Kiffin shines, Whittingham flops in Week 1 coaching debuts
Week 1 grades for first-year college football coaches were a mixed bag: Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut dominated Clemson 51-10 (A+), Kyle Whittingham’s Michigan outing was a rough showing with only six points against Western Michigan (F), Bob Chesney’s UCLA started strong with a 45-24 win over Cal (A), and Eric Morris’s Oklahoma State endured a 24-10 loss at Tulsa (F). The piece surveys a broad slate of new coaches and their early returns, with examples ranging from James Franklin (Virginia Tech) at B to Will Stein (Kentucky) at A and Alex Golesh (Auburn) at C+, underscoring a wide spectrum of Week 1 performances.
