Has worked or played under several other prominent coaches, including Ohio State coach Ryan Day, ex-Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson, Florida State coach Mike Norvell and UCLA coach Chip Kelly. Now hes revamped the Texas A&M program, going 26-10 in three seasons and coming off a 9-1 season with huge aspirations for a national title hunt in 2021. Aided by Merritt, James Madison ranked sixth in the FCS in rushing offense last season (232.6 yards per game) and 10th in 2019 (242.9 yards per game). The feel in the coaching world is that Odom likely would be a top contender for the Oklahoma coordinator job if Alex Grinch leaves for a head-coaching opportunity. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. His move to rival Oregon was profitable for him and for his replacement, JaMarcus Shepard. Healy has said before of West: I dont think theres a better defensive line coach in the country. 12). Its always difficult to examine coaches through the prism of wins, losses and efficiency rankings. Has coached multiple all-conference and future NFL running backs, including Miles Sanders at Penn State and Charles Sims and Wendell Smallwood at West Virginia. Was a four-year starter at safety for Auburn and a captain on the Tigers 2010 national championship team. The opportunity to win games was the biggest factor here. Ranking the top 10 college football coaches under age 45 entering the David Johnson, Tennessee -- $505,000 4. The former Buffalo Bulls head coach is set to take over a program that has been a shambles since the end of the Mark Mangino era. After feeling his way around early in his Bulls tenure, Leipold went 24-10 in his last three seasons before landing this Kansas job. In the past three years, four A&M defensive linemen have been selected in the first four rounds of the NFL draft. Braden Layer is set to return to the Gators after spending 2022 at Dayton. Went 42-17 in five seasons as coach at Kansas Wesleyan, an NAIA school located about two hours from the University of Kansas. But Saban is still No. Was part of helping Liberty go 10-1 in 2020. Has been one of the lead recruiters on 10 four-star players that the Gators have landed the past three years. Ranked as the top recruiter in the Pac-12 in 2020 and 21, and is ranked No. Hartline was the only non-coordinator among the 15 semifinalists for the 2020 Broyles Award, which is presented annually to the nations top assistant. How did they climb so high, so quickly? The venerated Frank J. Howard he of famous rock only led Clemson to six top-25 finishes in his 30 years, pairing that with a 58% win rate. Helped BCs defense improve by an average of 71 yards per game against conference opponents in 2020 (from 494 yards per game under the previous staff in 2019 to 422.8 yards per game last season). Also has been contacted in recent years about NFL and SEC offensive line jobs. -- Another notable name missing is Miami's Josh Gattis. Florida coach Dan Mullen fought hard to keep him. As Charlottes offensive coordinator in 2019, Atkins led a unit that ranked 28th nationally in yards per play (6.31). Is the right-hand man for highly regarded Mississippi State coordinator Zach Arnett. He was Auburns recruiting coordinator in 2019 in addition to being the Tigers secondary coach. Former USC star wide receiver (2000-03) who left as the Trojans career leader in receptions. Samples, a former Oklahoma State and Houston wide receiver, currently is ranked among the top-15 recruiters in the country for the 2022 class. That came after East Carolina broke multiple records in 2018 with Wright, including the AAC record for tackles for loss in a game (15) and the conference record for tackles for loss in a season (105). 25. Fickells record would surely have him higher on this list if it weren't for the fact that the Bearcats program has been wildly successful over the last couple of decades. Under West, Alex Highsmith ranked in the top five nationally in sacks and tackles for loss in 2019. Charlie Fisher, Arizona State -- $400,000 9. Promoted to defensive pass game coordinator earlier this year. Has had members of his Florida linebacker room taken in two of the past three NFL drafts 2020 third-round pick Jon Greenard and 2019 fifth-round selection Vosean Joseph. 13 nationally and No. 9 nationally in rushing offense (252.2 yards per game). Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M -- $675,0005. He lost the first two rival games in 2014 and 2015 to make it 14 straight but has since won four of the last five. Other college support staffers or NFL staffers who received votes: Stephen Adegoke (Michigan); Max Bullough (Alabama); Jamar Chaney (Mississippi State); Steve Cooper (Nebraska); Zachary Crabtree (Oklahoma State); Ty Darlington (Oklahoma); Jon DeCoster (Cleveland Browns); Ross Douglas (New England Patriots); Declan Doyle (New Orleans Saints); Will Johnson (Oklahoma); Conner McQueen (Oklahoma); Nick Perry (Atlanta Falcons); Ryan Osborn (Michigan); Effrem Reed (Michigan State); Ronnie Regula (Miami); Zac Robinson (Los Angeles Rams); Spencer Whipple (Arizona Cardinals); Nick Williams (Texas A&M). 