Interesting: Who are the 5 best coaches in college football?

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RememberMurray

RememberMurray

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I know I'm slow on this, but it just now dawned on me: Harbaugh and Saban are gone now. That's a big, big deal, in my opinion.

With those two having left the ranks, who are the five best active coaches in college football, right now?
 

Without giving it too much thought, Kirby smart easy number 1. 2-5 probably a bit more open
 






Gophers1992 said:
He could get there but in my mind doesn’t have the body of work to surpass Dabo or Ryan Day, and probably some others.

But to be fair, best coach and most accomplished coach don’t necessarily have to mean the same thing.
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I'm not sold that Ryan Day is anything special. I think you and I could coach that team to at least 9 wins.
 

Word said:
I'm not sold that Ryan Day is anything special. I think you and I could coach that team to at least 9 wins.
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Agree. I mean you have to be somewhat good to do what he’s done but I bet PJ could have similar success with that talent.
 

I’m gonna go with Kirby, then 2-5 no order:
Kalen Deboer
Kyle whittingham
Steve sark
Dabo or Brian Kelly
 



Word said:
I'm not sold that Ryan Day is anything special. I think you and I could coach that team to at least 9 wins.
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We'll see how that theory works out for the new hires at Alabama and Michigan.

And following that line of thinking, if Saban had stayed at Michigan State would he have achieved the same level of success?
 

How would Ryan Day do if he took over Minnesota next season?

How about Sarkasian... what would he accomplish at Minnesota?
 





As others have pointed out it’s hard to evaluate as some programs have so much more resources and built in advantages compared to others.
 


Gutsy pick with Leopold at #5, FMLizard. I won't disagree. He's turned around programs wherever he's gone.
 


RememberMurray said:
We'll see how that theory works out for the new hires at Alabama and Michigan.

And following that line of thinking, if Saban had stayed at Michigan State would he have achieved the same level of success?
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I know what you are saying but Saban definitely elevated Alabama's success. They were just ok before he got there.
 


MNfootballfan said:
This is probably the most accurate list.
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Was going to say that's the closest I've seen to what mine would probably look like.

Honorable mentions to Day, Norvell, Riley, Kelly, Sark, and Kiffin

Also wouldn't be surprised if we're talking about Dan Lanning cracking this list sooner rather than later
 

Word said:
This is a rhetorical question, right?
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If we're going with the theory that just about anybody can win at Ohio State (because of the built-in advantages enjoyed by the Buckeye football program), then Luke Fickell really laid an egg in his one season as head coach there. 6-7 overall, 3-5 in the B1G.
 

I'll lob in a Mike Gundy nomination. Never been the biggest program in his state and also sits in the shadow of the two big Texas schools. Always has a winning season and frequently wins 10+. He may not be Top 5, but I think comfortably Top 10. And the hair is immaculate.
 

Scottsdale Gopher said:
I'll lob in a Mike Gundy nomination. Never been the biggest program in his state and also sits in the shadow of the two big Texas schools. Always has a winning season and frequently wins 10+. He may not be Top 5, but I think comfortably Top 10. And the hair is immaculate.
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True, Gundy is very underappreciated. Most know him for his "I'm a man, I'm 40" rant, but he has had consistent success at a place where it's not easy to win.
 



Why would Leipold rank higher than guys like Drinkwitz, Gundy, Klein, Campbell or Fleck at this point? Must be crediting his non FBS accolades.
 

btowngopher said:
Why would Leipold rank higher than guys like Drinkwitz, Gundy, Klein, Campbell or Fleck at this point? Must be crediting his non FBS accolades.
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Because there are a million different criteria you could apply to this. Is it strictly wins and losses? Probably unfair to guys who coach at schools with fewer resources. Complete body of work? Probably overvalues guys like Kirk Ferentz who aren't what they used to be. It's a totally subjective question that we could argue for days on end with no good answer.
 

btowngopher said:
Why would Leipold rank higher than guys like Drinkwitz, Gundy, Klein, Campbell or Fleck at this point? Must be crediting his non FBS accolades.
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Fair point. Fleck did more in the MAC than Leipold did, and also took the Gophers further than Leipold has taken Kansas thus far. Fleck inherited a far better situation here than Kansas was.

There is an argument that Fleck is a top 5-10 coach that won't get you thrown out of a bar.
 

RememberMurray said:
If we're going with the theory that just about anybody can win at Ohio State (because of the built-in advantages enjoyed by the Buckeye football program), then Luke Fickell really laid an egg in his one season as head coach there. 6-7 overall, 3-5 in the B1G.
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Yes he did.
 

Off the top of my head:

Kirby
Deboer
Sark
Kelly
Riley
Day
Franklin
Wittingham
Gundy
Kiffin
Lanning
Campbell
Fleck
Brohm
Ferentz
Rhule
Leipold
Norvell
Drinkwitz
Klieman
Fickell
Dabo


And probably some others I'm missing, are all guys who you could spin an argument for them being in the top 10. I wouldn't agree with all of them by any means, but it just goes to show how subjective these rankings are.
 

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