Happy Memorial Day to everyone, on this day we honor the fallen service members of our U.S. military.
In 17 seasons at Alabama, Coach Nick Saban compiled a record of 201 wins and 29 losses, good for an 87% win rate and 4 points more than the great Tom Osborne who was at Nebraska for 25 seasons, winning 255 games. With Saban now retired from coaching, College Football is left without its undisputed GOAT and now opens the question, who is the best coach in College Football?
Among coaches with 200+ wins, only Brian Kelly at LSU has north of a 70% win rate at 73.2. However, a good chunk of Kelly's career wins came at Grand Valley State during his early career.
There are currently three head coaches at the FBS level with 7+ years of coaching complete and north of an 80% win rate. Lincoln Riley completed his 7th season and 2nd with USC (80.4%), Kirby Smart completed his 8th season at Georgia (85.5%), and Kalen DeBoer completed his 9th season and 2nd at Washington, before accepting the Alabama job in January (89.7%).
Wins and Losses aren't everything when breaking down and ranking Head Coaches, but it's an important piece, let's jump to the Top 50 and figure out the answer, who is the best coach in college football?
HM: Sean Lewis - San Diego State (first season)
- Record (24-31, 43.6%)
- Spent the 2023 Season as the Offensive Coordinator at Colorado
HM: Jeff Tedford - Fresno State
- Record (127-79, 61.7%)
- Career winner at Cal and Fresno State, has coached Aaron Rodgers, Trent Dilfer, and Akili Smith. Successfully recruited Jared Goff to Cal but was fired shortly after. In his 5 year stint at Fresno State, Tedford has compiled a 45-22 record, winning two conference titles.
HM: Troy Calhoun - Air Force
- Record (130-82, 61.3%)
- After playing Quarterback for Air Force from 1985-1988, Calhoun worked as a GA before going on to Ohio, Wake Forest, and eventually the NFL in a QB/OC role. In 2007 he returned to the Air Force Academy in 2007 to replace his college coach Fisher DeBerry who served for 23 seasons as the Falcons head coach.
HM) Manny Diaz - Duke (first season)
- Record (21-15, 58.3%)
- Diaz spent three seasons at Miami (FL) when he accumulated a 21-15 record and just one losing season. After Miami fired Diaz, it took just 5 days to find a new home, where he spent the last two seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Penn State.
HM) Pat Narduzzi - Pittsburgh
- Record (65-50, 56.5%)
- Narduzzi has spent the past 9 seasons at Pittsburgh, winning one ACC championship in 2021 and finishing with 8+ wins in 5 of those seasons.
HM) Joey McGuire - Texas Tech
- Record (15-11, 57.7%)
- In the three seasons previous to McGuire's arrival in Lubbock, the Red Raiders record was 15-20. Since taking over in 2022, McGuire has led Texas Tech to a 15-11 standing and consecutive Top 25 recruiting classes, per Rivals.com
- (2-1) record at home against Top-25 teams, Losing to Oregon by 8 points in Week 2.
#50: PJ Fleck - Minnesota
- Record (80-56, 58.8%)
- Turned Western Michigan around from 1-11 to 13-1 in three seasons, turned Minnesota around from 5-7 to 11-2 in two seasons. However, since 2020 the Golden Gophers have underwhelmed the expectations built by the early success, going just 27-19 over the past four seasons.
- Record vs. Iowa (1-6), Record vs. Wisconsin (3-4)
#49) Deion Sanders - Colorado
- Record (4-8, 33.3%)
- #1 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- #67 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#48) Shane Beamer - South Carolina
- Record (20-18, 52.6%)
- (3-3) against Top 15 teams during three seasons at South Carolina
- #10 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- #17 Overall Recruiting Class in 2023, per. Rivals.com
- 9 players drafted in the NFL Draft over the past two seasons.
#47) Shawn Clark - Appalachian State
- Record (35-18, 66.0%)
- Clark had massive shoes to fill with Scott Satterfield departing for Louisville in 2018, and Eli Drinkwitz departing for Missouri in 2019, both are ranked on this Top 50 list.
