Three of the coaches in last season's the top 25 lost their jobs following the 2021 season, including a top-10 coach in Dan Mullen and another who won a national title in 2019, Ed Orgeron. His team constantly made it to the Top 5 rankings for record-breaking 14 seasons! A Texas graduate, he is married with three children and lives outside Fort Worth, Texas. This upcoming weekend Alabama football is set to host multiple top recruits in the 2024 class on campus as head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide gear up for another calendar year of. The former Buffalo Bulls head coach is set to take over a program that has been a shambles since the end of the Mark Mangino era. They have played in 10 under Fitzgerald. Also has been contacted in recent years about NFL and SEC offensive line jobs. A note: We limited the list to coaches under 45 and did not include anyone who is already an offensive or defensive co-coordinator at the Power 5 level, which is why you wont see guys such as Glenn Schumann (Georgia), Jon Sumrall (Kentucky) or Brian Williams (Maryland) despite their names coming up several times during the information-gathering process. One is five-star cornerback Travis Hunter, rated as the nations No. Walter Camp, Yale (1888-92 . These college football head coach rankings are a shoutout to the underdog and the unwanted, a chance to recognize those who might not be in the national spotlight but deserve their moment for clawing their programs up from the depths and steering it toward a new, compelling future. Joker Phillips, NC State -- $415,000+21. Coaches consistently have mentioned him the past couple years as someone they expect to be a head coach and a good one at some point in the not-too-distant future. Theyve won 21 games in 11 years. 51 nationally in pass defense the year before his arrival (212.4 yards per game) to No. In his first, he took Vallejo (Calif.) St. Patrick-St. Vincent to the playoffs in 2013 a year after the team finished 1-9. Darrin Chiaverini, Colorado -- $550,000* 6. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State -- $800,000* 3. Former USC star wide receiver (2000-03) who left as the Trojans career leader in receptions. That came after Brocks group ranked either first or second in the Pac-12 in net punting, kick-return average and kick-return defense in 2018. David Johnson, Tennessee -- $505,000 4. The Rockets lurched back to 5-5-1 the year after under Gary Pinkel. Behind Greggs line, the Flames ran for a school-record 2,776 yards in 2020 and ranked No. And Penn States 4-5 season in 2020 is the only reason why hes as low on this rankings list, as he went an astounding 42-11 from 2016 to 2019. Has been working up at the college level since 2015 after two jobs as a high school coach. Josh Gattis, Michigan -- $900,000* 2. The Blazers won Conference USA in. Other college support staffers or NFL staffers who received votes: Stephen Adegoke (Michigan); Max Bullough (Alabama); Jamar Chaney (Mississippi State); Steve Cooper (Nebraska); Zachary Crabtree (Oklahoma State); Ty Darlington (Oklahoma); Jon DeCoster (Cleveland Browns); Ross Douglas (New England Patriots); Declan Doyle (New Orleans Saints); Will Johnson (Oklahoma); Conner McQueen (Oklahoma); Nick Perry (Atlanta Falcons); Ryan Osborn (Michigan); Effrem Reed (Michigan State); Ronnie Regula (Miami); Zac Robinson (Los Angeles Rams); Spencer Whipple (Arizona Cardinals); Nick Williams (Texas A&M). Turned down a Mountain West defensive coordinator job last year. JaMarcus Shepard, Washington -- $650,000+6. And thats what Clemson was: a good program left stranded in the shadow of some of their conference mates, far away from ever being a national power. Yes, Alabama was already the college football program before Sabans arrival, but they were in a down period when they signed him. College football rankings: 10 best wide receivers this season 10. He has gone 14-7 over the last two seasons, a mark that would have been much better if Indiana could have feasted on some non-conference opponents last year. Was Greg Schianos first hire for his Rutgers staff. Lavine, a former walk-on, added 310 rushing yards. You could almost pick anybody on the Bears ' fall camp roster at the receiver position to team up with Goodley (5-foot-10, 220 pounds) and Baylor. Turned down a job offer from Michigan this offseason. After moving from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 and starting 18-19 over the first three years, the Utes now have won at least nine games in five of the last six seasons, not including the shortened 2020 season. Has played a large role in setting up Texas A&M to have one of the best defenses in the country this season. Sonny Dykes promoted Samples to associate head coach earlier this year. Then, after coming back from the NFL, Saban took over a Michigan State program that had gone 19-26 in the four years before his arrival and shepherded them to a 34-24-1 record during his tenure. Simmons is one of two coaches to coach two Biletnikoff winners Michael Crabtree and Dede Westbrook and the Sooners' passing game has been one of the nation's best during his tenure. Healy has said before of West: I dont think theres a better defensive line coach in the country. Was one of the lead recruiters on nine BC signees, including four-star cornerback Clinton Burton. In-depth analysis. 