30. Ryan Day: Ohio State
With Urban Meyer out of Columbus, Day takes over a loaded program. He’s done a fantastic job on the recruiting trails, as the Buckeyes are landing elite players from all over the country. With Justin Fields expected to lead a potentially explosive offense, Day should see a ton of success this upcoming season. OSU is undoubtedly a favorite to be in the College Football Playoff.
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29. Scott Frost: Nebraska
After coming back home to Lincoln, Frost has things rolling in the right direction. Nebraska only one four games last year — though the Cornhuskers are recruiting at a relatively decent level. The offensive fireworks also shouldn’t disappear anytime soon. QB Adrian Martinez is an early Heisman Trophy favorite — something Nebraska hasn’t had in years.
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28. Mark Stoops: Kentucky
After years of building, both Stoops and the Wildcats broke through last year. Kentucky won 10 games for the first time since 1977. Duly, the team also was victorious in the Citrus Bowl (thus giving UK come momentum heading into this year). Stoops has done a great job recruiting the states of Ohio and Florida. As such, the team is as talented as it’s been in recent memory.
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27. Les Miles: Kansas
Les Miles lands within the top-30 based upon his past experience as a head coach. He’s saddled with perhaps the toughest job in all of Power-5. Kansas has essentially no talent on this team, and thus Miles is starting from scratch. However, he will be given time to build this program the way he wants — and without any of the pressure he’d find in SEC country.
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26. Matt Campbell: Iowa State
The 39-year-old coach is a rising star within the profession. He’s compiled two-straight eight-win seasons at Iowa State (not an easy feat by any stretch). The Cyclones are tough, aggressive, and disciplined. These are three facts typifying their head coach. Don’t be surprised if Campbell jumps for a higher-profile gig — whether in college or in the NFL.
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25. Chip Kelly: UCLA
Kelly had a rough first year in Westwood. Questions persist over his ability to recruit — not to mention his gutting of the roster. More than 30 players have left since he took over at UCLA. Fortunately for Bruins’ fans, the team returns virtually its entire roster this year. Much of last year’s team was comprised of freshmen and sophomores. Don’t be surprised if UCLA improves immensely in 2019-20.
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24. Mack Brown: North Carolina
Mack Brown shockingly came out of retirement at 67 years of age to take the job at UNC. Brown hasn’t coached in seven years. Understandably so, there are questions as to how he’ll recruit — as well as coach in this new era. Still, the man holds one National Title and a career record of 244-122-1. We think he’ll acclimate just fine.
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23. Pat Fitzgerald: Northwestern
Fitzgerald doesn’t get a ton of notoriety, and we aren’t quite sure why. Northwestern didn’t have much of a football history before he took over. Since coaching his alma mater, Fitzgerald has compiled a 96-70 overall record. This has included four bowl wins and three 10-win seasons.
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22. David Cutcliffe: Duke
Cutcliffe resembles a jolly grandfather more so than a cut-throat football coach. His gentle demeanor has made him one of the best developers of quarterbacks anywhere (ask Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Daniel Jones). Prior to Cutcliffe assuming the post in 2008, Duke had not had a winning season since 1994. He’s completely altered the trajectory of this program — leading the Blue Devils to six bowl appearances in seven years.
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21. Gus Malzahn: Auburn
Malzahn is under arguably more pressure than any other coach in the country. His Auburn teams are often criticized by a lack of consistency on both sides of the ball. Still, one can’t forget that Auburn has accrued a 53-27 record under his leadership.
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20. Kirk Ferentz: Iowa
Ferentz is listed here based upon his consistency as a head coach. He first began coaching Iowa in 1999. Since then, Ferentz has compiled five seasons with at least 10 wins — including appearances in both the Orange and Rose Bowls. Iowa has had one losing season since 2007 — a feat most programs can’t claim.
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19. Ed Orgeron: LSU
Orgeron is as relentless a salesman as there is in the game. He could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves. The addition of OSU QB transfer Joe Burrow helped in stabilizing the offense. With the talent across the board, one would be foolish to sleep on LSU.
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18. Paul Chryst: Wisconsin
Chryst doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the job he’s done with Wisconsin. Many like to view the Badgers’ program as a machine of sorts — and it is to an extent. However, one can’t scoff at Chryst’s ability to lead Wisconsin to four-straight seasons with at least 8 wins. This includes victories in the Orange, Cotton, and Holiday Bowls. In 2017, Wisconsin finished 12-1 (9-0 in conference play). Chryst has gone 42-12 overall, and 27-8 conference play since coming over from Pittsburgh.
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17. Kyle Whittingham: Utah
Whittingham first jumped onto the scene in 2008 — when the Utes blasted Alabama in the Sugar Bowl by a score of 31-17. Not only did the victory put Utah on the map, but it signified Whittingham’s status as an excellent coach. Since taking over for Urban Meyer in 2005, Whittingham — a former BYU linebacker — has accrued a 120-61 overall record. This has included a 11-2 record in bowl games. With the lack of a true recruiting base to pull from, Whittingham truly is one of the best in terms of developing talent.
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16. Mike Gundy: Oklahoma State
We can unequivocally say this: Mike Gundy has the best hairstyle in all of sports. Rocking a mullet at 51 years of age is both ballsy and cavalier. A former QB at OSU, Gundy worked as an assistant coach before taking over for Les Miles in 2005. Since then, Oklahoma State has gone 121-59. The Cowboys have made 13-straight bowl appearances — which includes victories in the Fiesta and Alamo Bowls. Gundy has also engineered double-digit win totals in six of the last nine years. Without question, the Pokes have developed into an annual contender within the Big-12.
