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Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff Writer
After college football’s latest coaching carousel took place this winter, new coaches were tasked with filling out their staffs, navigating the first transfer portal window and the early signing period for recruits, all in the month of December.
Months later, the dust has settled and coaches moved onto the spring transfer window and the 2024 recruiting cycle, which as of Thursday has seen 113 prospects ranked in the ESPN 300 make commitments.
Last year, six teams with first-year coaches finished their first full recruiting cycles with top-10 classes, including Brent Venables at Oklahoma, Mario Cristobal at Miami, Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame and Lincoln Riley at USC.
This year’s coaching carousel featured 11 Power 5 teams with new coaches, including Deion Sanders taking over at Colorado, Matt Rhule replacing Scott Frost at Nebraska, Hugh Freeze becoming Auburn‘s next coach and Luke Fickell moving from Cincinnati to Wisconsin.
We break down how each new coach has fared on the recruiting trail, how they’ve navigated the transfer portal and what the short- and long-term situation is like as each coach looks to rebuild.
Jump to:
Arizona State | Auburn | Cincinnati
Colorado | Georgia Tech | Louisville
Mississippi State | Nebraska
Purdue | Stanford | Wisconsin
Recruiting: Dillingham got a huge win when ESPN 300 quarterback Jaden Rashada was released from his national letter of intent from Florida after an eight-figure name, image and likeness deal fell through and he committed to Arizona State. Rashada, the jewel of the Sun Devils’ high school class that had 17 prospects in it, gives the new staff a great option for the future and some immediate competition at the position.
Dillingham has some work to do to rebuild the Arizona State brand, and he’s on his way to making it an exciting destination for recruits. He knows the area, the program and what it needs to thrive since he was born in Arizona, coached high school in the state and was on staff at Arizona State for a year in 2014.
Transfers: The transfer portal is where Dillingham has focused on rebuilding the roster. Offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson, quarterback Emory Jones, running back Daniyel Ngata and receiver Cam Johnson were among the players to exit, but he brought in a significant influx of talent via the portal.
Among the newcomers include Oklahoma linebacker Clayton Smith (a former top-100 recruit), USC wide receiver Jake Smith (nine career touchdowns), Nevada offensive lineman Aaron Frost (38 career starts), Texas receiver Troy Omeire (a former ESPN 300 recruit), Texas edge rusher Prince Dorbah and Oregon offensive lineman Bram Walden (former ESPN 300 recruit).
Big picture: There is a ton of talent out West and in surrounding states. Dillingham will try to first keep the top in-state talent home, but he will also try to get the Sun Devils in the conversation with some of the top recruits coming out of California each year. He is a young, energetic coach with a great résumé who could turn around the program in time.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Recruiting: Freeze was hired on Nov. 28, giving him a few weeks to finish out the 2023 recruiting class and hit the ground running in 2024. Last cycle, he flipped ESPN 300 defensive lineman Keldric Faulk from Florida State and ESPN 300 cornerback Kayin Lee from Ohio State as the Tigers finished with the No. 21 class.
With time to settle in and build relationships for the 2024 cycle, he already has three ESPN 300 commits, led by quarterback Walker White (No. 163), running back J’Marion Burnette (No. 253) and cornerback A’Mon Lane (No. 276).
Transfers: Freeze lost four wide receivers, including former four-star recruit Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., as well as offensive lineman Keiondre Jones, linebacker Desmond Tisdol and defensive lineman Jeffrey M’ba. But the staff brought in one of the stronger transfer hauls among new coaches, landing Michigan State starting quarterback Payton Thorne, who has thrown for 5,919 yards and 46 touchdowns over the past two seasons, in the spring window.
In the winter, Freeze added Ole Miss linebacker Austin Keys (51 career tackles), South Florida running back Brian Battie (1,186 yards, eight touchdowns in 2022), Western Kentucky offensive lineman Gunner Britton (starting LT and RT) and a handful of others. Ohio State receiver Caleb Burton and LSU linebacker DeMario Tolan, both former ESPN 300 recruits, are also expected to compete for playing time this season.
Big picture: Freeze finished the 2023 cycle strong and added quality pieces that should improve the Tigers’ roster immediately. Auburn is also in the mix for a few big 2024 recruits as well, including five-star athlete K.J. Bolden (No. 15) and wide receiver Cameron Coleman (No. 7), who both have the Tigers in their top lists.
