Top 25 College Football Coaches

College football coaches have to wear many hats. They recruit, coach, mentor and develop. It’s a hard job that deserves recognition when done well. With that, here are the top 25 college football coaches.

Note: First-year FBS coaches will not be included on the list. No matter how promising they look.

Here are last year’s rankings.

25-21

25. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri Tigers

After going 6-7 for two straight seasons, Missouri took a huge jump to win 11 games in 2023. Missouri has a lot of key pieces back and another good season could be in store. One good season was nice, but to move up the list, he’ll have to string a few good seasons together.

24. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Aggies

Last year’s rank: N/A

In two seasons at Duke, Elko posted a 16-9 record. He used that success as a springboard for getting the Texas A&M job, a place where he formerly was the defensive coordinator. With the Aggies, Elko has plenty of resources to work with.

23. Matt Campbell, Iowa State Cyclones

Last year’s rank: N/A

Campbell had a down season in 2022, with just four wins, but rebounded well last season, finishing the season with seven wins. Iowa State lost several key players to a gambling investigation last season, so winning seven games was impressive. The Cyclones don’t have much recent history before Campbell and he’s done a good job of finding success for the program.

22. Dave Doeren, NC State Wolfpack

Last year’s rank: N/A

Over the last seven seasons, NC State has won at least eight in six of them. Doeren has brought stability to the program. NC State has a roster that is set to compete for the ACC this season, which could really help Doeren’s case for future lists.

21. Jeff Brohm, Louisville Cardinals

Last year’s rank: N/A

Brohm’s first season at Louisville was a success, as he won 10 games. This follows stints at Western Kentucky and Purdue that were successful. While he is an offensive-minded head coach, the defense played well last season too, which means things could get better this season for the Cardinals.

20-16

20. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa Hawkeyes

Last year’s rank:18

Ferentz won 10 games last season, to improve his career record to 196-119. The longest tenured head coach in college football has a chance for another good season with a lot of talent returning on the defensive side of the ball. A new offensive coordinator could help Ferentz have another good season.

19. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats

Last year’s rank: 15

Under Stoops’s leadership, Kentucky made their eighth-straight bowl game last season. He has two 10-win seasons with the Wildcats, with the most recent coming in 2021. An expanded SEC could make things tougher, but Kentucky has the potential to win up to eight games.

18. Chris Klieman, Kansas State Wildcats

Last year’s rank: 22

Klieman has a 39-24 record at Kansas State, which includes their nine-win season last year. His coaching has led Kansas State to be one of the favorites for the new Big 12. With new quarterback Avery Johnson taking over, the future looks bright at Kansas State.

17. Lance Leipold, Kansas Jayhawks

Last year’s rank: 25

Leipold has just a 17-21 record at Kansas, but the last two seasons have shown how big of a turnaround he has made. The Jayhawks won six games in 2022 and nine games last season. A big season is expected of the Jayhawks again, which could lead to Leipold leaving for a bigger job.

16. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Last year’s rank: 14

Gundy won 10 games last season to bring his career record up to 166-79. Ollie Gordon helped lead the team, but several other starters are back. With the new Big 12, Gundy is expected to have the Cowboys near the top of the conference.

15-11

15. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin Badgers

Last year’s rank: 9

Fickell probably had more of a cleanup job than anticipated at Wisconsin, but still went 7-6 in his first season at the helm. This follows up an incredible run at Cincinnati where he made the CFP as a group of five team. He has a 71-31 career record and this season could help him really get things back on track in Madison.

14. Mack Brown, North Carolina Tar Heels

Last year’s rank: 12

Brown is one of three active coaches with a national championship. He has been good for North Carolina, as he followed up a nine-win season with eight wins last season. Although the Tar Heels need a new quarterback to step up for this season, Brown has shown to be able to get the most out of them in the past.

13. Josh Heupel, Tennessee Volunteers

Last year’s rank: 11

After an 11-win season, Heupel won nine games in 2023. He didn’t have the best quarterback play, but still managed to have a solid season. With a new quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, the Volunteers could end up matching their win total from 2022.

12. Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks

Last year’s rank: N/A

In two seasons at Oregon, Lanning has gone 22-5. A 10-3 start to his tenure improved to 12-2 in 2023. Lanning is still a young coach and will have to lead Oregon into a new era, as they join the Big Ten. They are projected to be one of the favorites in their new conference.

11. Kyle Whittingham, Utah Utes

Last year’s rank: 10

Whittingham didn’t have starting quarterback Cam Rising last season, but he still managed to win eight games. In 20 years at Utah, Whittingham has a record of 162-79. Rising will be back and with him, they could compete for the Big 12.

10-6

10. James Franklin, Penn State

Last year’s rank: 8

Penn State’s struggles with Ohio State and Michigan continued last season. The Nittany Lions won 10 games, which in most seasons moving to the future, would help them make the CFP. He has an 88-39 record at Penn State and the expanded playoff can help him get some of the credit he deserves.

9. Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

Last year’s rank: 4

In Caleb Williams’s last season, USC went 8-5, which was underwhelming. The defense let the team down and it could be an issue moving forward. Riley has done a great job developing quarterbacks, but needs to improve his record this season, his first in the Big Ten, to move back up the list.

8. Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers

Last year’s rank: 6

Kelly won 10 games for his second straight season at LSU last season. He has a 186-69 career record, which shows great consistency and longevity. His defense was miserable last season and will need to improve if they have a shot at a good season with so many offensive players leaving for the next level.

7. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

Last year’s rank: 16

After having his second double-digit win season in the last three years, Kiffin moves up the list. The Rebels won 11 games last season and are looking to build on that in 2024. The goal for Kiffin this year will be making the CFP, which would help justify his large jump in the rankings this year.

6. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns

Sarkisian led the Longhorns to the four-team CFP and has really built up the Texas program. 

5-1

5. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

Last year’s rank: 3

Swinney won double-digit games from 2011 to 2022, but won just nine games last season. Things have slowly declined for the Clemson program the last few years. Swinney refuses to use the transfer portal, which may limit what he can do in the future. He is one of the few active coaches with national championships, but needs to get things back to that level to move up this list.

4. Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles

Last year’s rank: 19

Norvell led Florida State to an undefeated regular season, which followed up a 10-win season. It took a few years to get things going, but Norvell has made Florida State a contender. He has utilized the transfer portal well, adapting to the new age of college football well.

3. Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes

Last year’s rank: 7

Due to coaches moving on from college football, Day moves up the list this season. Ohio State failed to beat Michigan for the third straight season, which is the big knock on Day. He still has a record of 56-8 during his tenure. This season, he has a roster that is capable of winning it all. Doing so could move him up the ranks, but failing to do so will likely fall down the list in precipitous fashion.

2. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide

Last year’s rank: 21

DeBoer makes a huge jump in this year’s list after making the CFP with Washington last season. He has a 39-7 record in four seasons as a head coach, with two coming at Fresno State and two at Washington. At Alabama he will have every resource to succeed.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs

Last year’s rank: 2

With Nick Saban retiring, Smart is the undisputed best coach in college football. He has 94-16 record in eight seasons at Georgia. Although they missed the CFP last season, Smart has two national championships. It looks like he could be competing for another one this season.

Also in Consideration

David Braun, Northwestern Wildcats

Braun was thrust into unique circumstances after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. He was expected to win very few games and then won eight. If he can do it again, he can make the top 25.

Jamey Chadwell, Liberty Flames

Chadwell did great at Coastal Carolina and took the job at Liberty last season. They had an undefeated regular season, but lost to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. A repeat performance will help, but Liberty has an easy schedule in 2024.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana Hoosiers

Cignetti helped James Madison transition to the FBS level. Once the Dukes were in the FBS, Cignetti had an eight-win and 11-win season. Given the quick adjustment to the FBS, Cignetti could have some early success at Indiana.

Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes

At Oregon, Cristobal had a few double-digit win seasons, but has struggled to find that success at Miami. This is likely a make or break year for Cristobal at Miami, as they have big expectations.

Jedd Fisch, Washington Huskies

After two losing seasons at Arizona, Fisch won 11 games last season. He’ll have to prove that wasn’t a one-time thing, but Fisch is now at Washington and in the Big Ten, which presents its own challenges.

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

In his first full season, Freeman won nine games, then won 10 last season. He was tough to leave off the top 25, but making the CFP could help him push through for next season.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers

Following his success at Liberty, Freeze won six games at Auburn in his first season. He has been recruiting well, so more wins could be coming his way soon.

Willie Fritz, Houston Cougars

Fritz posted 12 then 11-win seasons at Tulane over the last two years. He has a 72-54 career record, but will need some time to turn things around at Houston as he enters his first season in charge.

Gus Malzahn, UCF Knights

Malzahn had two straight nine-win seasons at UCF, but followed it with six wins last season. The dropoff can be attributed to the Knights joining the Big 12, so maybe year two can provide more results.

Jon Sumrall, Tulane Green Wave

In two seasons at Troy, Sumrall went 23-4. He is a newer and younger head coach, but Summrall takes over a job at Tulane that still has some talent left over from the Fritz-era.

Jeff Traylor, UTSA Roadrunners

Traylor won 12, 11 and then nine games last season at UTSA. They moved to the AAC, which may explain the drop in wins. The Roadrunners will have a lot of new faces, so if Traylor continues his success, he may be moving up the coaching ranks.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

His first season didn’t go well, but Venables won 10 games in his second season at Oklahoma. Moving to the SEC presents new challenges for Venables to overcome.

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