OT CC: What are some of the least heralded coaching hires at a major program in recent history?

Minnesota is not a "major program" I guess but Jerry Kill was comin off 1 really good season at Northern Illinois. 

Gary Andersen was coming off 1 very good season at Utah State after 3 ho hum ones.

Even Sark at USC, guys record at Washington was not great - I think he had a lot of 7-8 win seasons off top of my head. 

Les Miles was not a huge splash hire @ LSU - he turned a horrid OK State into a 7-8 win type program which for OK State was great but in a relative sense it was a program that was way behind Texas and Oklahoma. 

Ray Goff at Georgia in the early 90s was a Dooley assistant who was just promoted.  Didn't do much at all there.

Bill O'Brien. Had to put up with all sorts of shit from JoPa cultists.

Here is one - Chip Kelly.  OC at New Hampshire - then OC at Oregon for 2 years.  That worked out quite well.

Bobby Williams too long ago to be recent?

Pete Carroll - no here is Cali wanted him hired. In fact if you research the hire it will tell you that he actually went after the job and bugged Mike Garrett to give him a interview. SC was turned down by everyone! Yes including the most recently hired Mike Riley of Nebraska among others. Carroll was not even a top 10 candidate for that job and we all know what kind of record he ended up putting up. So let's hope our Carroll is out there if JH, Les, and Stoops are not interested.

both at ND and Washington was not a popular pick.

 

Dooley at Tennessee

Mike Price at Alabama was so unpopular he didn't make it to his first game

"Bo Who?"