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Joel Klatt reveals his midseason top five coaches for Coach of the Year

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko10/15/25nickkosko59
Screenshot 2025-10-15 at 11.18.27 AM
The Joel Klatt Show on YouTube

Joel Klatt revealed his midseason top five coaches for the Coach of the Year award, now that we’re halfway through the regular season. There’s still plenty of time for this list to change, but these five head coaches have made their mark so far.

Klatt named Indiana’s Curt Cignetti his midseason winner, although that’s subject to change. It’s easy to see why he’s the frontrunner now though.

So without further ado, let’s dive into Klatt’s Coach of the Year contenders. We’ll start with the man in Bloomington.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana (Midseason winner)

Indiana is off to a 6-0 start, dominated Illinois 63-10 and knocked off Oregon in Eugene. This team is now No. 3 in the country and looks like a national title contender.

That’s right, a national title contender with the way they’ve played. It’s hard to pick against Cignetti for Coach of the Year right now.

Mario Cristobal, Miami

Mario Cristobal, Miami
© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cristobal has Miami off to a 5-0 start and if it weren’t for a bad ending to the season last year, this could’ve been one of the best stretches in recent history for the program. But, the Hurricanes are the ACC front runner and in contention for the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

He’s in the running for Coach of the Year as long as keeps this up. MIami is in great shape ahead of a Friday night showdown vs. Louisville.

Joey McGuire, Texas Tech

McGuire and Texas Tech transformed this year’s roster through the transfer portal and invested a lot of money. And we mean a lot of money.

Still, McGuire has to coach and the players have to play. The Red Raiders are 6-0 and ranked No. 7 in the country, atop the Big 12. McGuire is squarely in the hunt for Coach of the Year.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M

Elko turned around Texas A&M last year after coming off the Jimbo Fisher era. The Aggies were competitive last season with an 8-5 record and they’re much better this season.

Elko is firmly in the Coach of the Year conversation as he has his team off to a 6-0 start. What could’ve been a good season now looks like a year where the Aggies could win the SEC and make the College Football Playoff!

Ryan Day, Ohio State

Ohio State HC Ryan Day
(Adam Cairns | Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

It might be too easy to give Day the Coach of the Year award since Ohio State is rolling right now. But coming off a national championship, the Buckeyes were expected to take a slight step back.

However, this is the No. 1 team in the country and sports a 6-0 record. They could very well go back to back this winter. With what they’ve done so far this year, they might be better than 2024.