- In 4 seasons as the head coach, Clark has a 34-18 record with two Sun Belt East division titles, but he is yet to win the Sun Belt conference outright.
#46) Scott Satterfield - Cincinnati
- Record (75-49, 60.5%)
- After three consecutive Sun Belt titles at Appalachian State from 2016-2018, Satterfield took a job at Louisville where he would later resign after a 25-24 record in four seasons.
- Before his first season at Cincinnati began, he would lose 13 players to the NFL Draft and another 26 to the transfer portal. The 2023 seasons saw the Bearcats finish 3-9, their worst finish in 25 years.
#45) Kalani Sitake - BYU
- Record (61-41, 59.8%)
- Entire Head Coaching career has been at BYU, finishing below .500 just twice (2017, 2023).
- 13 Players drafted since 2017, #2 overall pick in 2021 (Zach Wilson)
#44) Rhett Lashlee - SMU
- Record (18-10, 64.3%)
- Between 2011 and 2021, Lashlee spent time at 6 different schools as an offensive coordinator. In 2022 he returned to SMU, where he was the OC during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
- After Sonny Dykes departed SMU for the TCU job, Lashlee's door opened. Dykes was 30-17 with one 10-win season. In his first two seasons, Lashlee is 18-9, finishing 11-3 in 2023 with losses against 18. Oklahoma, Boston College, and Sonny Dykes at TCU.
#43) Jason Candle - Toledo
- Record (65-35, 65.0%)
- Two-time MAC Coach of the Year (2017, 2023)
- Candle is coming off of his 8th full season at Toldeo in a Head Coaching capacity, spending the previous 6 seasons as TE/WRQB Coach and Offensive Coordinator from 2012-2015)
- Toledo has had a player drafted the past three seasons, including Quinyon Mitchell in 2023, a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Other notable draft picks include Kareem Hunt, Diontae Johnson, Samuel Womack, and Tycen Anderson.
#42) Mack Brown - North Carolina
- Record (276-144, 65.7%)
- 2005 National Championship at Texas
- Two-time BIG 12 Champion (2005, 2009)
#41) Kirk Ferentz - Iowa
- Record (196-119, 62.2%)
- Big 10 Champion (2002, 2004)
#40) Dave Clawson - Wake Forest
- Record (95-93, 50.5%)
#39) Luke Fickell - Wisconsin
- Record (70-31, 69.3%)
- Fickell took over a 4-8 Cincinnati Bearcats team in 2017 and turned it into a Top-10 New Year's Six competitor. The Bearcats won 53 games and lost just 10 from 2018-2022.
- After the 2022 season in Cincinnati, Fickell took the Wisconsin job after Paul Chryst was let go. During his first season in Madison, the Badgers finished second in the Big 10 West, defeated their rival Minnesota on the road, and sent 2 players to the NFL Draft.
- In Coach Fickell's first full cycle of recruiting, Wisconsin finished 19th overall in the 2024 Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings. The schools first since 2021.
#38) Matt Campbell - Iowa State
- Record (88-63, 58.3%)
- During his first 8 seasons, Iowa State has experienced just two losing seasons (2016, 2022)
- Led Iowa State to its first-ever Big 12 Championship game and New Year's Six Bowl.
- Record vs. Iowa (1-6)
#37) Jedd Fisch - Washington (first season)
- Record (17-22, 43.6%)
- Jumping back and forth from College to the NFL since 2002, Fisch earned his first head coaching job in 2021 at Arizona where he turned around the 1-11 Wildcats in two seasons to 10-3.
#36) Gus Malzahn - Central Florida
- Record (101-54, 65.2%)
- #3 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- SEC Champion (2013)
#35) Sonny Dykes - TCU
- Record (89-72, 55.3%)
- At his fourth head coaching stop, Dykes has Improved multiple programs in a short time. Louisiana Tech in 3 seasons from 5-7 to 9-3, California from 1-11 to 8-5 in 3 seasons, SMU from 5-7 to 10-3 in just one season.
