31. P.J. Fleck: Minnesota
The fiery personality is making a case to be the best young coach in the entire Big Ten. Fleck turned Western Michigan into a 13-1 squad before leaving for the Twin Cities. The Illinois native is excellent at motivating his players. Despite possessing less-than-ideal talent, Minnesota competes relentlessly. This is in direct correlation with Fleck’s coaching style.
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30. Dana Holgorsen: West Virginia
During his eight-year stint in Morgantown, Holgorsen has compiled a very respectable 57-37 record. Under his guidance, the Mountaineers have developed into a program known for offensive fireworks. Holgorsen in particular is excellent in exploiting the opposition’s weaknesses. He’s accrued six winning seasons, and is currently well on his way to a seventh.
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29. Kirk Ferentz: Iowa
Ferentz has commanded the Iowa football program for the last 20 years — making him the nation’s longest-tenured coach. While Iowa has somewhat of a rich football history, it certainly pales in comparison to fellow Big Ten programs Wisconsin, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Michigan. Under Ferentz’s guidance, Iowa has accrued five Top-10 finishes in the AP Poll. He’s accumulated 146 victories during his tenure. This includes five seasons with double-digit victory totals, and only one losing season since 2007. Simply put, he’s an absolute master at taking the proverbial diamonds-in-the-rough and turning them into legitimate Big Ten talents. Ferentz’s proclivity for developing offensive line talent is also certainly something to take into account as well.
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28. Pat Fitzgerald: Northwestern
Northwestern is known more as a premier academic institution as opposed to a football school. However, Fitzgerald is attempting to change that narrative. At only 43 years of age, he’s already the winningest coach in program history. He’s led Northwestern to 86 victories in 12 seasons — including two 10-win seasons and eight bowl appearances. Fitzgerald is handcuffed by stringent academic standards, thus making the act of recruiting much more difficult when compared to other programs. However, equipped with an ardent pride for his alma mater — coupled with a dogged determination to succeed — has truly taken this program to new heights. Northwestern has had only four 10-win years in its history. Two of those seasons have come with Fitzgerald as the head coach.
27. Paul Johnson: Georgia Tech
Speaking of unconventional offenses, Johnson’s spread-option scheme is highly dynamic. Some were curious as to how it’d translate within a Power 5 Conference. Coming over from Navy, Johnson’s scheme was a revelation with the Yellow Jackets. He’s compiled a 77-57 record during his current 10-year run. His success with the program includes four division titles, a conference title, and two Orange Bowl appearances (one of which was a 49-38 victory over Mississippi State). Of coaches currently coaching, only three (Brian Kelly, Bill Snyder, Nick Saban) have more career victories than Johnson. He’s also one of four coaches to have won at least 50 games within his first four years as a head coach on the Division 1 level.
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26. Tom Herman: Texas
Prior to taking the Texas job, Herman was the hottest name within the profession. His resume holds considerable cachet — largely based upon his play-calling duties under Urban Meyer at Ohio State, as well as his achievement in turning Houston into somewhat of a power. He had an eye-popping 22-4 career record as a head coach before coming to Austin. Duly, he’s already been established as a fantastic recruiter. Herman went 6-6 in his inaugural campaign with the Longhorns. As he continues to gain experience at the highest level, his placement within this list should trend upwards exponentially.
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25. Ken Niumatalolo: Navy
Niumatalolo already has accrued the most wins in Navy program history — with 84 victories in 10 seasons. Niumatalolo has led his teams to bowl appearances nine times in the last 10 years. This includes bowl victories over the likes of Missouri, Middle Tennessee State, San Diego State, and Pittsburgh. This body of work is highly impressive — especially considering Navy’s relative lack of size when compared to its competition in virtually every single contest. At only 53 years of age, it’s very plausible to envision a scenario in which Niumatalolo leaves for a bigger gig.
