Grading college football's coaching hires

They’re nearly seven months away from their first games, but the track records of the new head coaches hired this off-season offer some insight into which ones are poised for success and which ones could leave their programs searching for a new coach again in a few seasons. The right hire, of course, can change everything; just look at what Dabo Swinney has done for Clemson or what Chris Petersen is doing at Washington for some recent examples. Ultimately time will tell whether any of the 21 head coaches brought in this off-season can be a program-defining hire. But based on what we know now, here’s who passed the test. By Lindsay Schnell.