#34) Rich Rodriguez - Jacksonville State
- Record (127-87, 59.3%)
- During a 7-year stint at West Virginia, Rodriguez won 4 Big East Championships and 60 games. He departed for Michigan after building WVU into a powerhouse, Top-10 program, and three consecutive 10-win seasons.
- In two seasons at Jacksonville State, Rich Rod has ushered the Gamecocks into the FBS successfully with back-to-back 9-win seasons.
#33) Dave Doeren - North Carolina State
- Record (104-62, 62.7%)
- Doeren dominated at Northern Illinois with two MAC Championships and a 23-4 record. They were the first MAC team to earn a BCS bid.
- Since taking over at NC State, Doeren has kept the Wolfpack in the conversation most years in the ACC with just two losing seasons (2013, 2019)
- Record vs. North Carolina (7-4)
- 27 Players drafted since 2014, 3 first-round selections (Ekwonu, Bradbury, Chubb)
#32) Jonathan Smith - Michigan State
- Record (34-35, 49.2%)
- Played Quarterback for Oregon State from 1998-2001 before earning opportunities at Montana, Boise State, and Washington as OC and/or QB Coach. In 2018, Smith was hired to take over a 1-11 team, and by 2022, the Beavers upset Oregon in the Civil War and finished 10-3 and ranked in the Top 15.
- #7 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#31) Brent Pry - Virginia Tech
- Record (10-14, 41.7%)
#30) Mike Elko - Texas A&M
- Record (16-9, 64.0%)
- The end of the David Cutcliffe era at Duke dropped off with a record of 10-25 in three seasons, however, Coach Elko brought the program back in just two seasons. Elko finished his time in Durham with a 17-9 record.
- #4 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#29) Jon Sumrall - Tulane (first season)
- Record (23-4, 85.2%)
- During Sumrall's first season at Troy in 2022, the Trojans won more games (11) than the previous two seasons combined (10).
28) Brent Venables - Oklahoma
- Record (16-10, 61.5%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022, 2023 & 2024
- Served under Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, and Dabo Swinney over the past 30 years.
#27) Willie Fritz - Houston (first season)
- Record (71-54, 56.8%)
- Since 1982, Fritz has coached at the HS, JUCO, D2, FCS and now FBS level.
#26) Mark Stoops - Kentucky
- Record (73-65, 52.9%)
- Kentucky was 2-10 before Stoops took over in Lexington in 2013. Since they have 7 winning seasons with two 10-win seasons.
- Finished inside the Top 30 of the Rivals Recruiting Rankings each of the past three seasons.
- 3+ Players have been drafted from Kentucky in the last 4 NFL Drafts.
#25) Curt Cignetti - Indiana (first season)
- Record (19-4, 82.6%)
- #8 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- Won 5 consecutive conference championships at James Madison, three at the FCS level and two in the Sun Belt.
#24) Jeff Traylor - UTSA
- Record (39-14, 73.6%)
- UTSA won 7 games total in 2018 and 2019.
- Traylor led UTSA to a 7-win season in year one and has a 32-9 record since.
#23) Hugh Freeze - Auburn
- Record (88-50, 63.8%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2024
- Won 8+ games in four straight seasons at Liberty
#22) Marcus Freeman - Notre Dame
- Record (19-8, 70.4%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022 & 2024
- Tied Charlie Weis for most wins in first two seasons as Head Coach at Notre Dame (19)
#21) Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State
- Record (166-79, 67.8%)
- Won Big 12 Championship in 2011. Lost in 2010, 2021 and 2023.
- Eight 10+ win seasons.
- 12-6 record in Bowl Games.
#20) Jeff Brohm - Louisville
- Record (76-48, 61.3%)
- #2 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- Won the Big 10 West in 2022 at Purdue.
#19) Lane Kiffin - Ole Miss
- Record (95-48, 66.4%)
- #5 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#18) Josh Heupel - Tennessee
- Record (55-20, 73.3%)
- 28-8 at UCF in three seasons, 27-12 at Tennessee in three seasons.
