| 25 |
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| Mike Norvell: Norvell rocketed into the top 10 last year after an undefeated regular season, only to be ludicrously snubbed by the College Football Playoff. But this year’s ranking, like Florida State in 2024, slipped on a banana peel. The good news for Norvell is he’s still clinging to a spot in the top 25. The bad news is he’s still only 33-27 overall and 20-20 in ACC play with the Seminoles. The really bad news is Google Trends has seen a spike in “Mike Norvell buyout” queries in northern Florida. 2024 rank: 8 (-17), High: 12, Low: 41 |
| 24 |
|
| Eli Drinkwitz: It was a slow and steady climb for Drinkwitz in Columbia, but we’ve seen the fruits of his labor over the last two seasons. Missouri’s coming off a 10-3 season and is 21-5 the last two years, including 11-5 in SEC play. Last year’s team didn’t reach the same heights as the 2023 squad, but Mizzou has become a team nobody’s excited to see on their schedule in the SEC. 2024 rank: 21 (-3), High: 15, Low: 31 |
| 23 |
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| Bret Bielema: Bielema’s our first newcomer to the top 25. That’s the kind of thing that happens when you lead Illinois to its first 10-win season in 23 years. Illinois’ decision to bring Bielema back raised plenty of eyebrows, but it’s proven to be a smart hire. He’s 28-22 through four seasons and has his team being mentioned as a playoff contender in 2025. 2024 rank: 36 (+13), High: 12, Low: 41 |
| 22 |
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| Rhett Lashlee: Allow me to make a bold prediction for the future of these rankings. If a coach leads his team to the College Football Playoff when nobody expected him to, he will receive a major bump the following year. It’s hard to overstate how impressive SMU was in 2024. It’s not simply that the Mustangs reached the playoff; it’s that they reached the ACC title game in their first season in the league, nearly won it and then received an at-large berth over a name brand like Alabama. And while Alabama fans were stung, nobody thought it was that crazy! That’s how well things are going in Dallas. 2024 rank: 45 (+23), High: 14, Low: 27 |
| 21 |
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| Curt Cignetti: Wow, it only took my prediction one more coach to prove correct. I’m a genius! Nobody was quite sure what to make of Cignetti when he took the Indiana job. Yes, he’d brought success to James Madison, but he was talking a lot of smack for somebody who was about to take over at Indiana. It’s not exactly a program with a storied football tradition, but none of it mattered. The Hoosiers were the story of the 2024 season, coming out of nowhere to reach the playoff. Nobody is taking them lightly anymore. 2024 rank: 43 (+22), High: 9, Low: 61 |
| 20 |
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| Mario Cristobal: I’m always interested to see the wide range of opinions on Cristobal, but they weren’t as far-ranging this year considering the Hurricanes went 10-3 and helped develop the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Cam Ward. Also, it doesn’t hurt that he avoided any truly boneheaded coaching decisions this year. Knees were taken when required! Cristobal remains an elite recruiter, which is far more important than many wish to admit, but his teams are yet to break through to the ranks of the elite, so this ranking feels right. 2024 rank: 35 (+15), High: 11, Low: 33 |
| 19 |
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| Kirk Ferentz: Kirk Ferentz began coaching at Iowa long before we began ranking coaches here, but his position has typically been the same. He’s always in the top 20, sometimes climbing near the top 10, depending on how things went the year before. He’s earned respect for his overall body of work, even if some of our voters aren’t exactly thrilled by the style of play Ferentz prefers in Iowa City. 2024 rank: 18 (-1), High: 9, Low: 34 |
| 18 |
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| Kenny Dillingham: Dillingham began coaching long after we began ranking coaches here, and his place among the ranks has varied wildly! That’s the kind of thing that happens when you take over an Arizona State program in a bad spot, go 3-9 in your first year, then shock the world by going 11-3 the next season while winning the Big 12 your first year in the league. When that happens, you climb higher in the rankings than any other coach that year. Dillingham jumps 46 spots! That’s 18 more than the next-highest coach (Deion Sanders, +28). 2024 rank: 64 (+46), High: 7, Low: 50 |
| 17 |
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| Jeff Brohm: Brohm is the best at taking overlooked or abandoned quarterbacks of perceived average ability and turning them into monsters. He’s done it at multiple stops throughout his career and produced remarkably consistent results. We’ve seen what’s happened to Purdue since he left, and his first two years at Louisville (19-8, 12-4 in ACC) have been everything the program hoped for. You can’t help but feel it’s a matter of if, not when, Brohm will lead the Cardinals to a playoff berth. 2024 rank: 19 (+2), High: 11, Low: 37 |
