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Sep 1, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. USA TODAY Sports

Most Disappointing First-Year Head Coaches

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 3:32 PM ET

Hiring a new head coach is supposed to provide a spark for the program, but that obviously isn’t always the case. As we are after the halfway point of the football season, here is a look at four head coaching situations that have started off as disappointments.

Bill Belichick – North Carolina (2-4)

The skinny: North Carolina pulled off a minor miracle by hiring Belichick in hopes of revitalizing their program. However, it was quickly discovered that being the most successful head coach in NFL history doesn’t mean anything at the college level.

The Tar Heels are currently 2-4 and have yet to beat a P4 opponent this season. While the final five games of their regular season are winnable, by no chance does anyone believe that will happen. And because of that, North Carolina is likely to finish with their worst record since 2018 (2-8), which was the final season before the arrival of Mack Brown.

Belichick was brought in to revitalize the program and instead crushed all optimism in only six games.

Sep 1, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium.

Rich Rodriguez – West Virginia (2-5)

The skinny: Unlike Belichick, Rodriguez has proven himself to be a very good collegiate coach, including a memorable first stint with West Virginia. So, his return to Morgantown was seen as a natural move for both him and the Mountaineers.

But that has not materialized through seven games. A loss at Ohio in early September was discouraging and that only got worse once the Big 12 schedule began. The Mountaineers are 0-4 against conference opponents and it has been ugly in the process. They have been outscored 172-61 with the closest loss being by 14 points.

Rodriguez will have plenty to clean up in the offseason in order to get West Virginia back on track in 2026.

Tim Albin – Charlotte (1-6)

The skinny: After going 30-10 over the last three seasons with Ohio, Albin was a major get for Charlotte. But for many, including myself, it was an odd decision for him to go to a program that had only won more than five games once since they became FBS in 2015.

And now Albin is likely also wondering if he made the right decision. Their only win came against FCS Monmouth; they haven’t lost by less than two scores and they will be underdogs in the remainder of their games. Charlotte is a difficult place to win, which Albin quickly found out.

Someone should have mentioned that to him before he took the job.

Aug 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte 49ers head coach Tim Albin during the second half against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Phil Longo – Sam Houston (0-7)

The skinny: This is only the third FBS season for Sam Houston, but optimism was high after an unexpected and impressive 10-3 finish in 2024. But that is all gone now as the Bearkats and Longo, in his first season as a head coach, have struggled mightily.

Longo had been the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin before getting fired during the 2024 season. Known for his open offenses, that has not translated to Sam Houston, where the unit is averaging 17.0 points per game, which is 130^th in the country. The defense has been even worse, giving up 38.9 points per game, which is 135^th in the country.

This is an extremely rough start for Longo, who waited a long time to get his first opportunity as a head coach.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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