Recruiting: Unfortunately for Satterfield, Cincinnati lost 12 commitments from November through December once Luke Fickell left, and because he wasn’t hired until Dec. 5 — the day the first transfer window opened — he didn’t have much time to salvage a strong recruiting class.
Satterfield ultimately signed 11 high school recruits, including four-star linebacker Trevor Carter from Ironton, Ohio, and three-star quarterback Brady Drogosh from Warren, Michigan. But Cincinnati, which had a top-25 class early last fall, finished with the No. 73 class overall in the 2023 cycle. With a little more time to settle in and strategize, the staff has 10 total commitments in the 2024 cycle, led by ESPN 300 linebacker Qua Birdsong.
Transfers: The staff lost starting quarterback Ben Bryant to Northwestern, linebacker Jaheim Thomas (70 total tackles in 2022) to Arkansas and four players to Wisconsin: receivers Quincy Burroughs and Will Pauling, along with offensive linemen Joe Huber and Jake Renfro. Corner JQ Hardaway (No. 21 transfer in the winter cycle) transferred to Kentucky and corner Ja’Quan Sheppard left for Maryland.
The coaches were able to bring in Arizona State quarterback Emory Jones (4,267 yards, 26 touchdowns, 17 interceptions over the past two years with Florida and ASU), Western Kentucky tight end Joey Beljan (10 touchdowns since 2021), Louisville offensive lineman Luke Kandra (no sacks allowed in 280 snaps at guard), Washington State receiver Donovan Ollie (792 receiving yards, four touchdowns since 2021) and Louisville receiver Dee Wiggins (858 career yards, seven touchdowns) among others, which will help fill some of the holes that were created by players transferring out.
Big picture: Satterfield didn’t have enough time to really manage the roster this past offseason, both in recruiting and through the transfer portal. All the departures and decommitments set him back, so he will have to use the 2024 class wisely to balance how many scholarships to give to high school prospects and how many he wants to save for the winter transfer period. In time, he’ll have a chance to turn the roster over the way he wants.
Recruiting: Sanders came to Colorado the only way he knows how: with flash and looking to make an immediate impact. He flipped ESPN 300 running back Dylan Edwards from Notre Dame and five-star corner Cormani McClain from Miami, as well as landing former Auburn wide receiver commit Adam Hopkins to round out Colorado’s first top-25 class since 2008.
Sanders hasn’t had as hot a start to the 2024 class, though he did land his first ESPN 300 commit in No. 80 Aaron Butler, an athlete who projects to wide receiver. Sanders’ class thus far has three four-stars and two three-stars, and he has some big targets still on the board, including athlete Kylan Fox, tight end Caleb Odom and defensive lineman Aydin Breland, a top-50 prospect.
Transfers: Part of the reason why Sanders hasn’t taken off in recruiting for 2024 is because of the transfer portal. He is trying to manage the roster and bring in transfers to replace the large number that have left the program. Since Sanders arrived, over 60 players have transferred out.
He and his staff have worked to fill those spots with talent and brought in Arkansas safety Myles Slusher (78 tackles, two INTs since 2021), Arkansas defensive lineman Jordan Domineck (16.5 career sacks), USF wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (959 career yards, four touchdowns), West Virginia defensive lineman Taijh Alston (seven sacks since 2021), Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders (70 passing touchdowns in two years), Jackson State corner Travis Hunter (No. 2 overall recruit in 2022), Alabama linebacker Demouy Kennedy (former top-100 prospect) and Florida State defensive end Derrick McLendon II (seven sacks since 2021), among a plethora of others.
Big picture: Sanders has transformed the entire roster from top to bottom through the portal, and while the sheer volume of players that have exited the program is alarming, the blueprint for what newly hired coaches do to build a team could change depending on Colorado’s success this season.
Recruiting: Georgia Tech needed a big recruiting class, and the staff was able to accomplish that by utilizing in-state recruits. Key and his staff signed 14 recruits from Georgia out of the 20 total commitments in the class. That’s not new at Georgia Tech, but the staff needed to bring in prospects that can help build competition.
So far, Key and his coaches have seven commits in the 2024 class as they continue to build.
Transfers: The coaches lost quarterback Jeff Sims, who went 7-16 in 23 starts under center, to Nebraska, but added Haynes King, a former top-50 recruit who has recorded 1,579 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 career games at Texas A&M.