56 nationally in pass defense in 2019 (222.2 yards per game) to No. Coached Kareem Hunt, who ran for 1,475 yards at Toledo in 2016 before being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. That includes Xavier Hutchinson, who emerged as a first-team all-conference player as a freshman under Scheelhaase in 2020. As a new season approaches, let's take a moment to compare Saban's accomplishments -- and those of other active coaches -- to the best of college football's modern times. As long as we're asking humans to complete this fundamentally thankless task, there's room at the table for people who really know ball. Has recruited and coached players like DeMarvin Leal, a former five-star recruit who could be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Transfer Portal 2023 Rankings: Wide Receivers. Has been interviewed for multiple FBS head-coach openings, including South Alabama this past cycle. Mark Hudspeth improved the Rajin' Cajuns' win total from three to nine in his first year in charge, which started a four-year run of 9-4 finishes and a New Orleans Bowl victory each season. 2 nationally in total offense each of the past two seasons. That netted him a $185,000 raise from what he earned at Oregon. He went on to be selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dennis Simmons, Oklahoma -- $460,000 5. Since 2006, theyve had five. Has been the lead recruiter on six on the 18 players that FSU has committed in its 2022 recruiting class, including four four-star recruits. He won six national championships. Was a reserve QB at Texas (2012-16) and played in 23 games as a snapper for field goals and extra points. One of the best WR in college football history is Torry Holt. He's led the program to four national championship games and two national Championship wins, a feat very few would have imagined all those years ago. And we have a history of Saban turning around other programs. Joker Phillips, NC State -- $415,000+21. Cortez Hankton, Georgia -- $375,000 10. The highest-paid running backs coaches in college football: 2021 Syndication Montgomery. The Best College Football Wide Receivers of All Time - Ranker His rsum includes a successful run as an FCS coach, time as an FBS offensive coordinator and now SEC experience with a coach known for putting up big offensive numbers. Sure, there might be an inclination to not have them at No. As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest. The belief with some in the coaching world is that Samples could be this years Randall Joyner. Has worked with coaches such as Syracuse coach Dino Babers, Orange offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and Kent State coach Sean Lewis. That came after Powledges 2019 return man at Louisiana (Raymond Calais) earned first-team all-conference honors and led the Sun Belt in kick-return average. In the 10 years leading up to the longtime head coach, the team had only won 55% of their games. Michigan replaced Gattis by moving Ron Bellamy from safeties to wide receivers. Mike Krysl played for Willie Fritz at Central Missouri, coordinated special teams for him at Georgia Southern, and will now coach special teams again at Tulane. Brantley Transferring from Miami - Sports Illustrated Initially was hired by Healy at Chattanooga in 2009 and has worked for him every year since other than the one season at Minnesota. Toledo had gone 6-5 in 1989 before Saban took over for one year and led them to 9-2. If this were 2013, when Mack Brown was hobbling to the end of his very successful stint as the head coach of Texas, theres no way he would be this high. In their history, Minnesota has only won more games in a season twice in 1903 and 1904. Robinsons 2020 defensive line helped the Aggies finish No. The Greatest Entertainers Of All Time. Was promoted earlier this year to associate head coach. He then led Waynesboro Area (Pa.) to a share of the league title a year after finishing 0-10. Received inquiries about at least a few Power 5 defensive line coach openings this offseason and turned down a job offer from a Big 12 program. Brantley came to play for the Hurricanes after being a 3-star recruit by 247 Sports out of Miami (Fla.) Northwestern. Mario Cristobal continues to replenish the Hurricanes' staff. Volatility is a hazard of the coaching business. In fact, at $350,000, we've now found the low end of the high end among FBS position coaches. Aided by Gonzales and his group, TCU has finished No. The highest-paid wide receivers coaches in college football: 2021 Was a four-year starter at quarterback at Illinois (2010-13) and ranks seventh in Big Ten history in career total yardage (10,634 yards). Has coached four top-10 kickoff-return units in his career. Flying above or below program expectations was the most important point when putting this list together. Mickey Joseph, Nebraska -- $600,000+9. UAB has finished in the top-10 nationally in total defense in each of Simpsons two seasons as cornerbacks coach. