5 Interesting Coach Debuts

Check out these 5 coaches making a name for themselves in college football this fall.

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Dave Aranda

This rookie head coach managed to completely restore a unit that yielded a low amount of yards per play and points per game in the Big 12 last year. Aranda’s hire of Larry Fedora to coordinate the offense could certainly reap the benefits. As for the more long term success, the jury is still out.

Scott Cochran

Certainly the most curious of assistant coaching recruits of the offseason; Kirby Smart grabbing Scott Cochran from Nick Saban. Smart made the former coach his special teams. It’s not clear if he is going to coach or if it’s just a title for show, while Cochrane continues with his valuable work in practice, and maybe on game day. It’s not as it Georgia and Alabama don’t have enough history together.

Bo Pelini

Ed Orgeron takes over the more level-headed and brainy Aranda. Well, historically that’s how Pelini was. To be fair, Orgeron was once like that too. Since then, he has a far more calm presence on the sidelines. While Pelini won’t totally eliminate his personality, he will have to refrain from the rampages after every uncertain call. It’s clear that Pelini wants to be a Power 5 head coach again, and a triumphant stint at LSU can help make that reach fruition.

Chris Ash

The third season for Tom Herman was a major dip. The biggest reason for this was the defensive side of the ball. In 2019 Texas finished 97th in total defense, 90th in pass efficiency, and 18 sacks in the first 11 games, which might explain the firing of Todd Orlando. After Ash was fired as head coach at Rutgers, he rebounded and reunited wit, Herman. Ash said he wants “a defensive unit that’s fanatical about getting the ball.” Texas has had fewer and fewer takeaways under Herman, going from 26 to 20 to 19.

Rhett Lashlee

After playing for and coaching under Gus Malzahn, Lashlee stepped up to the plate to coach for the American Athletic Conference for three seasons—one at Connecticut and then two at SMU. He and Shane Buechele linked up last year, resulting in the best season of his career for this Texas transfer. Miami is hoping for the same thing with Lashlee and Houston’s D’Erik King.

The Wisdom Segment - Sports

Extinct Sports

I History has been peppered with sports that gained immense popularity despite having a short life span. One such sport was fox-tossing, a 17th-century game played mostly by the aristocracy that involved throwing live animals into the air.

II In the 1950s, the game of bladderball became immensely popular in Yale University. The sport, which was a mob version of football with no limit on the number of players, maintained its popularity for nearly 3 decades

III An odd twist on the classic equestrian sport of polo, auto polo was one dangerous but surprisingly captivating sport in early 20th century Europe and the US. The goal was the same, but instead of riding horses, players drove cars.

IV Knurr and spell is one game that resembles modern-day golf but in the crudest sense. An old English game played mostly in pubs, players would hit a knot of wood (knurr) with leveled wooden sticks, to send it the furthest distance.

V Going way back in time to the year 648 BC, the Ancient Greek civilizations created a sport called pankration. This terrifying activity was a combination of boxing and wrestling but without any rules against eyes-gouging, biting, and other unsportsmanlike conduct.

VI Singlestick is one extinct sport that may one day make a comeback. It is a form of martial arts that makes use of long wooden sticks as a weapon very similar to fencing. Interest in this sport is on the rise now.