Biggest challenge facing each new coach in their first season at a Power Five school in 2023

The 2022 offseason didn’t quite match the fireworks of the prior year. However, when the dust settled on the coaching carousel, 11 FBS programs emerged with new coaches, with three moving from one Power Five institution to another.

While the names aren’t earth shattering, the challenges could be. Zach Arnett has to replace the legendary Mike Leach at Mississippi State. Deion Sanders is tasked with completely revamping a moribund Colorado program. Matt Rhule faces expectations of getting Nebraska back to national contention. New eras at Stanford and Wisconsin are on the horizon.

Here is the biggest challenge that each Power Five coach will face at their new job.

Zach Arnett, Mississippi State

Flipping out the offense: After Arnett was named the coach of the Bulldogs, he quickly decided to move away from the Air Raid system that defined Mississippi State under the late Mike Leach. In addition to hiring a young coordinator with deep ties in the Jim McElwain system, three Air Raid quarterbacks, seven receivers and four offensive linemen ultimately left the program. The Bulldogs did prioritize tight end transfers and retained top quarterback Will Rogers, but turning an Air Raid offense into a pro spread scheme could take time. Arnett is one of the nation’s rising defensive minds, but patience will be short in Starkville.

Handling the hype: Louisville publicly clamored for Brohm for years and finally landed the hometown kid after he led Purdue to a Big Ten West title. While Brohm has deep familiarity with the Cardinals after playing and coaching there, Louisville is a different program – for better and worse – than when Brohm was on staff. Brohm now has to deal with expectations of bringing the Cardinals to ACC and national…

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