It's not too fair to judge new college football coaches on their first recruiting classes because most are hired with very little time to close out the class. The coaching carousel starts only weeks before the early signing period in December, and coaches can't be expected to do much in those first weeks, or even the short period of time leading into February's signing day.
The second recruiting class is where we can really examine what kind of excitement is building around the program and if the coaches are having success convincing prospects to join their team.
There were quite a few coaches who fell into this category, recruiting their second class in the 2020 cycle, so here is a look at how they did compared to the first class.
Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes
Day took over for Urban Meyer only weeks before the early signing period and didn't have a ton of time to make a huge impact on the 2019 class. It was a smaller class, anyway, for the Buckeyes, and it finished ranked No. 16 overall. That didn't mean it lacked talent, though, as there were nine ESPN 300 commitments, including five-star defensive end Zach Harrison and four-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, both of whom contributed in their freshman season.
Now, with a full year to recruit and build relationships as head coach, Day finished the 2020 cycle with the No. 5-ranked class overall. He and his staff were able to land 16 ESPN 300 commitments, including the No. 1-ranked recruit, wide receiver Julian Fleming.
Day and his staff landed nine commitments ranked in the top 10 of their respective positions, four of whom ranked as either the No. 1 or No. 2 prospect at their positions. Day proved he can recruit at a high level, and in making it to the College Football Playoff in his first season, he also proved he can get Ohio State to the highest level with those recruits.
Mack Brown, North Carolina Tar Heels
Brown came in and said he wanted to put a fence around the state of North Carolina and keep the top prospects at home. He was able to flip quarterback Sam Howell from Florida State in the 2019 class, helping to put together the No. 35-ranked class in the country. The class had three ESPN 300 commitments and four prospects ranked as four stars. It was a good start for Brown and his staff, but it needed to improve in 2020.
The staff was able to push that ranking up to No. 16 overall in 2020 and landed defensive end Desmond Evans, the No. 2 recruit overall, who is an in-state prospect. This class had six ESPN 300 commitments, including Evans, defensive linemen Myles Murphy and Kedrick Bingley-Jones, wide receiver Josh Downs, safety Ja'Qurious Conley and quarterback Jacolby Criswell. Brown had four ESPN 300 commitments from North Carolina and is adding a lot more talent to the roster with this class.
North Carolina had a good foundation from this past season, so adding in more immediate impact players and more help up front on defense should help the team continue moving forward.
Manny Diaz, Miami Hurricanes
Diaz had unfortunate timing when he was hired at Miami, as Mark Richt retired after the early signing period in December. Diaz had his hands tied with what he could do heading into the February signing period since most prospects sign in December.
The class moved up from No. 34 in the rankings after the early signing period to No. 30 in February and finishing with 21 total commits.
The Hurricanes started the 2020 class strong, holding 12 commits and the No. 5 class in May. The class hung around the top 10 until October, when it fell to No. 15 overall after other classes moved up and Miami lost four commitments during that time span. The class eventually evened out and finished at No. 17 overall in February.
There are eight ESPN 300 commitments in the 2020 class, double the number in 2019, and it has some prospects who should make an early impact. Offensive tackle Jalen Rivers, safety Avantae Williams, defensive end Chantz Williams and running back Don Chaney Jr. are top-10 recruits at their positions and all ranked in the top 75 overall. Diaz landed talent, but Miami needs to see those prospects turn into contributors on the field.
Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Collins had one of the most difficult transitions of any new coach, taking over Georgia Tech from Paul Johnson. It was a transition on the field and on the recruiting trail in every way. Collins and his staff only had a few days before the early signing period in the 2019 class, finishing with the No. 61 class overall and only one four-star recruit.
Collins has turned up the recruiting efforts and has Georgia Tech in a completely different spot than it was in just last year. With a full year to establish relationships and recruit his players, Collins helped Georgia Tech sign the No. 27-ranked class overall.
The coaches were able to get three ESPN 300 commitments, including one-time Florida State quarterback commit Jeff Sims and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who was targeted by Florida in January. This turnaround is still far from what it needs to be, but the fact that Collins and his staff could move up 34 spots in the rankings and add some big pieces is a promising sign for the future.
Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins
Locksley was hired from Alabama after coach DJ Durkin was fired after an investigation involving the culture of the program. It was a difficult time to take over as head coach, and Locksley, having ties to the Maryland program and the DMV area, was very likely the right hire for this program. After the early signing period was over for the 2019 class, Maryland was ranked outside the top 50.
The coaches scrambled in January and were able to get the class ranking up to No. 44 overall, which included getting late pickups from ESPN 300 safety Nick Cross and ESPN 300 quarterback Lance Legendre.
The 2020 class was similar in its ranking, but there was more in terms of quantity. Maryland had 28 total prospects in the class, including two transfers. Locksley and his staff added those transfers and also brought in seven junior college prospects to make an immediate impact and add to this roster. Locksley was able to flip ESPN 300 wide receiver Rakim Jarrett from LSU, which should give a boost to this offense.
It's solid as the first full class for Locksley, but he will have to continue to move up the rankings in 2021, especially as he tries to keep some of the top DMV prospects at Maryland.
Scott Satterfield, Louisville Cardinals
Satterfield and his staff had a smaller class in 2019 with only 15 commitments and ended up ranked 68th overall. That number is skewed a little bit, because defensive end Ja'Darien Boykin committed in 2019 but ended up as a part of the 2020 class as a late qualifier.
With the whole year to recruit, Satterfield and his staff moved up in the rankings to No. 37 overall. Part of that bump is simply because the class had 25 commitments, but Satterfield is also adding in four junior college prospects to help add to the roster. Most of the commitments are ranked as three stars, but that's not an issue as Satterfield has been able to develop players and find players for his system.
Getting the class up to No. 37 was a win. If he and his staff can continue to find their players and creep up in the rankings, they should be on the right track.