They were also able to get Texas A&M wide receiver Chase Lane (617 career receiving yards), Alabama receiver Christian Leary (a former top-100 recruit) and Georgia receiver Dominick Blaylock (548 career receiving yards), among others.
What’s next: In the short term, Key has given his staff talent to work with for the upcoming season. Key and his coaches likely won’t be able to rebuild the program with only recruits, as the Yellow Jackets have signed just three top-300 prospects over the past three cycles, so it will take time for them to develop high schoolers and balance out the roster with transfers who can compete immediately.
Recruiting: Brohm has a ton of connections to Louisville and he hit the ground running when he was hired. He was able to keep ESPN 300 quarterback Pierce Clarkson committed and signed three other top-300 recruits in offensive lineman Madden Sanker, cornerback Aaron Williams and defensive end Adonijah Green.
Still, the program lost a couple of big commitments in ESPN 300 running back Rueben Owens II and ESPN 300 receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. The coaches are off to a fast start in 2024 with ESPN 300 linebacker T.J. Capers and ESPN 300 running back Isaac Brown among seven total commitments through mid-May. After finishing 32nd in 2023 and 60th in 2022, Louisville currently has a top-25 class in the 2024 cycle.
Transfers: Brohm recently added quarterback Brady Allen, whom he previously recruited to Purdue. The staff has brought in many other talented players, including Georgia cornerback Marcus Washington Jr. (a former top-100 recruit), Penn State corner Storm Duck (second-team All-ACC with North Carolina in 2022), Virginia safety Cam’Ron Kelly (ESPN’s No. 19 spring transfer), Georgia State wide receiver Jamari Thrash (1,122 yards in 2022), Texas A&M corner Marquis Groves-Killebrew (former ESPN 300 recruit), Stanford defensive end Stephen Herron (5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles in 2022) and Oregon linebacker Keith Brown (36 total tackles in two years), among others.
Big picture: Brohm has one of the best transfer classes in the country and he has been able to completely rebuild the roster in one offseason. If that can translate to wins, he should be able to elevate Louisville’s high school recruiting profile as well.
Recruiting: Arnett took over after coach Mike Leach’s death from complications related to a heart condition at 61 years old on Dec. 12. Arnett, who had been the team’s defensive coordinator since 2020, helped the program move forward after a sudden, tragic loss.
The Bulldogs’ 2023 class stayed together for the most part, losing only one commitment in December. Arnett signed two ESPN 300 prospects, including quarterback Chris Parson, the No. 192 recruit overall.
Transfers: Arnett and his coaches have added some good players through the portal, including Indiana corner Christopher Keys (14 total tackles), Miami corner Khamauri Rogers (former top-50 recruit) and Raydarious Jones, a 6-foot-2 LSU corner.
The Bulldogs also added a pair of tight ends who have College Football Playoff experience in TCU’s Geor’Quarius Spivey and Georgia’s Ryland Goede.
Big picture: The coaches are already off to a good start in 2024 with ESPN 300 quarterback Josh Flowers committed. He’s the No. 247 recruit overall and the highest ranked commit in the class thus far for Mississippi State.
Recruiting: Rhule hit the ground running since Nebraska hired him at the end of November. He and his coaches were able to add ESPN 300 defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound prospect out of Texas. Rhule also signed ESPN 300 corner Ethan Nation, receiver Malachi Coleman and defensive end Cameron Lenhardt to give the Huskers four ESPN 300 commitments in the 2023 class and finish at No. 25 overall (fourth in the Big Ten) in the class rankings.
Because Rhule has connections in Texas from his time at Baylor, he has made it known that he wants to bring the Texas pipeline back to Nebraska. He and his staff have already added three Texas commitments in its 2024 class and have six total for the cycle, though none are in the ESPN 300 so far.
Transfers: Defensive lineman Stephon Wynn Jr. (22 total tackles in 2022), linebacker Ernest Hausmann (54 total tackles as a freshman), cornerback Jaeden Gould (former ESPN 300 recruit) and quarterback Casey Thompson (2,407 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions after transferring from Texas) all left the program, but Rhule did a good job finding their replacements.
Those come in the form of four former ESPN 300 recruits: Georgia defensive end MJ Sherman (top-20 recruit in 2020), Florida linebacker Chief Borders, Florida corner Corey Collier Jr. and Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims (4,464 career passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 23 interceptions).
