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The first-year hits came from unexpected places on the 2024 coaching carousel after college football grappled with a series of seismic openings late in the calendar. Nick Saban's January retirement set off dominoes that led to coaching changes at Washington, Arizona, San Jose State, South Alabama and Buffalo.
Jim Harbaugh also jolted the sport's coaching ecosystem by departing Michigan for the Los Angeles Chargers after leading the Wolverines to the national championship. That left both teams that participated in the national championship game (Michigan and Washington) with coaching changes entering the 2025 season. Then, in February, Chip Kelly left his post as UCLA coach for the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State in a surprising move that left the Bruins little choice but to promote from within.
But as we reflect back on the 2024 coaching carousel, the biggest immediate winners didn't come from the most high-profile openings. Instead, the two 'A+' grades from the Power Four changes come from Indiana (Curt Cignetti) and Syracuse (Fran Brown). The pair of basketball schools got immediate results from their coaching changes that not many could have reasonably expected.
Here is the full list of grades on the Year 1 performance of each first-year coach Power Four coach.
| Team | Coach | Record | Analysis | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalen DeBoer | 9-4 | There are scenarios in which a 9-3 regular season record would have earned DeBoer a 'B' grade. But losing to Vanderbilt and falling 24-3 to a bad Oklahoma team when your CFP hopes are at stake is inexcusable. Topping it off with an offensively lifeless bowl loss to Michigan made for a sour ending | C- | |
| Brent Brennan | 4-8 | Arizona retained star quarterback Noah Fifita and star receiver Tetairoa McMillan after Jedd Fisch's departure, which created hope of sustained success. It didn't pan out as the Wildcats failed to beat a single bowl team during a miserable 4-8 campaign marked by several blowout losses. | D | |
| Bill O'Brien | 7-6 | O'Brien led the Eagles to four victories over bowl teams, including a 37-31 win over a strong Syracuse team, as part of a solid debut campaign. Boston College also made a brief appearance in the AP poll for the first time since 2018. | B | |
| Manny Diaz | 9-4 | Duke lost coach Mike Elko to Texas A&M, star quarterback Riley Leonard to Notre Dame, leading rusher Jordan Waters to NC State and several of its most productive defenders. Yet, in spite of that potentially crippling attrition, Diaz led the Blue Devils to a 9-4 season. | A | |
| Willie Fritz | 4-8 | Fritz somehow managed to coax victories over TCU, Utah and Kansas State out of a team that ranked 128th in total offense. If Fritz can unlock the potential of incoming Texas A&M quarterback transfer Conner Weigman, Year 2 progress could be in store. | C | |
| Curt Cignetti | 11-2 | Cignetti inherited a 3-9 team and led it to the College Football Playoff and the highest win total in program history. Repeating that success against a more difficult 2025 schedule will be tough, but Cignetti has the Hoosiers on a promising trajectory. | A+ | |
| Sherrone Moore | 8-5 | This was trending toward 'D' territory in early November, but the Wolverines closed with a stunning rivalry win at Ohio State and a ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Alabama. Michigan also flipped five-star quarterback prospect Bryce Underwood from LSU to help give Moore's tenure some major recruiting momentum. | B+ | |
| Jonathan Smith | 5-7 | Smith inherited a mess and nudged the ship back toward the right course as redshirt freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles earned a season's worth of valuable game reps. The hope is that his experience will pay dividends and the Spartans can use the lessons of a frustrating Year 1 as a foundation for Year 2 strides. | C | |
| Jeff Lebby | 2-10 | Lebby inherited a program reeling from the death of Mike Leach and the subsequent failed tenure of one-year stopgap hire Zach Arnett. Against that backdrop, little was expected in Year 1. And little was delivered as the Bulldogs lost all eight of their SEC games by 10+ points. | C- | |
| Fran Brown | 10-3 | Brown guided Syracuse to its third 10-win season of the 21st century and a No. 21 final CFP ranking. A 42-38 upset of No. 8 Miami highlighted the campaign as the Orange ranked No. 1 nationally in passing offense at 370 yards per game. | A+ | |
| Mike Elko | 8-5 | Texas A&M rattled off seven straight wins to reach No. 10 in the AP poll in late October as Elko surged into SEC Coach of the Year contention. Things went awry from there, however, as the Aggies dropped four of their last five to finish with their usual mediocre record. | B- | |
| DeShaun Foster | 5-7 | UCLA looked overmatched in the Big Ten during a 1-5 start following Chip Kelly's unceremonious departure. But the Bruins rallied for a 4-2 ending that included four wins against bowl teams as Foster's squad finished off one of the nation's toughest schedules with promise. | B | |
| Jedd Fisch | 6-7 | Even if Kalen DeBoer had stayed, it was going to be a rebuilding year for Washington. The transition to the Big Ten and the inevitable transfer exodus associated with DeBoer's departure only magnified that reality. It was a forgettable first season for Fisch but not cause for alarm. | C+ |
