His teams have notched three straight bowl appearances, and posted two straight winning records. Ruffin McNeill, Oklahoma — $575,000 6. Nick Saban. Herm Edwards has energized Arizona State since arriving in Tempe for the 2018 season. 2020 may be a college-football season like no other, but when it comes to Saban, the old rules still apply: He's No. More impressive, since 2016, the Nittany Lions have gone 42-11, and scored three Top 10 finishes in the AP postseason poll. 2The Pokes ranked 20th in yards per play nationally in 2019 and boasted one of the most prolific defences, also leading the FBS in gains of 60-plus yards. 1 kk. Since 2008, Scalley has been the safety coach and spent seven years as the recruitment coordinator before taking over the defence in 2016. Kyle Whittingham led Utah to an 11-3 season in 2019. 247Sports' Brad Crawford has tagged Fickell as the No. Alabama built him a statue 15 months after winning his first national title with the program, and Saban... 3. After 10 seasons at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly is in position to become the winningest coach in Fighting Irish history. Swinney and quarterback Trevor Lawrence were heading into 2020 looking to repeat their 2018 championship-winning run. Since coming to then-dispirited Happy Valley in 2014, James Franklin has led Penn State to a 56-23 overall record. 1 college-football coach "destined" for a bigger, better job, winningest first-year head coach in the program's history, prospective early-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, tweeted a meme of a woman knitting a noose, lobby for the removal of the Confederacy's stars and bars, fighting to save the 2020 season for Michigan, 247Sports' preseason Top 25 had Ohio State ranked No. He's won at a .645 clip, he's led the program to three Top 20 finishes in the Associated Press postseason poll -- and he's a Top 10 recruiter. The Falcons ranked 98th, 102nd, 74th, 12th, and 24th in yards allowed per play as the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green from 2009-13. Dave Aranda, LSU defensive coordinator. The following great name of position coaches has far abilities to even become head coaches someday. If the SEC plays in 2020, he's set up for more success with a veteran offense that helped lead the 2019 Gators to an Orange Bowl win over Virginia. The Longhorns were 25-15 in Herman's first three seasons. When the program was revived, Clark was ready to go again. The highest-paid linebackers coaches in college football 1. 2 spot. So where does the job at Texas rank among the best in college football? (He first coached there from 1988-1997.) It’s only one hand of the ball that transports the team to the finish line. If only one coach could be synonymous with college football until the end of time, it would be the... 2. He is a retired American football safety who played in the National Football League for ten seasons (NFL). But South Florida is now headed by Jeff Scott, so Elliott, now the running backs coach, is Clemson’s boss. TOP 100 ASSISTANT COACHES HOMEPAGE . Before the heartbreaking cancellation of the Big Ten's 2020 fall football season, Day's program looked to be on the verge of even bigger things. He is currently a four-time Broyles Award nominee and a semifinalist in 2017 and 2019. Home » Sports » Best Position Coaches in College Football. Swinney went 4-3 in his first effort as an interim coach in 2008, and had never been more than a position coach. As of now, Paul "Bear" Bryant remains atop the list of college football's greatest head coaches. But Gundy made peace with Hubbard, cut his signature mullet and got back to work. Our entries have been vetted by 247Sports' national college-football team. (Nobody's coached there longer, either.) Hired by Kansas after the 2012 season, Mark Stoops took over a program that had won just four games in its last two years under Joker Phillips. (The best, so far, would be the 2017 campaign that ended with a trip to the national-championship game.). Coaches love to build on stuff like that, so I know they’re excited. How second-year college football coaches fared in recruiting this cycle. In American football, a position coach is an official of the team responsible for coaching a single position group. From 2016-2019, under the now-fired Chris Ash, Rutgers won a total of nine games. He promptly turned the Cardinals into an 8-5 success in 2019. Gleeson led the offences at Princeton and Fairleigh Dickinson prior to his one-year detour at Stillwater. 247Sports' preseason Top 25 had Ohio State ranked No. Football coaches work at several different levels, including from the amateur to the professional levels. Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s annual Top 25 week continues with the ranking of the best coaches in all of college football. The only non-active coach in our rundown, Jeff Tedford warrants a mention here on the strength of a solid head-coaching career. In addition to the head coach, most teams also have at least one offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator; however, the head coach will sometimes assume one of these roles as well. After the program presumably bottomed out in 2017 with a 4-8 record, Pruitt got the Vols back in the winning way in 2019 with an 8-5 campaign that included a Gator Bowl win over Indiana. Pete Golding, Alabama — $650,000 5. The Greatest Coaches in College Football History 1. At this level of competition a coach not only has to be the decision-maker on … The job in Austin was one of the most attractive jobs that could be available and they listed Urban Meyer as the only potential candidate for it.. However, the … After going 6-6 in Clark's first season leading the Blazers in 2014, UAB pulled the plug on football. Our ranking of college football’s 50 best coaches reveals all. 1 in a number of preseason 2020 polls, including USA Today's Coaches Poll. Since 2011, Shaw has led the Cardinal to three Top 10 finishes in the AP postseason poll. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Disappointing 2019 or no, David Shaw's track record at Stanford is strong enough to land him in our Top 25. But since that start in 2016, Mendenhall has righted things. For comparison purposes, this ranking only includes coaches who have presided over major college programs, so coaching greats like John Gagliardi and Eddie Robinson did not make the cut. “Neal did a really, really underrated job of getting buy-in from the roster,” a fellow coach told Athlon, per a 247Sports report. Our entries have been vetted by 247Sports', ources consulted in the making of this list include the 2020, The list judges each coach on his overall resume up to, but, (Photo: © Marco Garcia, USA TODAY Sports), Tim DeRuyter (and interim Eric Kiesau) to two bowl wins and an overall 26-14 record from 2017-2019. Ohio State's Ryan Day? Tedford retired from Fresno State after the 2019 season. 2020 stood to mark his first campaign leading the program at Ole Miss. In 1991, having sustained a career-ending injury, he returned for the 1992 season as a student coach. Pete Kwiatkowski, Washington — $900,000 2. At Texas A&M, where the defence rose from 68th in 2017 to 35th last season, the trend has continued. Credit Swinney and his ability to retain his lead assistant for... 2. Aliotti, Nick Oregon Defensive Coordinator Age: 54 College: UC Davis, 1976 Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA www.goducks.com. He spent the 2006-07 seasons in low-level assistant jobs as an All-American safety in the early 2000s. 1 here, but Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers were No. Jimbo Fisher brings a national championship-winning resume to the game. Kevin Sherrer, Tennessee — $705,000 4. Florida's Dan Mullen? There are many directions one can go. New college football coach careers are added daily on SimplyHired.com. College football is a game where coaching makes all the difference in the world. 2019 was Mario Cristobal's best year yet for Oregon: His Ducks won the Pac-12 North division, wrapped up the conference championship with a decisive win over the Utah Utes, and then upended Wisconsin for the Rose Bowl win. Freeman was also a member of the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills. A complete breakdown and ranking of all 130 college football coaching jobs for 2019. Elliott began his coaching career in 2006 as the South Carolina State Bulldogs’ wide receivers’ coach. Jim Harbaugh was perhaps never more Jim Harbaugh than when fighting to save the 2020 season for Michigan. He'll make his bid without DT Fabien Lovett, who transferred to Florida State after Leach tweeted a meme of a woman knitting a noose. Raised in South Brunswick, New Jersey, Elko graduated from South Brunswick High School in 1995, where he played baseball, basketball and was the school’s football team’s quarterback. Tony Elliott has shared OC responsibilities with a longtime teammate for the last five years. Read on to see who’s the best coach in the college game. True, he hasn't been able to solve Ohio State, but few have. Besides knowing how to coach the game, they also put in the … In the list below, you will find the best there is of the coaches who train athletes in different positions and have a hand at making these teams win titles and championships. In 1988, Brent began his college career at Division III, Maryville College as a free safety, eventually transferring to Division III, University of Buffalo, where he lettered in 1990. And the unit climbed with Notre Dame from 45th before Elko to 25th with him. At any stop, Mike Elko has only succeeded. Coaches like Urban Meyer from the Florida Gators or Bob Stoops from the Oklahoma Sooners are on TV almost every weekend and both are at the top of the coaching food chain in college football. He won a national championship at LSU. Behold, the latest in a series examining the biggest salaries for position coaches across major college football. He graduated from Pennsylvania University, where he played for the Penn Quakers football team that won the 1998 Ivy League championship. But with 99 career Wildcat victories to date, Pat Fitzgerald is still the winningest coach in the program's history -- and it's not even close. Ohio State Buckeyes. University of Buffalo defensive back Brent Pry joined the coaching staff as a student assistant following a career-ending injury in 1991. His Midshipmen went 11-2, including a win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl. How SMU signed its best class in decades preaching the gospel of … The program was braced by Elko’s Wake Forest defences as it suffered a miserable stretch of offences. As the defensive coordinator in 2018, Lea, now 38, replaced Mike Elko, and the Irish have since excelled. TOP OFFENSIVE COORDINATORS - TOP 100 ASSISTANT COACHES. It actually might be college football's best rivalry over the past few years. 2019 was Kirk Ferentz's 21st year at Iowa -- and one of his best. Since a heart attack ended his fledgeling NFL career in 2010, the former Ohio State linebacker has gradually risen in the coaching ranks. Bryan Harsin is a power in the Mountain West Conference, where he's led the Boise State Broncos to five straight bowl-game appearances. The Tigers boasted five top-five defences during his tenure, all in the last six seasons. Celebrating the win Best … Clark Lea has bounced around the country coaching linebackers over the last decade. Position, top level played: ... but I was the best football player I … He then worked for the Furman Paladins in the same role from 2008 to 2010. FBS is composed of ten conferences: … In yards allowed per play, the 2018 unit ranked 14th nationally and helped Notre Dame reach the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions have finished no lower than 23rd nationally in yards surrendered per play, tackles for loss, or sacks in his four seasons as DC. That's compared to 16-21 for the previous three seasons under Charlie Strong. 