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 53.6 percent of their passes vs. TCU during that span. Holmon Wiggins, Alabama -- $575,000+11. Kelly, who is widely known as one of the top innovators in the rise of the spread offense in college football, helped the Bruins rack up 503.6 yards per game and 7.01 yards per play, both of which . Fisher quickly got the program back on track, though, winning 78% of his games and bringing home a National Championship. Part of that was Miami having to throw the football while being down, but it's still lower than what it probably should have been. He likely got more than that to leave for Miami. Helped Rutgers tie for second in the Big Ten with 19 takeaways last season,almost double what the Scarlet Knights tallied in 2019 (10) despite playing four fewer games. Age: 60. The 10 Best Recruiters in College Football | The 33rd Team 2017 New England Patriots (QB Coach/O-Cord) 13-3 Lost Super Bowl 52 to PHI. Cale Gundy, Oklahoma -- $610,000+7. Ranked as a top-10 recruiter nationally for the 2019 class and currently is ranked as one of the top recruiters in the Big Ten for the 2022 class. College Football: Ranking the top 10 wide receiver duos entering 2021 - PFF -- Junior Adams was Washington's original wide receivers coach on Kalen DeBoer's new staff, at $500,000 per year. Whether it was nobody crashing and burning or soaring higher than ever -- or none of our voters wanting to take anything that happened during a pandemic season too seriously -- things remained largely the same. A former All-Big 12 tight end at OU who played five seasons in the NFL. Jan 18, 2022. In the end, nearly everybody is angry. Isaiah McDuffie (a sixth-round pick) ranked fifth nationally in. While playing in eight games for Miami last season, he caught four passes for . LSU had just three winning seasons in the entire decade coming into the 2000s, and then Saban won them a National Championship within three seasons. Hicks, who committed to the Buckeyes in May. Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M -- $675,000 5. Kodi Burns, Auburn -- $350,000 10. You could almost pick anybody on the Bears ' fall camp roster at the receiver position to team up with Goodley (5-foot-10, 220 pounds) and Baylor. Has helped Oklahoma go from last in the Big 12 in total defense in 2018 to second in 2019 and third in 2020. Hall) was a three-time finalist for FCS Defensive Player of the Year. FSU has gone 14-20 in that period. Left after the season to take an analyst position at Oregon, then returned to the Ducks two years later to be the Ducks cornerbacks coach. Powledges 2019 Louisiana special teams crew also ranked first in the Sun Belt in kickoff-return defense and net punting. The Best Athletes Of All Time. 51 nationally in pass defense the year before his arrival (212.4 yards per game) to No. In 2017, The Chanticleers ranked 71st in the FBS in EPA per play. Jerry Rice. "In life I would never advise anyone to be where they are not wanted," he sent in a text to his players on his way to Coral Gables. A former NFL receiver who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-06. The Cyclones' last four defenses rank eighth, 11th, 14th and 17th in EPA allowed per play among the 40 team seasons in the Big 12 since 2017. College football recruiting: Ranking the top 10 recruiters that hauled Walter Camp, Yale (1888-92 . Josh McDaniels Coaching Rsum. Cale Gundy, Oklahoma -- $610,000+ 7. These college football head coach rankings are a shoutout to the underdog and the unwanted, a chance to recognize those who might not be in the national spotlight but deserve their moment for clawing their programs up from the depths and steering it toward a new, compelling future. Regarded as one of the best kickoff-return and special teams coaches in the country. A 2004 second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers. 1 in Conference USA in sacks and tackles for loss last season. Another Trojans cornerback, Olaijah Griffin, finished with the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade for 2020 among Pac-12 corners. Cains 2019 James Madison special teams unit ranked No. In addition, Powledge coached Baylors only first-team All-Big 12 selection on either offense or defense in 2020 safety Jalen Pitre. JaMarcus Shepard, Washington -- $650,000+6. Landed two four-star defensive backs in that 2021 class. Darrin Chiaverini, Colorado -- $550,000* 6. Previously worked under Grinch at Washington State. Ranked as one of the top recruiters in the Big 12 for the 2021 recruiting class. Returned to coaching in 2019 after two years working in the private sector. Interviewed for the Alabama running backs coach opening this past coaching cycle. