The top college football head coach candidates to keep an eye on in 2019. What was Pruitt’s big accomplishment? Florida and Auburn are our biggest regular season games. If I were hiring a coach today (Swinney/Saban not available), I would hire Smart over Coach O. Beating Indiana? Results matter. Gallery. I repeat, he did that at Western Michigan and Minnesota. 18 (McCaffrey’s Heisman runner-up season). The Ultimate Rose Bowl Preview: Brian Kelly's Irish are back on center stage. Absolute stupidity. Great coaches find a way. Riley. But I went with Satterfield, who took a 2-win Louisville team that was predicted to finish dead last in the Atlantic Division and instead won 8 games. 5. Tournaments. Fleck, Minnesota. He took over the SEC doormat that went 0-8 in conference play and led the program to its first winning SEC season in 4 decades. No. If there were a draft for coaches you could have for the next 10 years, Riley is probably 1 of the first 3 picks. For others, retreads aren’t going to cut it, so they look for the next up-and-coming coach out there on the college football landscape. Both are considered offensive gurus and QB whisperers, along with being excellent game-day coaches, but Gus has achieved so much more than Dan. Few coaches do more with less recruiting talent than Ferentz. IMO, Kirby Smart is #3. Since that national title, he has 1 Top-25 finish in the past 5 seasons he coached, 4 of which were obviously at Texas. Harbaugh is always going to be considered overrated until he beats Ohio State. Three coaches had a previous head coaching stint at their current school that began prior to the 2002 season: Randy Edsall at UConn, Mack Brown at North Carolina, and Greg Schiano at Rutgers. Having said that, Ferentz quietly produced a 10-win season last year. No one really believes that if TN had played BYU and GA St in November instead of game one and two, that they would have lost. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Sure he gets credit for it but his background wasn’t developing qbs like Mullen’s. He’s a great defensive coach, but not that good of a HC. In the 6 years since that magical season, he has just 1 top-10 finish. Kirby has set UGA up to be in the hunt every year. He did that despite the fact that his starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury in September, and he turned to Kyle Trask, who hadn’t started a game since 9th grade. Please sign in or register. Scott Satterfield, Louisville 8. They’re rowing the boat like crazy in Minneapolis, and understandably so. Mustaches aside, we’re talking about an offensive-minded coach who had a top-10 passing offense in all 8 seasons at Washington State. Wisconsin’s ceiling could be raised in a very short time. “He’s created a revolving door for OC and DC at UGA”. I repeat, he did that at Washington State (0 bowl games in 8-pre-Leach seasons) and Texas Tech (4 Top-25 finishes in 45 pre-Leach seasons). But last year at least made me question what his 3-year résumé would look like in the SEC. Well the 2020 College Football Regular Season is over and we moved into bowl season…such as it is….and with that we actually have a chance for a few Head Coaches on the Hot Seat to make things worse if they take losing teams to bowl games and lose and then we have some Coaches on the Hot Seat who along with their teams are… Hiding Like Damn Cowards behind Corona Virus! Cristobal won a Rose Bowl and earned his first top-5 finish thanks in large part to a top-10 defense. Kelly did that despite the fact that Fisher poached Mike Elko off his defense, and Notre Dame had 7 offensive players drafted in 2018 and 2019. Still, with that said, he should probably be a bit higher, but top 15 is fair. Mullen is a better offensive coach but Smart is a better defensive coach. Different school histories and financial resources. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 19. But for the rest of this blurb, I’ll make no further remarks about his personality and instead just focus on the on-field accomplishments. Does Leach’s brand help him in public perception? Who recruited Joe Burrow after spring ended back in 2018? I already said if Kirby falls on his face the cries to fire him will come. If he didn’t have to beat #1 then he would still be #3. The table shows the current coaches and their records for each National Football League (NFL) team. He’s going to get the talented guys who are also brainiacs and he’s also got resources. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa 20. Dan Mullen, Florida 6. If he does not produce a more dynamic offensive scheme beyond run run (maybe a pass) punt this season, your going to start hearing whispers of hotseat time. 2. Big Ten rivalries return to traditional spot in ’21; Which college football coaches improved their stock the most in 2020? Absolutely. Kirby spent more on recruiting than any school in the history of college football. 