Breaking down how the 17 first-year Power 4 college football coaches have done so far — SkimNews
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- UCLA's Bob Chesney is 6-0 in his first season, capped by the Bruins' first win at Autzen Stadium since 2004 over Oregon and a 151-point combined scoring burst through three games — but starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out for the season.
- Utah's Morgan Scalley is also 6-0 after replacing Kyle Whittingham, anchoring a top-five offense scoring 40.2 points per game and a defense allowing just 14.8 points per game (No. 12 nationally), though the Utes rank only 75th against the pass.
- Kentucky's Will Stein is 6-1 and tied with Georgia atop the SEC at 4-1, with three SEC road wins — including a 21-13 upset at Oklahoma last week — built on aggressive go-for-it decisions against South Carolina and LSU.
- Ole Miss' Pete Golding is 5-1 after taking over for Lane Kiffin, with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss completing 67.6% of his passes and the Rebels leading the nation in red-zone touchdown percentage (21 of 24 trips), though the defense allowed 305 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a loss at Florida.
- Florida's Jon Sumrall opened 4-0, stumbled through two blowout SEC losses, then bounced back with backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. to knock off Texas on the road.
- The 2025 coaching carousel placed 17 new bosses across Power 4 programs including LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Florida, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Utah and UCLA, raising the bar after Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers reached the College Football Playoff in his debut year.
Why it matters: Three of the highest-profile first-year hires — UCLA's Chesney (6-0), Utah's Scalley (6-0), and Kentucky's Stein (6-1) — have their programs in or near the playoff conversation at the season's midpoint, after a 2025 cycle that placed 17 new coaches at Power 4 programs from LSU to Penn State and accelerated the timeline for what new hires must deliver.
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