| 16 |
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| Josh Heupel: I’m sure plenty of people are worried about how Tennessee will look after showing the door to Nico Iamaleava, but when it comes to QBs and offense, Heupel deserves some benefit of the doubt. He’s certainly earned the adoration of many Vols fans who are thrilled to see their program return to national relevance. The Vols made the playoffs last year and are 37-15 in four seasons under Heupel, including 20-12 in the SEC. 2024 rank: 23 (+7) High: 13, Low: 24 |
| 15 |
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| Lance Leipold: It’s no surprise to see Leipold drop after a 5-7 season, but the fact he only dropped three spots is a testament to how much respect he has among our panel. After all, this is a coach who has made a career out of winning at places nobody expects success. Nobody will be shocked if Kansas is in the hunt for the Big 12 title this season. 2024 rank: 12 (-3), High: 9, Low: 31 |
| 14 |
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| Chris Klieman: Last year, Klieman and Leipold were separated by one spot in our rankings, which provided plenty of banter fodder for the people of the Sunflower State. This year, they remain separated by one spot but have swapped positions as Klieman climbs past Leipold. Last season was disappointing, as the Wildcats weren’t in the conference title hunt as expected, but they still won nine games and finished above .500 in conference. Any time nine wins feel like a disappointment, you know you’ve built a strong program. 2024 rank: 13 (-1), High: 11, Low: 32 |
| 13 |
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| Lincoln Riley: I was surprised by Riley’s rankings after compiling the ballots. I figured he’d drop further, seeing how he’s gone 15-11 his last two years at USC. He was brought in to restore the program to a national title contender, but he hasn’t. At the same time, he’s still the coach who led Oklahoma to the playoff four times in five seasons and did produce another Heisman with the Trojans. If he has another mediocre season in 2025, though, I bet we see the bottom fall out on his ranking. 2024 rank: 10 (-3), High: 9, Low: 33 |
| 12 |
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| Lane Kiffin: I did a bit of a 180 on Kiffin since last season. I was probably a bit too harsh because while I felt he was a good coach, his inability to “win the big one” against top teams in the SEC kept me from elevating him in my hierarchy. While you can argue Ole Miss’ 2024 season was a letdown since the team went all-in chasing a playoff spot, I don’t know what more can be realistically asked of Kiffin in Oxford. 2024 rank: 14 (+2), High: 10, Low: 21 |
| 11 |
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| Kyle Whittingham: While I’m sure every voter on our panel would appreciate a bit more honesty from Whittingham when it comes to the injury status of his quarterback, we’ll forgive him for it. He’s still one of the most consistent coaches in the country, even if he’s coming off a tough season. It was Utah’s first losing season since 2013, and the Utes responded to that season by going 28-11 over the following three. They’ll be back in the Big 12 hunt this year. 2024 rank: 6 (-5), High: 9, Low: 37 |
| 10 |
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| Matt Campbell: I love watching Campbell on the sidelines. From the hat with a ridiculously curved brim to the rapid-fire expletives I’m sure are spitting out of his mouth, he runs the whole gamut of emotions in one series, let alone an entire game. It’s one of the best shows in the sport. And, perhaps not coincidentally, Campbell is one of the best coaches in the sport. There was plenty of talk that maybe Campbell had stuck around Ames too long and should’ve bolted for a “better” job following the 2020 season, but that talk was hushed last year when the Cyclones went 11-3 and nearly reached the playoff. 2024 rank: 25 (+15), High: 8, Low: 19 |
| 9 |
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| Kalen DeBoer: Nobody envies the spot DeBoer was put in last season. Well, OK, plenty of coaches probably wish they could coach at Alabama, but they don’t want to be the coach who replaces Nick Saban. All things considered, it went well enough for DeBoer. There were bumps along the way (as well as some hilarious discussion of how DeBoer dresses on game days), but the Tide were still in the hunt for a playoff spot, which is the expectation every season. I’m very interested in seeing what Year 2 brings in Tuscaloosa. 2024 rank: 7 (-2), High: 4, Low: 19 |
| 8 |
|
