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With Nick Saban’s decision to retire and Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan for a chance to coach the Los Angeles Chargers, college football lost arguably its two top coaches from last year. So, who is the nation’s best collegiate coach right now?
25. Mark Stoops — Kentucky
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Kentucky is no longer just known for basketball — and Mark Stoops is the primary reason why. Using his extensive recruiting ties in both Florida and Ohio, he’s built a very strong roster in Lexington. The Wildcats have eight bowl appearances with Stoops as the head coach — including two 10-win seasons. Considering the history of the program, and the fact they play in the SEC, this is essentially unheard of.
24. Josh Heupel — Tennessee
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In just three seasons, Heupel has already brought Tennessee back to national prominence. The Vols are in a spot that they haven’t resided in since the late ’90s/early ’00s. And, Heupel can be credited for that turnaround. He joined Tennessee in the 2021 season after three winning seasons at UCF. Heupel’s Vols won 11 games last year and boasted the nation’s top-scoring offense. Though some of his biggest playmakers left for the NFL following the ’22 season, it doesn’t seem like Tennessee’s attack will slow down any time soon as long as Heupel is at the helm.
23. Jamey Chadwell — Liberty
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Jamey Chadwell is a coach on the rise in college football. A former quarterback at East Tennessee State, Chadwell has progressed from being a QB/RB/TE coach at his alma mater to being the lead man at Liberty. Before joining the Flames, Chadwell found success at both Charleston Southern (35-14) and Coastal Carolina (39-22). 2023 was Chadwell’s first year at Liberty, and the former QB led his team to a 13-0 regular season and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl (lost to Oregon).
22. Jedd Fisch — Washington
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The new head coach at Washington caused quite a stir following the 2023 season. A coach at both the collegiate and NFL level for more than 20 years, Jedd Fisch parlayed a tremendous season at Arizona into an opportunity to lead the Huskies — a team that played in the 2023 National Championship Game. At Arizona, Fisch took over a program that had won zero games in 2020. In Year 1, Fisch’s team finished 1-11. Following a four-win increase in ’22, Fisch led the Wildcats to 10 wins and a victory over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl last season.
21. Dave Doeren — NC State
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Dave Doeren has turned NC State into a consistent winner. Under the former tight end’s watch, NC State has reached nine bowl games in 11 years. Doeren’s team won three games in his first year in charge, but he has since led the Wolfpack to four nine-win seasons. The program hasn’t quite been able to battle the heavyweights of the ACC, but it is certainly trending upwards. We wouldn’t be shocked to see a bigger program attempt to pry Doeren away from State in the next few years.
20. Eliah Drinkwitz — Missouri
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Only 40 years old, Drinkwitz should have a long coaching career ahead of him. Drinkwitz’s rise to becoming one of the hottest names in college football seemingly came out of nowhere. Before joining Missouri in 2020, Drinkwitz had been a head coach for one year. In 2019, he led Appalachian State to a 12-1 record. His work that season was enough to convince Mizzou to bring him on as head coach, and that faith is being rewarded. The Tigers were great in 2023 — finishing the year with an 11-2 record and a national ranking of No. 8.
19. James Franklin — Penn State
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The start of Franklin’s tenure in Happy Valley was by all accounts very good. The Pennsylvania native had six-straight years with bowl appearances — including three 11-win seasons. The sense is that the program hadn’t gotten completely over the hump as a title contender. Some believed that Franklin’s seat ran a little hot after two lackluster seasons (11-11 over the ’20 and ’21 campaigns). However, the Nittany Lions responded well — a Rose Bowl win over Utah in ’22 and 10 wins in ’23.
18. Kirk Ferentz — Iowa
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Ferentz is the longest-tenured head coach in D1 history. He took over the Iowa job in 1999 (going 1-10). Since then, the Hawkeyes have become a football factory — winning games, developing talent, and getting players drafted (particularly offensive linemen). Iowa routinely plays above its collective talent level. Ferentz is one of those guys getting the most out of his players. The Hawkeyes have a whopping 21 bowl appearances under Ferentz. The Hawkeyes have put together 11-straight winning seasons.
