The annual postseason top 10 coaches in the country list

Illustrious Potentate

Illustrious Potentate

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Who you got?

Here’s mine:

1. Nick Saban
2. Dabo Swinney
3. Kirby Smart
4. Jim Harbaugh
5. Kyle Whittingham
6. Ryan Day
7. Brian Kelly
8. Lincoln Riley
9. Chris Klieman
10. James Franklin

I know Jimbo Fisher and Mack Brown have natties on their resume, but they’re too far removed
 
My list is right now at this moment and not taking into consideration careers:

1. Kirby - No one else has been able to do what he has done at UGA
2. Saban
3. Kyle Whittingham - The dude just wins and beats you with lesser talent
4. Ryan Day - No denying his win/Loss record
5. Brian Kelly - I hate listing him this high but LSU was not supposed to be close to what they pulled off
6. Luke Fickell - What he did at Cincinnati was impressive
7. Jim Harbaugh - He would be higher but that TCU game was the worst coached game I saw in the bowl season
8. Dabo Swinney - He has fallen and he has a shot to climb back up but I wonder if NIL and the porter are beyond his ability to master
9. Lincoln Riley - Losing to Tulane with Caleb Williams at QB hurt his ranking
10. Mark Stoops - Done an incredible job at KY and the year they lost all their QBS and still went to a bowl might be the single greatest season of coaching we have seen in the modern era
 
I don't think you can really coach country, you either have it in your heart or you don't :wink:

 
Gotta move down Dabo. He is still adjusting from Venables. I would move Kirby above him without a doubt. Saban and Kirby are 1 and 2 and then there is a big gap imo.

The next tier could be a bunch of names: Whittingham, Day, Kelly, Harbaugh, Riley and Swinney.
Swinney has the history but not the recent track record.
Day trying to get over that hump for a national title and I think he proved himself against Georgia.
Kelly can turn around LSU, win his 1st NC and be one of the best. Already made a step with LSU.
Whittingham has been very consistent with what he has been handed. Definitely one of the best, if not the best of that 2nd tier.
Riley has the track record but kinda in that same boat as Day. Gotta get over that hump.

James Franklin doesn't deserve to be on any top 10 list imo.
 
Shanemansj13 said:
Gotta move down Dabo. He is still adjusting from Venables. I would move Kirby above him without a doubt. Saban and Kirby are 1 and 2 and then there is a big gap imo.

The next tier could be a bunch of names: Whittingham, Day, Kelly, Harbaugh, Riley and Swinney.
Swinney has the history but not the recent track record.
Day trying to get over that hump for a national title and I think he proved himself against Georgia.
Kelly can turn around LSU, win his 1st NC and be one of the best. Already made a step with LSU.
Whittingham has been very consistent with what he has been handed. Definitely one of the best, if not the best of that 2nd tier.
Riley has the track record but kinda in that same boat as Day. Gotta get over that hump.

James Franklin doesn't deserve to be on any top 10 list imo.
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There’s just not a lot of good candidates this year. Fitzgerald has taken a step back, Mike Leach died, Lane Kiffin lost 5 games, Dykes has to do it more than once and not lose by 58, Gundy’s stock too a hit after the second half collapse, Huepel has to do it more than once and not get ran off the field by SCar, etc.

That Kansas coach might land on next year’s list if he keeps the upward trend going and not take a step back like Sam Pittman did.
 
Wild Turkey said:
My list is right now at this moment and not taking into consideration careers:

1. Kirby - No one else has been able to do what he has done at UGA
2. Saban
3. Kyle Whittingham - The dude just wins and beats you with lesser talent
4. Ryan Day - No denying his win/Loss record
5. Brian Kelly - I hate listing him this high but LSU was not supposed to be close to what they pulled off
6. Luke Fickell - What he did at Cincinnati was impressive
7. Jim Harbaugh - He would be higher but that TCU game was the worst coached game I saw in the bowl season
8. Dabo Swinney - He has fallen and he has a shot to climb back up but I wonder if NIL and the porter are beyond his ability to master
9. Lincoln Riley - Losing to Tulane with Caleb Williams at QB hurt his ranking
10. Mark Stoops - Done an incredible job at KY and the year they lost all their QBS and still went to a bowl might be the single greatest season of coaching we have seen in the modern era
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I thought OU squeaked out a win in that game? Wasn't that with Rattler at QB and before Williams became the starter? But I'm old.
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
There’s just not a lot of good candidates this year. Fitzgerald has taken a step back, Mike Leach died, Lane Kiffin lost 5 games, Dykes has to do it more than once and not lose by 58, Gundy’s stock too a hit after the second half collapse, Huepel has to do it more than once and not get ran off the field by SCar, etc.

That Kansas coach might land on next year’s list if he keeps the upward trend going and not take a step back like Sam Pittman did.
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I'm probably in the minority but I think the list has to be divided to allow for guys at places that are not able to attract many (if any) 4*/5* guys. Let's be real, it is a lot easier to recruit to Bama than Kentucky. While not even close to Saban, Mark Stoops coaching ability may look closer to Saban's if he had been at LSU or Florida.

Urban is a good example. Who believes he would have won a natty had he stayed at Utah?
 
Deep Creek said:
I'm probably in the minority but I think the list has to be divided to allow for guys at places that are not able to attract many (if any) 4*/5* guys. Let's be real, it is a lot easier to recruit to Bama than Kentucky. While not even close to Saban, Mark Stoops coaching ability may look closer to Saban's if he had been at LSU or Florida.

