CFB's Year 2 Coaches for 2025: Who's Good, and Who's Already Dicey?

Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner

News, Sports, Sports News, Football

4.9 • 916 Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com

We believe in an old college football theory: If a coach is going to win at his current job, he’s going to have a good second season. The exceptions, like Bill McCartney and Jim Harbaugh, prove the rule. This year, 28 FBS coaches enter their second season in charge of their programs. Who’s already banked enough goodwill to withstand a down year? Who’s doing fine, with a big year yet to come? And who got off on the wrong foot in 2024 and already needs a major improvement to get his tenure on track? From Curt Cignetti and Jon Sumrall to Sherrone Moore and Sean Lewis, let’s check in with our sophomore class.

Some episode highlights:

* A discussion of exactly where Mike Elko stands relative to expectations after a really nice debut season at Texas A&M

* Why Kalen DeBoer doesn’t fit neatly into any one category of Year 2 coaches

* Sherrone Moore looks very good at Michigan, but we’re watching for two things: the QB living up to the hype and the NCAA going away

* Yikes, Sean Lewis’ start at San Diego State was barren

* Same for Brent Brennan at Arizona

* At UCLA, is that a flicker of … hope? It might be

Producer: Anthony Vito

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're coming, and we ain't backing down.
0:01.8	We don't need a bunch of cats in here looking in the mirror.
0:04.5	Everybody just do your job.
0:06.7	You understand that?
0:07.7	Hey, will you shut up?
0:08.6	I'm bitterly disappointed with the officiating today.
0:11.1	Guys being dudes.
0:12.3	And they run through our like a shit through a ten horn, man.
0:14.8	Ah, fuck it.
0:16.3	Thank you, Lee.
0:17.3	It's Split Zone Duo.
0:18.5	I'm Alex Kirshner. I'm joined by my co-host emeritus, Stephen
0:22.7	Godfrey. Stephen, how are you? I'm good. I'm just enjoying summer in my home field t-shirt,
0:27.7	Alex. It's the best in the business. It's as you know, the home field teas are extremely comfortable
0:33.6	once we get into that June, July, August corridor. I mean, they're comfortable
0:37.5	all year, but, you know, particularly when you need something breathable. They're especially
0:41.3	comfortable, Alex, when you are hot outside because you've been outside for approximately
0:45.1	13 minutes and you live in the American South. And you're like, you know what I'd like to do? I'd
0:49.1	like to podcast in a dry t-shirt in the actual climate-controlled environment. So I just put this one on.
0:54.9	And it is, it is cozy.
0:57.0	I'll say cozy a lot in the summer, do we?
0:59.2	We don't, but breathability is really important in the summer months.
	...

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