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24. Dan Mullen: Florida
There’s an argument to be made that Mississippi State is the toughest job in all of Division 1. Situated in sleepy Starkville, the program has to compete annually in the sport’s toughest division. Forget the fact that in-state rival Ole Miss is considered to be the ‘flagship’ school of the state. MSU also has to go up against a murderous SEC West schedule featuring Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Texas A&M. This isn’t even including the divisional crossover games — where you’ll also see the likes of Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. With that said, Mullen worked wonders during his time with the program. A longtime Urban Meyer disciple, Mullen brought over his quarterback-happy style of offense. Since the year 2000, Mississippi State has made 10 bowl appearances. Seven of those have come under Mullen’s guidance. In nine seasons, Mullen had a career record of 69-46. Now at Florida, he will be operating under a much larger microscope.
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23. Matt Campbell: Iowa State
Campbell appears to be carving out quite a niche for himself. Prior to taking over the job in Ames, Campbell — an Ohio native — led Toledo to three 9-win seasons. His first season with Iowa State didn’t exactly go to plan (3-9). However, the Cyclones finished this past year with a 7-5 record — including wins at Oklahoma and versus TCU (both top-five teams at the time of each contest). It’s the first time since 2009 in which ISU finished the year with a winning record. Due to his efforts, Campbell was named the 2017 Big 12 Coach of the Year.
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22. Bill Snyder: Kansas State
Though the Wildcats haven’t had a ton of recent success lately, Bill Snyder is a God in Manhattan, Kansas. The 78-year-old has won 202 games throughout his extensive coaching career. This has included a 125-85-1 record within conference play. Snyder has won five divisional titles and two conference titles during his 26-year career leading the program. He’s also coached in 18 bowl games. These numbers are spectacular for any coach. However, Snyder’s impact on this program cannot be overstated enough. The University renamed the football stadium “Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium” in honor of himself and his family. Recruiting to Manhattan is immensely difficult. He’s relied heavily on player development — as well as the junior college ranks when building his squads. As old school as they come, Snyder is a living legend.
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21. Mike Leach: Washington State
The most fascinating head coach within the sport of College Football may reside in Pullman, Washington. Leach coaches with a swashbuckling style — as his “Air Raid” offense sometimes throws the ball upwards of 70 times per game. His tough exterior — coupled with his thoughtful and often colorful press conferences — makes him highly popular. In many ways, both Texas Tech and Washington State parallel one another. Neither have illustrious histories in their respective conferences. Duly, both locations are rather remote. This doesn’t exactly help when it comes to recruiting against rivals situated in Los Angeles and Austin. Nonetheless, Leach knows how to win. His Texas Tech teams made 10-straight bowl appearances. At Washington State, he turned a hapless program into a respectable one — winning 26 games in the past three seasons.
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20. Justin Fuente: Virginia Tech
Fuente has proven to be a credible program-builder. His bread-and-butter resides on the offensive side of the ball. The head coach was integral in Andy Dalton’s development during his time as TCU’s OC/QB’s coach. At Memphis, Fuente won seven games during his first two seasons as the head coach. He then won 19 games the following two years. Much like he did for Dalton, Fuente developed Paxton Lynch into an eventual first-round draft choice. Fuente’s offensive scheme is both high-octane and incredibly efficient. He loves to utilize his quarterbacks in the run game, and can be very versatile from a play-calling standpoint. During his inaugural season at Virginia Tech, the Hokies finished within the Top-40 in total offense. Virginia Tech also finished with a 10-4 record and a Coastal Division title. Fuente then proceeded to lead the Hokies to a 9-win season in 2017. At only 42 years of age, Fuente is a rising star within the profession.