17. Luke Fickell — Wisconsin
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What Luke Fickell was able to accomplish at Cincinnati was nothing short of remarkable. The Bearcats are essentially a mid-major program, and Fickell was able to build the team from the ground up while reaching a College Football Playoff. However, there was always some certainty that Fickell would move on to a bigger, brighter job when the opportunity arose. And, he did just that after being hired by Wisconsin. Fickell is now tasked with bringing the Badgers back out of the Big Ten depths. Wisconsin is a school rich with history, but has just one 10-win season since 2018.
16. Jeff Brohm — Louisville
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Brohm is set to enter his second year as Louisville’s head coach. The former NFL quarterback has been a successful collegiate coach for many years. Known for his ability to draw up a strong offense, Brohm went 30-10 in three seasons at Western Kentucky before joining Purdue. While at Purdue, Brohm led the Boilermakers to four bowl games. Last year, Brohm’s team peaked at No. 10 in the rankings and reached the ACC Championship Game. Despite ending the year on a three-game losing streak, L’Ville won 10 games and appears to be set up well moving forward.
15. Chris Klieman — Kansas State
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Taking over for a legendary coach in Bill Snyder was never going to be easy. But, Chris Klieman has done a fine job since taking over at Kansas State in 2019. The Wildcats struggled with consistency over Snyder’s final tenure. That hasn’t been quite as prevalent of an issue under Klieman. Kansas State has been ranked each year during Klieman’s run and got as high as No. 9 in the polls in 2022. It should be no surprise that Klieman’s brand of coaching brings a certain level of sustained success. After all, he sported a sterling 69-6 record and won four FCS National Championships with North Dakota State.
14. Lincoln Riley — Southern California
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After cementing himself as one of the top offensive gurus at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley left for the beaches of Southern California. Taking over USC is no easy task. While recruiting on the West Coast becomes a bit easier, it comes with immense expectations and a giant target on one’s back. Now, if Riley wants a true national contender, he’ll have to find a way to generate enough stops on the defensive side of the ball. Either way, all eyes will be on USC and Riley as long as he remains in charge — as a potential jump to the NFL always looms for the gifted coach.
13. Willie Fritz — Houston
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Turning 64 in 2024, Willie Fritz is readying to embark on the biggest coaching challenge of his career thus far. Fritz’s coaching career began in 1982 as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh State. Fritz led Blinn (a junior college) to two National Championships before landing a job with Central Missouri (DII). 97 wins later, Fritz joined Sam Houston State and led the program to two National Championship appearances. Most recently, Fritz led Tulane to a New Year’s Six appearance — a victory over USC in 2022 — and 23 wins over two seasons. The nation will be watching as Fritz leads Houston in the Big 12.
12. Mike Gundy — Oklahoma State
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Gundy is an impressive example of consistency. The body of work crafted by the Oklahoma State headman has been nothing short of sensational. During his time in Stillwater, Gundy has led eight clubs that have won 10 or more games. They’ve qualified for a Bowl Game in each of the past 18 seasons. Gundy’s offense has always been particularly potent, consistently being among the top-scoring outfits nationally. It’s pretty impressive for him to sustain this level of success considering the fact OSU is jockeying with the Sooners for supremacy in the state of Oklahoma.
11. Dan Lanning — Oregon
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From defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs to head coach of the Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning has quickly made a name for himself in college football. Lanning guided a Georgia defense that played a pivotal role in helping the program win the National Championship in 2021. The defensive guru then left for Eugene and he immediately hit the ground running. Lanning’s Ducks are 22-5 the past two years and have won both bowl games they’ve played in — Holiday Bowl (2022) and the Fiesta Bowl (2023).
10. Steve Sarkisian — Texas
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Sark is throwing up the horns and is feeling great about the state of his program. Earlier in his coaching career, Sarkisian had underwhelming stints as the head coach at both Washington and USC. His reputation took a hit following his USC tenure, but a nice run as Alabama’s offensive coordinator resulted in one more crack at guiding a program. Sark took over as Texas’ headman in 2021, and the program took a huge step in ’23. The Longhorns knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa, went on to win the Big 12, and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. Now, Sark will look to take over the SEC.
9. Lane Kiffin — Ole Miss
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Kiffin knows how to coach offense — and he knows how to recruit. The former USC headman seemingly has gotten humbled in recent years. That’ll happen when you go from head coach of the (then) Oakland Raiders to running the Florida Atlantic program. This perspective seemingly has done Kiffin a ton of good. He’s now a more likable, seemingly down-to-Earth figure. In the process, he took the Ole Miss job with the hopes of turning it into a threat in the loaded SEC West. He’s led Ole Miss to Bowl Games in each of his four seasons, and has finished in the top-30 in scoring every year.
