Breaking down recent power conference football coaching hires

In the past five years, a large number of power conference schools hired a head football coach. There are now just two Southeastern Conference schools which have not brought in a football coach since 2012 – Alabama and Mississippi State.

All but four of the 14 Big 10 Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference schools have made a coaching change in this stretch. Ten of the 12 Pac-12 Conference schools have made a head coaching selection. The Big 12 Conference has been the most stable – changes at five of the ten schools.

Ed Orgeron is just the third interim coach at a power conference to be given the permanent job. The other two interim coaches are Tracy Claeys at Minnesota and Clay Helton at Southern California. Claeys has a 10-8 record with the Gophers, while Helton has a 15-7 mark with the Trojans in 1½ years.

Only seven coaches swapped power conference schools – Oregon State’s Gary Andersen, Arkansas’ Bret Bielema, Pittsburgh’s Paul Chryst, Penn State’s James Franklin, Arizona State’s Todd Graham, Miami’s Mark Richt and Nebraska’s Mike Riley.

Of the coaches hired since 2012, just six have registered multiple ten-win seasons at their new schools – Chryst, Graham, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Oregon’s Mark Helfrich, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and UCLA’s Jim Mora, Jr. Helfrich may get fired and Graham and Mora will be on the hot seat in 2017.

On paper, six hires stood out – Bielema (68-24 at Wisconsin), Harbaugh (44-19-1 with the San Francisco 49ers), Washington’s Chris Petersen (92-12 at Boise State), Texas’ Charlie Strong (37-15 at Louisville), Richt (145-51 at Georgia) and Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall (99-43) at BYU.

Strong was fired Saturday. Harbaugh and Petersen have been quite successful at their new schools. Bielema has made little progress in his time at Arkansas. Richt and Mendenhall are in their first years at new schools.

Here is a breakdown by conference of the current head coaches who were hired since 2012.

ACC

Larry Fedora, North Carolina

Hired in 2012 – 40-24 record with Tar Heels, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Southern Mississippi, 34-19

Steve Addazio, Boston College

Hired in 2013 – 23-27 record with Eagles

Previous job: head coach at Temple, 13-11

Dave Doeren, North Carolina State

Hired in 2013 – 24-26 record with Wolfpack

Previous job: head coach at Northern Illinois, 23-4

Dave Clawson, Wake Forest

Hired in 2014 – 12-24 record with Demon Deacons

Previous job: head coach at Bowling Green, 32-30

Bobby Petrino, Louisville

Hired in 2014 – 26-12 record with Cardinals

Previous job: head coach at Western Kentucky, 8-4

Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh

Hired in 2015 – 16-9 record with Panthers

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Michigan State

Dino Babers, Syracuse

Hired in 2016 – 4-8 record with Orange

Previous job: head coach at Bowling Green, 18-9

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech

Hired in 2016 – 9-3 record with Hokies

Previous job: head coach at Memphis, 26-23

Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia

Hired in 2016 – 2-10 record with Cavaliers

Previous job: head coach at BYU, 99-43

Mark Richt, Miami

Hired in 2016 – 8-4 record with Hurricanes

Previous job: head coach at Georgia, 145-51

BIG 10

Urban Meyer, Ohio State

Hired in 2012 – 61-5 record with Buckeyes, 5 ten-win seasons

Previous job: out of coaching after resigning at Florida

Darrell Hazell, Purdue

Hired in 2013 – 9-33 record with Boilermakers (fired earlier this year)

Previous job: head coach at Kent State, 16-10

James Franklin, Penn State

Hired in 2014 – 24-14 record with Nittany Lions, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Vanderbilt, 24-15

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin

Hired in 2015 – 20-5 record with Badgers, 2 ten-win seasons

Previous job: head coach at Pittsburgh, 19-19

Tracy Claeys, Minnesota

Hired in 2015 (interim) – 10-8 record with Golden Gophers

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Minnesota

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Hired in 2015 – 20-5 record with Wolverines, 2 ten-win seasons

