Rakes Report #262: The Best Coaches in College Football, Ranked - 2025 Edition
Where does Marcus Freeman fall among the elite of the sport?
~optional musical accompaniment~
We’ll be making the arbitrary transition from the wilds of pure offseason to the 2025 Football Preseason soon but before we formally begin shoveling coal into the Eli Raridon/Malachi Fields hype train I wanted to attempt an aggressively offseason exercise.
It’s tricky to compare lists with others partaking in the same exercise because everyone is considering something different (and with the laziest of these, you don’t actually know what the ranker is basing things on). What criteria am I using here? I’m looking at overall head coaching resume with a weight toward the last few years and some inclusion of which direction trend lines seem to be pointing. I’m not leaning too much on projections because that gets you in trouble — can always move them up or down the next time we do this — but am looking at win totals for the 2025 season and imagining how we’d feel if the coach goes just over or under.
For tiebreaking, I am giving precedence to guys who have done it at multiple stops and with whom you’d feel confident dropping into a random situation and having them succeed. In our current NIL era, I think personal recruiting chops are less important than they would have been five years ago, so less consideration for that. Bonus points for team chemistry and organization, success at programs that are not historically great and engineering quick turnarounds. Major demerits if there’s a chance you’ll be removed at the end of (or during) the 2025 season if it goes poorly.
I am happy with the Top 11 but after that you could make cases for a wide swath of coaches to be ranked in the teens, including many who aren’t even in the Top 25. A warning before you begin it’s quite long so set aside until you have the time or plan some rest for your eyes.
Let’s do this.
Some guys worth mentioning in no particular order:
Bill Belichick, North Carolina - He was nowhere near making the list but it’s pretty wild the guy with the most Super Bowl wins is now coaching in the ACC! Thankfully everything about his tenure has been super normal thus far.
Manny Diaz, Duke - Did okay at Miami and far exceeded expectations in his first season in Durham, winning nine games in a fall where the Blue Devils weren’t expected to even make a bowl.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky - Seems like things are going in the wrong direction but sustained respectability in Lexington is nothing to sneeze at. The “Almost getting the A&M job” sliding doors moment is fascinating.
Kalani Sitake, BYU - Was on the hot seat but bounced back with an 11-win campaign in the Cougars’ second season in the Big 12. Going from an independent to participating in a very winnable league should be good for his long-term prospects.
Jon Sumrall, Tulane - 32-9 overall, including two conference titles in his two years at Troy and a berth in the American title game in his first season with the Green Wave. Short resume but a whole lot to like.
Shane Beamer, South Carolina - Down at the edge of the Top 10 we’re going to talk about an SEC coach who has his team near its historical peak. The Gamecocks have finished as an AP Top 25 team two of the last three seasons (12th in F+ last year!) and if they can deliver on the promise and expectations of this fall (7.5 win total) that’ll be a real nice run.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State - The Cowboys have played for the conference title two of the last four years (with a Fiesta Bowl victory, unfortunately) and the overall resume is lengthy but he seems cooked. Should probably be on the list but 3-9 with an 0-9 in conference play/having to restructure your contract to not be fired - tough.
Sherrone Moore, Michigan - Was basically a co-head coach for a shady and fraudulent national title team and after a disastrous start to his first campaign he closed out with wins over Ohio State and Alabama. Maybe a red flag when you’re an offensive coach and your offense was 76th in F+ but we’ll see how things go after he’s done with his two-game suspension (a very legit program).
Deion Sanders, Colorado - The Buffaloes were terrible when Coach Prime took over (126th in F+ — that’s out of 131 teams — in the 2022 season) and he had them respectable (35th in 2024) in two years. How things are going to go without the Heisman winner and Shadeur is anyone’s guess (preseason win total 6.5 but this is the Big 12 so there are growth opportunities).
Mike Norvell, Florida State - I have no idea how you balance the Seminoles winning 13 games in 2023 and then winning just two the following season. Firmly on hot seat and relying on Thomas Castellanos. Worth noting he won 10 games in 2022 and went 12-1 in his final season at Memphis but 2024 including a single FBS win by five points over the Golden Bears does a lot of damage.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska - This is more for the work at Temple and Baylor than anything in Lincoln but it seems like things are pointed in the right direction there? Not really applicable to this but considering what a mess the Panthers franchise has been, his performance there doesn’t seem that bad.
Willie Fritz, Houston - Has won conference titles at Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern and Tulane, so crushes on the “Drop him in anywhere and he’ll be respectable” test. Only 4-8 in his first season with the Cougars but that included a win at TCU and a victory over a Top 20 Kansas State team. Would kind of like to have him inside the Top 25 but lack of success at power schools hinders him here.
Dave Doeren, NC State - Strong run of successful seasons but dipped to 6-7 last year and it feels like things are kind of played out. Two for two on MAC titles at Northern Illinois before moving onto the Wolfpack.
