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January 2024 brought a plethora of college football head coaching changes. Kalen DeBoer's arrival in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, after the retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban has to be the biggest of them all. However, this wasn't the only big move during the first month of the new year. We are living under a new status quo.
Jim Harbaugh finally made his long-touted move to the NFL, joining the Los Angeles Chargers, and Michigan authorities decided to promote offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to the head coach position.
Kalen DeBoer's departure from Washington brought Jedd Fisch in from Arizona. Let us review the most interesting of these moves.
Top new college football coaching hires ft. Kalen DeBoer
Jonathan Smith- Michigan State Spartans
Jonathan Smith brings a new face to a program plagued by controversy in 2023. At Oregon State, he turned around a struggling program with three winning seasons. Furthermore, the Beavers have been ranked in his past two seasons (17 in 2022 and 21 in 2023).
Now at East Lansing, he faces a similar task with a school that a few years ago used to be among the top contenders to win the Big Ten.
Kalen DeBoer- Alabama Crimson Tide
DeBoer had to jump into this head coaching gig. Some might say that he jumped into a dangerous situation, but it's possible he would never again get a call for one of the best jobs in college football.
The 2023 coach of the year carried the Washington Huskies into a national championship game and a Pac-12 title. Kalen DeBoer has won everywhere he's been, from the NAIA with Souix Falls to Washington. While a period of adaptation is to be expected in the SEC, we bet he will eventually succeed.
Sherrone Moore- Michigan Wolverines
While the bulk of the praise for the Wolverines 2023 national title is being pinned on Jim Harbaugh, and deservedly so, Moore has to take at least part of the credit.
During Jim Harbaugh's suspension this year, Moore took the position of interim head coach, and Michigan won those games without breaking a sweat (including games against Penn State and Ohio State). Is there any better proof that he is ready for the promotion?
Jedd Fisch- Washington Huskies
The Huskies were left scrambling when Kalen DeBoer accepted an offer to be the new head coach at Alabama. They eventually found a replacement in Jedd Fisch, who previously coached at Arizona. In 2023, Fisch's Wildcats were surprisingly successful, winning against five ranked opponents at some point during the season.
Despite losing their starting quarterback early on, they discovered a new star player in Noah Fifita. Although they lost to Washington and USC by a slim margin, they ended the season with six consecutive regular-season wins and a bowl victory over Oklahoma.