- #12 Overall Recruiting Class in 2023 and #14 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#17) Mario Cristobal - Miami (FL)
- Record (74-73, 50.3%)
- Two-time PAC 12 Champion (2019, 2020)
- Top 5 Recruiting Class in 2024, Top 10 in 2023.
#16) Jamey Chadwell - Liberty
- Record (52-23, 69.3%)
- After winning 39 games in four seasons at Coastal Carolina and winning the Sun Belt Championship, Chadwell departed for Lynchburg to take over for Hugh Freeze.
- In 2023, Liberty finished 13-1 and lost in the Fiesta Bowl to Oregon.
#15) Eli Drinkwitz - Missouri
- Record (40-22, 64.5%)
- 3 of their last 4 recruiting cycles have finished with Top 25 Team Rankings.
- 14 Players drafted over the past four seasons.
#14) Lincoln Riley - USC
- Record (74-18, 80.4%)
- Four-time BIG 12 Champion (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2023
#13) Matt Rhule - Nebraska
- Record (52-50, 51.0%)
- #16 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- Generational Program Builder, Temple was 2-10 in 2013 and Coach Rhule won 10 games in back-to-back seasons. When Rhule got to Baylor, they went 1-11 and in year three they went to the Big 12 Championship and finished 11-3.
#12) James Franklin - Penn State
- Record (112-54, 67.5%)
- Big 10 Champion (2016)
- 33 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (3rd most among Active Coaches at one school)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022
#11) Mike Norvell - Florida State
- Record (31-17, 64.6%)
- 10 Players Drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. (3rd most among Active Coaches)
- Undefeated 13-0 in 2023. before losing 63-3 in the Orange Bowl to Georgia.
#10) Kyle Whittingham - Utah
- Record (162-79, 67.2%)
- Two-time PAC 12 Champion (2021, 2022)
#9) Brian Kelly - LSU
- Record (166-69, 70.6%)
- Top 5 Recruiting Class in 2023
- Three 10+ win seasons at Cincinnati, Six 10+ win seasons at Notre Dame, and Two 10+ win seasons at LSU.
#8) Lance Leipold - Kansas
- Record (54-54, 50%)
- Turned Kansas around from 2-10 in 2021 to a ranked 9-4 competitor after upsetting 6. Oklahoma in Lawrence in 2023.
#7) Chris Klieman - Kansas State
- Record (39-24, 61.9%)
- BIG 12 Champion (2022)
- Four-time FCS National Champion at North Dakota State.
#6) Dan Lanning - Oregon
- Record (22-5, 81.5%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2023 & 2024
- #9 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#5) Steve Sarkisian - Texas
- Record (71-49, 59.2%)
- BIG 12 Champion (2023)
- 11 Players Drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. (2nd most among Active Coaches)
- Top 3 Recruiting Class in 2023 & 2024, finishing 5th overall in 2022.
#4) Ryan Day - Ohio State
- Record (56-8, 87.5%)
- Two-Time Big 10 Champion (2019, 2020)
- 36 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (2nd most among Active Coaches at one school)
- 10 Players Drafted in the 2020 and 2021 NFL Draft. (3rd most among Active Coaches)
- Top 5 Recruiting Class in 2022, 2023 & 2024
#3) Kalen DeBoer - Alabama
- Record (37-9, 80.4%)
- PAC 12 Champion (2023)
- 10 Players Drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. (3rd most among Active Coaches)
#2) Dabo Swinney - Clemson
- Record (170-43, 79.8%)
- Two-time CFP National Champion (2016, 2018)
- 26 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (4th most among Active Coaches at one school)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022, 2023 & 2024
#1) Kirby Smart - Georgia
- Record (94-16, 85.5%)
- Two-time CFP National Champion (2021, 2022)
- Two-time SEC Champion (2017, 2022)
- Most Players Drafted in a single NFL Draft. (15 in 2022) - 10 Drafted in 2023.
- 49 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (Most among Active Coaches at one school)
- #1 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, #2 Overall in 2023, and #3 Overall in 2022.