25 spot. This is an extremely pivotal year for Fisher at Texas A&M. So again which “big games” has Kirby choked in?? G Patterson should be about 6 or 7 spots higher. Putting together the best season in college football history puts a coach in elite company. That’ll probably keep Fisher in the top 10 as long as he’s under contract at Texas A&M. It absolutely is. Sean Lewis, Kent State Dabo Swinney, Clemson 3. That is, unless you’re starting with a conclusion and then try to cherry-pick “facts” to back it. The football coaches who produce solid but not remarkable results: 15. College Football’s 10 best Coordinators of 2020. Want the argument for him? As for what gives Smart the edge over Riley, I’d argue the 2017 Rose Bowl certainly matters. Ed Orgeron, LSU. Schools with private planes like Floriduh and Bama and others hide their private plane usage on another line item so it never shows up in their recruiting budget. The longest tenured head coach on his current team is Bill Belichick, who has been with the New England Patriots since the 2000 NFL season.Belichick also has the most wins among active coaches, as well as most Super Bowl appearances (9) and Super Bowl wins (6) as head coach. The 2017 thriller against eventual runner-up Georgia was the only loss in South Bend. I’d love to hear any argument for why Swinney isn’t one of the top 2 coaches in all of college football. North Carolina was picked to finish 6th in the Coastal and all Brown did in Year 1 was turn expectations around with a 7-win season, which included giving Clemson its only real ACC challenge. I’ve never seen Malzahn as a QB whisperer either. I’m shocked you didn’t mention it again. That’s what I thought. Got to have that this season. Sure. Detailed. O only been there couple yrs.. Kirby doesn’t have a ring So shouldn’t he fall in the category with khakis and Malzhan? OK, “Think what TN’s record would have been over the last few years without Pruitt.”. Are the Tokyo Olympics really going to happen? Man, 2019 should have been the year for Whittingham. For now, let’s focus on the coaches who will be on the sidelines this fall, and which ones may have the best chances to move up. Had Bo Nix truly taken off as a freshman, that would have been a testament to Malzahn. Gary Patterson, TCU. I just find it funny the UGA fan singles out Mullen and Gus for not having a ring… How many of those coaches don’t have one but those two gets called out? That’s darn impressive. But the way Brown is recruiting is remarkable, and there’s plenty of reason to believe that he’s building something unique in Chapel Hill. Coach O as a HC has a resume with lots of good and bad. That’s a very incorrect read of the situation. By Brad Crawford Oct 29, 2019 . All of his offensive numbers came in the Big 12 (aka the no defense conference) and the PAC 12 which doesn’t play play top 10 defense either. Is it? I don’t agree Les should be on this list, just confused what point you’re trying to make? Fisher and Harbaugh couldn’t recover after their starting quarterbacks went down early. The fact that you added resources into you’re factors was something most prognosticators fail to look at constantly. Stoops’ program might not have a ceiling to be a yearly top-15 team, but if you think Kentucky is falling off the face of the earth anytime soon, you haven’t been paying attention. Past Editions of the 30Under30: 2019, 2018, 2017. The 5 consecutive Playoff appearances? I could make a clear argumment for Pruitt at TN over Brown at UNC. 2020-21 NFL Coaching Carousel; 2019-20 NFL Coaching Changes; 2018-19 NFL Coaching Changes; … I’d trust Mullen to win more games than Fisher with all things equal. December 30, 2019 12/30/2019 9:16 am. Yikes, 2019. Therefore, Nash is correct. Mullen is way more of a QB whisperer than Malzahn. The former Arkansas assistant head coach has been handling the Georgia offensive line for Kirby Smart for the last eight yards. We can’t forget about that. The only really good year he’s had since then was with McCaffrey as their RB. BT just loves to trash UGA and Kirby. Why would you put Mullen in front of Smart? The great thing is we can agree to disagree w/o vitriol. That’s not a revolving door because context and situation matters more than numbers. It was a hard-fought game and we came up short. And last year, all he did was take a team with major turnover that got off to an 0-3 SEC start … and he won 8 games … with a wide receiver playing quarterback. (We’ll learn a lot this year, maybe.) I say this cause UGA is my second fav SEC school and many of us are getting tired of knowing why