Out: Chris Peterson
In: Byran Harsin (Arkansas State Head Coach)
Boise State has a trend of hiring people who have been a part of the program and this is no different. Harsin was the offensive coordinator for Chris Peterson before leaving to run Texas' offense and then spent the past season at Arkansas State. Harsin keep the momentum going at Arkansas State and lead the Red Wolves to a 9 win season and a tie for the conference lead. That one year of experience should help him as he leads the Broncos in the post Peterson era. Now this isn't an upgrade over Chris Peterson who is one of the top coaches in the nation, but Harsin was arguably the best person that they could have realistically hired. Grade: A
Out: Paul Pasqualoni
In: Bob Diaco (Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator)
Notre Dame under Brian Kelly has been known for their defense and a big reason for that is Diaco. The Irish have had very stingy defenses that allowed them to get all the way to the National Title Game two yeas ago. I was surprised they hired Diaco over guys like Dave Clawson and Pat Narduzzi (if interested) but Diaco is a hot candidate who deserves a job like this. The Huskies have produced a lot of NFL draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, but they haven't had a lot of success. If Diaco can keep that talent coming to Stores he should have success in the American Atheltic Conference. With Louisville leaving that opens the door for another team to step up. UConn could be that team. Grade: A-
Out: Charlie Strong
In: Bobby Petrino (Western Kentucky Head Coach)
The fact that Louisville brought Bobby Petrino back tells us one thing, they want to keep winning. Throwing the motorcycle affair situation aside, Petrino burned a lot of bridges when he left the Cardinals for the NFL. Personally I don't like this move. I'm more concerned that Petrino will leave again in three years. That's his track record. I'm positive he'll have success, but an SEC job will open and they'll come after him hardcore. I would have rather seen them target a top assistant like Kirby Smart or Pat Narduzzi. However Petrino is back and with the Cardinals moving to the ACC this upcoming season they have a proven coach who can win anywhere. Add in that he hired Todd Grantham away from Georgia as their defensive coordinator. So their top notch defense shouldn't miss a beat. Grade: C+
Out: Bill O'Brien
In: James Franklin (Vanderbilt Head Coach)
It's about time a top level program hired James Franklin. He's one of the best coaches in the nation that most people don't know about. He turned Vanderbilt from a team SEC coaches loved to play, to one that make it tough to beat. He even won nine games this year. 9 wins for Vanderbilt. He's a tireless recruiter and salesman. He's the perfect replacement for Bill O'Brien who always had his eye on the NFL. Franklin will have success at Penn State and when their sanctions come off the board (sooner than you think) he'll have the Lions as one of the top teams in the Big 10. Grade: A+
Out: Mack Brown
In: Charlie Strong (Louisville Head Coach)
Charlie Strong is one of the best coaches in the nation. He's a great teacher and an even better recruiter. But all that aside, I'm surprised he's the new coach in Austin. Mainly because he doesn't have any experience in the state of Texas and isn't a huge name or personality that I figured the University would want. But the main problem that the Longhorns have had under Mack Brown is that they've gotten soft. Not going to happen under Strong who will instill a culture change that could jumpstart this program into a top 5 contender year in and year out they should be. But he needs to land that top flight QB that they've missed out on since Colt McCoy left. Grade: A
Out: Lane Kiffin
In: Steve Sarkisian (Washington Head Coach)
I personally thought Sark would be the guy that should go get, so it should be a given that USC hiring the former Trojan assistant is gonna get a good grade from me. This hire is good for a variety of reasons. Sark is a good QB developer which is a must now. He had a rebuild at Washington who went win less the year before he came. He has them a consistent bowl team. He's a good recruiter and has a track record of getting players to Washington from Los Angeles. Add in that Sark buillt a good staff at Washington and again so far at USC and there are a lot of signs that point to USC getting back on top of the Pac 12. Grade: A+
Out: Steve Sarkisian
In: Chris Peterson (Boise State Head Coach)
Year in and year out the first name you usually heard for a big time job opening was Chris Peterson. However each year he continued to stay at Boise State. It was clear that he was going to wait for the right fit for him to leave. That happened with the Washington opening. Peterson inherits team loaded with talent that is ready to win now. He's highly regarded as one of the best Xs and Os coaches in the nation, so we could see Washington challenge Stanford and Oregon for the North crown. Grade: A+
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