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19. 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 113-57 overall record. This has included a 10-1 record in bowl games. There were some questions as to how the program would fare in the Pac-12. Since joining the conference, Utah’s had a respectable 63-50 conference record. It also won the Pac-12 South Division title in 2015. 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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18. Bobby Petrino: Louisville
Looking beyond the whole motorcycle thing, Petrino can coach with the best of them. He routinely takes smaller programs and turns them into big winners. Offensively inclined, Petrino pairs inventiveness with an aggressive play-calling style. It resulted in turning Louisville from an afterthought into a big-time player on the national stage. During his first four-year stint with the Cardinals, Louisville accumulated a record of 41-9 (including a victory in the Orange Bowl versus Wake Forest). He then helped Arkansas rise from mediocrity into a legitimate SEC West contender. The Razorbacks had two-straight years with at least 10 wins. Since that period, Petrino has returned to Louisville — winning at least eight games in four-straight years. He’s also credited with the development of Heisman Trophy-winning signal-caller Lamar Jackson.
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17. Jim Harbaugh: Michigan
Harbaugh accumulated a 29-6 record with the San Diego Toreros before transitioning to Stanford. Viewed as an apathetic program, Stanford went 12-1 during his fourth year in Palo Alto. It resulted in an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech — and later a job with the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh made three-straight NFC Championship appearances, including a Super Bowl loss in 2012. With the hopes of turning around his alma mater, Harbaugh left for Ann Arbor. Currently in his fourth season with the program, he’s accrued a 32-12 overall record. However, those in Ann Arbor are getting a bit worried. UM has yet to develop a quarterback. Michigan has struggled immensely versus any semblance of good competition — including in rivalry games versus Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. The clock is ticking on Harbaugh to turn this program into a National Title contender.
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16. 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). We all know Duke is a basketball school. That will not be changing anytime soon. With Cutcliffe in charge of the football program, we also now know that Duke actually has a football program. 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 five bowl appearances in six years, and three years with winning records. He also had a successful stint as the head coach at Ole Miss — compiling a 44-29 overall record to go along with four bowl victories in five tries.
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15. Mark Richt: Miami
The expectations at Georgia were sky-high. When looking at Richt’s ability to win, it was somewhat surprising to see him being forced out of Athens. During his 15-year stint with the Bulldogs, Richt compiled a 145-51 record. This included 15 bowl appearances, 10 bowl wins, six division titles, and two conference crowns. One would be hard-pressed to find another coach with this sort of consistency. He then went back to his alma mater Miami in 2016. In a little more than two years, Richt has an accumulative record of 23-8 — including a 12-4 record in conference play. Without question, the longtime head coach is a steadying force within the profession. He can recruit very well, and he is known as a man with great character. Miami already has made an ACC Title Game appearance under Richt’s guidance. With another year of building the roster, expect the ‘Canes to be very good for the foreseeable future.
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14. James Franklin: Penn State
Much like Duke, Vanderbilt is more known for its academic profile as opposed to its success as a football school. When Franklin took over in 2011, Vanderbilt had one winning season since 1982. The Commodores were universally known as the doormat of the SEC. Teams would literally pencil them in as a victory when the schedules came out. Due to a relentless nature — both in terms of player development and recruiting — Franklin took the program to three-straight bowl appearances. Vanderbilt was able to win nine games twice en route to bowl victories over North Carolina State and Houston. For the first time since 1948, Vanderbilt ended the season ranked within the AP Top-25. Franklin parlayed this wonderful effort into his ‘dream job’ at Penn State. In his fourth year in Happy Valley, he led the Nittany Lions to a conference title, a Rose Bowl appearance, and a Fiesta Bowl spot in last year’s installment versus Washington. At only 46 years of age, he appears primed to break into the Top-10 of the coaching profession sooner rather than later.
