didn’t finish the season wearing a jumpsuit.
Unless Michigan commissions Connor Stalions to grab the glasses, fake mustache, and a gimme cap to rekindle some sign-stealing, the Wolverines aren’t national title contenders. Not sure they’re a playoff team, either. But, no chance Michigan will regret having the reputable Whittingham on its sideline instead of disgraceful Sherrone Moore.
Pete Golding, Ole Miss
They’ll always have the Sugar Bowl.
No matter how this goes for Golding, he and Trinidad Chambliss should always be remembered for their heroic efforts to buoy Ole Miss past Georgia in the playoffs, after Kiffin bolted. Put me in the camp who wonders if Golding’s Sugar Bowl triumph will forever remain his finest hour.
Matt Campbell, Penn State
Penn State replaced James Franklin with a more likable James Franklin.
Campbell is a rock-solid program builder. He’ll win a lot more games than he’ll lose. You could’ve said all of that about Campbell’s predecessor, too. Penn State needed a new face of the program. It was time. Campbell is a good hire, but does he significantly alter Penn State’s ceiling? Not sold on that. This cushy schedule, though, is a coach’s dream.
Bob Chesney, UCLA
He’s no Curt Cignetti, but he’s no DeShaun Foster, either.
Expecting Chesney (or anyone) to replicate Cignetti’s warp-speed transition of a tire-spinning basketball school to a football powerhouse is an impossible ask. Yes, Chesney replaced Cignetti at James Madison and kept the Dukes roaring, but Cigs don’t grow on trees. Expecting Chesney to be an upgrade on Foster? That’s a more fair ask.
Will Stein, Kentucky
Well, this is different. Is different better?
When Kentucky fired Mark Stoops, it ousted the SEC’s longest-tenured coach. There were good times, bad times, and times when Stoops blamed the bad times on fan cheapness. Eventually, Kentucky needed a change. Stein supplies a gulp of fresh air, with a track record for quarterback development, but there’s no telling how this will go for a 36-year-old rookie coach.
Alex Golesh, Auburn
Auburn is the blind squirrel that finally found the nut.
Golesh’s star quarterback Byrum Brown followed him to Auburn from South Florida. So did several other USF players. That, plus some pieces Golesh inherited, position him to deliver Auburn’s first winning season since it fired Gus Malzahn. Golesh is everything Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze weren’t. That is, a coach built to succeed in this era.
Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State
Remind us, where’d this guy come from?
Two years ago, Rogers was coaching an FCS school. He’d never worked at the Power Four level, even as an assistant, before Iowa State hired him after one 6-6 season at Washington State. Rogers crushed it in two seasons coaching South Dakota State, his alma mater. So, maybe, Iowa State got in on the ground floor on Rogers. Or, it jumped the gun.
Morgan Scalley, Utah
Yep, he was ready for a promotion.
Utah’s breakup with Whittingham could’ve gone a lot more smoothly, but don’t let that cloud Scalley’s qualifications for the head chair after he spent nearly two decades on Whittingham’s staff. He’s spent his career preparing to meet the bar Whittingham set. Retaining quarterback Devon Dampier positions Scalley for a strong debut.
Collin Klein, Kansas State
Great Kansas State quarterback. Jury’s out on him as K-State coach.
Excelling at Kansas State remains tougher than Bill Snyder and Chris Klieman made it look. Klein needs no introduction to the Little Apple. He starred playing for Snyder, and he coached under Snyder and Klieman before boosting his stock as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. He still must prove himself as a head coach at a challenging spot.
Tosh Lupoi, California
So far, so good.
One hundred years after its glory days, Cal suddenly seems interested in being relevant in football. You don’t sign a top-15 transfer class, like Lupoi did, without some roster investment. Lupoi’s generating buzz on the recruiting trail, too, at his alma mater. There’s room in the ACC for an upstart. Why not Cal?
Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State
How long until the next coaching search?
The last we saw of Fitzgerald on the sideline, he went 1-11 in his final season at Northwestern. That’s not to besmirch his accomplishments at Northwestern, his alma mater, but he presents as the Black Eyed Peas hire: Had some hits, but not recently. How long ‘til we see this for what it is? A placeholder hire.
James Franklin, Virginia Tech
He’s still James Franklin.
The Hokies need rebuilt. So, they hired a program builder. When you employ Franklin, you also must stomach grumbling — he’s already groaning about needing more resources — and the fact that he’ll fizzle in the biggest games. The Hokies can worry about big games later. First, they need competency. Franklin can restore that.
Tavita Pritchard
Well, that went about according to expectations.
If you’re wondering, sportsbooks set Stanford’s over/under win total at 3½ victories, so that’s a reminder of what to expect. Stanford is 1-0, after beating Hawaii in Pritchard’s debut. The bad news? The schedule gets much tougher. It’s an uphill march at a program that last won more than four games in 2018.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. John Brice and Paul Myerberg cover college football for USA Today Sports. Check out their podcast, College Football Unfiltered.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What will we say about Lane Kiffin and 16 other new coaches in December?
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