Depending on the program, the meaning of a head coach’s third year can change. At Notre Dame, for instance, the third year is the real prove-it season. Four different Irish head coaches have won national titles in their third campaigns, and Brian Kelly played for the title in his third.
At Florida, third seasons have been less fruitful of late. Urban Meyer’s third team was a nine-game winner in a four-season stretch that otherwise contained only 13-1 teams. Will Muschamp’s third team went 4-8 and set the stage for his firing; Jim McElwain was fired during his third year with a team that would go on to finish 4-7.