With the Big 12 football season in the books, it is time to go back and review how the head coaches performed throughout the 2024 season.
I was never much of a student myself, but I am familiar with how grading works.
Instead of being the student, I will be the one handing out grades this year. Let’s get started.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Record (2024): 11-3
Arizona State went from being picked to finish last in the Big 12 to winning the Big 12 and nearly winning a playoff game (which they should have, if not for a blown call). The job that Kenny Dillingham has done with this team is incredible, and forget about being the Big 12 Coach of the Year; he should have won National Coach of the Year.
Grade: A+
Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Record (2024): 11-3
If not for Kenny Dillingham, I would have put Matt Campbell as my Big 12 Coach of the Year. Despite not winning the award, Matt still won a school record 11 games and is now the winningest coach in Iowa State history—just build the damn statue outside of Jack Trice Stadium already
Grade: A+
Kalani Sitake, BYU
Record (2024): 11-2
Before the 2024 season started, I thought Kalani Sitake would end up being one of the coaches on the hot seat or maybe even out of a job. Instead, his team went out and won 11 games this year, including a beatdown of Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. Sometimes, we media folk don’t get it right.
Grade: A
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Record (2024): 9-4
In 2022, Deion Sanders took over one of the worst Power Four programs in college football. Now, in just his second season in Boulder, the man won nine games in the regular season. I am not saying that Deion is capable of working miracles, but what he has already proven he can do isn’t far off.
Grade: A
Dave Aranda, Baylor
Record (2024): 8-5
Like a few others on this list, I didn’t give Dave Aranda a chance to keep his job after 2024. In fact, I thought he would get fired in the middle of the year after a 2-4 start. But he was able to regroup his team and fired off six straight wins in the regular season and has all kinds of momentum heading into 2025.
Grade: B+
Sonny Dykes, TCU
Record (2024): 9-4
After a rough 2023 season, TCU and Sonny Dykes needed a bounce-back year in 2024, and they got one. While the Horned Frogs lacked some consistency, they did have some great moments this season and played in a few close games as well. Plus, they ended up finding Josh Hoover to be the quarterback of the future, and that future is looking pretty bright at this point.
Grade: B+
Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Record (2024): 8-5
I wouldn’t call Texas Tech’s season a major success, but I also wouldn’t call it a failure, either. The Red Raiders have won eight games twice in the last three years under Joey McGuire and have also finished with an above .500 record in conference play in three straight years for the first time in over 25 years.
Grade: B
Kansas State HC Chris Klieman
Record (2024): 9-4
I thought Kansas State had a legitimate chance to make it to the Big 12 title game before the season started, but instead, they had a roller coaster of a year. One week, they would look great, and the next, not so much. Plus, they ended the regular season losing three out of their final four games and nearly lost to Rutgers in their bowl game. Chris Klieman’s group is better than 9-4, but it’s hard to knock him too much with a record like that.
Grade: B-
Willie Fritz, Houston
Record: 4-8
Some people may wonder why I am giving a coach who went 4-8 this year such a high grade. Well, think about what he took over. Dana Holgorsen left that place in shambles, and Willie Fritz was trying to pick up all the broken pieces to put together a team that could be competitive. And to his credit, the Cougars gave their fair share of fights this season when nobody gave them a chance even to win a single Big 12 game.
Grade: B-
Neal Brown, West Virginia
Record (2024): 6-7
Don’t let the grade fool you; West Virginia had every right to fire Neal Brown. From the lame excuses to the bizarre interviews, Neal couldn’t get the job done in Morgantown. At no point was West Virginia a serious threat to win a Big 12 title under Neal Brown, and that’s why he had to go — even if the 2024 schedule was tough.
Grade: C+
Lance Leipold, Kansas
Record (2024): 5-7
Kansas was supposed to be a team that competed for a Big 12 title, and instead, they couldn’t even make a bowl game. The Jayhawks started the year off with a 1-5 record in their first six games and spent the second half of the season trying to dig themselves out of the hole, and couldn’t quite make it out.
Grade: C-
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
Record (2024): 5-7
At one point, Cincinnati was 5-2, and they seemed like a lock to make a bowl game. Instead, they ended the year on a five-game losing streak and went 5-7. I was never a fan of the Scott Satterfield hire to begin with, and now I think others are starting to realize that hiring him may have been a mistake.
Grade: C-
Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Record (2024): 5-7
People may not like the grade here but I will give Kyle Whittingham a small pass since his starting quarterback got hurt early in the season. However, he should have been smart enough to get a reliable backup in the transfer portal due to Cam Rising’s injury history.
Grade: C-
Brent Brennan, Arizona
Record (2024): 4-8
I am not going to lie; I was not a fan of the Brent Brennan hire. This past season didn’t make me feel any better about it. This team had arguably the best quarterback/wide receiver combination in the entire conference, and it was completely wasted due to the lack of talent surrounding those two.
Grade: F
Gus Malzahn, UCF
Record (2024): 4-8
It’s probably wrong to give a grade like this to a man who left, but going 4-8 at a place like UCF, which has many great resources, is entirely unacceptable. While Malzahn may have been an elite recruiter, he just had a hard time turning talent into wins. Have fun at Florida State, Gus.
Grade: F
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Record (2024): 3-9
Do I really need to say anything here? This team was supposed to compete for a Big 12 title with all the returning starters they had coming back, and instead, they completely crapped down their leg. Mike Gundy finished with his worst record as a head coach, and it was the first time Oklahoma State had gone winless in conference play since 1993.
