How the first-year college coaches fared on National Signing Day

A head coach's first recruiting class is often his worst.

Taking a head coaching job in the middle of the offseason, a critical time in the recruiting period, is a burdensome task. New hires rush to retain recruits from the previous regime by quickly building and reaffirming relationships with current commits while also branching out to land their own targets to fit their offensive and defensive philosophies.

However, new hires do benefit from the media deluge that typically follows the announcement that they're taking the job.

Here's a look at some notable coaches in their first recruiting season at their current school and how they fared on the recruiting trail.

Brady Hoke-Michigan
Notable recruits lost: Demetrius Hart
Notable recruits gained: Christian Bryant
Analysis: Hoke became the man at Michigan after a long, drawn out process that not only involved former coach Rich Rodriguez but also the likes of Jim Harbaugh and Les Miles. The Wolverines landed on Hoke, who didn't hit many home runs, but brought in solid recruits like Bryant, Antonio Poole, and Thomas Rawls.
Grade: B+

Will Muschamp-Florida
Notable recruits lost: Nick Waisome, Ryan Shazier
Notable recruits gained: Marcus Roberson
Analysis: Coming off an epic 2010 recruiting class, it would've been nearly impossible for any coach to match what Urban Meyer did last year - even Urban Meyer himself. Muschamp had to focus his efforts on re-recruiting existing Florida commits. He couldn't close on the type of recruit that the Gators had become used to landing, like Tim Jernigan and Curt Maggitt. He should improve vastly in 2012.
Grade: C+

Al Golden-Miami
Notable recruits lost: Teddy Bridgewater, Eli Rogers
Notable recruits gained: Jalen Grimble
Analysis: Golden certainly has some work to do, as most of South Florida's top recruits went elsewhere. Bringing in Grimble was a big surprise, and Golden has the Hurricanes poised to land quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He convinced Anthony Chickillo to stick with his commitment while mending fences at Miami Central and bringing in Thomas Finnie.
Grade: A

David Shaw-Stanford
Notable recruits lost: Anthony Sarao, Amir Carlisle
Notable recruits gained: Wayne Lyons
Analysis: Stanford often loses recruits late in the recruiting cycle due to its strict academic standards, but the departure of Jim Harbaugh exacerbated the Cardinal's losses. However, it was not all bad news for Shaw and Stanford, which still landed Wayne Lyons, the nation's No. 45 recruit. With all of Stanford's success on the field this season, this is a slightly disappointing class, even taking into account the coaching turmoil.
Grade: B

Randy Edsall-Maryland
Notable recruits lost: none
Notable recruits gained: Jeremiah Hendy
Analysis: Maryland has seen some change in its recruiting class in the post-Ralph Friedgen era. The Terrapins lost recruits like Ryan Malleck and Jimmy Stewart, but Edsall was able to regain a pledge from A.J. Hendy. Otherwise, this class is similar to what it was before Edsall arrived: underwhelming. However, Edsall did a great job identifying and cultivating talent at UConn. Maryland fans have to hang their hats on next year's recruiting class, because the 2011 group is underwhelming.
Grade: C