8. Mike Norvell — Florida State
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Norvell went 38-15 at Memphis and capped off his tenure with an undefeated regular season before taking on the job at Florida State. The ‘Noles had been in a lull, but this is a program that never struggled to lure top recruits. And, in Year 4 with the team, Norvell put the pieces in place. Last year, Florida State finished the regular season 13-0 and won the ACC. Despite being left out of the College Football Playoff and losing to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, Norvell has FSU humming.
7. Brian Kelly — LSU
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Brian Kelly’s decision to leave South Bend for the LSU job was a bit of a gamble. In his last five years at Notre Dame, Kelly won 54 games. He’s just over 10 years removed from having the Fighting Irish in the National Title game. However, Kelly believed that making a move to an SEC power could be highly beneficial. In Year 1 with the Tigers, Kelly led LSU to a 10-4 record capped off with a dominant 63-7 Citrus Bowl victory over Purdue. The Tigers are still a step behind the elite teams in the conference, but Kelly has started his tenure with back-to-back 10-win seasons.
6. Lance Leipold — Kansas
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It is hard to imagine Lance Leipold leading Kansas for much longer. Before he took over the program in 2021, the Jayhawks had won three or fewer games each year from 2010 to 2020. KU won two games in Leipold’s first season, but the turnaround has been swift since then. Year 2 brought six victories. Last year, the Jayhawks went 9-4 and reached No. 16 in the rankings. Leipold has won at every stop of his career. At DIII Wisconsin-Whitewater, Lepiold’s teams went 109-6 and won six National Championships. At Buffalo, Leipold went 24-10 and won two bowl games over his final three years. Which program will be able to lure him away from Lawrence?
5. Ryan Day — Ohio State
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Ohio State is humming right now. In terms of program health, you can make an argument that the Buckeyes are set up better than nearly any other program in the country. Coming from Chip Kelly’s tree, Day is an offensive wizard. When you pair that brilliance with the athletes Ohio State gets on defense, the Big Ten has a hard time staying competitive (other than Michigan). Since taking over, Day has nearly a 90-percent win rate and has consistently put the Buckeyes in a spot to compete at the highest level. The next step for Day is to win a National Title before potentially heading to the professional ranks.
4. Dabo Swinney — Clemson
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After going toe-to-toe with Alabama for years, Clemson — as weird as this is to say — has fallen off a bit. It’s sort of ridiculous to say that considering Clemson has won less than 10 games just once since 2010. However, based on the previous standard set, it’s a bit of a downturn right now for the Tigers. With Florida State surging and the rest of college football changing, we’re eager to see what happens to Clemson in the long term. One thing is for sure…Swinney has to start adapting to/welcoming the new NIL rules.
3. Kyle Whittingham — Utah
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Kyle Whittingham simply knows how to build a football program. Utah teams are immensely tough. It shouldn’t be a surprise — as the team builds its identity around its head man. Whittingham is about discipline, energy, and organization. Rarely will you ever see Utah outplayed. It also maximizes the talent it has in the state, developing big, athletic Polynesian linemen into NFL players. With the Pac-12 no longer a thing, Whittingham will lead the Utes to the Big 12 in 2024.
2. Kalen DeBoer — Alabama
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Following a quick rebuild at Fresno State, Kalen DeBoer was plucked by a Washington team in desperate need of a makeover. In his first year with the Huskies, DeBoer led the team to an 11-2 record and a win in the Alamo Bowl. With stars such as QB Michael Penix Jr. and WR’s Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, the Huskies reached the National Championship Game in 2023 — where they came up short against Michigan. Following Nick Saban’s retirement, DeBoer was convinced by Alabama brass to take over the program.
1. Kirby Smart — Georgia
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At only 48 years of age, Kirby Smart is sitting pretty. Smart is coaching a premium program in the heart of the most talent-rich region in the country. He’s winning recruiting battles versus Alabama, and can even stake the claim as the current best program within the SEC. Smart has won two National Championships with the Bulldogs, and Georgia should find itself in the playoffs once again in 2024 — and that’s thanks in large part to the job Smart has done building this program and establishing its identity as the current national juggernaut.
