Adam Rittenberg Oct 21, 2026, 06:19 AM ET

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College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

Not long ago, a coach's first season at a major college program would kick off amid measured expectations, with the focus on laying the groundwork for the future.

Those days are over. As Curt Cignetti showed at Indiana in 2024, first-year coaches can change everything about a program. The Hoosiers made the CFP in Cignetti's first season, won the national championship in his second and have not looked back.

An active coaching cycle in late 2025 placed a brighter and wider spotlight on the first-year bosses around the sport, taking over at programs such as LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Florida, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Utah and UCLA. The first half of the season has brought bumps for several high-profile new coaches.…