The 2018 regular season is in the books, and several first-year coaches made their first impressions on the college football world. From Chip Kelly at UCLA to Scott Frost at Nebraska and everywhere in between, coaches laid the groundwork for the future of their respective programs throughout the fall.

Some were successful, and others were not. Some led their teams to bowl games, and others fell just short. But the process is still ongoing, potentially with better days on the horizon for some. Others could be a flash in the pan at their programs with the bottom set to fall out by the time Year 2 rolls around next summer.

Let's grade the first-year coaches from 2018 based solely on their performance this season.

Power Five

Group of Five

Group of Five Team Coach Record Analysis Grade Ga. Southern Chad Lunsford 9-3 A nine-win season in his first full year after the Tyson Summers debacle is a sign that the glory days of Georgia Southern football could be back A- Kent St. Sean Lewis 2-10 Kent State fired Paul Haynes and Lewis produced the same record. That has to change. D Louisiana Billy Napier 7-5 Napier started 1-3 but found his way to the Sun Belt Championship Game this weekend. Not a bad start. B Rice Mike Bloomgren 2-11 The Owls didn't notch an FBS win until the final weekend over Old Dominion , 27-13. But what a win it was for Rice . D+ SMU Sonny Dykes 5-7 The Mustangs had legitimate AAC West title hopes into late November ... and then missed a bowl. What a wild ride for Dykes. B- South Alabama Steve Campbell 3-9 The Jags gave up 38 or more points eight times in 2018. With the recruiting base, that needs to change ASAP. D+ UCF Josh Heupel 11-0 Heupel picked up right where Scott Frost left off; he has the Knights in the CFP and New Year's Six hunt and kept the program as the most prominent Group of Five team in the country. A+ UTEP Dana Dimel 1-11 The Miners spent the majority of the year at or near the bottom of the CBS Sports 129 ... but did find a way to beat Rice. D-

Ole Miss coach Matt Luke was not included since he coached a full season in 2017 as the interim coach of the Rebels.