In 17 seasons at Alabama, Coach Nick Saban compiled a record of 201 wins and 29 losses, good for an 87% win rate and 4 points more than the great Tom Osborne who was at Nebraska for 25 seasons, winning 255 games. With Saban now retired from coaching, College Football is left without its undisputed GOAT and now opens the question, who is the best coach in College Football?
Among coaches with 200+ wins, only Brian Kelly at LSU has north of a 70% win rate at 73.2. However, a good chunk of Kelly's career wins came at Grand Valley State during his early career.
There are currently three head coaches at the FBS level with 7+ years of coaching complete and north of an 80% win rate. Lincoln Riley completed his 7th season and 2nd with USC (80.4%), Kirby Smart completed his 8th season at Georgia (85.5%), and Kalen DeBoer completed his 9th season and 2nd at Washington, before accepting the Alabama job in January (89.7%).
Wins and Losses aren't everything when breaking down and ranking Head Coaches, but it's an important piece, let's jump to the Top 50 and figure out the answer, who is the best coach in college football?
HM: Sean Lewis - San Diego State (first season)
- Record (24-31, 43.6%)
- Spent the 2023 Season as the Offensive Coordinator at Colorado
HM: Jeff Tedford - Fresno State
- Record (127-79, 61.7%)
- Career winner at Cal and Fresno State, has coached Aaron Rodgers, Trent Dilfer, and Akili Smith. Successfully recruited Jared Goff to Cal but was fired shortly after. In his 5 year stint at Fresno State, Tedford has compiled a 45-22 record, winning two conference titles.
HM: Troy Calhoun - Air Force
- Record (130-82, 61.3%)
- After playing Quarterback for Air Force from 1985-1988, Calhoun worked as a GA before going on to Ohio, Wake Forest, and eventually the NFL in a QB/OC role. In 2007 he returned to the Air Force Academy in 2007 to replace his college coach Fisher DeBerry who served for 23 seasons as the Falcons head coach.
HM) Manny Diaz - Duke (first season)
- Record (21-15, 58.3%)
- Diaz spent three seasons at Miami (FL) when he accumulated a 21-15 record and just one losing season. After Miami fired Diaz, it took just 5 days to find a new home, where he spent the last two seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Penn State.
HM) Pat Narduzzi - Pittsburgh
- Record (65-50, 56.5%)
- Narduzzi has spent the past 9 seasons at Pittsburgh, winning one ACC championship in 2021 and finishing with 8+ wins in 5 of those seasons.
HM) Joey McGuire - Texas Tech
- Record (15-11, 57.7%)
- In the three seasons previous to McGuire's arrival in Lubbock, the Red Raiders record was 15-20. Since taking over in 2022, McGuire has led Texas Tech to a 15-11 standing and consecutive Top 25 recruiting classes, per Rivals.com
- (2-1) record at home against Top-25 teams, Losing to Oregon by 8 points in Week 2.
#50: PJ Fleck - Minnesota
- Record (80-56, 58.8%)
- Turned Western Michigan around from 1-11 to 13-1 in three seasons, turned Minnesota around from 5-7 to 11-2 in two seasons. However, since 2020 the Golden Gophers have underwhelmed the expectations built by the early success, going just 27-19 over the past four seasons.
- Record vs. Iowa (1-6), Record vs. Wisconsin (3-4)
#49) Deion Sanders - Colorado
- Record (4-8, 33.3%)
- #1 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- #67 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#48) Shane Beamer - South Carolina
- Record (20-18, 52.6%)
- (3-3) against Top 15 teams during three seasons at South Carolina
- #10 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- #17 Overall Recruiting Class in 2023, per. Rivals.com
- 9 players drafted in the NFL Draft over the past two seasons.
#47) Shawn Clark - Appalachian State
- Record (35-18, 66.0%)
- Clark had massive shoes to fill with Scott Satterfield departing for Louisville in 2018, and Eli Drinkwitz departing for Missouri in 2019, both are ranked on this Top 50 list.
- In 4 seasons as the head coach, Clark has a 34-18 record with two Sun Belt East division titles, but he is yet to win the Sun Belt conference outright.