Previous job: head coach at San Francisco 49ers, 44-19-1

Mike Riley, Nebraska

Hired in 2015 – 15-10 record with Cornhuskers

Previous job: head coach at Oregon State, 85-66

Chris Ash, Rutgers

Hired in 2016 – 2-10 record with Scarlet Knights

Previous job: co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State

DJ Durkin, Maryland

Hired in 2016 – 6-6 record with Terrapins

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Michigan

Lovie Smith, Illinois

Hired in 2016 – 3-9 record with Fighting Illini

Previous job: head coach at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8-24

BIG 12

Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech

Hired in 2013 – 24-26 record with Red Raiders

Previous job: offensive coordinator at Texas A&M

Charlie Strong, Texas

Hired in 2014 – 16-21 record with Longhorns (fired Saturday)

Previous job: head coach at Louisville, 37-15

David Beaty, Kansas

Hired in 2015 – 2-22 record with Jayhawks

Previous job: wide receivers coach at Texas A&M

Matt Campbell, Iowa State

Hired in 2016 – 3-8 record with Cyclones

Previous job: head coach at Toledo, 35-15

Jim Grobe, Baylor (interim)

Hired in 2016 – 6-5 record with Bears

Previous job: out of coaching after being fired at Wake Forest

PAC-12

Todd Graham, Arizona State

Hired in 2012 – 39-26 record with Sun Devils, 2 ten-win seasons

Previous job: head coach at Pittsburgh, 6-6

Mike Leach, Washington State

Hired in 2012 – 29-33 with Cougars

Previous job: out of coaching after being fired at Texas Tech

Jim Mora, Jr., UCLA

Hired in 2012 – 41-24 record with Bruins, 2 ten-win seasons

Previous job: out of coaching after being fired by the Seattle Seahawks

Rich Rodriguez, Arizona

Hired in 2012 – 36-29 record with Wildcats, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: out of coaching after being fired at Michigan

Sonny Dykes, California

Hired in 2013 – 19-30 record with Golden Bears

Previous job: head coach at Louisiana Tech, 22-15

Mark Helfrich, Oregon

Hired in 2013 – 37-16 record with Ducks, 2 ten-win seasons

Previous job: offensive coordinator at Oregon

Mike MacIntyre, Colorado

Hired in 2013 – 20-29 record with Buffaloes, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at San Jose State, 16-21

Chris Petersen, Washington

Hired in 2014 – 26-13 record with Huskies, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Boise State, 92-12

Gary Andersen, Oregon State

Hired in 2015 – 6-18 record with Beavers

Previous job: head coach at Wisconsin, 19-7

Clay Helton, Southern California

Hired in 2015 (interim) – 15-7 record with Trojans

Previous job: offensive coordinator at Southern California

SEC

Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss

Hired in 2012 – 39-25 record with Rebels, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Arkansas State, 10-2

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

Hired in 2012 – 44-20 record with Aggies, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Houston, 35-17

Bret Bielema, Arkansas

Hired in 2013 – 25-25 record with Razorbacks

Previous job: head coach at Wisconsin, 68-24

Butch Jones, Tennessee

Hired in 2013 – 29-21 record with Volunteers

Previous job: head coach at Cincinnati, 23-14

Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Hired in 2013 – 35-17 record with Tigers, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Arkansas State, 9-3

Mark Stoops, Kentucky

Hired in 2013 – 19-29 record with Wildcats

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Florida State

Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

Hired in 2014 – 13-23 record with Commodores

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Stanford

Jim McElwain, Florida

Hired in 2015 – 18-7 record with Gators, 1 ten-win season

Previous job: head coach at Colorado State, 22-16

Will Muschamp, South Carolina

Hired in 2016 – 6-6 record with Gamecocks

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Auburn

Barry Odom, Missouri

Hired in 2016 – 4-8 record with Tigers

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Missouri

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Hired in 2016 – 7-5 record with Bulldogs

Previous job: defensive coordinator at Alabama