Wow, I think all 5 schools were very happy with those hires.
Here are a few 2007 head coaching changes left out, that by varying degrees didn’t quite have similar staying power:
Iowa State, Out: Dan McCarney (fired), In:
Gene Chizik – “Iowa State landed an in-demand assistant before someone else grabbed him. Chizik has coordinated outstanding defenses at Auburn and Texas…Can he build a whole team at Iowa State?”
Arizona State, Out: Dirk Koetter (fired), In:
Dennis Erickson – “This could be the final stop for Erickson. No, really. We mean it. OK…stop that laughing. Even if it’s short term, Erickson should do what Koetter couldn’t – beat ranked teams and win Pac-10 games in California.”
North Carolina, Out: John Bunting (fired), In:
Butch Davis – “Rejuvenated after his NFL experience (when will these college coaches ever learn?), Davis tries to wake the sleeping giant. He could do for the Heels what Mack Brown did in the 1990s.”
Louisville, Out:
Bobby Petrino (NFL), In:
Steve Kragthorpe – “If you had to lose a coach to the Atlanta Falcons, the proper response for a Top 10 program is to hire a guy on everyone’s wish list. Kragthorpe played his cards right, waiting at Tulsa until the right job came along.”
Miami, Out: Larry Coker (fired), In:
Randy Shannon – “Shannon, elevated from defensive coordinator, wasted no time in a laying down a his-way-or-the-highway approach to a program in search of more accountability. “I need team, team, team guys,” he said.”
Central Michigan, Out:
Brian Kelly (Cincinnati), In:
Butch Jones – “The Chippewas reached out to Jones, a former CMU assistant who was coaching at West Virginia. This is a fairly seamless transition, as he’ll continue to run a spread offense for the defending MAC Champs.”
Minnesota, Out: Glen Mason (fired), In:
Tim Brewster – “Brewster is a coaching shot of adrenaline, a glad-handing bundle of energy who spins the atmosphere 180 degrees in Minnesota. He’s never been a head coach, yet this could be golden.”