Mike Elko, Texas A&M - Maybe a little simple to say “He might be on the actual list if they didn’t lose the game at Auburn” but honestly he might be on the list if they didn’t lose the game at Auburn? Good work at Duke, good year one in College Station until a disappointing close.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa - Should probably be higher based on consistency but I can’t abide letting an offense be that bad year after year after year after year. No longer gets to feast on the Big Ten West and has a pretty nasty schedule this fall. Maybe has a real quarterback?
Sonny Dykes, TCU - Took the Horned Frogs to the national title game in his first season there but outside of that his work at TCU and SMU is quite good but unremarkable. Could easily bump him up into the Top 25.
The Top 25
25) Mario Cristobal, Miami
Has put up quality win totals at schools with plenty of resources but managed to miss four-team playoffs with Justin Herbert and a 12-team playoff with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. Has never won a big enough game (at Ohio State in 2021 is commendable, but wasted that by being blown out by Utah twice in three weeks) to make up for the fact you know he will cost you at least one loss per season by doing something extremely stupid. Putting him here for the idea that being ranked 25th exactly in a 25-person list is the best way to be disrespectful.
24) Eli Drinkiwitz, Missouri
Was a slow start but now at 21 wins over the last two seasons. There’s been some close-game luck and schedule blessings but a gaudy total to put up in the SEC that includes a Cotton Bowl over Ohio State. Bonus points for 12-1 in his lone season at Appalachian State. If you’re not comfortable with this, pretend it’s Doeren, Dykes, Ferentz, Fritz or Gundy.
23) Lance Leipold, Kansas
22) Chris Klieman, Kansas State
The Sunflower State has some dang good ball coaches. Klieman won the 2022 Big 12 title and Leipold got Kansas back to respectability after years in a place that existed somewhere beyond the wilderness. Both had incredible success before arriving at their current spots (Klieman was 69-6 with four national titles in five years at North Dakota State; Leipold was 109-6 with six national titles in eight years at Wisconsin-Whitewater and got Buffalo to two MAC title games).
21) Jeff Monken, Army
In Army's first season in a conference, Monken went 12-2 and won the American, the only losses coming to national title runner-up Notre Dame and a rivalry upset to Navy. There was a bit of a lull in 2022 and 2023 with 6-6 efforts but he’s had the Black Knights approaching or hitting double-digit wins more often than not. Won two conference titles at Georgia Southern before moving north.
20) Matt Campbell, Iowa State
The highs have never even reached winning a Big 12 title despite the openings with that league but to win and win and win at a program like Iowa State is worth something. How his style would translate to a bigger school with more pressure is an open question but this placement seems reasonable even if he’s not as flashy a product as when coming off the 2020 Fiesta Bowl win. Also did well at Toledo before arriving in Ames.
19) Lincoln Riley, USC
The bullish case for Riley: He had three playoff appearances in his first three years at Oklahoma and was on the verge of one his first season at Southern Cal before Caleb Williams was dinged up against Utah and the Trojans were upset in the Pac-12 title game. The bear case comes when you weigh what he’s done lately, which is go 15-13 in his last 28 games, and choose to give credit to Bob Stoops for the early success in Norman. D’Anton Lynn is a good defensive coordinator hire but their preseason win total is only 7.5, meaning they can go a win and a half over expectations and Riley would still likely have no playoff appearances in four seasons.
18) Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
17) Spencer Danielson, Boise State
16) Rhett Lashlee, SMU
This is admittedly kneejerk and all three could fall back next season but let’s reward some really nice seasons and 2024 playoff appearances. What Dillingham accomplished at Arizona State is nothing short of a miracle considering where they were after the Herm Edwards debacle (their preseason odds to win the Big 12 last year were 100-1). Danielson seems to be in a tough spot after losing Ashton Jeanty and some key transfers but they’re still the favorite for the G5 playoff spot. Lashlee almost won an ACC title in the Ponies’ first year in the league and has put up consecutive 11-win seasons, including an American championship in 2023. You could make a case the Mustangs’ coach should be even higher and I wouldn’t fight you.
15) Curt Cignetti, Indiana
14) Bret Bielema, Illinois
Our Big Ten boys. Cignetti guided Indiana to its best season in school history, which is pretty good for one year on the job. (Demerits for his cowardly approach in the first round against the Irish.) Won conference titles at IUP and James Madison, and helped the Dukes make the transition to the FBS (11-1 in his final season there).
Bielema has found his footing in Champaign, winning 10 games last season, the first time the Illini had hit that mark since 2001. They bring a ton of talent back and have some mild preseason expectations, which says a lot. The Arkansas stint was unremarkable but three Big Ten titles while coaching in Madison. This is probably as high as you could put Bielema but I don’t hate how his placement ended up.
Fun fact: These two coaches play their Big Ten opener against one another in Week 4 in a potentially huge tier-defining game for the Big Ten.
