Being a first-year college football coach is never easy. Such coaches are often ushered in with the positivity of a fresh start for their respective programs, but also the burden of heavy expectations for a turnaround, outlooks that have only ratcheted up with the transfer portal allowing for more microwaveable roster building.

Make no mistake: It still takes time to cultivate a talented roster and build a culture that lasts. Entering the 2026 season, this tough task was bestowed upon 33 first-year coaches in the FBS, 17 of which reside in the Power 4 conferences.

Let’s whip out the red pen and give each first-year coach an early grade four weeks into the season.

Jon Sumrall, Florida Gators

Sumrall has passed the first four weeks of the season with flying colors, injecting new passion and energy into a Florida football program that had become stagnant in the last few years. Not only that, but it’s looking like Sumrall made one of the best coordinator hires in the sport in play-caller Buster Faulkner, who put on a master class in perfectly marrying run plays with the passing game in the romp of No. 4 Mississippi.

Playing Sumrall’s Gators, with a relentless rushing attack led by Jadan Baugh, is like taking a steady stream of punches in a 12-round fight. Opponents are barely standing by the end.

Grade: A

Bob Chesney, UCLA Bruins

Chesney’s portal class, led by running back Wayne Knight and linebacker Sammy Omosigho, has hit the ground running—literally in the case of Knight, who has been the engine of the Bruins’ offense.

UCLA will need to clean up some of the penalties and iron out the wrinkles in its passing offense, but Chesney’s formula for winning thus far is highly repeatable: Own time of possession with one of the best rushing attacks in the country, stop the run and consistently win the turnover battle. UCLA football is back.

Grade: A

Lane Kiffin, LSU Tigers

Aside from getting outfoxed by Pete Golding in the Spite Bowl vs. Ole Miss, there hasn’t been much to nitpick with Kiffin’s Tigers, who pounced on Texas A&M at home in their best overall performance of the season.

Understandably lost sometimes in the shuffle with the eccentric Kiffin is that he’s a really shrewd evaluator of talent and a sharp play designer, the latter of which was on full display as the Tigers put up points against Texas A&M without Trey’Dez Green, and, briefly, Sam Leavitt.

Grade: A-

Will Stein, Kentucky Wildcats

For two years running, Kentucky had one of the worst offenses in the SEC, bogged down by bad quarterback play and a poor offensive line. Enter the former Oregon offensive coordinator, whose work in the portal to revamp the quarterback spot—Kenny Minchey—and the offensive line has already paid dividends. And Stein already has a signature win: a top-10 victory over Texas A&M at Kyle Field, one of the toughest places to play.

Grade: A-

James Franklin, Virginia Tech Hokies

Given his remarkable consistency at Vanderbilt and Penn State, it’s not surprising that Franklin is off to a banner start at Virginia Tech. But it doesn't make it any less impressive. With a mix of Penn State transfers and Hokie holdovers, Franklin has produced one of the ACC’s most balanced offenses and a defense that has largely held its own, thanks to a revamped defensive line that has consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks.

The latest evidence of Franklin’s influence? A hard-fought win over Boston College in awfully rainy, windy conditions in which the Hokies were 14.5-point favorites. That’s a game they may have found a way to lose in prior years.

Grade: A-

Eric Morris, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Given his offensive background and the talented personnel he brought to Oklahoma State from North Texas, many expected the Cowboys to be a strong offensive unit. And that’s exactly what they’ve been thus far, ranking third in total yards per game and 34th in points per contest. But it’s been the way the Tate Romney and Ethan Wesloski–led defense has come together under defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity that has been most promising. Bad memories of his disastrous debut against Tulsa are firmly in the rearview.

Grade: B+

Morgan Scalley, Utah Utes

Replacing Kyle Whittingham, the winningest coach in program history, was no easy task for his longtime defensive coordinator. But so far, Scalley has really impressed. Returnees QB Devon Dampier and RB Wayshawn Parker have been cornerstones, the rebuilt offensive line has held its own and new offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven has added some exciting wrinkles to the offense.

And Scalley’s defense has held stout, particularly in the biggest moments of the second half in a Week 4 win over Iowa State, when the unit had a firm response to the Utes’ first sign of adversity this season. The Utes look like they haven’t missed a beat as one of the Big 12’s best.

Grade: B+

Pete Golding, Mississippi Rebels

Ole Miss’s Week 4 loss to Florida is a reminder of just how tough the coaching business can be. One week ago, Golding was riding high after outscheming his former boss, Kiffin, in the Rebels’ win over LSU. A week later, he was facing serious question marks about his leaky defense and nonexistent running game sans Kewan Lacy.

Needless to say, the bye has arrived at an opportune time for Golding. I trust Golding to figure out how to coax better results out of such a talented defense, but its struggles have certainly been concerning, considering that’s his area of expertise.

