Urban Meyer cried at LSU, Nick Saban lost to Louisiana-Monroe and Kirby Smart did little to make fans forget Mark Richt at Georgia.
All three big-name coaches had to navigate challenging debut seasons at big-time programs. Each would weather the storm and play for a national championship soon enough, but it was a long road to get there.
“That’s never easy,” said Smart, now in his third season. “I don’t think that’s an easy transition for anybody.”
After just two games at Florida, Dan Mullen is finding out, once again, just how difficult a coaching changeover can be.