College football first-year coach grades: Bill Belichick gets 'D' after rough season at North Carolina​

How did the first-year coaches grade out after their debut campaigns in 2025?​

The biggest hire of the coaching carousel didn't work out nearly as well as expected.

It was a relatively quiet coaching carousel a year ago, at least at the Power Four level where only six programs made changes leading into the 2025 season. There wasn't a big marquee opening the way there was the year prior (Alabama, Michigan) or the following year (LSU, Florida, Penn State and Michigan). Instead, it was North Carolina that made the splash of the cycle when it lured eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill.

Unfortunately for UNC, Belichick and his team made more waves off the field than it did on it. It was another much less heralded hire in North Carolina that fared considerably better.

With the 2025 season officially in the books now, here is the full list of grades on the Year 1 performances of every first-year Power Four head coach.

North Carolina - Bill Belichick: D​

Purdue - Barry Odom: D​

Stanford - Frank Reich: C-​

UCF - Scott Frost: C+​

Wake Forest - Jake Dickert: A​

There were questions about fit as Jake Dickert had spent his entire career out West, but he quickly showed why AD John Currie believed he could win in Winston Salem. Dickert was the best hire of the cycle, taking over where Dave Clawson left off and guiding the Demon Deacons to wins over SMU, Virginia and North Carolina. It was only the fourth time in school history it recorded nine or more wins, quite the accomplishment for a first-year coach. The future looks bright at Wake Forest under Dickert. Record: 9-4

West Virginia - Rich Rodriguez: C-​

Just sayin': The post season review of the power 4 teams making coaching changes for 2026 should be a lot more interesting....

Key 2026 Power 4 Head Coaching Changes:

• LSU: Lane Kiffin (from Ole Miss)
• Florida: Jon Sumrall (from Tulane)
• Washington State: Kirby Moore (from Missouri)
• Penn State: Matt Campbell
• Virginia Tech: James Franklin
• Michigan: Kyle Whittingham

You need an entire front office operation at this point. Managing the current roster, portal transfers and high school kids. The scouting, the money management and the market constantly changing. All while roster building for a coach’s preferred styed. Impossible for one person to keep up with this many factors.

Super Bowl Bound!

Super Bowl Bound!

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Class: 2028
Position: DL
School: Loganville (GA) Grayson
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 220 lbs

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Login to view embedded media He's having a heck of an NFL career

white tomlin without the charisma and funny sound clips - fuck

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Class: 2027
Position: DL
School: Montvale (NJ) St. Joseph
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 245 lbs

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Class: 2027
Position: WR
School: Memphis (TN) Collierville
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 170 lbs

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Class: 2027
Position: DL
School: Birmingham (AL) Spain Park
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 250 lbs

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ScriptOhio said:

In the 1935 game: There appears to be 2 dark colored stripes on the back side of Ohio State's pants.

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I found this too:

BB73 probably got to see the 1936 game for just $4.40.....

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My great-grandson had student tickets.

If we all put our money together, we can put a Buckeye Planet patch on a preferred walk this season. Lol

ScriptOhio said:

Could Texas have a potential OL issue in 2026 too?

Texas, Alabama among teams with lingering roster question marks as 2026 transfer portal cycle winds down

With transfer options dwindling, these teams face some question marks entering spring football

www.cbssports.com

Texas, Alabama among teams with lingering roster question marks as 2026 transfer portal cycle winds down​

With transfer options dwindling, these teams face some question marks entering spring football​

Texas: Offensive line​

The offensive line was the weak spot of Texas' 2025 roster, forcing Steve Sarkisian to replace two mainstays from that unit. He landed a likely starter at tackle in Melvin Siani but could still benefit from adding a ready-made option on the interior.

Given the Longhorns' aggressive approach at other positions -- and their flawless execution in a highly successful cycle -- it was somewhat surprising that they were only involved with one highly regarded lineman. Perhaps Siani's arrival, combined with another year of development from Trevor Goosby, Brandon Baker and Connor Robertson, will be enough to spark improvement and fill the remaining gap on a championship-caliber roster.

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They had Oline issues all this past year.

Xichigan played a D that I am not familiar with. Thorton was guarded by a Xichigan blanket. It worked. And Xichigan could throw what, 3 7 footers at the basket? Don't care how tall you are, block those suckers out, and force them to go 'over the top' for a rebound (and back them up while they're in the air). Put back stuffs were pretty common, while tOSU guys stood around wondering why their 'man' was scoring. Our second tall guy is a very blunt instrument. Someone above called it correctly. Many tOSU players were passing up open shots, instead passing the ball to our scorers, who were guarded closer then have seen before. And yeah, one doesn't become "Ohio Player of Year" with rebounds, but by scoring, and Cupps and White got their awards by putting the ball in the hole....OK, write it off and move on....

Hey, maybe we can double up on the NIL front, by getting Diebs to kick in for a dual scholarship for the basketbucks? He's got a #4 written all over him. (might help his agility around the line as well).

What a career ride

Former Ohio State Wide Receivers Coach Brian Hartline Hires Former Buckeye Wide Receiver K.J. Hill, Offensive Lineman Toby Wilson at South Florida​

Brian Hartline is infusing some more Buckeye flavor to his first coaching staff at South Florida.

The former Ohio State wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator, now head coach of the Bulls, has hired former Buckeye wide receiver K.J. Hill as an offensive analyst and offensive lineman Toby Wilson as an assistant offensive line coach.

Wilson is the son of former Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and played for the Buckeyes for four seasons after walking on to the team in 2021. He served a depth role during his entire career, playing 12 snaps as a senior in 2024. He'll work as an offensive line assistant under USF offensive line coach Mike Sollenne, who worked as an assistant offensive line coach at OSU from 2022 through 2024.

ScriptOhio said:

Young, a native of Perrysburg, Ohio, began his career at Cincinnati after graduating high school in 2021. He redshirted that year and spent four total seasons with the Bearcats, but never appeared in a game. He transferred to Houston Christian ahead of his fifth season, seeking an opportunity to start at the FCS level.

In his first year as a starter with the Huskies in 2025, Young averaged 41.8 yards per punt across 69 boots, with 17 punts downed inside the opposing 20-yard line and 12 that traveled 50 yards or more. He had one punt clear 60 yards, a career-long 66-yard boot against Northern Colorado on Sept. 20.

Just sayin':
1. Anybody know how he qualifies for a 6th year? Doesn't the year at Houston Christian count?
2. Yeah, he'll get to compete for P1; however, I'll say the coaches just picked him up expecting him to be the back up punter.

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Competition is really important here; this at least forces McGuire to work harder and hopefully improve some.