Top 25 College Football Head Coaches in 2025

Trying to rank the Top 25 coaches in college football is a crazy undertaking that has plenty of subjectivity. There’s no way to get everyone to agree because we all value different things as it pertains to what makes a coach great.
Is it recruiting? Is it national titles? Is it doing less with more? Is it about recent success or total body of work? Something else?
Here’s my best shot at it:
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
You know how Smart is No. 1 on the list? There isn’t a single human being on earth who would attempt this crazy undertaking without putting Smart at the top. The best part of that decision was there wasn’t even a struggle. Smart made Georgia the king of the sport, has won two national titles and has the Bulldogs in position to compete for the national title on an annual basis.
2. Ryan Day, Ohio State
If this list were done a year ago, Day may not have even made the top 10. But when you win a national title — beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame along the way — it puts to bed any discussion about whether the coach can “win the big one.” Of course, the Michigan thing will linger over his head until he can lead Ohio State to a win in the rivalry game, but there is no question Day leads the way in roster building and program development. He has a ring to prove it now.
3. Dan Lanning, Oregon
Oregon’s blowout loss to Ohio State may leave a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, but the bigger picture proves Lanning is one of then best young coaches in college football. Oregon has been a beast in recruiting and in the portal, and even if NIL is the main driving force in that, Lanning has the “it” factor in terms of getting what it takes to win a national title. Oregon will continue to knock on the door, much like it did this season, and eventually it will break through.
4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
It may be easy to mock Sarkisian for that goal line toss Texas called lated in the loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal. But when you zoom out, Sarkisian has brought Texas all the way “back.” Saying that isn’t a joke anymore. It has happened. Sure, Texas hasn’t won a national title under his leadership, Sarkisian has assembled one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the country. Texas will be a national title contender every year under his guidance moving forward. Texas isn’t a punchline anymore. It was two years ago. That means a lot.
5. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
There aren’t many other places who expect to compete for national titles who have more natural limitations for talent acquisition than Notre Dame. Still, Freeman replaced Brian Kelly and elevated the talent on the roster while making the Irish a tougher out than they’ve been in recent memory. Notre Dame didn’t just capture its first big win in the postseason in decades, it grabbed a few on the way to the national title game. The Irish are never going to be a “super team,” but teams are never going to be as deep as they’ve been in the past. Notre Dame has staying power at the top because Freeman brought it there. There were some — cough, me — who would have said that was impossible a few years ago.
6. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Coaches like Swinney are what makes these lists difficult. Do you go with the built up equity of having two national titles or do you more heavily consider how the program has slid from prominence the last few years? The good news is that Swinney’s program is far from irrelevant — the Tigers, after all, are defending ACC Champions — and Clemson brings back a ton of talent next year to attempt to make another CFP run. Swinney’s use of the portal is the reason I’m willing to lean on his equity and put him toward the top of this list. There is no question he’s one of the best talent evaluators and coaches of our time, he just needed to give in evolve with the sport. He’s done that.
7. Deion Sanders, Colorado
Serious question: How many coaches on this list would have enjoyed this much progress at Colorado in a short amount of time? The answer is very few. Though it’s uncertain how Sanders would fit in an already-established program who have built-in expectations for competing for national titles, he unquestionably is one of only a few human beings on planet earth that could have had Colorado on the verge of the CFP in year two. Though it’s fair to question his reliance on the portal and reluctance to build through the high school ranks, Sanders’ results speak for themselves. He has done an incredible job in Boulder.
8. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
It’s so easy to be blinded by CFP wins and national titles, but there are so many good coaches who exist at non-traditional powers who have done nothing but get results their entire careers. Whittingham has been nothing but consistent, finishing with only three losing seasons in 20 years. Utah had a rough season last year — in large part because it was decimated by injury — but nobody has accomplished more with less than Whittingham for the past two decades.
9. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
There is no question that DeBoer’s on-the-field results at Alabama in his first year have people in Tuscaloosa grumbling. But we’re talking about a coach who led Washington — yes, Washington — to the national title game a few years ago, which is more than some coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame have done. DeBoer also willingly replaced Nick Saban at Alabama, which is the type of confidence you need in someone leading a program with the standard that high. DeBoer has already proven he can recruit at the level necessary to keep Alabama at the top. This program may not be a dynasty anymore, but it’s days of competing at the highest level are far from over.
10. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
In order to properly appreciate the job Heupel has done at Tennessee, you need to go back in time and remember where the Volunteers program was before he arrived. Knoxville was in a rough spot. And while many Tennessee fans were’t thrilled about the hire at first, Heupel has proven to the be model of consistency the program needed after so many dysfunctional years. Tennessee cracked the 12-team CFP this past season and it has beaten Alabama two of the previous three years. There is no question Tennessee’s program is currently on the rise.
11. Mario Cristobal, Miami
Cristobal has yet to win a national title, but he has proven at two separate places that he knows how to build a program. Say what you want about Oregon, but he left the Ducks much better than he found them. And now at Miami, the Hurricanes have gotten incrementally better year over year during his leadership. There is no question Cristobal knows how to attract talent — Miami was loaded a year ago — but his in-game decision-making has been called into question. Though it’s hard to imagine Miami is better next year than it was this past year, the Hurricanes have great offensive and defensive fronts, addressed needs in the secondary and brought in Carson Beck to try to get them over the hump. Cristobal’s presence has been a net positive at the places he’s coached.
12. Curt Cignetti, Indiana
If you’re not familiar with Cignetti’s game, he wins. Google him. All jokes aside, Cignetti walked into Indiana, knew in his gut he could build a winner, talked a big game and then backed it up. He brought Indiana, a college football program that was previously left for dead, back to life. He guided the Hoosiers — yes, the Hoosiers — to a spot in the College Football Playoff. It’s so easy to get excited about the young up-and-coming coaches, but guys like Leipold and Cignetti know how to coach and identify talent. It’s going to be hard to replicate the dream season Indiana just had, but for the first time and maybe ever, Indiana isn’t an afterthought. If Cignetti could do that in one season, what can he do in five?
13. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Maybe Dillingham is a little over-ranked after one successful season. But when you look at the progression Arizona State has made under his leadership, you see a coach that knows what he is doing. He has a firm understanding of what the Sun Devils need and has proven during his time there that hey can bring players to his program — like Cam Skattebo — that can keep this team competitive in the Big 12. Building a program is a process and it’s hard not to believe Dillingham will have ASU back on big stages in the future.
14. Lance Leipold, Kansas
It’s funny how much perception changes year over year, right? At this time last year, people thoguht Leipold was one of the five best coaches in the sport. After this year’s 5-7 season, you’re not hearing it as much. But now seems like a good time to remind everyone that he’s at Kansas, and though the Jayhawks had an underwhelming season this year, they also were playing great at the end of the year. This Kansas program was one of the most dormant programs in America and Leipold brought it back to life. That means something.
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15. James Franklin, Penn State
Franklin has been criticized endlessly during his time at Penn State. Maybe some of it is warranted and maybe some of it isn’t. The truth is, Penn State has consistently won 10 games under his leadership and always is a very good team. The bad news, though, is that the Nittany Lions routinely lose all of their biggest games, which calls into question: Is this Penn State’s ceiling or is Franklin the problem? Penn State did advance to the CFP Semifinals this past year and has a large chunk of its team coming back. Now is the time for Franklin to break through and get Penn State to the mountaintop. It has to happen eventually, right?
16. Brian Kelly, LSU
When Kelly took the job at LSU, it was done with the understanding that he took Notre Dame to its ceiling and he wanted to compete for national titles in the SEC. Well, Freeman just had Notre Dame in the national title game. Maybe it was because the sport has changed since Kelly left? Though he’s not the most likable person on the planet, Kelly led Notre Dame to two CFP appearances during his time in South Bend. He has been a pretty consistent winner. How he does at LSU moving forward, though, will do a lot in determining his legacy.
17. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
In the middle of last season, Kiffin’s name was floated around as a potential replacement for Billy Napier at Florida. The Gators ultimately chose to give Napier another year, but Kiffin’s name routinely pops up every time there’s a high-profile job open. There is no question he has matured since his younger years and has emerged as someone who is always going to have a solid team. Though Kiffin got a huge win over Georgia at home this year — one that made it seem like Ole Miss was a legit national title contender — the Rebels went 9-3 with a loaded roster. Kiffin is heavily reliant on the transfer portal and has yet to win big in college, which keeps him out of the top 15.
