{"id":1049171,"date":"2026-09-07T16:49:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T16:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1049171\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T16:49:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T16:49:22","slug":"grading-first-year-college-football-coaches-after-debut-games-in-week-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1049171\/","title":{"rendered":"Grading first-year college football coaches after debut games in Week 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

College football’s<\/a> Week 1 featured a wave of new coaches making debuts with their programs after a tumultuous offseason. The SEC alone flipped six coaches, causing chaos across the Group of Six as programs scrambled to backfill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New coaches headlined the highest-profile games of the weekend, as LSU’s<\/a> Lane Kiffin got out to a quick start and Michigan’s<\/a> Kyle Whittingham faltered. In other cases, coaches got simple starts to flex their muscles against overmatched FCS opponents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The list includes two coaches promoted from interim status who coached a handful of games last season: Ole Miss’s<\/a> Pete Golding and Kent State’s<\/a> Mark Carney. But still, going through a full offseason and taking over is a new complication. We also included a handful of coaches who coached multiple games with seasons starting in Week 0. We’ll happily take additional data points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here’s how we grade every first-year coach’s performance in Week 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Lane Kiffin, LSU<\/p>\n

What is there to say? Kiffin’s Tigers were magnificent in his Baton Rouge debut, obliterating Clemson<\/a> 51-10. LSU won every phase of the game in spades, but the running game — led by QB Sam Leavitt<\/a> and RB Dilin Jones<\/a> — stood apart. Honestly, the only hesitation about this performance is whether Clemson deserves more blame than LSU deserves credit. For one week, Kiffin was worth every penny and every bit of headache.\u00a0Grade: A+<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Kyle Whittingham, Michigan<\/p>\n

Even putting aside the controversial finish<\/a>, Michigan was absolutely awful in Whittingham’s first game. The Wolverines mustered only 229 yards and six points against Western Michigan<\/a> before the Hail Mary, and the defense struggled to get off the field. Frankly, the Wolverines that showed up against WMU would miss a bowl game — and that’s before you consider the four games against AP top 10 opponents ahead.\u00a0Grade: F<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Bob Chesney, UCLA<\/p>\n

Chesney has deservedly gotten plenty of plaudits over the offseason, and the Bruins came out guns blazing in a 45-24 win over rival California<\/a>. In the game’s brightest moments, it was UCLA<\/a> ready to execute and play clean, situational football. The diversified running game gave the Golden Bears fits, headlined by a cool 8.7 yards per carry. Early returns were absolutely sensational.\u00a0Grade: A<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Eric Morris, Oklahoma State<\/p>\n

Expectations were high for the Cowboys heading into Morris’s first season after importing the core of his North Texas<\/a> 11-win roster. Instead, Oklahoma State<\/a> delivered what Morris called one of the worst offensive performances he’s ever seen. The Pokes mustered only 10 points in a 24-10 loss to Tulsa<\/a>. One year ago, losing to the Golden Hurricane sent Mike Gundy packing. High-profile quarterback Drew Mestemaker<\/a> didn’t clear 100 yards passing until the third quarter. The honeymoon is already over in Stillwater.\u00a0Grade: F<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Pete Golding, Ole Miss<\/p>\n

Golding had the advantage of coaching through the College Football Playoff last season, but this was his first game with a full offseason of work. Frankly, coaching returns were fairly inconsistent during a 41-38 win over No. 24 Louisville<\/a>. The Rebels shut down UL star running back Isaac Brown<\/a>, but the defense struggled against first-time starting quarterback Lincoln Kienholz<\/a>. Trinidad Chambliss<\/a> showed his mettle as a potential Heisman winner, but it simply shouldn’t take heroics every week.\u00a0Grade: C<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