| Brian Kelly: The narratives you hear about Brian Kelly from college football media and fans at large don’t truly reflect his standing among his peers. Yes, you can argue that his time at LSU has been a disappointment so far. The man did leave Notre Dame for the job because he said you couldn’t compete for national titles in South Bend, yet it was the Irish playing for one last season while Kelly went 9-4 at LSU. At the same time, he didn’t fall outside the top 10 on a single ballot among our voters. The Tigers may not have been as successful as they had hoped during his tenure, but there’s a reason he’s at LSU in the first place. 2024 rank: 4 (-4), High: 7, Low: 10 |
| 7 |
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| James Franklin: There’s an argument to be made that Franklin stans and Franklin haters all got what they wanted last year. Penn State’s season might have been Franklin’s best yet, including that conference title-winning campaign in 2016. The Nittany Lions reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, winning two playoff games. Yet, the haters can still point out losses to Ohio State and Oregon in the regular season, and their two playoff wins came against SMU and Boise State. So the mocking “Big Game James” moniker still fits. Everybody wins! As does Franklin, who climbs back into the top 10 this year. 2024 rank: 11 (+4), High: 5, Low: 9 |
| 6 |
|
| Marcus Freeman: The Marcus Freeman skeptics no longer have solid ground on which to stand. If you wanted to dismiss Notre Dame’s 10-win season in 2023 as a fluke, Freeman followed it up with a 14-2 campaign and reached the national title game in 2024. Sure, there was that loss to Northern Illinois, but there was also an absence of the game day mistakes you saw from Freeman in his first couple of years in charge. He continues to recruit like a beast, and he’s getting better as a game day coach. What more can you ask? He’s taken what Brian Kelly built in South Bend and improved upon it. 2024 rank: 24 (+18), High: 5, Low: 8 |
| 5 |
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| Dan Lanning: Last season had a horrible ending for the Ducks. There’s no denying the blowout loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl stunk for all involved. However, it shouldn’t erase the fact Oregon won the Big Ten it in its first year in the league. It beat Ohio State in the regular season. It beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Ducks established themselves as one of the league’s powers the moment they stepped foot in the door. It’s a testament to the job Lanning and his staff have done acquiring and developing talent. The next step is postseason success, and nobody will be surprised by it when it comes. 2024 rank: 9 (+4), High: 3, Low: 8 |
| 4 |
|
| Steve Sarkisian: If you were to ask our panel of voters about which coach without a national title would be the next to win it, Steve Sarkisian would win the poll. I know this because we’ve done it! In the words of my Cover 3 Podcast co-host and fellow voter Chip Patterson, the best way to summarize what Sark has done in Austin is he’s robbed us of our ability to make “Texas is Back!” jokes. Because Texas is back among the elite. It nearly won the SEC in its first season and is the favorite to do so in 2025. He’s always been one of the best play callers in football, but now he’s added the ability to run a program to the resume. I’d bet on him remaining a mainstay in our top 10 for the entirety of his run at Texas. 2024 rank: 5 (+1), High: 4, Low: 6 |
| 3 |
|
| Dabo Swinney: Remember when Nick Saban asked, “Is this what y’all want football to be?” about up-tempo offenses, and then immediately pivoted to having a more modern offense at Alabama? I wonder if Dabo finally hitting the transfer portal is his “Is this what y’all want football to be?” moment. Not that I believe Dabo will live in the portal like so many other coaches, but that he’ll use it to fill enough gaps to return Clemson to national title contender status. Plenty of people looking at his 2025 roster feel he’s already done it. 2024 ranking: 3 (0), High: 2, Low: 6 |
| 2 |
|
| Ryan Day: Ryan Day finished second in our rankings last season despite losing to Michigan again, but a lot of it was due to Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh leaving the sport. Now Day has a national title to his name, but it wasn’t enough to vault him to the top spot. Perhaps a second would do the trick? Either way, what is there to say? While he needs to get the Michigan Monkey off his back, Day is 70-10 at Ohio State, and nobody expects this program to drop off any time soon. He’s never lost more than two games in a season! 2024 rank: 2 (0), High: 2, Low: 3 |
| 1 |
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| Kirby Smart: The King stays The King. Kirby Smart was a unanimous choice at No. 1 among our panel, which should come as no surprise. Yes, the Bulldogs have failed to win a national title the last two years, but when a season that includes an SEC championship is seen as something of a letdown, it says a lot about the program that’s been built in Athens. Also, who knows what would have happened if Carson Beck hadn’t been injured in the SEC Championship Game last year? 2024 rank: 1 (0), High: 1, Low: 1 |