3), net punting (No. In the past two years, Colbert has produced four all-conference wide receivers, a Biletnikoff Award finalist (Michael Pittman in 2019) and two top-four-round draft picks (2021 fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown and Pittman, a 2020 second-round selection). Drew Mehringer, Texas -- $350,000 10. Ja'Juan Seider, Penn State, Co-OC, running backs coach The South Florida native has been a candidate for a few Group of 5 jobs thanks to his reputation as a top position coach and one of the. -- Junior Adams was Washington's original wide receivers coach on Kalen DeBoer's new staff, at $500,000 per year. In July, he secured a commitment from four-star 2022 running back Nicholas Singleton, while also teaming with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein to land five-star 2023 offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier. They helped West Georgia advance to the Division II playoffs four times in five years. In his second season as the offensive coordinator at St. Ambrose (an NAIA school in Davenport, Iowa), Drinkalls offense ranked No. Was his fathers offensive coordinator at Miami Booker T. Washington from 2009-13 and then served as the teams coach in 2014 before being hired at FIU. Without further ado, the list: 1. That's right, Day has . Brian Early has been a part of the Houston staff since 2019 and was at Arkansas State previously. Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M -- $700,000 4. He was Auburns recruiting coordinator in 2019 in addition to being the Tigers secondary coach. Was a linebacker at Georgia (2009-12) and made 17 career starts for the Bulldogs. At James Madison in 2019, Smith helped lead a defense that ranked No. In 2019, Pro Football Focus two highest-graded safeties were from Gonzales group Moehrig and ArDarius Washington. At North Carolina Central, Mack posted a 31-15 record and was a finalist for the 2016 Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year award. 382 votes. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State -- $800,000* 3. 12-4. Received inquiries about at least a few Power 5 defensive line coach openings this offseason and turned down a job offer from a Big 12 program. #35 of 1,316. Nate Scheelhassee, Iowa State -- $500,000+14. Has been interviewed for multiple FBS head-coach openings, including South Alabama this past cycle. Interviewed for the Boston College coaching job two years ago and turned down the Tennessee coordinator job this past cycle. Played a big role behind the scenes last season at Ole Miss, contributing to a Rebels offense that ranked third nationally in total offense (555.5 yards per game) and seventh in passing offense (344.9 ypg). Saban is now at 88%. 1 for the 2022 recruiting cycle. Another Trojans cornerback, Olaijah Griffin, finished with the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade for 2020 among Pac-12 corners. 2 overall player in the On3 2022 rankings. NFL-style clock rules could come to college football, but the most extreme proposal will not. Derrick Nix, Ole Miss -- $500,000+11. Has received interest for both college and NFL jobs in recent years, including from Notre Dame in 2019. Joyner was SMUs defensive line coach from 2018 through last season. In addition to his work with the Colts and St. Thomas High, he has been a Nike Elite 11 quarterbacks coach. If you haven't yet checked out our ranking of Power Five coaches outside the top 25, you can catch up here. Mickey Joseph, Nebraska -- $600,000+9. Alabama interviewed Powledge this past cycle. Has helped Oregon cornerback Mykael Wright develop into a first-team All-Pac 12 selection and a projected early-round 2022 NFL Draft pick. Ranked as one of the top recruiters in the Big 12 for the 2021 recruiting class. Their rushing efficiency stands out for a program like this theyre 14th in the Power Five in EPA per rush over the last three seasons, a mightily impressive figure. Since 2016, the Utes have been the best defense in the conference, posting a