4) and punt-return defense (No. As Charlottes offensive coordinator in 2019, Atkins led a unit that ranked 28th nationally in yards per play (6.31). 3 nationally in rush defense. at During his oneyear as the Tornadoes coach, Harris led the team to a 14-0 record, a state title, a No. The defense has improved by leaps and bounds under Allen, who came to the school as a defensive coordinator in 2016. Meanwhile, Joseph -- part of the fired staff at LSU -- got a 2-year deal at Nebraska, making him the second-highest paid member of Scott Frost's staff at $600,000 per year. Does FSU or any ACC power actually have options. Has played a large role in setting up Texas A&M to have one of the best defenses in the country this season. This list is booty cheeks. He rushed for 1,125 yards during the Fighting Irishs run to the College Football Playoff last season. Was a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist as a running back at Michigan and finished his Wolverines career (2004-07) as the programs leading career rusher (5,040 yards). Another Trojans cornerback, Olaijah Griffin, finished with the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade for 2020 among Pac-12 corners. Initially was hired by Healy at Chattanooga in 2009 and has worked for him every year since other than the one season at Minnesota. And we have a history of Saban turning around other programs. Landed two four-star defensive backs in that 2021 class. Kearis Jackson enters the year with Day 3 grades. Red Blaik won 77% of his games as the head coach of Army during an 18-year stint that coincided with Army pulling in the best football players in the country because of war efforts. (Obviously, Gattis is also an offensive coordinator.) 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. Rejoined Will Healy in 2019 after one season at Minnesota. Transfer Portal 2023 Rankings: Wide Receivers. Also received interest for multiple NFL job openings. All Rights Reserved. The QBE coaching staff over the years has included former D1 QB coach & Offensive Coordinator Brandon Doman, 10 year NFL QB Koy Detmer, Canadian . If you haven't yet checked out our ranking of Power Five coaches outside the top 25, you can catch up here. Led the way for BCs 2021 class that was the Eagles top-ranked group in the modern recruiting era. Syndication Montgomery By Seth Galina Jul 7, 2021 In fact, it is a historically bad football program. Shifted to wide receivers coach at USC in 2019 after spending 2018 as the Trojans tight ends coach. Other college position coaches who received mention: Josh Aldridge, Liberty defensive line coach; Matt Barnes, Ohio State secondary coach; Kelvin Bell, Iowa defensive line coach; Brian Braswell, Maryland offensive line coach; Elijah Brooks, Maryland running backs coach; Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech running backs coach; Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana co-OC/tight ends coach; Joe Graves, Georgia Southern tight ends coach/special teams coordinator; Tyler Grisham, Clemson wide receivers coach; Jim Harding, Utah offensive line coach; Jeremy Hawkins, Eastern Kentucky defensive line coach; Mark Hogan, Davidson safeties coach; Scott Huff, Washington offensive line coach; Chris Marve, Florida State linebackers coach; Gary McGraw, Sam Houston State cornerbacks coach/special teams coordinator; Slade Nagle, Tulane tight ends coach; Rod Ojong, Buffalo safeties coach; Clay Patterson, Minnesota tight ends coach; Lee Rousell, Nicholls offensive line coach; Eric Sanders, Stanford inside linebackers coach; DeRail Sims, Louisville running backs coach; Clint Sintim, Virginia defensive line coach; Omarr Smith, Morgan State secondary coach; Jeremy Springer, Marshall special teams coordinator; Cole Weeks, Troy running backs coach; Ron Whitcomb, Buffalo tight ends coach; Jeremiah Wilson, Akron secondary coach; Levar Woods, Iowa special teams coordinator. At James Madison in 2019, Smith helped lead a defense that ranked No. 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. Cortez Hankton, Georgia -- $375,000 10. 56 nationally in pass defense in 2019 (222.2 yards per game) to No. -- Nate Scheelhasse coaches Iowa State's running backs and wide receivers. 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. A 2004 second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers. Theyve won 21 games in 11 years. 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. On this list for a second time, Duggan coached two of the ACC's best linebackers during his debut season with Boston College. The former Oklahoma quarterback and GA -- who turns 47 in April -- has been a Sooner for all but four years of his adult life. As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegefootball | pageType: stories | Yes, Alabama was already the college football program before Sabans arrival, but they were in a down period when they signed him. Jacob Peeler, Ole Miss -- $425,000 6. Before Monken took over in 2014, the team had put forward just one seven-win season since 2000. Was under consideration for the Marshall coaching job before the hire of Charles Huff. In the past three years, four A&M defensive linemen have been selected in the first four rounds of the NFL draft. Holmon Wiggins, Alabama -- $575,000+11. A 3-4 season in the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign put a slight damper on Fleck's progress, so 2021 is a big year for him. Brennan Marion, Pitt WR coach. Ranking the 20 best head coaches in college football Alabama head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian against Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday October 26, 2019. After a 9-4 2008 season, Bill Cubits Broncos fell to 22-27 over the next four years. Dameyune Craig, Texas A&M -- $600,000 2. Lonnie Galloway, North Carolina -- $440,000+19. 