NSD: Grading new coaches
The Early Signing Period has put a heavy burden on those coaches who emerged from the postseason coaching carousel in charge of new teams. This year, there were seven Power Five programs who introduced new head coaches within weeks of the Early Signing Period. We take a look at how each of those coaches fared in his first signing period and hand out some grades.
MORE: The Farrell Awards | 10 biggest flips of NSD | Mind of Mike | Biggest surprises | Breaking down team rankings | How every Power Five school announced signings | NSD blog | Rivals studio show
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
ARKANSAS
New coach: Sam Pittman, former Georgia offensive line coach
Grade: B
Analysis: Pittman had just 11 days before the Early Signing Period opened to convince prospects to play for him at Arkansas. The result was an unsurprisingly low total of just nine signees, but it did include a few solid additions, including three players the Razorbacks flipped from other programs on Signing Day.
The crown jewel of the class is four-star safety Myles Slusher, who had been committed to Oregon the previous eight months. The Razorbacks had to hold off a hard-charging Nebraska program to sign the Tulsa product on Wednesday. Pittman said in his Signing Day press conference that there will be a heavy push made to add more in the Late Signing Period. The Razorbacks have 11 prospects already scheduled to officially visit on the first weekend after the dead period ends in January, so it will be worth revisiting this grade in February.
BOSTON COLLEGE
New coach: Jeff Hafley, former Ohio State defensive coordinator
Grade: A
Analysis: None of the new Power Five head coaches had less time to stitch together a group of prospects to sign in the early period than Hafley did, but, with the help of interim head coach Rich Gunnell, nine players inked Boston College letters of intent on Wednesday. Additionally, Rivals100 offensive tackle Kevin Pyne is still expected to enroll next month with the Eagles. Pyne is not signing a letter of intent, likely opting to just sign a financial aid agreement.
It is an exceptional haul, considering Hafley was hired just four days before the start of the signing period. Two more prospects who signed Wednesday – offensive tackle Ozzy Trapillo and linebacker Korey Smith – are rated four-stars and this group addresses needs at tight end, defensive back and starts to meet offensive line needs. It is a strong foundation to build off of in the Late Signing Period.
FLORIDA STATE
New coach: Mike Norvell, former Memphis head coach
Grade: A
Analysis: A longtime quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, new Florida State head coach Mike Norvell knows the importance of the quarterback position to a team’s overall success. With Florida State failing to sign a quarterback in either of its two previous classes, it was no surprise that the recruiting focus of Norvell’s first few days as the Seminoles' head man was securing quarterbacks. Five days after being named Florida State head coach, Norvell flipped three-star quarterback Tate Rodemaker from South Florida. Then, on signing day he flipped four-star passer Chubba Purdy from ACC rival Louisville.
The number of prospects Norvell signed in the early period totals 17. That includes four-star wide receiver Bryan Robinson and three-star wide receiver Kentron Poitier, as well as a former commit in Josh Griffis, each of whom popped for the Seminoles on Signing Day.
MISSOURI
New coach: Eliah Drinkwitz, former Appalachian State head coach
Grade: C
Analysis: When Barry Odom was fired as head coach at Missouri on Nov. 30 the Tigers had 17 commitments. Several of those commitments, including four-star offensive lineman Jalen St. John, immediately rescinded their pledges and reopened their recruitments. Missouri took less than two weeks to secure Drinkwitz as its next head coach, but the decommitments continued, and on National Signing Day the Tigers inked just 10 prospects to letters of intent. Drinkwitz was able to save three-star wide receiver Javian Hester and three-star running back Elijah Young, both of whom had looked around during the coaching transition, but the Tigers lost running back Dominique Johnson and offensive lineman Ray Curry to Arkansas in Signing Day flips.
OLE MISS
New coach: Lane Kiffin, former Florida Atlantic head coach
Grade: B
Analysis: When you hire Lane Kiffin, you expect to be getting one of the best recruiting head coaches in the game. Kiffin signed a No. 1-ranked recruiting class less than a month after taking over USC’s program, so he knows how to navigate these recruiting waters.
It is no surprise, then, that the Rebels made some noise during signing day week, landing five new prospects, including former Florida State safety commit Derek Bermudez. Kiffin is going to remake this Ole Miss roster to suit his system, and that means some of the guys recruited by the previous staff were not ideal fits. There has been some attrition from the commitment list, but Kiffin signed 12 total prospects that included the five he brought in this week.
Look for the Rebels to be a major player in late recruiting and potentially double the current number of prospects in this class when the signing period opens again in February.
RUTGERS
New coach: Greg Schiano, second stint as Rutgers head coach
Grade: B
Analysis: Schiano was not one of Ohio State’s most dynamic recruiters while on Urban Meyer’s staff, but he certainly did not forget how to recruit since his last stint as Rutgers’ head coach. One thing he knows is to surround himself with other good recruiters, and Schiano leaned on his early staff hires, particularly defensive backs coach Fran Brown, to help secure a 16-man signing group in the early period.
One of the biggest challenges for first-year coaches with this Early Signing Period is making sure you have enough bodies to address needs. This Rutgers 2020 class does not have a ton of stars in it, but it does have a lot of solid additions to provide depth and meet those needs. How does this grade jump to an “A” after the February signing period? By landing Rivals100 running back Jalen Berger. He announces Jan. 4 at the All-American Bowl.
WASHINGTON
New coach: Jimmy Lake, previously Washington’s defensive coordinator
Grade: A
Analysis: Of the seven new head coaches in Power Five conferences, Washington’s Lake was the only one who was elevated from the previous staff. That type of continuity makes a ton of difference in recruiting, and it showed with Washington retaining and signing all of its commitments after Chris Petersen announced he was stepping down on Dec. 2.
Lake even went out and added to the prior total, getting Rivals250 defensive back Jacobe Covington to re-commit to the Huskies late last week after he had decommitted in October. The final result for Lake was the Pac-12’s No. 2-ranked recruiting class, a top 15 ranked group nationally that boasts a five-star and nine four-star prospects.