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Most significant Power 5 coordinator hires - NCF Nation Blog - ESPN
By Travis Haney
College football is a game driven by offense, seemingly as much as it ever has been. And yet, in our review of the best Power 5 coordinator hires in this cycle, eight of the top 10 coaches in new places are defensive coordinators.
Maybe that's because when offensive coordinators move, they become head coaches? Or maybe it's because the balance of the sport could eventually swing back toward defense? Or both?
Here is a defense-heavy look at the most significant coordinator hires since December.
1. Will Muschamp, Auburn defensive coordinator
Once he was let go by Florida, Muschamp's landing spot became nearly as big of a story as who would replace him in Gainesville.
Those close to Muschamp say Texas A&M wasn't really a viable option because the one-time Texas DC didn't necessarily want to return to the Lone Star State. And South Carolina legitimately wasn't on the table, either, because he thought the talent level had dipped and Steve Spurrier's future was too iffy.
Of the legitimate suitors, that left Auburn. But don't mistake Muschamp's return to the Plains for some kind of fallback.
Muschamp can take the available talent, including eight returning defensive starters, and build. Including the nation's No. 1 overall prospect, DE Byron Cowart, more help is on the way, too.
2. John Chavis, Texas A&M defensive coordinator
Kevin Sumlin pulled the coup of the cycle, getting Chavis to leave LSU after a sustained run of success. Sumlin took some heat from A&M fans who wanted him to make a quicker hire. He reassured them it would be worth the wait, and then he delivered with a venerable, proven SEC DC.
I asked Sumlin last week if Chavis had any qualms about joining a program that runs a hurry-up, no-huddle-type offense. He'd never worked opposite that sort of offense before.
"If he weren't comfortable with it, he wouldn't be here," Sumlin told me, adding that no one who talked with him had real concerns with the offense throwing them off.
"They just wanted to know if we practiced that way," he said. "We don't -- not all the time, anyway."
Chavis worked with a number of NFL-bound linemen at Tennessee and LSU, so he should know what to do with prodigious, young talents such as Myles Garrett and Daylon Mack.
3. Gene Chizik, North Carolina defensive coordinator
Some coaches I know love the media side once they arrive. Others jones for the sideline, and it's clear now that Chizik falls into that category. He was darned good at TV and radio, but he wanted back in.
He didn't leave to be a head coach again. And North Carolina wasn't some cushy situation for him to enter and pick up some W's and a paycheck. Larry Fedora's seat is warming quickly, so there's some risk involved for Chizik, now two years removed from the Auburn gig, to join at this point.
From Fedora's perspective, he could not have done any better. Chizik is a proven defensive mind and coach. There's more talent in place than last season's 6.53 yards per play defense (No. 117 in FBS) would suggest. Conceivably, this could be a move that, down the road, we look back and say it saved Fedora's job.
4. Barry Odom, Missouri defensive coordinator
The 38-year-old Odom was a lock for Mizzou after Dave Steckel took the Missouri State head coaching position. After all, Odom spent his first nine years in coaching as a Missouri assistant.
Odom's Memphis defenses were on the rise; the Tigers were 10th in the FBS, allowing just 4.74 yards per play in the incredible 10-win 2014 season.
Mind you, Memphis was 3-9 in 2013. There's a reason why Justin Fuente got coach of the year votes.
Odom had a big hand in that turnaround, undoubtedly. The Tigers were in the 100s in total defense before the staff got to town.
Steckel, a 2014 Broyles Award finalist, was beloved in CoMo, so the bar is set high for Odom in his return.
5. Geoff Collins, Florida defensive coordinator
When I met with Collins during the season, we sat for a few minutes in Mississippi State's defensive staff meeting room.
"I spend 16 hours a day in here," he said. I don't think he was , either.
The time and effort investment is likely why Collins is one of the better developers of defensive talent in the country. And that's why he caught the eye of new Florida coach Jim McElwain.
Development might not be as paramount at a talent-rich program such as Florida, but there's a standard to uphold. Muschamp's defenses were never the issue for the Gators, after all. Collins was a wise hire to continue success on that side of the ball.
6. David Gibbs, Texas Tech defensive coordinator
What the Red Raiders desperately needed were takeaways, and they hired the guy who knows how to get them. Gibbs' Houston defenses forced 73 total turnovers the past two seasons; Texas Tech had 34 in that span. So there's nowhere to go but up when it comes to game-shifting takeaways.