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15. Mark Dantonio: Michigan State
Though the big brother Michigan has a richer history collectively, the Spartans have enjoyed some terrific success with Dantonio at the helm. In 13 years as the coach in East Lansing, Dantonio has compiled a 107-51 overall record. This has included 11 bowl appearances in 12 years. Perhaps most impressively, MSU went through a period in which the team won at least 11 games in five of six seasons. The best year came in 2013 — when the Spartans enjoyed a Rose Bowl victory amidst a 13-1 season.
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14. Gary Patterson: TCU
Prior to TCU’s leap to the Big 12 Conference, Patterson had long established himself as one of the best non-Power 5 head coaches. The Kansas native has a very distinct coaching style. He’s loud, aggressive, energetic, and is completely rooted on the defensive side of the ball. He has an overall record of 167-63 in Fort Worth. It includes 11 seasons with at least 10 victories (including a perfect 13-0 mark in the 2010 season).
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13. Mike Leach: Washington State
Leach is a terrific coach. Washington State and Texas Tech are NOT easy places to recruit to. Instead of loading up on blue chip prospects, Leach has become a master in developing talent. The Cougars are currently coming off an 11-win season (which included a win in the Alamo Bowl). If still possible, Leach remains as an underrated coach.
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12. James Franklin: Penn State
Franklin is on the cusp of having Penn State in the discussion to win the Big Ten on an annual basis. He recruits at a very high level, and has tangible results (a combined record of 31-9 over last three years) to point to as a reference of success. Penn State will continue to churn on in a positive direction for the foreseeable future.
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11. Jim Harbaugh: Michigan
With the hopes of turning around his alma mater, Harbaugh left for Ann Arbor in 2015. In four seasons, Michigan’s accrued a 38-14 overall record. However, those in Ann Arbor are getting a bit restless. Michigan has yet to win ‘the big one’ with Harbaugh in charge. He’s also not had very much success versus Ohio State or Michigan State, either.
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10. Dan Mullen: Florida
Mullen’s inventiveness as a coach — coupled with his overachieving in Starkville – led to him getting the gig in Gainesville. In this first year with Florida, Mullen notched a 10-3 record. The Gators looked quite capable at times, and appear ready to challenge within the SEC East. At this point, Florida looks like the biggest threat to rival Georgia in the division.
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9. Tom Herman: Texas
Herman is building a juggernaut in Austin. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Texas has fertile recruiting grounds, and Herman is excellent both schematically and as a recruiter. Don’t be surprised if the Longhorns win the Big 12 en route to a College Football Playoff berth in 2019-20.
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8. Kirby Smart: Georgia
Smart only has three years of head coaching experience. It’s about the only reason why he’s not ranked higher within the list. The fiery personality has led Georgia to two-straight seasons with at least 11 wins. Without question, this program is set up to be exceptionally good for a long time.
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7. David Shaw: Stanford
Shaw is a model of consistency. What he’s done at Stanford is quite fantastic considering the restraints put on the world of recruiting from an academic standpoint. The pool of potential players Stanford can choose from is far smaller when compared to virtually everyone else. Still, Shaw has an 82-26 record through eight seasons on the Farm. He’s also never won less than eight games in any season.
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6. Brian Kelly: Notre Dame
Kelly hasn’t won a National Title, yet he’s still a very good head coach. His success over the course of his career has been impressive — particularly since he’s been a head coach since 1991. Notre Dame has won at least 10 games in three of the past four seasons. With recruiting at a relatively high level, Notre Dame figures to be a fixture within the Playoff race for years to come.
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5. Lincoln Riley: Oklahoma
Of all the coaches on the list, Riley looks like the surest bet to one day be an NFL head coach. An offensive savant, the 35-year-old has Oklahoma fortified as one of the nation’s best. He continues to churn out elite offensive talent. At this point, the only thing preventing him from making a leap to the next level is the absence of a National Title.
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4. Chris Petersen: Washington
Since taking over in Seattle, Petersen has completely taken over the Pac-12. Washington’s talent level has been buoyed by both development and a renewed emphasis on recruiting Polynesian players. Washington has three-straight seasons with double-digit win totals. Georgia transfer Jacob Eason is set to take the reins of the offense this year. Watch out for the Huskies…Petersen isn’t far from making them a perennial top-10 team nationally.
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3. Jimbo Fisher: Texas A&M
There’s a reason Texas A&M dropped a boatload of money in order to poach Jimbo Fisher from Florida State. The West Virginia native is widely regarded as one of the nation’s best offensive coaches. Along with that, Fisher knows how to win. He went 9-4 in his inaugural year in College Station. With the talent in the program continuing to improve, it won’t be long until the Aggies are one of the better teams within the SEC West.
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2. Dabo Swinney: Clemson
After initially beginning as an interim coach, Swinney has transformed Clemson into a national power. He’s unquestionably one of the best in the profession at this point. When (and if) Nick Saban ultimately retires from the game, it will be fascinating to see whether Alabama opts to pursue Swinney. Remember, he played on Alabama’s 1992 National Championship team.
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1. Nick Saban: Alabama
When it comes down to it, was there any other coach even close to topping Saban for the top spot on this list? At Alabama, Saban’s compiled a 125-20 record. A 10-year stint has seen Saban win five National Titles in 10 years. He also managed to snag one during his time at LSU. There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight — which likely means Saban will one day become the most prolific head coach in the history of the sport.
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