A whole crop of coaches will make their university debuts in front of millions of hopeful, wary, football-starved eyes this weekend. It’s a cycle we know well: at the end of each season, the coaching carousel spins precariously out of control; there’s firings, hirings, little white lies and fan-crossed fingers. But a new season brings a new start, and for Auburn, Arkansas, Oregon, Texas Tech, Kentucky and Tennessee, 2013 could prove to be the year that ushers in a whole new era. Here’s a breakdown of some of the top new coaches and the freshest new faces:
- Auburn University: Coach Gus Malzahn. There are few rivalries as bitter as that of Auburn-Alabama. Auburn has drawn the short end of the stick of late: poisoned trees at Toomers Corner; the Cam Newton aftermath; Alabama headed for a three-peat. The Auburn Tigers have been carrying around a chip larger than the Gulf of Mexico on their shoulders, and they’re ready to turn the tide—literally. They’ll have to start small though, with Washington State, but Auburn is 92-26-2 in season openers since their inception. Malzahn is a crowd favorite, as he was the architect of Auburn’s offense from 2009-2011 while he was employed as offensive coordinator. Don’t forget, Auburn won a national championship then, in 2010. Auburn fans aren’t usually a patient crowd though, and they’ll be looking to leave pawprints all over the SEC sooner rather than later.
- University of Arkansas: Coach Bret Bielema. Make what jokes you wish to about the native population of Arkansas, but one thing is for certain: the alumni and Razorback faithful want to be taken seriously in the bow-tie wearing, tailgate-chandelier-hanging region of the SEC. And reading the headlines about their coach riding off into a Harley-colored sunset with his young assistant—and apparently their entire program’s future—sitting on the back in 2011 was humiliating. Temporary head coach John Smith and the 2012 season didn’t even register on the radar. Remember, Razorback nation got to drink from the champagne-flavored fountain of success at their first BCS bowl game under Petrino’s reign, and they won’t settle for anything less from Bielema. Bielema’s take? He’s been widely quoted on the internet this week as saying he came to Arkansas expecting to find a wounded dog, but “instead found a stray dog. Everybody’s looking for their next meal. They’re very hungry.”
- Texas Tech: Coach Kliff Kingsbury. The Red Raiders had their season opener last night against SMU, and managed to finish the game 41-23 after running neck-and-neck with the Mustangs for most of the game. Did I mention they also did it with true freshman, walk-on quarterback Baker Mayfield? As we’ve seen since the new coach’s hiring last December, the internet—and the ladies—love them some Kliff Kingsbury. Beyond the aesthetics, however, Texas Tech fans have long yearned to have a bigger slice of the Texas football pie. The Longhorns, the Aggies, and even sometimes the TCU Horned Frogs have held the attention of the nation for years, but as evidenced last night Kliff Kingsbury is out to change that. He’s probably the best man for the job; this is the man, after all, who coached Johnny Football to greatness last year. Look for the Red Raiders to utilize the momentum of Kingsbury’s debut (and their first two cupcake games) into the September 12th matchup with #20 TCU.
- University of Oregon: Mark Helfrich. Helfrich has been working with the Ducks for a while; he’s served as their offensive coordinator since 2009 and was promoted to head coach following Chip Kelly’s departure to the Philadelphia Eagles. On the surface, he seems to be the safest best of the coaches listed here, but as always there’s a catch: Chip Kelly was always the Duck’s play caller. Only time will tell if the Oregon offensive genius reemerges, or if it will be missing its better half.
- University of Kentucky: Coach Mark Stoops. The Stoop brothers are quickly becoming to the NCAA what the Ryan brothers are to the NFL. Mark has played the underachieving “Rob” to his big brother Bob Stoop’s “Rex” at the University of Oklahoma, but it’s finally time for Mark to step into the head coaching spotlight. He led one of the best defenses in the nation at Florida State from 2010-2012. He replaced former Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips, who was fired before the season was over on November 4th. (It seems the Kentucky athletic director wasn’t too pleased with the team going 0-8 in the SEC in 2012.) Kentucky has long been chomping at the bit to compete at the level of its SEC brothers, and the buzz around the 2013 season heightened to a rowdy Wildcat roar with Stoops’ hiring.
- University of Tennessee: Coach Butch Jones. Tennessee hasn’t been able to find his stride since Phil Fulmer was ousted in 2008; it was perhaps most notably off-step during the disastrous debacle that was Lane Kiffin. Hired to replace Kiffin’s follow-up, Derek Dooley, Jones just may be the golden—er, orange—ticket that the Vols need to become contenders again. To start, he’s recruited strong. After all they’ve been through, Vol fans should be sympathetic to the fact that nothing great is built overnight, and Jones will need time to shape his team. Tennessee kicks things off with Austin Peay today, and all the eyes in Knoxville will be eagerly awaiting a glimmer of hope.
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