Which First-Year Coaches Are Best Positioned for Success in 2018–19?

It’s been a busy summer for a wide range of college teams under new management, many of them brand-name programs, and many of those aiming to return to the heights of old. No matter how high-profile the coach or team, year one is never an easy task, and no two jobs are quite the same. This year’s batch trends more toward long-term rebuilds—there are few coaches falling into a cushy inheritance of talent—but is no less intriguing as established coaches take on the weight of new expectations, or in some cases, lack thereof.

In highly-subjective order of short-term potential, here’s this year’s group of first-year coaches in major conferences, the pieces they’ll inherit, and where they’re…