On3 Football

Drafting the Top 20 current college football coaches going into 2026

National Reporter

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On3 - Drafting the Top 20 current college football coaches going i - hookly — USA Today

On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman drafted the top 20 current college football coaches going into the 2026 season. Each personality got 10 picks, with Staples getting the first selection.

Some of the early picks are pretty obvious based on recent results. But then it gets pretty creative as far as who to add to your coaching roster.

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So, let’s dive into the draft with Staples picking first and he and Wasserman just alternated between selections. We begin!

1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana (Staples)

Cignetti is the top selection among college football coaches going into 2026. What he’s done at Indiana in two years is unprecedented.

Cignetti is 27-2 in two years with two CFP appearances and, of course, a 16-0 season last year leading to a national championship. You couldn’t ask for anything better right now.

2. Kirby Smart, Georgia (Wasserman)

Smart is an easy choice for college football coaches from Wasserman. The Georgia leader is a two-time national champion and has won back to back SEC titles, getting back to the CFP.

Sure, Bulldogs fans want another title, but Smart hasn’t lost more than three games in a season since his first campaign in 2016. He is 117-21 in 10 years.

3. Ryan Day, Ohio State (Staples)

Next up is Day, giving Staples the last two national champions among college football coaches. Talk about a guy who doesn’t lose!

Day is 82-12 since 2018 (where he coached three games) to usher in a post-Urban Meyer era. Day’s also won the Big Ten twice and won a national title in 2024, getting over a proverbial Michigan hump that haunted him to start his career.

4. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame (Wasserman)

Freeman is one of the hottest names among college football coaches when it comes to making that jump to the NFL. He reportedly turned down interest this last cycle and is ready to go all-in to win a national championship.

Freeman is 43-12 since taking over for Brian Kelly and they’ve continually improved. In 2024, Freeman led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game and then went 10-2 the next year, but were on the wrong end of the playoff bubble. Expect them to compete for the title this year.

5. Steve Sarkisian, Texas (Staples)

Sarkisian rounds out the top five and gives Staples a strong first three college football coaches. He’s led Texas to the CFP multiple times but is still searching for that first national title.

Sark might have the pieces to do it this year with QB Arch Manning, WR Cam Coleman and others. He is 48-20 at Texas since 2021 and 93-55 overall as a head coach with Washington and USC prior to coming to Austin.

6. Mario Cristobal, Miami (Wasserman)

We knew Cristobal was amongst the upper tier of college football coaches when he was at Oregon. When he took over Miami, it was a landmark hire, bringing an alum back to resurrect the program.

While it took a few years, Cristobal has this thing rolling, especially after leading the Hurricanes to the national championship last year. He’s 35-19 at Miami and 97-79 overall with FIU, Oregon and Miami. Solid pick from Wasserman.

7. Dan Lanning, Oregon (Staples)

The college football coach who took over for Cristobal at Oregon is next up. Lanning came from the Smart tree at Georgia and has had instant success with the Ducks.

He’s another head coach who’s knocking on the door of winning the national title after multiple playoff appearances and a Big Ten crown. Lanning is 48-8 in four seasons.

8. Lane Kiffin, LSU (Wasserman)

Oh yes, we weren’t going to forget Kiffin among the top 10 college football coaches. He’s Wasserman’s next pick as Kiffin begins his LSU tenure.

At Ole Miss, Kiffin proved he developed as a coach and became one of the best, but now the pressure is on to win it all following successful stints at FAU and Ole Miss. He’s had big jobs before, so how will he do this time? Kiffin is 116-53 after going 55-19 with the Rebels.

9. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan (Staples)

Staples’ next pick in the college football coaches draft is Whittingham, who was thought to be done after his long tenure at Utah. but then, an opportunity at Michigan popped up and the two sides didn’t waste time.

With the resources at his disposal, perhaps Whittingham has a chance to make a deep playoff run or win a title with whatever he has left. He has a proven track record of 117-88 and three conference titles with the Utes since 2004.

10. Mike Elko, Texas A&M (Wasserman)

To round out the top 10 college football coaches per this draft, Wasserman went with Elko, who had a breakout year at Texas A&M in 2025. It was only his fourth year as a head coach as well!

After going 16-9 at Duke, A&M took a chance on Elko and he went 8-5 in 2024. But last year, he led the Aggies to an 11-2 record and the CFP. It seems like he’s set up to go on a run here.