College Football Playoff Quarterfinal - Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential: Alabama v Indiana

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The coaching carousel is moving faster than ever before, which means coaches have to find their footing at new schools quickly. After only two years, several coaches from the 2023-24 cycle have already established themselves as successes — or failures. 

The headliner, of course, is Indiana’s Curt Cignetti. The former James Madison coach burst on the Power Four scene the greatest hires in the history of sports after leading the Hoosiers to an unlikely national championship. Five other coaches from the cycle have also reached the College Football Playoff in their first two years. Duke’s Manny Diaz also captured an ACC title. 

That said, four second-year coaches have already been fired: Oregon State’s Trent Bray, Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith, UCLA’s DeShaun Foster and Michigan’s Sherrone Moore. More could quickly find themselves on the hot seat in pivotal Year 3s. 

Here are how we grade every second-year coach in college football after the 2025 season.Â