#46) Scott Satterfield - Cincinnati
- Record (75-49, 60.5%)
- After three consecutive Sun Belt titles at Appalachian State from 2016-2018, Satterfield took a job at Louisville where he would later resign after a 25-24 record in four seasons.
- Before his first season at Cincinnati began, he would lose 13 players to the NFL Draft and another 26 to the transfer portal. The 2023 seasons saw the Bearcats finish 3-9, their worst finish in 25 years.
#45) Kalani Sitake - BYU
- Record (61-41, 59.8%)
- Entire Head Coaching career has been at BYU, finishing below .500 just twice (2017, 2023).
- 13 Players drafted since 2017, #2 overall pick in 2021 (Zach Wilson)
#44) Rhett Lashlee - SMU
- Record (18-10, 64.3%)
- Between 2011 and 2021, Lashlee spent time at 6 different schools as an offensive coordinator. In 2022 he returned to SMU, where he was the OC during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
- After Sonny Dykes departed SMU for the TCU job, Lashlee's door opened. Dykes was 30-17 with one 10-win season. In his first two seasons, Lashlee is 18-9, finishing 11-3 in 2023 with losses against 18. Oklahoma, Boston College, and Sonny Dykes at TCU.
#43) Jason Candle - Toledo
- Record (65-35, 65.0%)
- Two-time MAC Coach of the Year (2017, 2023)
- Candle is coming off of his 8th full season at Toldeo in a Head Coaching capacity, spending the previous 6 seasons as TE/WRQB Coach and Offensive Coordinator from 2012-2015)
- Toledo has had a player drafted the past three seasons, including Quinyon Mitchell in 2023, a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Other notable draft picks include Kareem Hunt, Diontae Johnson, Samuel Womack, and Tycen Anderson.
#42) Mack Brown - North Carolina
- Record (276-144, 65.7%)
- 2005 National Championship at Texas
- Two-time BIG 12 Champion (2005, 2009)
#41) Kirk Ferentz - Iowa
- Record (196-119, 62.2%)
- Big 10 Champion (2002, 2004)
#40) Dave Clawson - Wake Forest
- Record (95-93, 50.5%)
#39) Luke Fickell - Wisconsin
- Record (70-31, 69.3%)
- Fickell took over a 4-8 Cincinnati Bearcats team in 2017 and turned it into a Top-10 New Year's Six competitor. The Bearcats won 53 games and lost just 10 from 2018-2022.
- After the 2022 season in Cincinnati, Fickell took the Wisconsin job after Paul Chryst was let go. During his first season in Madison, the Badgers finished second in the Big 10 West, defeated their rival Minnesota on the road, and sent 2 players to the NFL Draft.
- In Coach Fickell's first full cycle of recruiting, Wisconsin finished 19th overall in the 2024 Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings. The schools first since 2021.
#38) Matt Campbell - Iowa State
- Record (88-63, 58.3%)
- During his first 8 seasons, Iowa State has experienced just two losing seasons (2016, 2022)
- Led Iowa State to its first-ever Big 12 Championship game and New Year's Six Bowl.
- Record vs. Iowa (1-6)
#37) Jedd Fisch - Washington (first season)
- Record (17-22, 43.6%)
- Jumping back and forth from College to the NFL since 2002, Fisch earned his first head coaching job in 2021 at Arizona where he turned around the 1-11 Wildcats in two seasons to 10-3.
#36) Gus Malzahn - Central Florida
- Record (101-54, 65.2%)
- #3 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- SEC Champion (2013)
#35) Sonny Dykes - TCU
- Record (89-72, 55.3%)
- At his fourth head coaching stop, Dykes has Improved multiple programs in a short time. Louisiana Tech in 3 seasons from 5-7 to 9-3, California from 1-11 to 8-5 in 3 seasons, SMU from 5-7 to 10-3 in just one season.
#34) Rich Rodriguez - Jacksonville State
- Record (127-87, 59.3%)
- During a 7-year stint at West Virginia, Rodriguez won 4 Big East Championships and 60 games. He departed for Michigan after building WVU into a powerhouse, Top-10 program, and three consecutive 10-win seasons.