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13. Mike Gundy: Oklahoma State
We can unequivocally say this: Mike Gundy has the best hairstyle in all of sports. Rocking a mullet at 49 years of age is both ballsy and cavalier. It’s even taken on a life of its own — earning millions of dollars through a marketing campaign for the university. As is the case with Michigan State, OSU will play second-fiddle to OU. Many view the Sooners as the cream of the crop when it comes to college football in the state of Oklahoma. While some feel that way, one has to respect what Gundy has done during his time in Stillwater. 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 118-54. The Cowboys have made 12-straight bowl appearances — which include victories in the Fiesta and Alamo Bowls. Gundy has also engineered double-digit win totals in five of the last eight years. Without question, the Pokes have developed into an annual contender within the Big-12.
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12. Brian Kelly: Notre Dame
We may be shortchanging Kelly when looking at his total body of work. Kelly won two Division II titles during his time at Grand Valley State. He won a MAC Championship at Central Michigan. Kelly then won two Big East titles at Cincinnati — including a 12-1 mark during his final season with the Bearcats. Since making the move to Notre Dame, Kelly (save for one season) hasn’t sustained the same level of success. To be fair, Notre Dame is a place with ridiculously high standards. If the Fighting Irish aren’t competing for National Titles year in and year out, Kelly will be garnering considerable heat. Kelly did lead the program to a National Title Game appearance in 2012 — though the team got trounced 42-14 by Alabama. Since then, Notre Dame has had only one 10-win season since 2013. A 4-8 finish in 2016 had Kelly squarely on the hot seat heading into this upcoming year — though a 9-win mark in 2017 helped in squashing any trepidation surrounding his job security.
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11. 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 was a defensive coordinator at TCU for two seasons before assuming the head coaching position in 2000. He won one title in C-USA, four in the Mountain West Conference, and also nabbed one during the 2014 Big 12 season. From a personal standpoint, Patterson has been recognized twice as the AP Coach Of The Year. He has an overall record of 163-59 in Fort Worth. It includes 11 seasons with at least 10 victories (including a perfect 13-0 mark in the 2010 season). Patterson has warded off advances by other programs. It appears as if he’s committed to TCU for the foreseeable future — something the fan base has to be elated over.
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10. 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 three-straight seasons with double-digit win totals. This includes victories in both the Holiday Bowl and the Cotton Bowl. In 2017, Wisconsin finished 12-1 (9-0 in conference play). Chryst has gone 37-8 overall, and 23-4 in conference play since coming over from Pittsburgh.
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9. Mark Dantonio: Michigan State
The steely-eyed Dantonio is a tough hombre. It comes as no surprise that his Michigan State squads usually exhibit a hard-nosed approach to the game. Michigan State is in an unenviable spot. No matter the level of success, it will always be looked at as Michigan’s little brother. Though the big brother has a richer history collectively, the Spartans have enjoyed some terrific success with Dantonio at the helm. In 12 years as the coach in East Lansing, Dantonio has compiled a 103-46 overall record. This has included 10 bowl appearances in 11 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. A disciple of both Nick Saban and Jim Tressel, Dantonio has completely endeared himself to the fan base as one of the greatest coaches in Michigan State history.
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8. Jimbo Fisher: Texas A&M
Fisher’s time in Tallahassee came to a somewhat sour end. With that said, his tenure was nothing short of spectacular. The Seminoles won at least 10 games in six of the past eight seasons. Since 2010, FSU captured four Atlantic Division Titles. The Seminoles were also victorious in the 2014 National Championship over a loaded Auburn squad. Much like Swinney, Fisher is an excellent recruiter. In a state featuring powers Florida and Miami, it’s been Florida State leading the charge both on the field and in the realm of recruiting. Fisher’s 83-23 overall record in Tallahassee was sparkling — as is his collective resume. Now the head coach of Texas A&M, Fisher will have to manage enormous expectations. He recently signed a 10-year/$75 million deal — the largest in college football history.
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7. Chip Kelly: UCLA
UCLA made a major statement with the hiring of Kelly. After a short stint in the NFL, Kelly returns to the college game. The quirky yet innovative head man essentially made Oregon a nationally recognized program. In four years, Kelly compiled a 46-7 overall record. This included four-straight appearances in BCS Bowl games, and three 12-win seasons. Without question, very few compare to Kelly’s acumen as a cutting-edge tinkerer. We know UCLA is off to a slow start. However, we need to give Kelly some time in order to get his recruits into the program. Once that happens…look out.
