COLUMBIA, Mo. — Hiring an alumnus to revive your college football program can be tempting but tricky. For every Kirby Smart (Georgia), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) and Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), who have delivered sustained success to their alma mater, there’s a Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech), Scott Frost (Nebraska) and, sorry, Mizzou fans, Barry Odom, respected and popular players who ultimately couldn't translate their familiarity into enough coaching success.
Two of the five Power Five coaches fired already this season were working at their alma maters: Frost at Nebraska and Paul Chryst at Wisconsin.