James Franklin, Virginia Tech<\/p>\n

Nothing much was asked of Virginia Tech<\/a> during a 73-3 flattening of VMI<\/a>, but holding an option team to -4 yards rushing on 43 carries is pretty darn impressive. It was nice to see both quarterbacks — Ethan Grunkemeyer<\/a> and Bryce Baker<\/a> — combine to complete 27 of 32 passes, but we won’t know what it means until potentially into October with a light schedule.\u00a0Grade: B<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Jon Sumrall, Florida<\/p>\n

Florida<\/a> looked like the offense that was promised in a thrilling 66-21 win against FAU<\/a>. The hire of Buster Faulkner at offensive coordinator looked like a brilliant move as Florida stacked up 624 yards of offense, including 160 yards and three touchdowns from stud running back Jadan Baugh<\/a>. The Gators lose a few points for allowing 21 points and 276 passing yards to Caden Veltkamp<\/a>, but the Owls are solid offensively.\u00a0Grade: B+\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Will Stein, Kentucky<\/p>\n

Beating down FCS power Youngstown State<\/a> was nice, but it was the offensive dominance that made fans excited. Quarterback Kenny Minchey<\/a> was sensational with 300 yards and four touchdowns, and the team rushed for 200 yards and 6.0 yards per carry. The real test of Kentucky’s<\/a> growth will come at home against No. 13 Alabama<\/a> on Saturday. If the Wildcats pull a stunning upset, Stein will be the new hottest coach in college football.\u00a0Grade: A<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Alex Golesh, Auburn<\/p>\n

Golesh is one of the tougher grades on the board. The Tigers held on to beat Baylor<\/a> 27-24 and got a few magical plays at the end. On one hand, the Tigers found ways to make plays in a close game, including a stop at the 6-inch line from safety Eric Winters<\/a>. On the other hand, quarterback Byrum Brown<\/a> looked lackluster against a Power Four opponent, the offensive line was not ready for primetime and the Bears outplayed them in most phases. Surviving is good enough for now, but the Tigers have a lot of work to do.\u00a0Grade: C+<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Matt Campbell, Penn State<\/p>\n

Not much to write home about in a 45-0 win over a solid Marshall<\/a> squad from the MAC, which is a good thing. A wave of former Iowa State<\/a> players led the way, including four touchdowns from quarterback Rocco Becht<\/a> and touchdowns from Ben Brahmer and Brett Eskildsen<\/a>. Of course, first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is going to have a lot of fun with playmakers like Tony Rojas<\/a> and Caleb Bacon<\/a>.\u00a0Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas<\/p>\n

The Razorbacks waited nearly a full quarter to finally get on the board during a 31-14 win over North Alabama<\/a>, and then waited to pull away. Arkansas<\/a> tripled UNA in yardage, but three turnovers meant this game was in doubt longer than it should have been. Arkansas won’t have many shots to party in the stands — especially with No. 21 Utah<\/a> and four top-11 opponents on the schedule. Unfortunately, the Hogs made this one difficult.\u00a0Grade: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State<\/p>\n

The Spartans paid an awful lot of money for Jonathan Smith to go away, and the investment looked a little shaky in Fitzgerald’s first game. The offense looked like the same messy unit that defined his later years at Northwestern<\/a>, and Toledo<\/a> rattled off a 71-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to take a late lead. Survival is enough for now, but there’s not much runway with No. 4 Notre Dame<\/a> in Week 3.\u00a0Grade: C<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Tosh Lupoi, California<\/p>\n

Lupoi was an exciting hire for Cal, and there were reasons for optimism in his first outing against UCLA. Of course, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele<\/a> is a star and nearly led the Golden Bears back for a stunning upset. Overall, Lupoi’s defense played fine until the final quarter. Running back Adam Mohammed<\/a> is a dude. Losing to that team doesn’t feel good, though.\u00a0Grade: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"team
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Tavita Pritchard, Stanford<\/p>\n