1. He's also posted two Rose Bowl wins, and three Pac-12 championships. Piece by piece, year by year, Jeremy Pruitt is rebuilding Tennessee. He took a program that went 1-11 in 2016 under Tim DeRuyter (and interim Eric Kiesau) to two bowl wins and an overall 26-14 record from 2017-2019. In college football, there are 130 FBS head coaches, but only one No. His squad finished fifth in the AP's postseason poll. 1. © 2005-2021 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Below are the links to the webpages that detail Coaches Hot Seat's Top 100 Assistant Coaches in Division I-A Football in several different categories:. Bob Gregory, Washington — $550,000 7. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) includes 130 teams. Alabama's Steve Sarkisian and Auburn's Kevin Steele are the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football. The 2019 college football season is just two games away from its culmination, and as such, we take a look today at the best offensive line units from this season's action. 2021 college football recruiting class rankings: Alabama leads … The college legend immediately turned around a Tar Heels program that had produced a total of just five wins from 2017-2018 under Larry Fedora. Will the NFL start a domino effect in college football? The defensive coordinator of the Wisconsin Badgers football team is James Andrew Leonhard (born October 27, 1982). They were in a lot of close games, and they finished with two road wins. Ed Orgeron's gone from the guy USC wouldn't hire -- twice -- to one of the college game's coaching elites. He went 3-9 in his first season with the Jayhawks in 2019. After producing the likes of Vince Young and Ricky Williams during a storied run at Texas, Mack Brown returned to North Carolina in 2019. Now that we’ve established the ground rules, it’s time for kickoff. Matt Campbell has Iowa State on a roll with three straight bowl appearances from 2017-2019. Alexander Gregory Grinch is an American football coach who currently serves as the University of Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach. In just two seasons at Florida, Dan Mullen has already tallied 21 wins. Bronco Mendenhall's first year with Virginia was about growing pains -- and going 2-10. Coaches are ranked from the good to the elite of the elites. Who’s the best head coach in the game? ALPHABETICAL . In 2019, Ken Niumatalolo won his third career AAC Coach of the Year honor; the season was his 13th at Navy. "It's an amazing story," Clark told the Washington Post in 2018. Bear Bryant. The first permanent assistant coaching job for Grinch was under Sean McDonnell at Division I-AA New Hampshire. It's not easy being a football coach at a basketball school, but David Cutcliffe's done a respectable job of making Duke a more-than respectable player in the ACC. After spending one year in Columbus as a graduate assistant, he spent two years as a linebackers coach at Kent State before holding the same position for four seasons at Purdue. A FootballScoop study found the top 10 highest-paid defensive backs coaches earn north of $400,000, but not as much as the 10 highest-paid offensive line coaches. In addition to the 27 changes among head coaches… That's CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd on the USC coach, who seems to live in the hot seat. From there, he'll be just another decent season away from Knute Rockne. Some coaches see teams through bad times; Bill Clark saw UAB through end times. In 2010, he got a position coach promotion at UCLA, then in 2017, he went to Bowling Green (2012), Syracuse (2013-15), Wake Forest (2016), and Notre Dame. Les Miles made a winner of Oklahoma State. Venables spent 13 years at Oklahoma as the coordinator and joined Clemson in 2012. He returned to the Northeast for the same job at Rutgers, after a good year as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator. He's not No. Here's what you should know: He's a winner. 1h Tom VanHaaren. His teams have been better than ever. Our ranking of college football’s 50 best coaches reveals all. With an 8-5 record for the Kansas State Wildcats in 2019, 247Sports' GoPowercat noted, Chris Klieman became the winningest first-year head coach in the program's history. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (I FCS) includes 124 teams. Nobody's led TCU to more victories than Gary Patterson. Rather than calling the action from the sidelines or up in the booth, a position coach plays a major part in the game’s outcome. The list is long. A second round of Schiano magic would be appreciated by the Scarlet Knights faithful. In 2019, Tom Allen led Indiana to eight wins, the most for the Hoosiers since 1993. Months after the noose tweet, Leach joined Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin to lobby for the removal of the Confederacy's stars and bars from the Mississippi state flag. Although requirements may vary slightly depending on the specific level and position… 177 Huntington Ave Ste 1703, Boston, MA 02115-3153, US, Helping Student Admission and Financial Aid, Best Position Coaches in College Football, Best Paid Summer Jobs for College Students, Parkland Basketball Club Scholarship programs.