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State -- $410,000 7. Mullen had them up to 29th in Year 1 and 30th in Year 2, and then they exploded with an 11th-place finish in 2020. Charlie Fisher, Arizona State -- $400,000 9. One could assume that Riley is just continuing the tradition of excellence left by Bob Stoops, but the Sooners experienced a big dip in offensive output in the mid-2010s. Ranked as the No. You can safely assume it'll be above $105,000, though. Helped Iowa State compile a top-10 ranking in 2020 along with a Fiesta Bowl win over Oregon. Abdul-Rahim was contacted about a Power 5 defensive coordinator job and at least one SEC secondary coach opening this past cycle. The wide receiver position at Miami has been a loaded spot for the 'Canes since Eddie Brown signed with The U out of Miami Senior High School . Threw for 3,579 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior at A&M in 2009. One is five-star cornerback Travis Hunter, rated as the nations No. Taylor coached current NFL star Christian McCaffrey at Stanford and now has 2020 All-ACC running back Kyren Williams at Notre Dame. At Oregon in 2018, Williams cornerbacks group contributed to the Ducks posting 20 interceptions, which ranked second nationally. Breaking news. Three potential candidates for Texas' WR coach - Longhorns Wire The Bulldogs were the only SEC team with multiple 50-plus-yard kick returns. To replace Hankton, Georgia recalled Bryan McClendon, a former Bulldog wide receiver and a former Bulldog running backs coach, to coach his old position at his alma mater. The highest-paid quarterbacks coach in college football will make $8.05 million this year. Kelsey is in his first season an offensive analyst at Tennessee after a year as the wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator at Gardner-Webb. 1. #625 of 880. To put this list together, we gathered feedback from a combination of head coaches, coordinators, team officials, etc., around college football after asking them about position coaches whom they expect to be in line for bigger jobs this next coaching cycle or at some point in the near future. In addition to the opportunity at Pitt, which is less than an hour from where Marion grew up in Greensburg, Pa., he also garnered interest for a Group of 5 coordinator opening this past cycle. Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M -- $600,000 2. It's a perfect process! Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State -- $410,000 7. Williams coached Chris Steele to second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2020. 4 in 2020 (398.5). Also received interest for the Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach opening. College football's rising stars: The 30Under30 for 2020 - 247Sports Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel. The former Oklahoma quarterback and GA -- who turns 47 in April -- has been a Sooner for all but four years of his adult life. Interviewed for the Boston College coaching job two years ago and turned down the Tennessee coordinator job this past cycle. Was a linebacker at Georgia (2009-12) and made 17 career starts for the Bulldogs. 50 rising-star position coaches you need to know - On3 The Chanticleers head coach goes into this season looking for a shot at back-to-back Sun Belt titles. 1 recruiter in the country in 2020 and is No. 14) and interceptions (No. Coastal Carolina has only graced the FBS for four years, but it has improved every season, culminating in a ludicrous 11-1 record last fall thanks to a full-scale offensive transformation. Played a big role behind the scenes last season at Ole Miss, contributing to a Rebels offense that ranked third nationally in total offense (555.5 yards per game) and seventh in passing offense (344.9 ypg). Big 12 Baylor: Antwan Goodley and Levi Norwood. You could make the case that Swinney is No. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, but there's zero concern about the receiving corps in Columbus. As always, salaries based on publicly-available information, primarily theUSA Todaycoaching salary database. Even with Fisher serving as offensive coordinator, the team stumbled to three seven-win finishes in the last four years of the Bowden era. Assisted with Ohio States running backs and tight ends for three seasons in his role as a Buckeyes graduate assistant from 2017-19. 22. Was promoted to associate head coach after last season. Made a big-time impression with people at LSU during his one season on the Tigers staff. Has been working up at the college level since 2015 after two jobs as a high school coach. Had two All-Conference USA honorable mention selections in his first season at Louisiana Tech (Smoke Harris and Cee Jay Powell). In Smiths first season at Virginia Tech, cornerback Dorian Strong developed into a Freshman All-American. Lavine, a former walk-on, added 310 rushing yards. Between Craig Cirbus, Jim Hofher, Turner Gill and Jeff Quinn, the team won 3.25 games per season on average. But that is not the program Jimbo Fisher inherited in 2010. Meanwhile, Brown was 5 of 9 for 55.6%, 35 yards, 1 touchdown . Jeff Monken, Army. Already has worked in a few Power 5 conferences and has coordinator experience at the FCS level (Southern Utah). Was a four-year starter at safety for Texas (2008-11) and a two-time captain. Dennis Simmons, Oklahoma -- $460,000 5. The Rockets lurched back to 5-5-1 the year after under Gary Pinkel. Emmett Jones, Texas Tech -- $450,000+18. 