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). Riley was hired as the Sooners' offensive coordinator in 2015, and East Carolina fell to 65th in EPA per play while Oklahoma rose to ninth. Has received NFL interest each of the past two years. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State -- $800,000* 3. Interviewed for the job as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach before the Eagles hired Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. He was Auburns recruiting coordinator in 2019 in addition to being the Tigers secondary coach. After recording just four carries in 2019, Williams has developed into one of the best running backs in the country under Taylors watch. Promoted to defensive pass game coordinator earlier this year. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Jerry Rice. He then led Waynesboro Area (Pa.) to a share of the league title a year after finishing 0-10. Isaiah McDuffie (a sixth-round pick) ranked fifth nationally in. Finished his career with 344 catches, two 1,000-yard seasons and 14 career touchdowns. Washington, who has known Ohio State coach Ryan Day since they were together at Boston College in 2003 and 04, joined the Buckeyes staff after Day became coach. Under Brock in 2019, Washington State ranked first in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (95.2) as well as second in punt-return average and kick-return defense. In July, he secured a commitment from four-star 2022 running back Nicholas Singleton, while also teaming with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein to land five-star 2023 offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier. He won six national championships. Has been Georgias pass game coordinator since 2019. Is a highly respected and connected figure in south Florida. Led a special teams unit that ranked second in the SEC in kick-return average (28.0). JaMarcus Shepard, Washington -- $650,000+6. Big 12 Baylor: Antwan Goodley and Levi Norwood. 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. Based on that feedback, here are 50 coaches (including a few support staffers) you need to know entering the 2021 season. Scored a big early recruiting win at Auburn, playing a role in getting standout cornerback Roger McCreary to return for his senior season instead of leaving for the NFL. 1 or No. That includes 2020 Jim Thorpe Award winner Trevon Moehrig, who was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round of this years NFL draft. Nate Scheelhassee, Iowa State -- $500,000+14. We must start with Franklin's time at Vanderbilt, where his 18-8 record in 2012 and 2013 is the best two-year mark since the 1920s. At East Carolina, end Nate Harvey was the AAC Defensive Player of the Year under Wright. But, as we'll explain below, there are reasons for that. Saban landed at LSU in 2000 and awoke the sleeping Cajun giant, compiling a 48-15 record and a National Championship in five years. Abdul-Rahim was contacted about a Power 5 defensive coordinator job and at least one SEC secondary coach opening this past cycle. 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. Wide receiver from Crawford, Mississippi, USA. 4 in 2020 (398.5). 51 nationally in pass defense the year before his arrival (212.4 yards per game) to No. It is unheard of to have back-to-back nine-win seasons at Vanderbilt, and the program quickly fell off when Franklin left for Penn State. For what it's worth, Gattis made $525,000 while coaching the Crimson Tide's wide receivers in 2018. Syndication Montgomery. In his second season as the offensive coordinator at St. Ambrose (an NAIA school in Davenport, Iowa), Drinkalls offense ranked No. 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. That includes Xavier Hutchinson, who emerged as a first-team all-conference player as a freshman under Scheelhaase in 2020. His team constantly made it to the Top 5 rankings for record-breaking 14 seasons! Played and learned under coaches such as Will Muschamp and Ted Roof and got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant under Roof at Penn State (2012) and Georgia Tech (2013-14). Strange circumstances brought Martin and Malzahn together, but now the pair are united for a second time. Imagine a world in which Kirby Smart is a two-time national champion, one where his team did not blow a 10-point lead to Alabama in the fourth quarter of the 2018 championship game and then a 14-point third-quarter lead in the SEC Championship the following year. Cale Gundy, Oklahoma -- $610,000+7. 3), net punting (No. Ranked as the top recruiter in the Pac-12 in 2020 and 21, and is ranked No. Joyner was SMUs defensive line coach from 2018 through last season. Yes, Alabama claimed 12 championships before Saban's arrival, but it was a program going through turmoil and probation before he took the reins. Ole Miss, LSU and SMU competed for his services after the season before he ultimately decided to join Lane Kiffins staff at Ole Miss. Has been the primary recruiter on five Virginia Tech 2022 commits, including four-star running back Ramon Brown and four-star cornerback Cam Johnson. Under Halzle, UCF QB Dillon Gabriel led the nation in passing yards per game (357.0) last season. Has been heavily pursued for college and NFL jobs in recent years. Its always difficult to examine coaches through the prism of wins, losses and efficiency rankings. He interviewed for the South Alabama head coach job this past cycle and has interviewed for NFL wide receivers coach openings with the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers. Was UCFs quarterbacks coach last season after working as an analyst in 2019. 11 in 2019 (467.5) to No. -- Gundy serves as Lincoln Riley's co-offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in addition to coaching Oklahoma's inside receivers.