CBS Sports analyst Adam Breneman reveals why college football programs are wagering on young, unproven head coaches rather than veterans with long résumés.
Breneman, a former Freshman All‑American at Penn State and UMass and one of the youngest Power Five assistant coaches (tight ends coach at Arizona State), shared his insights on Instagram.
Former ASU Coach Reveals Why CFB Teams Are Betting on Young Coaches
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In a recent post on his Instagram, the CBS Sports analyst revealed his insight on why teams in College Football are making big investments in young head coaches.
Breneman made it quite clear.
View this post on Instagram
“Hiring young head coaches isn’t a risk anymore. It’s a strategy. They connect with players. They embrace the new era. And they grind like their life depends on it — because most of the time, it does.”
“Programs don’t want recycled. They want rising.” The former UMass and Penn State tight end explained in the caption of the post.
Alongside this caption, Breneman also posted a video that went into more detail on what exactly he meant by this.
“I think if you find a good young coach, who has some experience, but who also carries themselves well, can build a good coaching staff around them, that’s the perfect combination.” he said.
Breneman went on to claim the 35-year-old head coach of Arizona State, Kenny Dillingham, who took over Arizona in 2022, from Herm Edwards.
“We’re like Kenny Dillingham, everyone talks about how young he is, true, but Kenny was the OC at Florida State, Oregon, and he was at Memphis with Mike Norvell, he had seen it at a really high level, so that combination is really special,” Breneman explained.
CBS Sports Analyst Reveals The ‘Pros’ And ‘Cons’ Of CFB Teams Betting On Young Coaches.
“The pro and the con there,” said Breneman. “The pro is that you get someone, as a young coach, who can relate to the players and understands what they’re going through.”
He then detailed a potential issue teams have with young coaches. “The con is that young coaches sometimes have trouble managing a program from a disciplinary standpoint.”
“When I was a young coach, I used to say, ‘You’ve got to show the players you care, but you can’t be their friend.’ There’s a fine line of respect, and I think some schools worry young coaches won’t demand the respect a 40-, 50- or 60-year-old coach would.”
“I think the great young coaches manage that line well,” Breneman explained. “They balance ‘I’m here for you, we’re going to have fun doing what we do,’ with ‘ultimately, I’m the authority figure—you’re going to respect me.’”
Breneman also sat down with Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, who described how he maintains that balance. “I asked Kenny, ‘How do you balance playing video games with the players but still make sure they respect you as a coach?’ ”
“Day one, if someone’s 10 minutes late to a meeting, their ass is off the team. They’re running for seven weeks straight. This is my program. Here are the rules,” Dillingham said. “But I can also relate to the players and be there for them on a personal level.”
KEEP READING: Arizona State Boldly Rolled the Dice with Kenny Dillingham, and Won
Kenny Dillingham is set to enter his third season at Arizona State. After preseason projections had ASU finishing last, Dillingham led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 championship game, where they defeated Iowa State to earn a first-round playoff bye—proof, he says, that young head coaches can get the job done.
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