At the onset of the 2024 season, there will be special attention paid to several new college football coaches. First is Kalen DeBoer, who is that man who follows “The Man” Nick Saban in Alabama. Saban is the undisputed GOAT of College Football Betting coaches. DeBoer will be facing impossible expectations. Similarly, Sherrone Moore is taking over for the Michigan Wolverines after a national championship season. Moore replaces the popular Jim Harbaugh, the ultimate Michigan Man. DeBoer and Moore may be the most notable new coaches, but several others face enormous challenges.
Kalen DeBoer – Alabama Crimson Tide
Of course, there is an adage that says, “You never want to be the man who follows that man.” Yet that is what Kalen DeBoer agreed to do. DeBoer stands as good a chance as any possible coach to succeed in replacing Nick Saban. DeBoer arrived from the Washington Huskies, whom he led to the national championship game last year. Accordingly, DeBoer is considered one of the best coaches in the game.
Sherrone Moore – Michigan Wolverines
Last year, Sherrone Moore was the offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh in Michigan’s dream season. Sherrone Moore was the interim head coach for three games when Harbaugh was suspended. Moore won all three sports betting matchups as the fill-in. Moore won over the players and Michigan faithful. Most important of all, the Michigan administration loves Moore.
But there is a huge difference between being a head coach on Saturday compared to an entire season. While suspended, Harbaugh was allowed to run practices and game planning during the week. Moore has never run an entire program until this season. Furthermore, the team is gutted. Most of the key players and coaches are gone. Moore will get a season of grace but he better use that time to build towards the future.
Mike Elko – Texas A&M Aggies
No team in college football wants to be elite more than the Texas A&M Aggies. Certainly, the Aggies spend like an elite College Football Betting program. But Texas A&KM has not won a national championship dating back to 1939. Nor have they been close. Last year, the Aggies cut ties with head coach Jimbo Fisher, who was assumed to be the answer. Instead, Fisher failed to meet expectations by a wide margin. Enter Mike Elko.
Previously, Elko was the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils. Elko led Duke to bowl seasons in both of his years as head coach. For a basketball school like Duke, it was a profound accomplishment. Elko was a highly effective defensive coordinator under Fisher at Texas A&M. Elko impressed the Texas A&M leadership, who kept an eye on his success at Duke. Thus, there is optimism that Elko might be the man who leads Texas A&M to their ultimate aspirations.
Manny Diaz – Duke Blue Devils
Speaking of Duke, they quickly moved to hire Manny Diaz as Elko’s replacement. Previously, Diaz was the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. Daiz took over a program with poor financial commitment and one that was wallowing in a lack of direction. In sum, Manny went 21-15 and was 16-9 in ACC games. Diaz led Miami to an 8-3 record in 2020, including 7-2 in the ACC. But in 2021, The U fell back to 7-5 and 5-3 in the ACC. Since he departed, Miami has done worse. So perhaps Diaz was not to blame. But Diaz will find Duke a daunting challenge.
DeShaun Foster – UCLA Bruins
Last January, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly stunned the college football world. To illuminate, Kelly surrendered his head coaching position to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Kelly left Westwood because of UCLA’s lack of financial commitment to championship football. The move was a stinging indictment against UCLA’s football program and a vote of no confidence regarding its future.
DeShaun Foster played at UCLA and was eager to return to his alma mater. Foster is putting his career and reputation at risk by taking the job. Certainly, Foster knows the poor reputation of UCLA football. As admirable as his commitment is, the sad fact is that UCLA doesn’t care about football.