Previous Job: Defensive coordinator, Louisville

Pros: English brings a solid defensive résumé to a program that needs to make a major improvement on that side of the ball. The Eagles ranked 12th in the MAC in total defense last season and have finished no higher than eighth in any of the past five seasons. English spent five years (2003-07) at the University of Michigan, which is 10 miles down the road from Ypsilanti, the home of EMU. He is familiar with this program and the challenges he will face.

Cons: None, other than his lack of head coaching experience.

Final Analysis: A school like Eastern Michigan has two options —search for the next Brian Kelly, a successful coach from a lower division, or hire a respected coordinator who, preferably, has some familiarity with the program. English, one of seven black head coaches in the FBS ranks, fits into the second group. But he has inherited a very difficult situation. Eastern Michigan has suffered through 13 consecutive losing seasons and has struggled to attract fans to 30,200-seat Rynearson Stadium.

Iowa State: Paul Rhoads

Previous Job: Defensive coordinator, Auburn

Pros: Rhoads has nine years of experience as a defensive coordinator at two BCS schools — eight years at Pittsburgh and one season at Auburn. His defenses were consistently ranked among the best in the nation, most notably the 2007 Pittsburgh group that finished fifth nationally in total defense. He is an Iowa native who spent five years as an assistant with the Cyclones in the late 1990s under former coach Dan McCarney.

Cons: Despite his impressive track record as a quality defensive coordinator, Rhoads is far from a household name in the college football world. His appointment as the head coach does not improve the stature of this program.

Final Analysis: Two years ago, Iowa State hired an accomplished defensive coordinator from a big-name school. Gene Chizik won five games in two seasons and then bolted for Auburn. Now, the Cyclones have dipped into that well once again with Rhoads, who coincidentally was at Auburn last season. There were sexier names mentioned with this job — Gary Barnett, Mike Stoops, Turner Gill — but Rhoads is a solid hire who knows what it takes to build a program in Ames. He was on the ground floor with McCarney, who guided the Clones to 39 wins over a s­­ix-year stretch from 2000-05.

These evaluations appear in the 2009 Athlon Sports National Edition magazine. Click here to purchase your copy.