- In two seasons at Jacksonville State, Rich Rod has ushered the Gamecocks into the FBS successfully with back-to-back 9-win seasons.
#33) Dave Doeren - North Carolina State
- Record (104-62, 62.7%)
- Doeren dominated at Northern Illinois with two MAC Championships and a 23-4 record. They were the first MAC team to earn a BCS bid.
- Since taking over at NC State, Doeren has kept the Wolfpack in the conversation most years in the ACC with just two losing seasons (2013, 2019)
- Record vs. North Carolina (7-4)
- 27 Players drafted since 2014, 3 first-round selections (Ekwonu, Bradbury, Chubb)
#32) Jonathan Smith - Michigan State
- Record (34-35, 49.2%)
- Played Quarterback for Oregon State from 1998-2001 before earning opportunities at Montana, Boise State, and Washington as OC and/or QB Coach. In 2018, Smith was hired to take over a 1-11 team, and by 2022, the Beavers upset Oregon in the Civil War and finished 10-3 and ranked in the Top 15.
- #7 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#31) Brent Pry - Virginia Tech
- Record (10-14, 41.7%)
#30) Mike Elko - Texas A&M
- Record (16-9, 64.0%)
- The end of the David Cutcliffe era at Duke dropped off with a record of 10-25 in three seasons, however, Coach Elko brought the program back in just two seasons. Elko finished his time in Durham with a 17-9 record.
- #4 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#29) Jon Sumrall - Tulane (first season)
- Record (23-4, 85.2%)
- During Sumrall's first season at Troy in 2022, the Trojans won more games (11) than the previous two seasons combined (10).
28) Brent Venables - Oklahoma
- Record (16-10, 61.5%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022, 2023 & 2024
- Served under Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, and Dabo Swinney over the past 30 years.
#27) Willie Fritz - Houston (first season)
- Record (71-54, 56.8%)
- Since 1982, Fritz has coached at the HS, JUCO, D2, FCS and now FBS level.
#26) Mark Stoops - Kentucky
- Record (73-65, 52.9%)
- Kentucky was 2-10 before Stoops took over in Lexington in 2013. Since they have 7 winning seasons with two 10-win seasons.
- Finished inside the Top 30 of the Rivals Recruiting Rankings each of the past three seasons.
- 3+ Players have been drafted from Kentucky in the last 4 NFL Drafts.
#25) Curt Cignetti - Indiana (first season)
- Record (19-4, 82.6%)
- #8 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- Won 5 consecutive conference championships at James Madison, three at the FCS level and two in the Sun Belt.
#24) Jeff Traylor - UTSA
- Record (39-14, 73.6%)
- UTSA won 7 games total in 2018 and 2019.
- Traylor led UTSA to a 7-win season in year one and has a 32-9 record since.
#23) Hugh Freeze - Auburn
- Record (88-50, 63.8%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2024
- Won 8+ games in four straight seasons at Liberty
#22) Marcus Freeman - Notre Dame
- Record (19-8, 70.4%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022 & 2024
- Tied Charlie Weis for most wins in first two seasons as Head Coach at Notre Dame (19)
#21) Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State
- Record (166-79, 67.8%)
- Won Big 12 Championship in 2011. Lost in 2010, 2021 and 2023.
- Eight 10+ win seasons.
- 12-6 record in Bowl Games.
#20) Jeff Brohm - Louisville
- Record (76-48, 61.3%)
- #2 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- Won the Big 10 West in 2022 at Purdue.
#19) Lane Kiffin - Ole Miss
- Record (95-48, 66.4%)
- #5 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#18) Josh Heupel - Tennessee
- Record (55-20, 73.3%)
- 28-8 at UCF in three seasons, 27-12 at Tennessee in three seasons.
- #12 Overall Recruiting Class in 2023 and #14 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#17) Mario Cristobal - Miami (FL)
- Record (74-73, 50.3%)
- Two-time PAC 12 Champion (2019, 2020)
- Top 5 Recruiting Class in 2024, Top 10 in 2023.
