College Football

Ranking the 10 most successful seasons by first-year college football coaches

Updated Jun. 15, 2023 2:18 p.m. ET

Deion Sanders has never been one to shy away from saying what he believes. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has had a novel’s worth of noteworthy soundbites since being named Colorado's head football coach back on Dec. 3, echoed out loud for everyone to hear.

So when Sanders sat down with FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt for a one-on-one interview as a part of his summer podcast series, "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," and was asked about whether he should have ambitious expectations for his team in his first season at the helm, Sanders didn’t hold back.

Joel Klatt and Deion Sanders discuss expectations at Colorado

Joel Klatt and Deion Sanders talk about the Week 1 matchup between Colorado and TCU. Coach Prime discusses his expectations for the team.

"Why not think like that?" Sanders responded to Klatt’s question about having national championship expectations in Year 1. "I don’t think like that man, I want it all. I don’t want a sip, I want it all … give me it all."

It’s that very mentality that has helped Sanders become the most talked-about individual in college football this offseason. It also has Colorado football fans believing their program could be headed for a massive turnaround following a miserable 2022 campaign in which the Buffaloes went 1-11 and were outscored by 29 points per contest.

Sanders has made the expectations for his program crystal clear. And while they might seem impractical to some, there is a precedent for college football coaches having great success in their first year at their respective programs.

Here's a look at the 10 most successful seasons by first-year head coaches.

1. Larry Coker, Miami (Fla.)
Year: 2001
Record: 12-0
Finish: National championship

Coker served as the Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator from 1995-2000 and was named the school’s head coach ahead of the 2001 season when Butch Davis left to take the head coaching job with the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Coker had immediate success in his first season, guiding the Hurricanes to a perfect 12-0 record and a national championship victory over Nebraska. Coker’s Miami team was an offensive juggernaut, averaging 42.7 points per game and outscoring their opponents by an average of 32.9 points per contest.

2. Chris Petersen, Boise State
Year: 2006
Record: 13-0
Finish: Fiesta Bowl champions

A perfect record is an accomplishment deserving of recognition, regardless of the level of competition. So, while critics of the 2006 Broncos will suggest going 8-0 in the then-Western Athletic Conference isn’t some miraculous feat, going 13-0 in your first season as a college football head coach certainly is, especially when it includes an unforgettable 43-42 victory over No. 7 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Petersen's 2006 Broncos were one of the most dominant teams in recent memory, outscoring opponents by an average of 22.1 points per game, finishing the campaign with a perfect 13-0 mark and earning a spot in a BCS game. Peterson became just the fourth first-year head coach in college football history to lead a team to a BCS bowl game.

3. Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Year: 2012
Record: 12-0
Finish: Ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions

Meyer is regarded as one of the top coaches in college football history, and his first season at Ohio State was proof of that. After a memorable six-year run at Florida, which included a 65-15 record and two national championships, Meyer took a year off of coaching in 2011 due to health reasons. He was named Ohio State’s head coach ahead of the 2012 season and had immediate success, leading the Buckeyes to a perfect 12-0 record while outscoring opponents by more than 14 points per contest. Under Meyer’s guidance, Ohio State topped the 50-point mark on four occasions, including a 63-point outburst against No. 21 Nebraska. The Buckeyes were ineligible to play in a postseason bowl due to NCAA sanctions committed during the Jim Tressel era.

4. Dennis Erickson, Miami (Fla.)
Year: 1989
Record: 11-1
Finish: National championship

While expectations were sky-high for the Hurricanes heading into the 1989 season, that doesn’t take away from what Erickson was able to accomplish in his first season as the team’s head coach. After head coaching stops at Idaho, Wyoming and Washington State, Erickson was hired as Miami’s head coach and tasked with replacing Jimmy Johnson, who led the Hurricanes to a 52-9 record and the 1987 national title. Erickson’s Miami team kicked off the 1989 campaign with a dominant 51-3 win over Wisconsin and never slowed down, outscoring opponents by 24.9 PPG. Miami’s only slip-up that season came on the road against No. 9 Florida State, but the Hurricanes went on to defeat No. 1 Notre Dame to close out the regular season before defeating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to secure the program’s third national championship.

5. Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Year: 2013
Record: 12-2
Finish: National championship game runner-up

Malzahn made a name for himself as Auburn’s offensive coordinator from 2009-11, calling the shots for the Cam Newton-led 2010 national title team. In December 2011, Malzahn left Auburn to accept the head coaching position at Arkansas State, but after one season, he returned to Auburn, replacing Gene Chizik as the school’s head coach. Malzahn had a remarkable turnaround in his first year at the helm, taking a team that finished 3-9 the previous year and leading them to a 12-2 record, an SEC championship and a spot in the BCS Championship Game. Despite losing to Florida State in the title game, it was a wildly successful first season for Malzahn, which included five wins over ranked opponents, a 7-1 mark in SEC play and a victory over No. 1-ranked and in-state foe Alabama.

6. Barry Switzer, Oklahoma
Year: 1973
Record: 10-0-1
Finish: Ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions

Oklahoma football is synonymous with winning, so when Switzer was named the Sooners’ head coach ahead of the 1973 season, expectations were certainly high. However, not even Oklahoma fans were expecting an undefeated season in Switzer’s first year at the helm. The Sooners posted a 10-0-1 record and a perfect 7-0 mark in the then-Big Eight Conference, finishing the season ranked third overall in the country. The only blemish on the team’s schedule was a 7-7 tie with USC, which came in the second week of the season. Prior to the season, the Sooners were put on probation by the Big Eight Conference, which prohibited them from participating in a bowl game.

7. Terry Bowden, Auburn
Year: 1993
Record: 11-0
Finish: Ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions

Bowden took over an Auburn program coming off a 5-5-1 season with limited expectations heading into the 1993 campaign. However, during his first year at Auburn, Bowden led the Tigers to a perfect 11-0 record, which included a win over rival Alabama in the final game of the regular season. Bowden’s Auburn team outscored opponents by an average of 14.6 PPG and scored 30 or more points in eight games during his first season.

8. Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan
Year: 1948
Record: 9-0
Finish: National championship

Oosterban became the first college football coach to accomplish the feat of winning a national championship in his first season. Considered one of the greatest athletes of his generation, Oosterbaan was a three-time first-team All-American in football at Michigan, as well as a two-time All-American basketball player and an All-Big Ten baseball player. Instead of pursuing a professional athletic career, Oosterbaan chose to stay at Michigan as an assistant coach for both the football and basketball teams. He was named the head coach of the Wolverines' football program in 1948 and led the team to a perfect 9-0 record and an Associated Press National Championship.

9. Sonny Dykes, TCU
Year: 2022
Record: 13-2
Finish: National championship game runner-up

It was just last year when Dykes put together one of the most impressive coaching performances in college football history, resulting in a spot in the national championship game for TCU. After taking over a program that finished 5-7 and failed to qualify for a postseason bowl the previous year, Dykes immediately flipped the script in Fort Worth, Texas, leading the Horned Frogs to a perfect 9-0 record in Big 12 play and a spot in the highly coveted College Football Playoff. After beating Michigan in a memorable CFP semifinal matchup, Dykes’ TCU team fell to Georgia in the national title game. In addition to finishing with a perfect conference record, the Horned Frogs also notched six wins over ranked opponents in Dykes’ first season at the helm.

10. John Robinson, USC
Year: 1976
Record: 11-1
Finish: Rose Bowl champions

USC has always been associated with college football greatness. Robinson, who had two stints as the Trojans’ head football coach, is considered one of the greatest coaches in program history. After taking over the head coaching role at USC in 1976, Robinson dropped his first game of the season, a 21-point loss to Missouri, and then followed that up with 11 straight wins, which included a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Robinson’s 1976 USC team outscored its opponents by an average of 20.6 points per contest and finished the season with victories over No. 2 UCLA, No. 13 Notre Dame, and then the No. 2 ranked Wolverines.