CBS Sports releases ACC head coach rankings ahead of 2023 college football season
With the college football season right around the corner just a few months away, CBS Sports ranked the top coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC didn’t see many head coaching changes this offseason, with just two new additions to the conference. But nonetheless, many of college football’s best still reside in the ACC.
The ACC’s top-ranked coach likely won’t surprise many, as Dabo Swinney is fresh off of leading his Clemson Tigers to their eighth ACC title since he took over the program in 2009.
But after Swinney, there are a handful of potential surprises on the list, which can be fully seen below.
1. Dabo Swinney
Swinney’s run in the ACC conference is hard to deny, as he led the Tigers to an 11-3 record last season to mark his 12th consecutive season of leading Clemson to double-digit wins. CBS also ranked Swinney the No. 3 coach overall at the Power Five level, only sitting behind Georgia‘s Kirby Smart and Alabama‘s Nick Saban.
He enters year 16 at the helm of Clemson with an impressive 161-39 record, and will do so with a new offensive coordinator, as former TCU play-caller Garrett Riley joined Swinney’s staff this offseason.
2. Dave Clawson
Clawson comes in at No. 2 in CBS’s ranking after leading the Demon Deacons to their seventh straight bowl game appearence, capping off the season with a 27-17 win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Wake Forest finished the season 8–5 last year under Clawson, but only won three conference games last season. They had some struggles last year, losing four of their last five regular season games, and will look to bounce back this season behind Clawson without the services of star quarterback Sam Hartman.
3. Mike Norvell
Nobody rose up the list more compared to last season than Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, who led the Seminoles to an impressive 10-3 record, achieving their first double-digit season since 2016.
Norvell has maned an impressive turnaround in Tallahassee, achieving more wins last season than his first two seasons combined with the Seminoles. He returns a large majority of his talent and production on both sides of the ball from last season, which has some thinking this could be the year they return to ACC Championship glory.
4. Mack Brown
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown is by far the most experienced head coach on the list, as he’s entering his 35th season as a collegiate head coach.
Brown led the Tar Heels to their best finish since his return to the program in 2019, as North Carolina finished the season 9-3 record highlighted by an impressive six-game winning streak. And with star quarterback Drake Maye returning under center, they will likely continue to be one of the hardest teams to beat in the ACC.
5. Dave Doeren
NC State‘s Dave Doeren rounds out the top five with last season marking a decade of his coaching tenure with the Wolfpack. He’s only not led NC State to a bowl game in two of his ten seasons at the helm, leading the team to a Duke’s May Bowl appearance last year following an 8-4 finish to the regular season.
Doeren lost quarterback Devin Leary to Kentucky via the transfer portal, but led the Wolfpack to a 4-4 record last year following his season-ending injury.
Rounding out ACC coach rankings
6. Pat Narduzzi – Pittsburgh
7. Jeff Brohm – Louisville
8. Mario Cristobal – Miami
9. Mike Elko – Duke
10. Dino Babers – Syracuse
11. Jeff Hafley – Boston College
12. Brent Key – Georgia Tech
13. Tony Elliott – Virginia
14. Brent Pry – Virginia Tech