Pritchard knew he was taking over a full-scale rebuild, and the first two games have been mostly that. Credit to the Cardinal for outlasting Hawaii’s<\/a> dynamic offense to get an impressive victory, but a 45-6 loss to Miami<\/a> shows just how far this program has to go. Outside of a home game against Elon<\/a>, it could be losses from here on out.\u00a0Grade: C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\nBlake Anderson<\/a><\/td>\nSouthern Miss<\/a><\/td>\nIt was a simple tune-up game against Alcorn State<\/a>, but running back Steven Robinson<\/a> looks like a dude.\u00a0<\/td>\nB+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nRyan Beard<\/td>\nCoastal Carolina<\/a><\/td>\nThe Chanticleers showed more fight than the vast majority of the Tim Beck era, taking West Virginia<\/a> to the wire. Quarterback Deuce Bailey<\/a> might be a franchise player.<\/td>\nA-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nNeal Brown<\/a><\/td>\nNorth Texas<\/td>\nThe Mean Green more than held their own against reigning champ Indiana<\/a>, and Brown looks like he finally has the skill talent he could never seem to wrangle at West Virginia.\u00a0<\/td>\nB+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nJason Candle<\/td>\nUConn<\/a><\/td>\nIt was an easy win over FCS Lafayette<\/a> to open Candle’s tenure, but plenty to like.\u00a0<\/td>\nB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nMark Carney<\/td>\nKent State<\/td>\nGoing on the road to play an SEC team won’t ever be fun. Walk it off, enjoy the next one.<\/td>\nC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nWill Hall<\/a><\/td>\nTulane<\/a><\/td>\nThe Green Wave made a very uninspired hire to replace Jon Sumrall, and the team looked uninspired as they mustered only 10 first downs and were dragged to the ground by Duke<\/a>.<\/td>\nD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nBrian Hartline<\/td>\nSouth Florida<\/a><\/td>\nHartline was brought to Tampa thanks to his track record recruiting skill talent, but the offense looked totally out of sorts in a tight game against FIU<\/a>.\u00a0<\/td>\nC-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nCharles Huff<\/td>\nMemphis<\/a><\/td>\nHuff has two wins to his name against UNLV<\/a> and Arkansas State<\/a>, and the Tigers look the part of a serious contender for the Group of Six playoff spot. Their road trip to Boise State<\/a> ranks as one of the games of the weekend.<\/td>\nA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nMike Jacobs<\/td>\nToledo<\/td>\nThe Rockets couldn’t quite finish the job, but Toledo looked every bit like Toledo of old against Michigan State<\/a>. The trains should just keep running.<\/td>\nB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nKirby Moore<\/td>\nWashington State<\/a><\/td>\nThe Cougars managed to make it an ugly game against rival Washington<\/a>, but plenty of that ugliness belonged to Wazzu.\u00a0<\/td>\nC-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nJim Mora<\/td>\nColorado State<\/a><\/td>\nExpectations were high against heated rival Wyoming<\/a>, and the Rams pulled away behind a magical performance from Hauss Hejny<\/a>.<\/td>\nB+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nAlex Mortensen<\/td>\nUAB<\/a><\/td>\nThe Blazers looked unbelievably organized and decisive in Mortensen’s first game against Illinois<\/a>, a refreshing contrast to the disastrous Trent Dilfer era.<\/td>\nA-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nBilly Napier<\/td>\nJames Madison<\/a><\/td>\nNapier’s first win over Liberty<\/a> didn’t quite follow the preferred game script, but opening with a key win over the CUSA favorite still counts.<\/td>\nB-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nJaMarcus Shephard<\/td>\nOregon State<\/a><\/td>\nShepherd came up as a wide receiver coach, and his signature unit produced seven players with at least 28 receiving yards against a solid Houston<\/a> squad.<\/td>\nB+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\nCasey Woods<\/td>\nMissouri State<\/a><\/td>\nIt’s always tough to open against No. 8 Texas A&M<\/a>, but 67 total yards didn’t inspire much confidence.\u00a0<\/td>\nD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"College football’s Week 1 featured a wave of new coaches making debuts with their programs after a 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