In August and then October I took a look at the job security of all 2+ year coaches in the league. Since the October rankings, Minnesota coach Jerry Kill retired and Tracy Clayes was promoted from interim to full time coach and Rutgers cut ties with Kyle Flood. This list will go from coldest to hottest.
1. Mark Dantonio, MSU
He slayed the OSU beast and dominated Penn State to make the Big Ten title game. Has a shot at winning a national title this year. Get this man a statue! August Rank: 2 / October Rank: 2
2. Urban Meyer, OSU
Still has a national title and just crushed Michigan but to go from pre-season number one to a long shot at making the CFP has to sting just a pinch.. August Rank: 1 / October Rank: 1
3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Other than the first undefeated regular season since 1922, how has Kirk done this year? August Rank: 8 / October Rank: 3
4. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
10-wins is a major accomplishment at NU. Only the 4th time in school history they have hit that and he has done it twice. Being a beloved alum helps, too. August Rank: 6 / October Rank: 5
5. Kevin Wilson, Indiana
Bowl bound, baby! Wilson, who had a 7 year contract, is wrapping up his fifth season. Can we talk extension? August Rank: 10 / October Rank: 8
6. Darrell Hazell, Purdue
Well the school is bringing him back because of his buy out but his record indicates he is not long for this program. August Rank: 9 / October Rank: 9
7. James Franklin, Penn State
Other than giving up 50+ points for the first time since 1988 and having one of the worst offensive lines in college football, Franklin’s tenure is going pretty well in State College. August Rank: 4 / October Rank: 6
Fired/Resigned Coaches (order from most recent):
Kyle Flood, Rutgers
This was a no brainer the second the email story came out. It was always a matter of when, not if, Flood was going to be tossed.
Jerry Kill, Minnesota
Difficult to swallow since he is an extremely likable man and really seemed to have the Gopher’s on the cusp of turning things around. The good news is Kill’s retiring for health related issues stemming primarily from the stress of the job. He gets to enjoy plenty of time with his wife and doing charitable things. This is a chapter end for coach Kill, not a book end.
Randy Edsall, Maryland
Despite improved recruiting, just could not survive mounting losses at a school hungry to compete.
Tim Beckman, Illinois
A bad hire several years ago turned into a nightmare with the player abuse story. Hard to see Beckman ever getting another job again if the allegations are true. Based on the report the school did and cleaning house with Beckman and the AD gone, it seems like the school thinks the report is solid.
Fresh Faces Watch (order of success so far):
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
9-3 debut and despite not making it, having a chance to make the Big Ten title game going into the last weekend was mighty impressive. What a start for the mad man in the khakis.
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
It wasn’t pretty between mediocre quarterback and OL play and a rash of injuries but this team went 9-3 and had a shot at Indy going into the final two games of the season. All in all a pretty good start.
Tracy Clayes, Minnesota
Clays had to coach UM through a difficult stretch of games and they only had one win to show for it but they played well against OSU and nearly knocked off Michigan and Iowa. We’ll know a lot more about this hire come next fall.
Mike Riley, Nebraska
5-7 wasn’t ideal but they played a lot better than their record indicated and did knock off MSU. Questionable play calling and backbreaking turnovers doomed this team. For someone that wasn’t a popular hire, making a poor first impression has soured many Husker fans already.
Bill Cubit, Illinois
Hey, let’s hire a guy 4 games over .500 at Western Michigan who would never have gotten an interview normally because he was so good as an interim. Wait, he was only 5-7 and went 1-6 down the stretch? Wait, he was hired to be the OC and his offense was 97th nationally? Total panic move by Illinois who cannot get their house in order between the chancellor’s office and the athletic director’s job. To quote Jurassic Park, “hold on to your butts!”
Interim Watch:
Mike Locksley, Maryland
He was never going to get the job and said he didn’t want it but the Terps did play a tad better without Edsall. Their comeback win over Rutgers showed a fair amount of heart for a team that really had no reason to care. Locksley is known as a star recruiter. Someone will want him on their staff to help bring in some solid recruits so don’t be surprised if you see him around somewhere next fall.
Big Ten and Counting 