The 3 Best Coaching Hires in College Football for 2015

Head coach Paul Chryst decided to part ways with Pittsburgh to accept the same position at Wisconsin. Chryst went 19-20 (.487) in his time with the Panthers including a 6-6 campaign this season. His departure left Pittsburgh searching for its fourth head coach since 2005. The head coaching search is usually a grueling process, but it took athletic director Steve Pederson just over a week to hire Pat Narduzzi, a long time defensive coordinator under Mark Dantonio at Michigan State.

Narduzzi's name has been tied to various job openings around the country over the last few years due to his success as a defensive coordinator with Michigan State. The Spartans have finished in the top 10 in total defense over the last four seasons. In 2013, he was awarded the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to college football's best coaching assistant, after the Spartans finished 2nd nationally in total defense.

Despite his lack of head coaching experience, Narduzzi is considered one of the season's best hires because of his familiarity with coaching in big time games and situations. It doesn't hurt that he will inherit a team that returns its leading passer, receiver, and rusher from last season. Running back James Connor, who led the ACC in rushing yards (1,765) last season, should thrive under new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. Chaney, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Arkansas, had two separate running backs rush for over 1,000 yards last season.

All of this combined with Narduzzi's defensive background leads us to believe that Pittsburgh will be a dark horse contender in the ACC Coastal division next season.

The pinnacle of college football lies in the SEC, and expectations are at an all-time for head coaches in this conference to win on a regular basis. It is a standard that Will Muschamp could not meet, so after posting a 29-21 record (.580) in four seasons at Florida, athletic director Jeremy Foley decided to head in a new direction. Foley wanted to hire an offensive-minded coach after the Gators finished 94th and 115th nationally in total offense over the last two seasons. It came as no surprise when Foley's very first visit was to Colorado State.

McElwain first made a name for himself as an offensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2008-2011. In that time period, he established the Crimson Tide as one of the most balanced pro-style offenses in all of college football. In 2012, he was hired to be the new head coach of Colorado State. In just his third year on the job, McElwain led the Rams to a 10-win season, their first since 2002. He quickly became one of the most desired coaches in college football, and he could not pass up the opportunity to coach at an SEC powerhouse. Following his hire, ESPN radio personality Paul Finebaum made a strong prediction about McElwain's future in Gainesville:

History tells us that it will take a very special coach to turn Michigan back into a winning program. Rich Rodriguez did not meet expectations, but has since found success at Arizona. More recently, Brady Hoke was shown the door after going 31-20 (.608) after fours seasons in Ann Arbor. The winningest team in Division I football was in desperate need of finding a coach that could quickly return the program back to its winning ways. Only one man seemed to fit the bill: Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh first years of success as a head football coach came at Stanford. He was hired in 2007 to take over a football team that had only won 16 games in the previous five seasons. It was a gradual process, but he eventually led Stanford to an Orange Bowl victory in 2010. Shortly after, Harbaugh was hired by the San Francisco 49ers. He led the team to the NFC Championship game in his three first seasons and made it to the Super Bowl in his second year as coach.

Tension between Harbaugh and the 49ers led to talk that he would return to coach his alma-mater. The talks proved to be true as he was hired to revive the sinking Wolverines. This grand slam hire has fans from around the country excited about future battles against Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Harbaugh is going to have to hit the recruiting trail pretty hard, but the Michigan faithful should feel confident knowing that they have Harbaugh to lead the way for the next few years.

It may be hard to predict a head coach's future with a new team, but we feel confident in saying that Harbaugh will soon be among names like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.