Grade: B+

Alex Golesh, Auburn Tigers

It certainly hasn’t been pretty for Golesh’s Tigers, as we’ve seen the good—a blocked punt touchdown from the special teams unit vs. Vanderbilt—the bad—495 yards of offense and 44 points surrendered to Florida—and the ugly—three interceptions from quarterback Byrum Brown in a by-the-skin-of-their-teeth win over Baylor—in all three phases for the Tigers.

But Auburn has had its fair share of struggles in close games in recent years, and Golesh’s squad has at least shown the mettle to win two of its three nail-biters against Power 4 opponents this year.

Grade: B

Collin Klein, Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State got off to a rip-roaring start under Klein, showcasing an improved offensive line and running game, as well as an overhauled defense that held its first three opponents to 260 total yards or fewer.

Then, the Wildcats played a quality opponent in Cincinnati and things went off the rails a bit. The defense turned matador, permitting 271 yards on the ground alone, while the offensive line hampered the unit’s previously efficient play. And yet, the Wildcats lost by only five points. Klein and Kansas State have work to do, but this is a solid start.

Grade: B-

Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State Cyclones

While the Cyclones have logged two wins this season under Rogers, we may have learned more about the prospects of this program in its two defeats, both to ranked opponents in Iowa and Utah.

Rogers’s defense held Iowa to under 100 yards rushing and got its own running game going, playing the Hawkeyes to the bitter end in Week 2. Then, after falling behind Utah 14–0, the Cyclones showed grit in fighting back to make it a 24–17 ball game in the fourth quarter.

It’s impressive that a team with as much roster turnover as the Cyclones was as competitive as they were against ranked competition, a testament to Rogers’s coaching prowess.

Grade: B-

Matt Campbell, Penn State Nittany Lions

Campbell’s Penn State tenure got off to an auspicious 3–0 start, but the warning signs were there, particularly with the offense’s struggles during a Week 2 first-half scare against Temple. After playing with fire, the Nittany Lions got burned by unranked Wisconsin in Week 4, as the three-and-out-plagued offense, which missed injured receiver Koby Howard a little too much, couldn’t sustain drives or generate points. To that end, the promising defense helped the cause with an interception return touchdown in the second quarter and another pick that led to a Penn State score.

There were questions about how Campbell’s Iowa State–heavy portal class would translate to Big Ten play. It’s not time to panic yet, but ex-Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht and Campbell didn’t provide an encouraging first answer to those questions.

Grade: C+

Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State’s roster probably wasn’t talented enough for Fitzgerald to make a ton of headway in Year 1. Then, the Spartans were bit by the injury bug, none bigger than the loss of star running back Cam Edwards for the season. For an offense that has really struggled to generate big plays and put points on the board, that’s going to put them behind the eight ball.

The Spartans have impressed at times on the defensive side, but this unit is likely going to be put in some tough situations due to the offensive ineptitude.

Grade: C+

Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas Razorbacks

Silverfield’s tenure has been a mixed bag of a lopsided FCS win, two blowouts against ranked opponents and then last week’s decisive win over a spunky Group of 6 Tulsa team, hence the passable grade. It’s left the perception that the Razorbacks are far from contention but stout enough to handle their business in winnable games. Given just how far this program deteriorated last season, it’s a positive start for Silverfield & Co.

Grade: C+

Tavita Pritchard, Stanford Cardinal

Avoiding a near-disastrous loss to Hawai‘i in the season opener was paramount, but lopsided defeats to Miami and Duke showed just how far away this Cardinal program is from the upper class of the ACC.

Yet, you could see adjustments made from Pritchard and his coaching staff, particularly on the offensive end heading into the Georgia Tech victory, that lend optimism to this team moving forward.

Grade: C+

Kyle Whittingham, Michigan Wolverines

It’s a miracle that Michigan is 3–1, as the start to Whittingham’s tenure has been riddled with self-inflicted wounds, from turnovers to costly penalties, the latter of which have plagued the Wolverines on both sides of the ball.

There have been flashes from QB Bryce Underwood, but he has yet to put it all together under former Utes offensive coordinator Jason Beck. Michigan is 3–1, nearly 4–0, but could just as easily be 1–3 with how it has played through four weeks. Whittingham’s track record suggests he’ll clean the operation up, but it’s certainly been alarming so far.

Grade: C-

Tosh Lupoi, California Golden Bears

Lupoi gets a passing grade for the work he did in the portal, particularly on the defensive end. That secondary, led by Kingston Lopa, is legit. But Lupoi is barely passing because of what’s happened at the point of attack on defense, on the offensive side of the ball and with the special teams unit.

The Golden Bears are surrendering nearly 200 rushing yards per game, an unacceptable result when you consider how stout they’ve been against the pass, as well as Lupoi’s defensive background. And on offense, quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has racked up four turnovers against the Golden Bears’ two quality opponents this season, while first-time play-caller Jordan Somerville has plenty of work to do after Cal failed to score an offensive touchdown in a game for the first time since 2018.

Grade: D+

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