When I was young and watching college football, there were coaching legends on the sidelines that you knew by first name alone, Bo, Woody, Joe, Ara, Bear, Darryl, and you knew exactly who that was and the school they represented. Out on the west coast John McKay ruled.
Then along came Tom Osborne, Bobby Bowden, Lou Holtz, Barry Switzer, Vince Dooley, Lavell Edwards and then John Robinson, Phillip Fulmer and Mack Brown. This past year two more long-time coaches hung it up in Steve Spurrier and Frank Beamer.
Who do you consider to be college football’s coaching giants coaching today? I’ll call this group A+
A+ - Nick Saban and Urban Meyer
Nick Saban, obviously, with five national championships, and Urban Meyer next with three national championships. I think those two are in a class by themselves.
Who do you consider to be the group of college football coaches today just below who you consider to be college football coaching giants?
In the next group for me, not at the level of Saban and Meyer. I’ll call it A.
A – Bob Stoops, Jimbo Fisher, Jim Harbaugh, Dabo Swinney, David Shaw and Marc Dantonio.
Stoops from Oklahoma, one national championship and Oklahoma’s a perennial national power and Fisher, also has one national championship and FSU is also a perennial power. I think particularly Shaw and Dantonio consistently do more with less than most other coaches, getting more out of their players than some other coaches might and with consistent results.
The B group I don’t quite consider them consistently on par with the A group.
B – Bill Snyder, Les Miles, Brian Kelly, Marc Richt, Bret Bielema, Kirk Ferentz, and Pat Fitzgerald.
Who do you think are the best young head coaches in college football? By young, I consider in their 40s. I would consider David Shaw, Dabo Swinney and Tom Herman in that group.
Y – David Shaw, Dabo Swinney, and Tom Herman.
To help I’ve listed alphabetically some of the better known coaches, their age and years as a head coach.
Bret Bielema 45/10
Marc Dantonio 59/12
Kirk Ferentz 60/20
Jimbo Fisher 50/6
Pat Fitzgerald 41/10
James Franklin 44/5
Mike Gundy 48/11
Jim Harbaugh 52/9
Marc Helfrich 42/3
Tom Herman 40/1
Paul Johnson 58/19
Butch Jones 47/9
Brian Kelly 54/26
Bronco Mendenhall 49/11
Urban Meyer 51/14
Les Miles 62/15
Gary Patterson 55/15
Chris Petersen 51/10
Bobby Petrino 54/11
Gary Pinkel 63/25
Marc Richt 55/15
Nick Saban 64/20
David Shaw 43/5
Bill Snyder 76/24
Bob Stoops 55/17
Charlie Strong 55/6
Dabo Swinney 46/8
Tommy Tuberville 61/20
Kyle Whittingham 56/11
Then along came Tom Osborne, Bobby Bowden, Lou Holtz, Barry Switzer, Vince Dooley, Lavell Edwards and then John Robinson, Phillip Fulmer and Mack Brown. This past year two more long-time coaches hung it up in Steve Spurrier and Frank Beamer.
Who do you consider to be college football’s coaching giants coaching today? I’ll call this group A+
A+ - Nick Saban and Urban Meyer
Nick Saban, obviously, with five national championships, and Urban Meyer next with three national championships. I think those two are in a class by themselves.
Who do you consider to be the group of college football coaches today just below who you consider to be college football coaching giants?
In the next group for me, not at the level of Saban and Meyer. I’ll call it A.
A – Bob Stoops, Jimbo Fisher, Jim Harbaugh, Dabo Swinney, David Shaw and Marc Dantonio.
Stoops from Oklahoma, one national championship and Oklahoma’s a perennial national power and Fisher, also has one national championship and FSU is also a perennial power. I think particularly Shaw and Dantonio consistently do more with less than most other coaches, getting more out of their players than some other coaches might and with consistent results.
The B group I don’t quite consider them consistently on par with the A group.
B – Bill Snyder, Les Miles, Brian Kelly, Marc Richt, Bret Bielema, Kirk Ferentz, and Pat Fitzgerald.
Who do you think are the best young head coaches in college football? By young, I consider in their 40s. I would consider David Shaw, Dabo Swinney and Tom Herman in that group.
Y – David Shaw, Dabo Swinney, and Tom Herman.
To help I’ve listed alphabetically some of the better known coaches, their age and years as a head coach.
Bret Bielema 45/10
Marc Dantonio 59/12
Kirk Ferentz 60/20
Jimbo Fisher 50/6
Pat Fitzgerald 41/10
James Franklin 44/5
Mike Gundy 48/11
Jim Harbaugh 52/9
Marc Helfrich 42/3
Tom Herman 40/1
Paul Johnson 58/19
Butch Jones 47/9
Brian Kelly 54/26
Bronco Mendenhall 49/11
Urban Meyer 51/14
Les Miles 62/15
Gary Patterson 55/15
Chris Petersen 51/10
Bobby Petrino 54/11
Gary Pinkel 63/25
Marc Richt 55/15
Nick Saban 64/20
David Shaw 43/5
Bill Snyder 76/24
Bob Stoops 55/17
Charlie Strong 55/6
Dabo Swinney 46/8
Tommy Tuberville 61/20
Kyle Whittingham 56/11