the offense looks the way it does and the results of that. Take that year out and he is about a.500 as a coach (41-36). That is where everyone else are better recruiter and hired better assistants. Mullen did that. 8. But at the same time, we’re talking about someone who is 29-23 overall and 18-18 in Big 12 play the past 4 years during a time when the Big 12 hasn’t exactly had much depth. He took over a team that had a losing record in Pac-12 play and turned it into an annual Playoff contender in 2 years. RADIO.COM. I guess I have already forgotten. I saw him as a borderline top-15 guy because he had 4 seasons of losing conference records in the 7 years since TCU joined the Big 12. As the 2020 season nears an end and the coaching carousel gets ready to spin, these five college football coaches could be headed for an NFL job. Tennessee beat a bunch of bad-to-mediocre teams to close out the season and squeaked out a one point win in their bowl game against another mediocre team. With all the talent he has had 17 was the best season. Think what TN’s record would have been over the last few years without Pruitt. Iowa Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker addresses reporters at the Hawkeyes' Media Day Friday August , 2019. The reason I’m still not quite as high on Franklin is I think his ceiling is limited. Mike Leach, Mississippi State 24. Only hopes. It’s hilarious how much those guys are in UGA fans heads. Didn’t really put any analysis into it. A coach with 5 consecutive Playoff berths probably knows what he’s doing. Regardless of where they place in a Top 25 list, I would especially them to be be much closer together. Features. For what it’s worth, I don’t have any problem with some declaring Swinney the best coach in college football. This is another tricky coach to rank because I think we forget about how Herman led a Houston squad to a New Year’s 6 bowl victory. I can make every argument for or against Harbaugh. Texas' Tom Herman and Auburn's Gus Malzahn were both fired despite winning seasons and massive guarantees left on their contracts. Instead, Minshew chose to play for Leach and finished in the top 5 of the Heisman Trophy voting. Available coaches. It’s laughable. SEC schedule. It was the worst offseason of Ferentz’s career. Smart is the only next choice. This overview lists all available coaches, their last club and any current rumours. Return of the Mack … it is … return of the Mack. Yes, Brown’s return was well-documented. The offensive scheme at UGA has been a joke. Which college football coaches improved their stock the most in 2020? Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma 9. 4. I like the list but I think it needs some adjusting. I’d argue doing that at Kentucky as opposed to doing that at Florida State and Texas A&M is a bit more challenging, too. This should put that in perspective: Since he was hired as LSU’s full-time coach in 2017, Ed Orgeron has as many wins vs. top-10 teams (12) as Jimbo Fisher, Tom Herman, Dan Mullen, Lincoln Riley, James Franklin, Jim Harbaugh and Brian Kelly COMBINED. I’d have to out Stoops over him. Wrapping it in a reasonable package doesn’t instill it with truth. He gets the benefit of the doubt because the general weakness of the ACC and the decline of FSU notwithstanding, he has built upon his successes. Mullen had to overcome Mcelwain’s lazy culture and poor enthusiasm. However, he’s made some really bone-headed in-game coaching decisions. We shouldn’t penalize them. Than throw in the crazy upsets of which we get at least one a season. Waht do you call 4 OD and DC in two years? But has Herman lived up to expectations at Texas yet? You are not going to get me to say anything bad about Coach O. College football programs looking for a new head coach look for the "hot" coordinator. But in the TV rights era when so many teams have caught up to Notre Dame or even passed the program in terms of revenue, we tend to downplay the modern challenges of that job with those academic hurdles. But here’s the thing that holds me back from putting Riley into the top 5. He had a magical year and deserves all the credit for it. Sure, the history is there. Costello injury was part of that, but I tend to think elite coaches don’t have a 4-win floor that deep into their tenures. I think a smart team can win some games they shouldn’t win on paper talent. I had disagreed with the articles author on Shaw at Stanford. You must be logged in to post a comment. 6. Is that what YOU want it to be? Riley is an elite coach. These coaches best positioned themselves to move up a level in future coaching cycles. Meyer, Mullen and the Gators occupy a lot of real estate in that puny brain of yours. 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