(01-04-2026, 04:32 PM)PalmTree Wrote: (01-04-2026, 03:46 PM)Maple Leaf Wrote: Per ESPN Stanford is hiring Terry Heferren from Virginia to OC, he was the OL coach at Stanford for 2 years
Heferren's UVa bio
Quick comment on his UVa coaching (see 2nd paragraph) mentions developing UVa's line to one of the ACC's best
Sept, 21 interview (just before his first stint at Stanford) he talks about O-line philosophy, recruiting
He was only here 2 years and I don't remember hearing much on how he did here, but those were at the tail end of Shaw's tenure so maybe I'm just blocking it out - any/all insights are welcome.
Also per ESPN
2025 college football coaching carousel: Ranking every FBS hire;
LSU hiring Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss was ranked #1. Kyle Whittingham from Utah to MICH as #12. UCLA picking Chesney from JMU at #9.
Grade: B- or C+ (I understand, but I'm not totally sure I agree)
Rank #28 of 32.
Tavita Pritchard, Stanford. There's a certain poetry to general manager Andrew Luck hiring Pritchard, the quarterback before him at Stanford and the player who led the upset of USC that put Stanford's late-2000s rise into motion. Pritchard has plenty of coaching experience too, including 13 seasons at Stanford. But the Cardinal averaged an offensive SP+ ranking of 84.0 in his five years as OC. He did oversee Jayden Daniels' excellent rookie season in the pros, and he has witnessed what it takes to build Stanford up.
But that run as OC is hard for me to look past.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...y-fbs-hire
KIFFIN WAS WAY EXPENSIVE
Lane Kiffin's LSU deal is a
7-year, $91 million contract ($13M annually), making him one of college football's highest-paid coaches, with automatic salary raises to become the highest if he wins a national title, plus a significant buyout if fired without cause. A unique clause pays him Ole Miss playoff bonuses,
and LSU will help cover potential losses on his Oxford home sale.
Kirby Smart at Georgia might be the only one with higher salary.
Top Earners (Approximate 2025 Salaries)
Kirby Smart, Georgia: ~$13.28M
Ryan Day, Ohio State: ~$12.58M
Curt Cignetti, Indiana: ~$11.6M
Lincoln Riley, USC: ~$11.54M
Dabo Swinney, Clemson: ~$11.45M
Mike Elko, Texas A&M: ~$11M
Steve Sarkisian, Texas: ~$10.8M
Dan Lanning, Oregon: ~$10.4M
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: ~$10.25M
Bill Belichick, North Carolina: ~$10.1M
Most of those schools are getting their money's worth, especially INDY... except UNC. Swinney's compensation goes to past performance.
My guess is that Pritchard is not being paid much more than Frank Reich ($4M); he was making $500K at WASH Commanders.