Coaching Carousel: Grading the Four Coaching Hires in the ACC Coastal

Duke, Miami, Virginia, and Virginia Tech have all hired new head coaches this offseason

Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports

“Coastal Chaos” has officially been extended to the offseason. Four of the seven teams in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coastal Conference have hired new head coaches in the last few weeks. Let’s take a look at the new head coaches at Duke, Miami, Virginia, and Virginia Tech and hand out some hiring grades.

Duke - Mike Elko

2021 record: (3-9, 0-8 ACC)

Previous coach: David Cutcliffe (77-97)

New coach: Mike Elko (defensive coordinator, Texas A&M)

Mike Elko :: Photo courtesy of Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports

Duke and David Cutcliffe agreed to mutually part ways after 14 seasons of Cutcliffe leading the Blue Devils football program. Cutcliffe won back-to-back ACC Coach of the Year Awards in 2012 and 2013 and Duke won the ACC Coastal in 2013 and finished with a 10-4 record. But, that would be the first and only 10-win season in the history of the Duke football program. Football will likely never be the first priority at Duke, but Mike Elko is tasked with helping rebuild the program after three consecutive losing seasons.

Elko, who spent the last four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, has also coached at Notre Dame and Wake Forest. Elko has a lot of experience coaching in the ACC, having spent 12 seasons on Dave Clawson’s coaching staff as he climbed the coaching ladder from Fordham to Richmond to Bowling Green, and then finally to Wake Forest. At Texas A&M, Elko’s defense ranked in the top 20 in total defense in both 2020 and 2021. There will certainly be a significant amount of challenges for Elko, especially in his first few years at Duke, but the Blue Devils were able to secure one of the top names in the coaching market, as Elko has been a candidate for a number of head coaching positions at major conference programs over the past few years. 

Hiring Grade: B+

Miami - Mario Cristobal

2021 record: (7-5, 5-3 ACC)

Previous coach: Manny Diaz (21-15)

New coach: Mario Cristobal (head coach, Oregon) 

Mario Cristobal :: Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports

There has been a bit of controversy over Miami’s handling of the coaching change as it was widely reported that Mario Cristobal would be taking over as head coach at Miami while Manny Diaz was still head coach of the Hurricanes and while Cristobal was still head coach at Oregon. Beyond the circumstances of the hiring, it is hard not to like the hiring of Cristobal as Miami’s head coach if you are a Hurricanes fan. Cristobal has dominated the recruiting scene on the West Coast in recent years which is a very impressive feat at a school not named Southern California.

Now, Cristobal returns to his alma mater Miami, where he played offensive tackle from 1988 to 1992 and won two national championships. Florida is a hotbed for some of the best talent available in high school football, so Cristobal should have a high level of success on the recruiting trail right away. The only question is whether Cristobal will be able to translate recruiting success to success on the field. Miami has always had a surplus of talent, but the Hurricanes have struggled to win in a relatively weak ACC Coastal Division in recent years . Similarly, Cristobal recruited a great deal of top-tier talent at Oregon, but was unable to get the Ducks to come out of a fairly weak Pac-12 with a College Football Playoff-worthy resume in any of the last four seasons. Still, this is somewhat of a no-brainer hiring for Miami, bringing home a well-respected Hurricane alum who is an extremely talented recruiter with head coaching experience at one of the top programs in college football.

Hiring Grade: A-

Virginia - Tony Elliott

2021 record: (6-6, 4-4 ACC)

Previous coach: Bronco Mendenhall (36-38)

New coach: Tony Elliott (offensive coordinator, Clemson) 

Tony Elliott :: Photo courtesy of Adam Hagy/USA TODAY Sports

The head coaching position at Virginia is not one that many considered to be vacant at the end of the season. Sure, the Cavaliers lost their last four games, including a very disappointing loss to Virginia Tech in the season finale. But, Bronco Mendenhall had UVA bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season and he was not considered to be on the hot seat when he shockingly announced that he would be stepping down from his position as head coach after Virginia’s bowl game.

After having several opportunities to leave Clemson and take head coaching jobs at other major conference football programs like Auburn and Tennessee in years past, Tony Elliott decided that it was the right place and the right time to take the Virginia head coaching job. Obviously, only time will tell if this is a home-run hire for Carla Williams and the Cavaliers, but UVA certainly secured one of the top candidates on the coaching market. Elliott had an incredible run as offensive coordinator at Clemson, leading the Tigers to six CFP appearances, six ACC championships, and two national championships since 2015. He was also named the 2017 recipient of the Broyles Award, presented to the top assistant coach in college football. There is quite a bit of stabilization work to be done in the wake of Mendenhall’s surprising resignation, but if Elliott can guide the program through this offseason, he may be set up for some early success at Virginia as there is a lot of talent still on the UVA roster.

Hiring Grade: A-

Virginia Tech - Brent Pry

2021 record: (6-6, 4-4 ACC)

Previous coach: Justin Fuente (43-31)

New coach: Brent Pry (defensive coordinator, Penn State)

Brent Pry :: Photo courtesy of Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports

Justin Fuente and Virginia Tech parted ways with two games left in the regular season. Fuente went 43-31 in six seasons in Blacksburg, but the Hokies were not able to sustain the momentum from Fuente’s first season when Virginia Tech went 10-4 and won the ACC Coastal division title.

Now, Virginia Tech turns to Brent Pry, who spent the last eight seasons at Penn State, including the last six years as the defensive coordinator. Pry was a nominee for the Broyles Award this season after coaching the Nittany Lion defense to top-ten rankings in red zone defense, scoring defense, and defensive pass efficiency. Pry also has ties to Virginia Tech, as he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant on Frank Beamer’s staff from 1995 to 1997. This will be Pry’s first head coaching job, but he has had tremendous success building top-tier defenses at several programs and he begins his head coaching career at a proud football program fully supported by the school and fanbase.

Hiring Grade: B-

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