Big picture: Rhule is off to a good start at rebuilding the roster the way he wants. He will need more playmakers on offense, and one of the 2024 recruits he is targeting is speedy receiver Gatlin Bair out of Idaho, who has seen his recruitment take off almost as fast as his 10.15 100-meter dash time. If Rhule can develop players on the field, land highly sought-after prospects and find some stability under center, he can use his blueprint to turn the Nebraska program around quickly.
Ryan Walters, Purdue
Recruiting: Walters wasn’t hired at Purdue until Dec. 13, which didn’t leave him much time to recruit before the early signing period. Facing such a daunting task to try to salvage a class, he and his staff added 14 high school recruits, all ranked three-stars or lower, as the class finished 63rd in the 2023 class rankings.
That said, the coaches currently have eight commitments in the 2024 class and have been able to start building with more time.
Transfers: The way the transfer portal works, most players that enter the portal have a good idea where they’re going ahead of time. Because he had little time to work in December, Walters couldn’t utilize the portal to its fullest.
In a short period of time, though, he added Penn State corner Marquis Wilson (56 career tackles), Auburn defensive lineman Jeffrey M’ba (former No. 1 junior college prospect), Florida Atlantic receiver Jahmal Edrine (570 receiving yards, six touchdowns in 2022) and Arkansas safety Anthony Brown, among others.
Big picture: Given the timing of the hiring, Walters is going to have to be given some patience to try to build a foundation and mold the roster into what he wants. With more time, he’ll be able to add to the 2024 class and potentially add some impact transfers in the winter window come December.
Recruiting: It’s always difficult to compare Stanford’s recruiting numbers with other teams’ because the Cardinal have such stringent admissions requirements. But Taylor and his staff were able to add some good pieces to the 2023 class, including ESPN 300 offensive lineman Simione Pale and four-stars Ahmari Borden, Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, Sedrick Irvin Jr. and Jackson Harris.
That said, it’s still a step back from the six ESPN 300 commits Stanford had in the 2022 cycle and isn’t where the staff wants it to be with many other Pac-12 teams on the rise.
Transfers: The team lost quite a bit in the transfer portal with several offensive linemen leaving, including Walter Rouse (to Oklahoma), Myles Hinton (to Michigan), Drake Nugent (to Michigan), Drake Metcalf (to UCF) and Jake Hornibrook (to Duke). Those five linemen combined for over 2,700 snaps in 2022.
Wide receiver Colby Bowman transferred to Utah State, defensive end Stephen Herron Jr. went to Louisville, safety Jonathan McGill to SMU and corner Salim Turner-Muhammad (to Purdue) are among a handful of others to leave the program as well.
Big picture: Stanford lost too much in the portal without being able to replace them in such a short period of time. The recruiting class in 2023 finished 39th overall (eighth in the Pac-12) and Taylor now has a lot of work to do to rebuild this roster. Stanford’s 2024 class currently has four prospects in it, led by unranked four-star wide receiver Chase Farrell.
Recruiting: Fickell finished the 2023 recruiting cycle with the No. 49 class overall, adding four-star receiver Trech Kekahuna, corner Amare Snowden and three-star athlete Braedyn Moore, while flipping corner Jonas Duclona from Cincinnati — Fickell’s previous team.
Moving forward to the 2024 class, ESPN 300 tight end Grant Stec and four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer out of Texas are among eight total commitments of a group that is in the top 25 of the class rankings.
Transfers: Fickell has completely transformed the quarterback room. Previous starter Graham Mertz transferred to Florida and backup Chase Wolf left the program as well. In turn, Fickell brought in Tanner Mordecai, who has thrown for over 7,000 yards and 72 touchdowns over the past two years for SMU, former ESPN 300 quarterback Nick Evers from Oklahoma and former four-star Braedyn Locke from Mississippi State.
Fickell’s offense, led by offensive coordinator Phil Longo, will have some new receivers, including USC’s CJ Williams, Cincinnati’s Quincy Burroughs and Will Pauling and Oklahoma State’s Bryson Green, who scored a team-high five receiving touchdowns and was second on the Cowboys with 584 yards in 2022.
Big picture: Wisconsin will look like a completely different offense from 2022, and excitement around what Fickell and Longo can do in Madison is building. Thus far, Fickell is doing a great job at balancing the roster with transfers and high school prospects to put the Badgers in a position to win now and in the long term.