Coaching Changes for the 2014 College Football Season
By Scott, NCAA Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Arkansas State: New head coach Blake Anderson takes over for the Red Wolves, after the last three coaches of this team have taken high-profile gigs after one year with the team, with Hugh Freeze going to Ole Miss, Gus Malzahn going to Auburn, and last year's coach Bryan Harsin taking over at Boise State.
Army: The new head coach at Army is Jeff Monken. The 46-year old is coming off a successful 4-year tenure at Georgia Southern, where he was 38-16.
Boise State: With Chris Petersen taking over at Washington, the Broncos signed new head coach Bryan Harsin, who left as head coach of Arkansas State after one season where he was 7-5 in his only college head coaching job. Harsin spent a decade at Boise State as a coach and returns as top dog after being away for three seasons.
Bowling Green: The new head coach at Bowling Green is Dino Babers, who spent the past three seasons as the Eastern Illinois head coach. Prior to that, the 52-year old has been bouncing around as a position coach in the college ranks since the mid-80's.
Connecticut: After a successful run as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator for the past 3 seasons, the 41-year old Bob Diaco takes over at Connecticut, a team that had to let head coach Paul Pasqualoni go before the season ended last year. This is Diaco's first head coaching gig.
Eastern Michigan: The Eagles have a new head coach in 45-year old Chris Creighton. As head coach of the FCS Drake Bulldogs for the past 6 seasons, Creighton compiled a 42-22 mark.
>Florida Atlantic: New head coach Charlie Partridge takes over for FAU, following a 1-year stint as Arkansas defensive coordinator. This will be the 40-year old's first head coaching job.
Louisville: The Cardinals have their old head coach back in Bobby Petrino, who ran the show at Louisville from 2003-2006, compiling a 41-9 record. After a much-publicized fall from grace, Petrino took a year off before resurfacing at Western Kentucky last season.
Massachusetts: Veteran head coach Mark Whipple returns to where he coached from 1998-2003. Among the jobs he's had in the past decade include two different quarterback-coach gigs in the NFL. The 56-year old Whipple was 49-26 in his 6 years as Massachusetts's head coach.
Miami-Ohio: Following a 2-year stint as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator, new Miami-Ohio head coach Chuck Martin is now in the fold. Martin was 74-7 in 6 seasons at Grand Valley State.
Penn State: New head coach James Franklin takes over for NFL-bound Bill O'Brien. Franklin is coming off a 3-year stint as Vanderbilt head coach, where he was 24-15, leading the Commodores to three straight bowl appearances.
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Texas: With the departure of Mack Brown. the new head coach is Charlie Strong, who is coming off a successful 4-year tenure as Louisville head coach. In his last two seasons with the Cardinals, Strong was 23-3 and now gets one the most highly-desired coaching gigs in the country.
UAB: Following Garrick McGee's 5-19 mark in two years as Alabama-Birmingham's coach, the new head coach is Bill Clark. At Jacksonville State last season, Clark led his squad to an 11-4 record.
USC: Last season, USC had a chaotic coaching situation, with 3 different head coaches during the season. The new head coach is Steve Sarkisian and he should at least bring stability for the foreseeable future. Sarkisian helped revamp the Washington program, leading them to bowl games in his last 4 seasons as coach.
Vanderbilt: New head coach Derek Mason gets his first head coaching job, after bouncing around the college and pro ranks for 20 years. In his last two seasons, he distinguished himself as Stanford's defensive coordinator.
Wake Forest: New head coach Dave Clawson takes over for the Demon Deacons, following a 5-year head coaching stint with Bowling Green where he was 32-31. Clawson, 46, has 14 years of head coaching experience.
Washington: With the departure of Steve Sarkisian, the new head coach is Chris Petersen, the same man who helped bring Boise State into the limelight during his 8 years as their head coach.
Western Kentucky: Bobby Petrino is gone after one year to greener pastures, opening the door for new head coach Jeff Brohm. The 7-year NFL veteran was the offensive coordinator for this team last year and has over a decade of college coaching experience, though this will be his first head coaching job.
Wyoming: The Cowboys' new head coach is 55-year old Craig Bohl, a man with 30 years of coaching experience in the college ranks. He is coming off a successful 11-year run as North Dakota State head coach, where he won championships in his last 3 seasons, going 43-2.