18. Bret Bielema, Illinois
Illinois won 10 games last year and returns all five of its best players. Though Illinois fans are probably cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead for the Illini, this team has the goods to compete for a College Football Playoff spot next year. Combine Illinois’ recent success with everything Bielema did as Wisconsin’s head coach, and there is plenty reason to have him ranked in the top 20.
19. Sherrone Moore, Michigan
Moore has only been the head coach at Michigan for one season and it was an underwhelming season. But Michigan had a quarterback problem, which wasn’t his fault given he had no way to fix the roster due to the time Jim Harbaugh’s departure for the NFL. But we do know that Michigan’s culture is strong, which culminated in wins over Ohio State and Alabama to close out the season. Moore also did an exceptional job filling in as active head coach during Michigan’s national title run two years ago, which he certainly deserves credit for. He may not have made everyone’s list, but by this time next year, it seems quite possible he’d be someone you can’t leave off.
20. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
The longest-tenured head coach in college football, Ferentz has been at Iowa since 1999. And though he was one of the most criticized coaches in the sport a few years ago because of his archaic offensive philosophy, there is no question that his brand of football has kept Iowa really good over the years.
He has won 216 games, two Big Ten titles (2002 and 2004), three Big Ten West division titles, four Big Ten Coach of the Year awards and the AP College Football Coach of the Year. Bottom line, Iowa is consistently a hard-nosed, smash-mouth, defensively sound football team year in and year out. There’s not a lot of holes you can poke in his resume in terms of consistent winning, especially at a place that isn’t expected to win national titles.
21. Bill Belichick, North Carolina
What is a person supposed to do with Belichick? Like, really, how impossible is he to rank. On one hand, he has zero college football experience and he has yet to do anything that moves the needle in his short time at North Carolina. On the other, you could make the case he’s the greatest NFL coach in the history of that sport. If other people on this list are going to ride past accomplishments, you absolutely have to ascribe some credibility from Belichick’s six Super Bowl rings. Watching him operate at North Carolina is going to be fascinating, but it felt wrong to leave him off this list.
22. Lincoln Riley, USC
Judging Riley is pretty tough. Though things have not gone according to plan at USC, you can’t just go back in time and erase the four-consecutive Big 12 titles he won at Oklahoma. You also can’t erase that he coached Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams to Heisman Award-winning seasons. While it’s certainly fair to question whether things are going to work out for him in Los Angeles, he has accomplished quite a bit as a college football coach.
23. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
There is no question Venables is one of the most impressive defensive minds in college football. You could make the case he’s every bit as responsbile for Clemson’s peak success as Swinney, who found his way into the top-10 on this list. But Venables’ run as a head coach hasn’t gone smoothly, bottoming out last year when the Sooners were decimated by injury. Venables returns next year in a must-win scenario and brought in quarterback transfer John Mateer from Washington State. Oklahoma should be better than it is and there is a good chance the Sooners break out next season.
24. Kalani Sitake, BYU
You could make the case that BYU is one of the toughest places to consistently build a winner. BYU is a Mormon school that has a ton of players from the faith on the roster. And if the player isn’t Mormon, he has to agree to go to a college that insists you live by a strict code of conduct. And though Sitake has certainly had his down years, he consistently fields a tough Cougars team. Last year, BYU was in the CFP hunt the entire year and the Cougars should be very good again next year. He is 72-43 at BYU and is 5-2 in bowls and the Cougars have some pretty high upside next year.
25. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
What is harder: winning the national title at a blue blood or keeping a place like Iowa State consistently competitive? Both are difficult jobs, no question, but Campbell’s work has gone unnoticed for years because Iowa State doesn’t move the needle nationally. Iowa State is a really hard job and Campbell keeps finding players to make the Cyclones legit contenders in the Big 12. He has won the Big 12 Coach of the Year three times and had Iowa State on the brink of the CFP in 2024. There’s a reason his name always gets floated every time a big job opens.