Group of Five coach rankings put spotlight on college football coaches undervalued in Power Four market

Jamey Chadwell was an institution in the state of South Carolina. Outside of a year sabbatical at Delta State, he served as head coach for 13 straight years at in-state institutions, winning at every level. In 2020, he swept national coach of the year honors after leading Coastal Carolina to an unprecedented 11-0 regular season. Had the 12-team College Football Playoff existed back then, the Chanticleers would have made the field.

Coincidentally, the head coaching job at the state’s flagship program, South Carolina, opened that very same year. Chadwell was barely considered. The job went to a tight ends coach, Shane Beamer, largely thanks to his SEC connections. Chadwell ultimately left for Liberty ahead of the 2023 season and made a New Year’s Six bowl in his first year. 

He ranks No. 1 in the 2024 CBS Sports Group of Five coach rankings.

Despite his wild success as a head coach and obvious connections in South Carolina, Chadwell’s ability was overlooked in favor of pedigree. Unfortunately, elitism on the part of power conference administrators is only growing as the divide between levels becomes more pronounced — and schools are only hurting themselves in the process. 

The stories continually get more frustrating. Jon Sumrall was a position coach at Kentucky before he left to take over a 5-7 Troy team. He went 23-4 in two seasons with two Sun Belt titles. Mississippi State opened, but the school opted to go with Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who had two years of primary play-calling experience. Outside of the two power conference bounce-backs, Jeff Tedford and Bronco Mendenhall, essentially every other top-10 Group of Five coach in the rankings have been glossed over for Power Four gigs. 

Kent State had two seasons…

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Author : Shehan Jeyarajah

Publish date : 2024-05-17 16:05:25

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