Urban is a good example. Who believes he would have won a natty had he stayed at Utah?
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My thing about that is, the successful coaches at mid to lower tier P5 schools will get the opportunity to coach at a bigger job if they want it, and when they get there, many of em find they can’t hack it. Dan Mullen was a fine coach at Mississippi State, he crashed and burned at Florida. The problem with coaches like that are they’re not used to recruiting at an elite level and they’re gonna get beat by experience. It’s why if I’m a top tier school looking for a new HC, I’d rather hire a coordinator from another big time program than a G5 or lower level P5 HC since they’re at least gonna have the recruiting down pat.

Mark Stoops has done a fine job at Kentucky, but has he ever really beaten a team with more talent? Whittimham and Klieman make the list because they have beaten more talented teams on numerous occasions
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
My thing about that is, the successful coaches at mid to lower tier P5 schools will get the opportunity to coach at a bigger job if they want it, and when they get there, many of em find they can’t hack it. Dan Mullen was a fine coach at Mississippi State, he crashed and burned at Florida. The problem with coaches like that are they’re not used to recruiting at an elite level and they’re gonna get beat by experience. It’s why if I’m a top tier school looking for a new HC, I’d rather hire a coordinator from another big time program than a G5 or lower level P5 HC since they’re at least gonna have the recruiting down pat.

Mark Stoops has done a fine job at Kentucky, but has he ever really beaten a team with more talent? Whittimham and Klieman make the list because they have beaten more talented teams on numerous occasions
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Every win in the SEC that Stoops has is against more talent in most respects. Even if he hasn't the fact that he has KY playing with better talent than some SEC teams is a testament to the job he has done.

I'm probably by myself but I think it's pretty incredible what he has done at KY that was a bottom-feeder and become the winningest coach in KY history. They are going to name the field after him by the time he is done. He is becoming the Bill Synder of the SEC.
 
Wild Turkey said:
Every win in the SEC that Stoops has is against more talent in most respects. Even if he hasn't the fact that he has KY playing with better talent than some SEC teams is a testament to the job he has done.

I'm probably by myself but I think it's pretty incredible what he has done at KY that was a bottom-feeder and become the winningest coach in KY history. They are going to name the field after him by the time he is done. He is becoming the Bill Synder of the SEC.
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He’s done a fine job, but Kentucky isn’t in a terrible place geographically being close to Ohio and PA. The fact that he’s still at Kentucky holds him back on a list like this too. James Franklin got Vandy competitive and he jumped to a better job at the first chance, and it’s not the same as a guy like Whittingham who is winning his conference and has came within a CCG of making the playoffs before.
 
I mean DeBoer took a 4-8 team with mostly the same players outside of Penix and finished 11-2 and the highest ranked Pac team at the end of the season. He did that with a lot of 3/4 * kids.

Sure, there's a reason they made Grubb one of the highest paid OC's in the country, but DeBoer really surprised a lot of us.
 
Wizardhawk said:
I mean DeBoer took a 4-8 team with mostly the same players outside of Penix and finished 11-2 and the highest ranked Pac team at the end of the season. He did that with a lot of 3/4 * kids.

Sure, there's a reason they made Grubb one of the highest paid OC's in the country, but DeBoer really surprised a lot of us.
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Sonny Dykes didn’t even make the list. Gotta do it more than once
 
Shocked that OP has Ryan Day on his list
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
My thing about that is, the successful coaches at mid to lower tier P5 schools will get the opportunity to coach at a bigger job if they want it, and when they get there, many of em find they can’t hack it. Dan Mullen was a fine coach at Mississippi State, he crashed and burned at Florida. The problem with coaches like that are they’re not used to recruiting at an elite level and they’re gonna get beat by experience. It’s why if I’m a top tier school looking for a new HC, I’d rather hire a coordinator from another big time program than a G5 or lower level P5 HC since they’re at least gonna have the recruiting down pat.

Mark Stoops has done a fine job at Kentucky, but has he ever really beaten a team with more talent? Whittimham and Klieman make the list because they have beaten more talented teams on numerous occasions
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Still a lot easier to win with a roster bountiful in NFL talent than one with a player or two that makes it to the NFL.
 
Deep Creek said:
Still a lot easier to win with a roster bountiful in NFL talent than one with a player or two that makes it to the NFL.
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Recruiting is a big part of a coach’s job. Whittingham was pretty high on my list because Utah consistently outperforms their talent level, but at the end of the day, winning is the biggest thing and those who win more rank higher. Even Saban had to cut his teeth in the MAC. Earn an opportunity and make the most of it
 
Illustrious Potentate said:
Recruiting is a big part of a coach’s job. Whittingham was pretty high on my list because Utah consistently outperforms their talent level, but at the end of the day, winning is the biggest thing and those who win more rank higher. Even Saban had to cut his teeth in the MAC. Earn an opportunity and make the most of it
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Recruiting IS a big part of a college coaching. But don’t you think it is a lot easier to recruit to Ohio State than to Oregon State?

Where’d Kirby cut his teeth?
 
Deep Creek said:
Recruiting IS a big part of a college coaching. But don’t you think it is a lot easier to recruit to Ohio State than to Oregon State?

Where’d Kirby cut his teeth?
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First coaching job was at Valdosta State.

But the coaches at Oregon State and the like need to perform consistently at a Utah level to get Whittingham consideration
 
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