Urban Meyer ranks Top 5 college football coaches he's most excited to watch during 2026 season

During the college football offseason, the coaching carousel took some interesting turns. Big names ended up elsewhere, and Urban Meyer is watching a few closely.

Meyer ranked the top five college football head coach he is most excited to watch during the 2026 season on The Triple Option. Four of them are preparing for their first seasons with new programs, including a close friend at one of Meyer’s old rivals and the biggest move of the carousel.

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The only coach on the list who didn’t switch jobs is Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who’s looking to keep the momentum going after last year’s national title run. Here are the five coaches Meyer is most excited to watch this year.

Kyle Whittingham, Michigan

One of Urban Meyer’s former assistants at Utah, and his eventual successor, Kyle Whittingham is gearing up for his first season at Michigan. There’s plenty of anticipation for what the Utes legend will be able to do in Ann Arbor, and Meyer will be watching closely this year as the Wolverines move forward after the Sherrone Moore era.

“No. 1, it’s Coach Whittingham. But it’s also, what in the hell happened up there?” Meyer said. “That’s very un-Wolverine like, what’s taken place there the last few years. I grew up in the Bo Schembechler era. Kyle loves his team. He loves his players. The quarterback’s got to get much better. But how he performs – and I’m going to say this, Coach Whitt has been at Utah. And I love Utah. Utah doesn’t have the same pressures that other place has Up North.”

Jon Sumrall, Florida

After the Billy Napier era, Florida turned to Jon Sumrall, and Urban Meyer was in attendance for the introductory press conference. Throughout the process, Meyer saw Sumrall as someone focused on football despite so many other issues facing college football, and that adds to the excitement for Meyer to watch the Gators this season.

“I loved when you talked to him, he didn’t bitch and complain about NIL and about transfers,” Meyer said. “He talked about practicing, he talked about the weight room, he talked about the offseason, he talked about training camp. And he talked about how you win in the SEC on the offensive and defensive lines. … I hope they have a great offseason because their offensive and defensive line have got to get more SEC-ish, if you know what I mean.”

Lane Kiffin, LSU

In the highest-profile move of the coaching carousel, Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss after the regular-season finale to take over at LSU. The Tigers are sure to be a big-time draw this year with so many storylines, but Urban Meyer said he’s curious to see if Kiffin will have the program in the national title picture in Year 1.

“The reason I bring up Lane Kiffin is, is it national championship or bust?” Meyer said. “Because if it’s anything less, he’s going to get hammered. … He doesn’t have to win it, but he’s got to be within a swing of it.”

Matt Campbell, Penn State

Following a coaching search that took a few turns, Penn State eventually lured Matt Campbell away from Iowa State. It’s a new era in Happy Valley, but to Urban Meyer, it’s worth watching to see how Campbell will fare compared to his predecessor, James Franklin.

“The question I have … can he do better than James Franklin?” Meyer said. “Because James Franklin won a lot of games there now. A lot. He’s got a new quarterback, he’s got a new staff and usually, it takes a minute to get going. He can’t lose his momentum – and he’s got a lot of momentum going into the season. Just can’t lose it.”

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Fresh off a national championship, Curt Cignetti and Indiana are squarely in the spotlight, which is why Cignetti is on Urban Meyer’s list of coaches he is most excited to watch in 2026. Of course, Meyer knows what it’s like to deal with expectations after winning a title, which is why IU will be worth watching.

“How does he respond after a national championship?” Meyer said. “I remember those were tough years of my career – years after the national championship just because expectations. The players change, the coaches change. The fan base now, they’re going to expect you to win. How’s he going to handle that?”

With talkin’ season in full swing as the media day circuit begins, training camp is quickly approaching ahead of the 2026 college football season. The storylines will be plentiful, as well.