#16) Jamey Chadwell - Liberty
- Record (52-23, 69.3%)
- After winning 39 games in four seasons at Coastal Carolina and winning the Sun Belt Championship, Chadwell departed for Lynchburg to take over for Hugh Freeze.
- In 2023, Liberty finished 13-1 and lost in the Fiesta Bowl to Oregon.
#15) Eli Drinkwitz - Missouri
- Record (40-22, 64.5%)
- 3 of their last 4 recruiting cycles have finished with Top 25 Team Rankings.
- 14 Players drafted over the past four seasons.
#14) Lincoln Riley - USC
- Record (74-18, 80.4%)
- Four-time BIG 12 Champion (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2023
#13) Matt Rhule - Nebraska
- Record (52-50, 51.0%)
- #16 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
- Generational Program Builder, Temple was 2-10 in 2013 and Coach Rhule won 10 games in back-to-back seasons. When Rhule got to Baylor, they went 1-11 and in year three they went to the Big 12 Championship and finished 11-3.
#12) James Franklin - Penn State
- Record (112-54, 67.5%)
- Big 10 Champion (2016)
- 33 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (3rd most among Active Coaches at one school)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022
#11) Mike Norvell - Florida State
- Record (31-17, 64.6%)
- 10 Players Drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. (3rd most among Active Coaches)
- Undefeated 13-0 in 2023. before losing 63-3 in the Orange Bowl to Georgia.
#10) Kyle Whittingham - Utah
- Record (162-79, 67.2%)
- Two-time PAC 12 Champion (2021, 2022)
#9) Brian Kelly - LSU
- Record (166-69, 70.6%)
- Top 5 Recruiting Class in 2023
- Three 10+ win seasons at Cincinnati, Six 10+ win seasons at Notre Dame, and Two 10+ win seasons at LSU.
#8) Lance Leipold - Kansas
- Record (54-54, 50%)
- Turned Kansas around from 2-10 in 2021 to a ranked 9-4 competitor after upsetting 6. Oklahoma in Lawrence in 2023.
#7) Chris Klieman - Kansas State
- Record (39-24, 61.9%)
- BIG 12 Champion (2022)
- Four-time FCS National Champion at North Dakota State.
#6) Dan Lanning - Oregon
- Record (22-5, 81.5%)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2023 & 2024
- #9 Overall Transfer Portal Class in 2024, per. Rivals.com
#5) Steve Sarkisian - Texas
- Record (71-49, 59.2%)
- BIG 12 Champion (2023)
- 11 Players Drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. (2nd most among Active Coaches)
- Top 3 Recruiting Class in 2023 & 2024, finishing 5th overall in 2022.
#4) Ryan Day - Ohio State
- Record (56-8, 87.5%)
- Two-Time Big 10 Champion (2019, 2020)
- 36 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (2nd most among Active Coaches at one school)
- 10 Players Drafted in the 2020 and 2021 NFL Draft. (3rd most among Active Coaches)
- Top 5 Recruiting Class in 2022, 2023 & 2024
#3) Kalen DeBoer - Alabama
- Record (37-9, 80.4%)
- PAC 12 Champion (2023)
- 10 Players Drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. (3rd most among Active Coaches)
#2) Dabo Swinney - Clemson
- Record (170-43, 79.8%)
- Two-time CFP National Champion (2016, 2018)
- 26 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (4th most among Active Coaches at one school)
- Top 10 Recruiting Class in 2022, 2023 & 2024
#1) Kirby Smart - Georgia
- Record (94-16, 85.5%)
- Two-time CFP National Champion (2021, 2022)
- Two-time SEC Champion (2017, 2022)
- Most Players Drafted in a single NFL Draft. (15 in 2022) - 10 Drafted in 2023.
- 49 Players Drafted over the past 5 seasons. (Most among Active Coaches at one school)
- #1 Overall Recruiting Class in 2024, #2 Overall in 2023, and #3 Overall in 2022.
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