5. In the past two years, Colbert has produced four all-conference wide receivers, a Biletnikoff Award finalist (Michael Pittman in 2019) and two top-four-round draft picks (2021 fourth-round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown and Pittman, a 2020 second-round selection). Brian Hartline, Ohio State -- $600,000+7. Top 10 returning wide receivers in college football for the 2022 - PFF 2 in the SEC in pass defense in its first season under Rushing and should be even better this fall. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options. Bob Sutton won 10 games in 1996. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. Ole Miss, LSU and SMU competed for his services after the season before he ultimately decided to join Lane Kiffins staff at Ole Miss. Tettleton, a former record-setting quarterback at Ohio (2009-13) and the son of former major league catcher Mickey Tettleton, was hired as the Bobcats running backs coach in late July. Also is a respected special teams coordinator. Was one of the lead recruiters on nine BC signees, including four-star cornerback Clinton Burton. Led by Wright and his group, UTSA ranked No. 3), net punting (No. Has received interest for both college and NFL jobs in recent years, including from Notre Dame in 2019. Worked under current Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule at Baylor and Temple. Will be coaching star QB Dillon Gabriel, who has thrown for 7,223 yards and 61 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Knights. But, as we'll explain below, there are reasons for that. Ranking the top 25 Power Five college football coaches entering the Returner Trestan Ebnar was the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year and became the first player in modern school history with two kick-return touchdowns in one game. 1. Finished his career with 344 catches, two 1,000-yard seasons and 14 career touchdowns. Ranking college football's 10 best head coaches in 2022 Also was Indianas associate head coach last year. After a decent 7-7 start in 2018, the team is 21-4 over the last two seasons. Two of Simpsons cornerbacks were named second-team All-Conference USA last season (Brontae Harris and TD Marshall). Ranking college football's 10 best head coaches this season In theory, coaches listed here should beat the coaches ranked beneath them with a team of equal talent on a neutral field 10.. 2. Was a fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2009 NFL Draft and played seven seasons in the NFL. Brocks special teams unit at Bowling Green in 2017 ranked in the top 20 nationally in kick-return defense (No. Darrin Chiaverini, Colorado -- $400,000 7. 7 in 2020 and No. That 2019 Austin Peay defense ranked in the top 16 of the FCS in total defense (No. -- Gundy serves as Lincoln Riley's co-offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in addition to coaching Oklahoma's inside receivers. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. His dad is legendary Florida high school coach Tim Ice Harris. After a slow 4-8 start in his first year, Fickell is now 31-6 in the last three seasons, rivaling Brian Kellys 33-6 three-year stretch. Assuming 2020 was just a blip and not the beginning of a downward trend, Franklin has proven himself to be one of the top coaches in college football. We might forget that Urban Meyer served as Utah's head coach for only two seasons, and while he may have started the Utes down this track, Whittingham has sustained a level of success the school has never even come close to enjoying before. PFF's 2021 College Football Preview Magazine. Arrived at Army as a quality control coach, then was promoted last year to tight ends coach. Turned down a Power 5 offensive coordinator job this past coaching cycle to continue to learn under Seminoles coach Mike Norvell. Mario Williams Where he plays: USC 2021 stats: 35 rec, 380 yards, 4 TD Williams was a reliable fixture for Oklahoma a year. JaMarcus Shepard, Washington -- $650,000+ 6. We look back fondly on the Air Raid team of Hal Mumme in the late 1990s, but they only went 20-26. Kentucky welcomed Stoops in 2013 but won just 12 games in three seasons. With free agency around the corner, players rated how teams treated them off the field: for better or for worse. That's right, Day has . Wright, who was promoted to co-coordinator this offseason, previously led the way as the Roadrunners broke multiple school records during his first season at UTSA in 2019.