Gibbs, 47, is still relatively young, but he's got some mileage on his tires. He'll bring experience on the NFL and college levels that will serve Kliff Kingsbury's young staff well.
7. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma offensive coordinator
Bob Stoops wanted to shake up his offense, and adding Riley -- a Mike Leach Air Raid disciple -- certainly will suffice. Stoops, after all, started his OU coaching tenure with Leach calling plays.
Riley's chops are sound, and the back-to-the-future move is much needed for an offense that really struggled to have a consistent identity since Kevin Wilson left for Indiana in 2010.
Of all those excited to see Riley coming, Texas Tech transfer QB Baker Mayfield might be the most geeked. He will not mind slinging it 40 or 50 times a game.
8. Josh Conklin, Pittsburgh defensive coordinator
Perhaps Conklin isn't a household name for college football fans (yet), but he's well-known and respected within the coaching industry.
So that's why peers applauded when Pat Narduzzi added Conklin to his new Pitt staff.
Like Gibbs at Houston, Conklin led Florida International's defense to 33 takeaways in 2014 (fifth in FBS). Six of those resulted in defensive scores, an even bigger momentum-changer. With Narduzzi working with him, Conklin is now on a Broyles Award fast-track.
9. Kilani Sitake, Oregon State defensive coordinator
Some internal strife at Utah and an opportunity to work with Gary Andersen again led to Sitake shifting from one Pac-12 stop to another.
In a league that obviously features a lot of speed, Utah has shown the ability to slow down opponents and control pace. They do that with strength and depth up front. That'll play well at Oregon State, too. Sometimes you actually do fight fire with water, not fire, when it comes to tempo offenses.
10. Dan Enos, Arkansas offensive coordinator
Enos might have been on thinning ice at Central Michigan, but it's still meaningful for Bret Bielema to snag a sitting FBS head coach.
The former Michigan State QB has experience as an assistant in pro-style, power-driven offenses, so he was a logical fit for Bielema. He's arriving as the program is on an uptick, too.
NOTE: Notre Dame's reported hire of Mike Sanford as offensive coordinator isn't yet official, but the addition would rank among the top 10 when it is.
Honorable mentions: Tim Beck, Ohio State co-OC; Manny Diaz, Mississippi State DC; Kevin Steele, LSU DC; Shannon Dawson, Kentucky OC; D.J. Durkin, Michigan DC.
By Travis Haney
College football is a game driven by offense, seemingly as much as it ever has been. And yet, in our review of the best Power 5 coordinator hires in this cycle, eight of the top 10 coaches in new places are defensive coordinators.
Maybe that's because when offensive coordinators move, they become head coaches? Or maybe it's because the balance of the sport could eventually swing back toward defense? Or both?
Here is a defense-heavy look at the most significant coordinator hires since December.
1. Will Muschamp, Auburn defensive coordinator
Once he was let go by Florida, Muschamp's landing spot became nearly as big of a story as who would replace him in Gainesville.
Those close to Muschamp say Texas A&M wasn't really a viable option because the one-time Texas DC didn't necessarily want to return to the Lone Star State. And South Carolina legitimately wasn't on the table, either, because he thought the talent level had dipped and Steve Spurrier's future was too iffy.
Of the legitimate suitors, that left Auburn. But don't mistake Muschamp's return to the Plains for some kind of fallback.
Muschamp can take the available talent, including eight returning defensive starters, and build. Including the nation's No. 1 overall prospect, DE Byron Cowart, more help is on the way, too.
2. John Chavis, Texas A&M defensive coordinator
Kevin Sumlin pulled the coup of the cycle, getting Chavis to leave LSU after a sustained run of success. Sumlin took some heat from A&M fans who wanted him to make a quicker hire. He reassured them it would be worth the wait, and then he delivered with a venerable, proven SEC DC.
I asked Sumlin last week if Chavis had any qualms about joining a program that runs a hurry-up, no-huddle-type offense. He'd never worked opposite that sort of offense before.
"If he weren't comfortable with it, he wouldn't be here," Sumlin told me, adding that no one who talked with him had real concerns with the offense throwing them off.
"They just wanted to know if we practiced that way," he said. "We don't -- not all the time, anyway."
Chavis worked with a number of NFL-bound linemen at Tennessee and LSU, so he should know what to do with prodigious, young talents such as Myles Garrett and Daylon Mack.
3. Gene Chizik, North Carolina defensive coordinator
Some coaches I know love the media side once they arrive. Others jones for the sideline, and it's clear now that Chizik falls into that category. He was darned good at TV and radio, but he wanted back in.
