ESPN releases Top 10 college football head coach rankings ahead of 2022 season

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison•08/17/22•

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ESPN announced the best college coaches ahead of the 2022 season. Like when anyone makes this kind of list, there is a certain amount of subjectivity that comes with it. Here is how ESPN came up with its list and who is on it.

Adam Rittenberg, a staff writer for ESPN, compiled the list. He argued that ranking all 131 against one another isn’t fair, due to the different resources that they all have. After all, the MAC and the Big Ten are operating in different worlds. That’s why Rittenberg decided to rank coaches within four separate categories; national contenders, next up, overachievers, and fast starts. In other words, that’s coaches who should compete for the College Football Playoff, coaches who win consistently but aren’t at consistently Playoff bound programs, coaches who elevate programs, and those with four years or fewer as an FBS coach.

Among the factors that ESPN took into consideration are a coach’s longevity and overall background. Important factors that are taken into consideration include consistency, championships won, AP top-25 finished, and what are described as other factors. Importantly, coaches can only appear in one category and first-year head coaches aren’t up for consideration.

Here are ESPN’s top ten college football coaches.

National contenders

  1. Nick Saban, Alabama
  2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
  3. Kirby Smart, Georgia
  4. Lincoln Riley, USC
  5. Brian Kelly, LSU
  6. Ryan Day, Ohio State
  7. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
  8. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
  9. James Franklin, Penn State
  10. Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

Next up

  1. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
  2. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
  3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
  4. Chip Kelly, UCLA
  5. Mario Cristobal, Miami
  6. Mack Brown, North Carolina
  7. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
  8. David Shaw, Stanford
  9. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
  10. Kalani Sitake, BYU

Overachievers

  1. Mike Leach, Mississippi State
  2. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
  3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
  4. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
  5. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
  6. Jeff Tedford, Fresno State
  7. Jeff Monken, Army
  8. Hugh Freeze, Liberty
  9. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
  10. Lance Leipold, Kansas

Fast starts

  1. Dave Aranda, Baylor
  2. Billy Napier, Florida
  3. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
  4. Mel Tucker, Michigan State
  5. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
  6. Sam Pittman, Arkansas
  7. Jeff Traylor, UTSA
  8. Shawn Clark, Appalachian State
  9. Sean Lewis, Kent State
  10. Chris Klieman, Kansas State