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6. Gus Malzahn: Auburn
When Malzahn first broke onto the scene as a wildly successful high school coach in Arkansas, many were bewildered by his funky — yet highly potent — offensive system. It’s predicated upon running the football from a myriad of dissimilar formations. After a brief stint at Arkansas State, Malzahn returned to Auburn, where he led the Tigers to a National Championship appearance versus Florida State. While the Tigers have yet to make a return to the Playoffs, he’s done a terrific job of stabilizing things on The Plains. Malzahn has gone 49-23 during his five-year tenure with the school.
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5. Chris Petersen: Washington
Petersen is a transcendent coach from a creativity standpoint. During his time at Boise State, he treated the audience to several mind-blowing play-calls — particularly in the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma. He DOMINATED on the blue turf — winning 88.4-percent (92-12) of his games. He also had a ridiculous 57-6 record in conference games. After much deliberation, Petersen made the jump up in competition — ultimately landing at Washington. After two decent years, Petersen led the Huskies to a breakthrough 12-2 season in 2016. The team won the Pac-12 Conference Title, and put up a respectable showing against Alabama in the Peach Bowl. Petersen is only now starting to get his recruits into the program. With a penchant for sustained success, Washington figures to be a fixture for years to come in both the Pac-12 North and in the conference as a whole.
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4. David Shaw: Stanford
It’s one thing to inherit a strong program. It’s another thing to maintain the preexisting level of winning. This is exactly what Shaw has done during his time in Palo Alto. He took over for Jim Harbaugh in 2011. During his seven-year stint, the Cardinal have failed to win at least 10 games only twice. He’s won the extremely tough Pac-12 North Division five times, and has two Rose Bowl victories to show for it. People also don’t realize the vast difficulty in getting players admitted to the school. The pool from which Stanford can pull from is exceptionally small. It makes Shaw’s 77-23 career record that much more impressive. Without a doubt, he’s engineered the best mix of academics and football excellence anywhere in the country.
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3. Dabo Swinney: Clemson
After initially beginning as an interim coach, Swinney has transformed Clemson into a national power. The man can recruit — as Clemson is routinely ranked inside the Top-10 for most recruiting services. The talent within this program is as good as anyone not named Alabama. Clemson has seven-straight seasons with at least 10 victories. Swinney led the Tigers to consecutive appearances in the National Title Game — with Clemson recently edging out the Crimson Tide for its first Championship since 1981. Swinney has a career record of 106-30. 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. He played on Alabama’s 1992 National Championship team.
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2. Urban Meyer: Ohio State
Despite the recent turmoil surrounding himself and the OSU program, Meyer is a force on the recruiting trails — charming families with his combination of charisma and track-record. Meyer is one of three coaches to have won National Championships at multiple schools. Meyer won two titles at Florida, and one at Ohio State. His two-year stints at both Bowling Green and Utah led to a combined record of 39-8. At Florida, he accrued a 65-15 record in addition to the aforementioned championships. Now in Columbus, Meyer’s had six-straight years in which he’s won at least 11 games. If there’s one man capable of catching Saban as perhaps the most decorated coach from a winning standpoint, it would be Meyer.
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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? Saban routinely churns out prospects to the NFL. Alabama and LSU were at the top — if not at the very top when it came to drafted players. Saban — a defensive genius — has been instrumental in the development of multiple All-Pro players. At Alabama, Saban’s compiled a 126-20 record. A 10-year stint has seen Saban win five National Titles in nine years. He also managed to snag one during his time in Baton Rouge. Saban has now tied the all-time record for most titles alongside former Alabama head coach Bear Bryant. Simply put, he’s built a juggernaut of a program. 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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