Let's look at how the new coaches did this season

[superdave1984]

SMU Mustangs
Sonny Dykes 5-7, last year 7-6

UCF Knights
Josh Heupel 12-0, last year 12-0 *first time HC

Florida State Seminoles
Willie Taggart 5-7, last year 7-6

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Scott Frost 4-8, last year 4-8

Rice Owls
Mike Bloomgren 2-11, last year 1-11 *first time HC

UTEP Miners
Dana Dimel 1-11, last year 0-12

Kent State Golden Flashes
Sean Lewis 2-10, last year 2-10 *first time HC

Arizona Wildcats
Kevin Sumlin 5-7, last year 7-6

Arizona State Sun Devils
Herm Edwards 7-5, last year 7-6

Oregon Ducks
Mario Cristobal 8-4, last year 7-6

Oregon State Beavers
Jonathan Smith 2-10, last year 1-11 *first time HC

UCLA Bruins
Chip Kelly 3-9, last year 6-7

Arkansas Razorbacks
Chad Morris 2-10, last year 4-8

Florida Gators
Dan Mullen 9-3, last year 4-7

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Joe Moorhead 8-4, last year 9-4

Tennessee Volunteers
Jeremy Pruitt 5-7, last year 4-8 *first time HC

Texas A&M Aggies
Jimbo Fisher 8-4, last year 7-6

Georgia Southern Eagles
Chad Lunsford 9-3, last year 2-10 *first time HC

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Billy Napier 7-5, last year 5-7 *first time HC

South Alabama Jaguars
Steve Campbell 3-9, last year 4-8

Many of the new guys did well their first year. Mullen made a huge turnaround with florida. But let's look at the 7 guys that this is their first year ever to be HC.
Heupel inherited an undefeated team, made his job much easier. Plus they didn't exactly play a tough schedule.
Bllomgren at Rice did poorly, but what did you expect? They were terrible last year and expectations are not very high anyway.
Sean Lewis, see Bloomgren.
Jonathan Smith. Oregon State has somewhat higher expectations, but again, they were terrible last year as well and have not been good in several years.
Chad Lunsford is the outlier here. However, Ga Southern is a traditionally powerful football program, albeit not so much in FBS, but they do have history.
Napier lost some ground, but again, not a very good team historically.
So by comparison, Pruitt did not do so bad. Yes, we have higher expectations, but when you consider the coaches who also started new jobs last year and what they walked into, it wasn't so bad.

 

[Gatornator]

Florida CFP rank out today: 9, locked in for an NY6 bowl. Unbelievable turnaround in one year

I think Mullen easily wins best first year HC. Followed by Jimbo Fisher.

If he can just recruit better, especially since beating FSU. If he can lock in a couple of top 5 classes, championships will follow. Big IF.

Pruitt has not done as bad as Taggart at FSU, but has not done great either. He should have won the Vandy game. Rivalry matters. SOS took it seriously. Meyer did. Mullen is doing that. Pruitt should too.