cumulative -0.149 EPA allowed per play in those five seasons. Whether it was nobody crashing and burning or soaring higher than ever -- or none of our voters wanting to take anything that happened during a pandemic season too seriously -- things remained largely the same. Cortez Hankton, LSU -- $850,000+2. Helped Houston go from No. Has helped Oklahoma go from last in the Big 12 in total defense in 2018 to second in 2019 and third in 2020. Volatility is a hazard of the coaching business. Has been the primary recruiter on five Virginia Tech 2022 commits, including four-star running back Ramon Brown and four-star cornerback Cam Johnson. Shifted to wide receivers coach at USC in 2019 after spending 2018 as the Trojans tight ends coach. Ranking the 20 best head coaches in college football Alabama head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian against Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday October 26, 2019. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Also has worked and learned under Billy Napier at Louisiana, one of the nations top up-and-coming head coaches. A former All-Big 12 tight end at OU who played five seasons in the NFL. Bryan McClendon, Georgia -- $700,000+ 4. He had 191 catches for 3,379 yards and 31 touchdowns in his four-year career. 2 nationally in total offense each of the past two seasons. Cale Gundy, Oklahoma -- $610,000+7. Dennis Simmons, Oklahoma -- $460,000 5. Fickells record would surely have him higher on this list if it weren't for the fact that the Bearcats program has been wildly successful over the last couple of decades. 9 nationally in rushing offense (252.2 yards per game). Hicks, who committed to the Buckeyes in May. Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M -- $600,000 2. Ranked as a top-10 recruiter nationally for the 2019 class and currently is ranked as one of the top recruiters in the Big Ten for the 2022 class. Such is the all-encompassing importance of the quarterback position. The QBE coaching staff over the years has included former D1 QB coach & Offensive Coordinator Brandon Doman, 10 year NFL QB Koy Detmer, Canadian . Was promoted to associate head coach after last season. Assuming 2020 was just a blip and not the beginning of a downward trend, Franklin has proven himself to be one of the top coaches in college football. The opportunity to win games was the biggest factor here. Being groomed by new Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, whose UCF offenses ranked No. As Charlottes offensive coordinator in 2019, Atkins led a unit that ranked 28th nationally in yards per play (6.31). Aided by Merritt, James Madison ranked sixth in the FCS in rushing offense last season (232.6 yards per game) and 10th in 2019 (242.9 yards per game). 8 in 2019. The move to UCF reconnected him with Gus Malzahn, who was his quarterback coach at Tulsa in 2008. There were also multiple Power Five programs (one in the Big 12 and one in the Pac-12) that inquired with Johnson about quarterbacks coach jobs this past cycle. Emmett Jones, Texas Tech -- $450,000+18. The future looks bright, as well, as they currently sit 24th on PFF's preseason ELO rankings. If the QBs they coach perform at an elite level, though, all three will be on the fast track to coordinator gigs and rocket up future editions of this list. Recent jobs: Rutgers (2020-present), Temple co-coordinator/cornerbacks coach (2019), Baylor assistant head coach/cornerbacks coach (2017-18), Temple associate head coach/secondary coach (2016) Was Greg Schiano's first hire for his Rutgers staff. To replace Hankton, Georgia recalled Bryan McClendon, a former Bulldog wide receiver and a former Bulldog running backs coach, to coach his old position at his alma mater. 12). In the end, nearly everybody is angry. Led by Wright and his group, UTSA ranked No. Florida State offensive line coach Alex Atkins, Recent jobs: FSU (2020-present), Charlotte offensive coordinator (2019), Tulane offensive line coach (2016-18), Boston College defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, Recent jobs: BC (2020-present), UMass defensive coordinator (2019), Maryland cornerbacks/defensive backs coach (2016-18), Alabama assistant director of player personnel/analyst (2014-15), Ohio State offensive quality control coach Keenan Bailey, Recent jobs: Ohio State quality control coach (2019-present), Ohio State offensive intern (2016-18), Houston running backs coach Marquel Blackwell, Recent jobs: Houston running backs coach (2020-present), Houston co-coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2019), West Virginia running backs coach (2018), Toledo running backs coach (2016-17), Marshall cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman, Recent jobs: Marshall (2021), Austin Peay co-coordinator/secondary coach (2019-20), UT-Martin secondary coach/assistant head coach (2017-18), Mississippi State special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach Matt Brock, Recent jobs: Mississippi State (2020-present), Washington State special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach (2018-19), Bowling Green special teams/linebackers coach (2016-17), Texas Tech inside linebackers coach (2014-15), Recent jobs: Rutgers (2020-present), Temple co-coordinator/cornerbacks coach (2019), Baylor assistant head coach/cornerbacks coach (2017-18), Temple associate head coach/secondary coach (2016), James Madison special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Grant Cain, Recent jobs: James Madison (2019-present), Mercer special teams coordinator/inside linebackers coach (2013-18), Oklahoma outside linebackers/defensive ends coach Jamar Cain, Recent jobs: Oklahoma (2020-present), Arizona State defensive line coach (2019), Fresno State defensive line coach (2017-18), North Dakota State defensive ends coach (2014-16), Recent jobs: Oregon (2020-present), Minnesota cornerbacks coach (2019), Oregon defensive analyst (2018), Southern Utah defensive coordinator (2016-17), Vanderbilt defensive quality control coach (2013-15), Recent jobs: USC (2018-present), USC quality control assistant (2016-17), Alabama analyst (2014-15), Recent jobs: Army (2019-present), Kansas Wesleyan head coach (2014-18), St. Ambrose University offensive coordinator (2012-13), Recent jobs: Auburn (2021), Houston cornerbacks coach (2019-20), Louisiana cornerbacks coach (2018), Western Carolina outside linebackers coach (2016-17), Oklahoma tight ends/H-backs coach Joe Jon Finley, Recent jobs: Oklahoma (2021), Ole Miss tight ends coach/pass game coordinator (2020), Texas A&M tight ends coach (2019), Missouri tight ends coach (2016-18), Recent jobs: Texas (2021), Ole Miss special teams coordinator (2020), Houston special teams coordinator/nickel backs coach (2019), Georgia State cornerbacks coach (2018), Western Carolina secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator (2016-17), Recent jobs: TCU safeties coach (2018-present), TCU cornerbacks coach (2015-17), TCU defensive graduate assistant (2012-14), Recent jobs: Liberty (2019-present), West Georgia offensive coordinator (2014-18), West Alabama offensive coordinator/offensive line coach (2008-13), Recent jobs: Tennessee (2021), UCF quarterbacks coach (2020), UCF offensive analyst (2019), Missouri analyst (2016), Georgia wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton, Recent jobs: Georgia (2018-present), Vanderbilt wide receivers coach (2015-17), Dartmouth wide receivers coach (2012-14), UCF co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Tim Harris, Recent jobs: UCF (2021), FIU running backs coach (2015-20), Recent jobs: Washington secondary coach (2020-present), Washington assistant defensive backs coach (2018-19), San Jose State secondary coach (2016-17), Dixie State secondary coach (2015), Recent jobs: Michigan (2021), Indiana running backs coach (2017-20), Syracuse running backs coach (2016), Western Michigan running backs coach (2014-15), Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, Recent jobs: Ohio State wide receivers coach (2018-present), Ohio State graduate assistant (2017), Louisiana Tech inside wide receivers coach Trey Holtz, Recent jobs: Louisiana Tech (2020-present), Ohio State graduate assistant (2017-19), Indianapolis Colts offensive quality control coach Jerrod Johnson, Recent jobs: Colts (2019-present), Houston St. Thomas High offensive coordinator (2017-18), UCF co-coordinator/quarterbacks coach G.J. The Florida State dynasty of the late 1980s and 1990s produced 14 straight years where the team finished in the top five of the AP Poll under Bobby Bowden. Roman Sapolu, Fresno State, O-line Coach/Run Game Coordinator (28): One of the best young offensive line coaches in college football, Sapolu earned a dual promotion this offseason to. Aided by Gonzales and his group, TCU has finished No. Big 12 Baylor: Antwan Goodley and Levi Norwood. That came after East Carolina broke multiple records in 2018 with Wright, including the AAC record for tackles for loss in a game (15) and the conference record for tackles for loss in a season (105). Was contacted by Boise State about a job with a bigger title this past coaching cycle. Woodson has been the lead recruiter on three highly ranked FSU 2022 commits. Was hired to be Heupels running backs coach at UCF before then following Heupel to Tennessee as a senior analyst. Thats not good enough at Notre Dame.
