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This from The Sporting News...

Grading the coaching hires for the 2004 season:

1. Mike Stoops, Arizona. He doesn't have the charisma of brother Bob, but he has the same ability and attitude. Mike Stoops also was an integral cog in the reshaping of the Oklahoma program the last five years as co-defensive coordinator. How will it play at Arizona? Think Southern California, which struggled under Pete Carroll in his first year, then blossomed into a Pac-10 power with a foundation of defense and speedy skill players on offense.

Stoops, who immediately becomes the league's second-best recruiter behind Carroll, made a key move in his first week on the job, hiring brother Mark to run the Wildcats' defense. Mark Stoops coached the secondary at Miami the last three seasons -- remember how well those units played? -- and will use a mix of Hurricanes defensive coordinator Randy Shannon's cover 2 philosophies and Bob and Mike Stoops' zone blitz schemes. Grade: A

2. Mike Price, UTEP. The guy made a stupid mistake, but understand this: There's no way -- no way -- Alabama finishes 4-9 under Price. He's a terrific coach who deserved a second chance and got it. Any coach who can take Washington State to two Rose Bowls knows how to coach and recruit, and Price will bring his killer instincts to the sidelines and folksy personality to the recruiting trails.

Plus, when it comes to recruiting liabilities, El Paso looks like Los Angeles compared to Pullman, Wash. Price is still in the early stages of putting together a staff, but it could look similar to the group he put together at Alabama, which included sons Aaron and Eric Price on the offensive side. Bottom line: The Miners will win the WAC within three years. Grade: A

3. Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State. With his knowledge of the South and the SEC and his ability to recruit, Croom, one of the most respected assistants in the NFL over the last decade, should make a smooth transition-even with the NCAA set to pounce on the Bulldogs. There won't be anything fancy; Croom's teams will be fundamentally sound, and his offense will be more balanced than some units under Jackie Sherrill.

Croom made a good move early on when he named former Tennessee assistant Woody McCorvey offensive coordinator. Not only does McCorvey have years of experience in the SEC, he is one of the South's best recruiters and is an underrated offensive mind. Expect the Bulldogs' offense to look a lot like Tennessee's, with some West Coast principles from Croom's years with the Green Bay Packers mixed in. Grade: A

4. JD Brookhart, Akron. Pittsburgh emerged as a Big East power the last three seasons because its offense flourished under coordinator Brookhart. He's young, he's innovative, and he has a proven track record-look at the development of wide receivers Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald and Pitt's overall passing game in recent years. Brookhart teaches as well as any coach in the game, and that's an underrated quality. Grade: B

5. Mark Dantonio, Cincinnati. This was a no-frills hire. Cincinnati A.D. Bob Goin wanted a football coach, not a face to charm boosters and temporarily fill a stadium. Winning, Goin says, will permanently fill seats.

Dantonio constructed the dominating Ohio State defenses of the last two seasons, and he will coach much like his mentors Jim Tressel and Nick Saban. The Bearcats won't be dazzling offensively, but they'll play hard and keep games close and win with execution. So it's boring. It's also the same formula Ohio State has used to go 24-2 the last two seasons. Grade: B

6. George O'Leary, Central Florida. The Knights shelled out big money -- a total compensation of $1.7 million for the coaching staff -- to land O'Leary and try to restart a program that has fallen to fifth in the state behind the Big Three and South Florida.

Now, the problem: If O'Leary is successful at Central Florida, you'd better believe he won't be long for Orlando. School administrators say they're willing to take that chance in the hope his tenure can set the foundation for the move to C-USA in 2005. Grade: B

7. Nick Holt, Idaho. A gem for the Vandals, who are in danger of falling further into college football obscurity -- if that's possible. Holt is much like Florida coach Ron Zook: a high-energy recruiting dynamo who will make up for tactical lapses on game day by instilling passion and attitude in his players. Grade: C

8. Ted Roof, Duke. Duke A.D. Joe Alleva said he liked the way the team responded to Roof after he took over as coach during a time of adversity last season. Fine. But what happens in the offseason, or in recruiting season, or when Duke becomes Duke again in 2004? Roof has been hit-or-miss as a defensive coordinator, but considering the job ahead, he probably was just as good a hire as any Duke could've made. Grade: C

9. Bobby Ross, Army. When he left the Detroit Lions in 2000, Ross was burned out and tired of coaching. He's now 67 years old and three years removed from the sidelines; how long will he last at West Point? If Ross truly is re-energized, this is a fantastic hire and the grade surges into the "A" category. If he isn't, and if he is another in an inglorious line of coaches who can't get the job out of their system, things could get John Mackovic ugly. Grade: D

10. Chris Ault, Nevada. This will be Round 3 in Reno for Ault, the most successful coach in Nevada history. He left his role as athletic director to return to the sidelines and will bring his spread offense with him. Problem is, the WAC is a much better conference than when Ault last coached in 1995. He brings credibility and experience to the program, but will he be able to consistently recruit against some of the league's big guns? Grade: D

11. Jeff Genyk, Eastern Michigan. At the very best, Genyk is a curious hire at an important time in the development of a program that can't seem to keep pace with the rest of the surging MAC. A 12-year assistant at Northwestern, Genyk never really established himself as an elite assistant and never was a coordinator. Grade: D

So, how did we do grading last year's hires? Here's a recap of the grade given, with each coach's 2003 record:

Grade A

Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M (4-8)
Urban Meyer, Utah (9-2)
Joe Glenn, Wyoming (4-8)

Grade B

Gregg Brandon, Bowling Green (10-3)
John L. Smith, Michigan State (8-4)
Art Briles, Houston (7-6)
Guy Morriss, Baylor (3-9)

Grade C

Bill Doba, Washington State (9-3)
Charlie Weatherbie, Louisiana-Monroe (1-11)
Bob Petrino, Louisville (9-4)
Mike Riley, Oregon State (8-5)
John Thompson, East Carolina (1-11)
Steve Kragthorpe, Tulsa (8-4)

Grade D

Karl Dorrell, UCLA (6-6)
Mike Shula, Alabama (4-9)
Brady Hoke, Ball State (4-8)

Grade F

Rich Brooks, Kentucky (4-8)

Staff writer Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. Email him at [email protected] and include your name and location.