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Ranking college football head coach performances on Twitter in June

Stephen Samraby: Steve Samra07/12/22SamraSource
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Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

Nowadays, college football coaches have a lot more to worry about than simply recruiting and the product on the field.

Aside from new developments like NIL and the transfer portal, everyone from Lane Kiffin to Kirby Smart needs to have a social media presence. Luckily, the team over at SkullSparks figured out a way to measure which coaches are getting the most interactions on Twitter per month, and the Ole Miss leader ran away with the lead for June.

Check out the full list below, and which coaches are separating themselves from the pack.

Ranking college football head coach performances on Twitter in June, per SkullSparks:

  1. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels — 149k
  2. Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks — 58k
  3. Mel Tucker, Michigan State Spartans — 37k
  4. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes — 27k
  5. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners — 27k
  6. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech Red Raiders — 27k
  7. Gus Malzahn, UCF Knights — 25k
  8. Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh Panthers — 20k
  9. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs — 18k
  10. Josh Heupel, Tennessee Volunteers — 17k
  11. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns — 17k
  12. James Franklin, Penn State Nittany Lions — 16k

As you can see, Kiffin has mastered the Twitter game — almost tripling the numbers of South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, who sits in second place. After the top three, which is rounded out by Mel Tucker of Michigan State, the numbers fall back together — most coaches on the list are in the 15-25k range as far as interactions go.

If Twitter interactions can translate into more winning seasons for Ole Miss, you can bet we’ll see Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh and company ramp up their usage of the app. For now, Kiffin will continue to have his fun, and entertain the college football world in doing so.

More on Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

Moreover, part of the appeal of Lane Kiffin is that he has coached all over the map. As a position coach and head coach, in the college ranks and even briefly in the NFL. Now 47 years old, he’s finally found sustained success as a head coach at Ole Miss.

Kiffin was once a hot, young up-and-coming name in coaching circles in his late 20s and thirties. His progressive offensive philosophy and cavalier character on the sidelines made him a known commodity at a young age and accelerated opportunities followed.

The middle-aged Kiffin has mellowed out a bit. This most recent season was his most successful as a head coach at any stop. The Rebels finished 10-2 in the regular season and earned a Sugar Bowl bid. One of the most successful seasons of the century for Ole Miss football. Is the success this time around a product of a more mature Lane Kiffin?

“I’m not sure about that,” Kiffin said to reporters regarding whether a more mature demeanor has helped him become a better head coach. But, “you hope people are better as you get older,” he followed up. “[You] have different jobs, make mistakes, get more mature.”

Kiffin’s mistakes earlier in his career were often loud and newsworthy. Perhaps a few decades under his belt have helped the third-year Rebel coach avoid pitfalls this time around. It’d be impossible not to be more mature as a coach after the experiences Kiffin has piled up in the business.