He didn't leave to be a head coach again. And North Carolina wasn't some cushy situation for him to enter and pick up some W's and a paycheck. Larry Fedora's seat is warming quickly, so there's some risk involved for Chizik, now two years removed from the Auburn gig, to join at this point.
From Fedora's perspective, he could not have done any better. Chizik is a proven defensive mind and coach. There's more talent in place than last season's 6.53 yards per play defense (No. 117 in FBS) would suggest. Conceivably, this could be a move that, down the road, we look back and say it saved Fedora's job.
4. Barry Odom, Missouri defensive coordinator
The 38-year-old Odom was a lock for Mizzou after Dave Steckel took the Missouri State head coaching position. After all, Odom spent his first nine years in coaching as a Missouri assistant.
Odom's Memphis defenses were on the rise; the Tigers were 10th in the FBS, allowing just 4.74 yards per play in the incredible 10-win 2014 season.
Mind you, Memphis was 3-9 in 2013. There's a reason why Justin Fuente got coach of the year votes.
Odom had a big hand in that turnaround, undoubtedly. The Tigers were in the 100s in total defense before the staff got to town.
Steckel, a 2014 Broyles Award finalist, was beloved in CoMo, so the bar is set high for Odom in his return.
5. Geoff Collins, Florida defensive coordinator
When I met with Collins during the season, we sat for a few minutes in Mississippi State's defensive staff meeting room.
"I spend 16 hours a day in here," he said. I don't think he was , either.
The time and effort investment is likely why Collins is one of the better developers of defensive talent in the country. And that's why he caught the eye of new Florida coach Jim McElwain.
Development might not be as paramount at a talent-rich program such as Florida, but there's a standard to uphold. Muschamp's defenses were never the issue for the Gators, after all. Collins was a wise hire to continue success on that side of the ball.
6. David Gibbs, Texas Tech defensive coordinator
What the Red Raiders desperately needed were takeaways, and they hired the guy who knows how to get them. Gibbs' Houston defenses forced 73 total turnovers the past two seasons; Texas Tech had 34 in that span. So there's nowhere to go but up when it comes to game-shifting takeaways.
Gibbs, 47, is still relatively young, but he's got some mileage on his tires. He'll bring experience on the NFL and college levels that will serve Kliff Kingsbury's young staff well.
7. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma offensive coordinator
Bob Stoops wanted to shake up his offense, and adding Riley -- a Mike Leach Air Raid disciple -- certainly will suffice. Stoops, after all, started his OU coaching tenure with Leach calling plays.
Riley's chops are sound, and the back-to-the-future move is much needed for an offense that really struggled to have a consistent identity since Kevin Wilson left for Indiana in 2010.
Of all those excited to see Riley coming, Texas Tech transfer QB Baker Mayfield might be the most geeked. He will not mind slinging it 40 or 50 times a game.
8. Josh Conklin, Pittsburgh defensive coordinator
Perhaps Conklin isn't a household name for college football fans (yet), but he's well-known and respected within the coaching industry.
So that's why peers applauded when Pat Narduzzi added Conklin to his new Pitt staff.
Like Gibbs at Houston, Conklin led Florida International's defense to 33 takeaways in 2014 (fifth in FBS). Six of those resulted in defensive scores, an even bigger momentum-changer. With Narduzzi working with him, Conklin is now on a Broyles Award fast-track.
9. Kilani Sitake, Oregon State defensive coordinator
Some internal strife at Utah and an opportunity to work with Gary Andersen again led to Sitake shifting from one Pac-12 stop to another.
In a league that obviously features a lot of speed, Utah has shown the ability to slow down opponents and control pace. They do that with strength and depth up front. That'll play well at Oregon State, too. Sometimes you actually do fight fire with water, not fire, when it comes to tempo offenses.
10. Dan Enos, Arkansas offensive coordinator
Enos might have been on thinning ice at Central Michigan, but it's still meaningful for Bret Bielema to snag a sitting FBS head coach.
The former Michigan State QB has experience as an assistant in pro-style, power-driven offenses, so he was a logical fit for Bielema. He's arriving as the program is on an uptick, too.
NOTE: Notre Dame's reported hire of Mike Sanford as offensive coordinator isn't yet official, but the addition would rank among the top 10 when it is.
Honorable mentions: Tim Beck, Ohio State co-OC; Manny Diaz, Mississippi State DC; Kevin Steele, LSU DC; Shannon Dawson, Kentucky OC; D.J. Durkin, Michigan DC.