13) Jeff Brohm, Louisville
I know it was the Big Ten West but Brohm won a division title at Purdue, which seems like it should count toward sainthood. Also has some wins over Top 5 teams, made the ACC title game in his first year at Louisville and was respectable in the second, losing a trio of close games to playoff/almost-playoff teams (in addition to a deplorable defeat in Palo Alto) to finish 10-4. There are concerns how he’s going to handle raised expectations (losing to Pitt immediately after beating Notre Dame and then losing three straight to finish the season after reaching the Top 10 in 2023) and this is maybe a tick high but I want to stress he won a division title at Purdue. Has been relying heavily on the transfer portal so potential for a season to come up snake eyes (see: 2024 Florida State) but win total for this fall is 8.5.
12) Kyle Whittingham, Utah
It’s been disappointing the last two seasons (mainly due to quarterback issues) and a potential retirement looms (a coach-in-waiting has been named) but I respect what Whittingham has done for two decades with the Utes. Ignoring the five-game pandemic season, he had a stretch from 2019-2022 where they won two conference titles and were a loss to Justin Herbert in the Pac-12 title game away from the playoff. This is probably too high considering they didn’t even make a bowl last season but there are holes on the resumes of everyone behind him.
(Insert tier gap here.)
11) Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
10) Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Ole Miss had two double-digit win seasons this century before Lane’s arrival and he’s put that up in three of the last four years. Considering what they invested in the 2024 roster it was embarrassing to miss the 12-team playoff but he’s got things at or near a historical peak in Oxford and also won conference titles in two of his three years at Florida Atlantic.
Heupel took over a Volunteers program that had bottomed out under Jeremy Pruitt and almost immediately got them back on track, with top ten finishes two of the last three years and a playoff appearance. Did solid work at Central Florida as well. Maybe the SEC will catch up to his offense but so far so good.
(Another little tier gap here.)
9) Brian Kelly, LSU
8) James Franklin, Penn State
A fan favorite section where you could swap the order. The first three years at LSU were adequate, but I imagine the Bayou Bengals were expecting a little more when they threw nine figures at him following the 2021 season. Kelly scores quite well on both career resume and the metric of “How well do you think he’d do if dropped into a random program?” The Tigers almost certainly need a playoff appearance this season to keep the faithful happy and there’s a chance they’re on life support by October with two of their first five games being at Clemson and at Ole Miss, with a visit from the Gators wedged in there as well. If they can’t put a special season together with potential high first-round pick Garrett Nussmeier after not even making a New Year’s Six bowl with Jayden Daniels and elite NFL talent at wide receiver and tackle, welp.
Franklin could be higher but it’s impossible to separate on-field resume from the fact he’s James Franklin. Good recruiting and smart coordinator hires but the big-game record and general sense he’s going to let you down linger, however that’s a situation where as soon as he does win one or two it’ll reframe his accomplishments in a more positive light. Bonus points for winning while at Vanderbilt (against a diminished SEC East, but still, it’s Vanderbilt). The Nittany Lion schedule is not arduous this year so we’ll likely get a chance to see him in the playoffs again.
7) Dan Lanning, Oregon
Lanning is 35-6 as a head coach and put up a 13-0 Big Ten title winning season in 2024. He’s a young guy the media loves and he’s got Uncle Phil’s money flowing into quite the roster but should there be some Big Game discussions? The Ducks were a two-score favorite in the 2023 Pac-12 title game and Kalen DeBoer’s Huskies were up 20-3 late in the first half. Ohio State was obviously very good last season but 34-0 to start the Rose Bowl is a tough look. The Ducks have a very forgiving Big Ten schedule this fall outside of a trip to Happy Valley so he should have another shot at a playoff run and moving up the list.
6) Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
It’s tricky to rank Freeman because we know so much more about him than any of the other coaches but between 14 wins in 2024 and trendlines pointing up all over the place, I’m comfortable putting him over some more experienced contenders. His in-game decision making is so much better, he’s got a university that can be quite creaky and old fashioned now fully committed to an evolving sport, and his coaching staff hires (with one offensive coordinator exception and assuming good things from Chris Ash) have been sturdy. A massive first two games of the season and quarterback decision coming up for him but you can’t justify placing him much lower considering 24-5 last two seasons.
5) Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Two straight final fours, and you can say “Well, that’s what you’re supposed to do at Texas” but there was over a decade before Sarkisian’s arrival where that wasn’t remotely true. (The Longhorns also have one title since Nixon resigned, to go even more macro.) Did he misplay the handling of Quinn Ewers vs. Arch Manning last season? Perhaps, but they were driving to tie against the Buckeyes late in the fourth quarter of the semifinal and that’s better than the Volunteers, Ducks or Irish managed. Elite playcaller who seems to have wrangled the Texas boosters in a productive fashion. Minor demerits for how things went at Washington and Southern Cal but it seems like those off-field issues are behind him.
4) Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Originally had DeBoer a couple spots lower — directly ahead of Lanning, who he went 2-0 against in two monster games in 2023 — because of the disappointing first year in Tuscaloosa but there’s a case here. I like that DeBoer has won in multiple places, going 67-3 (!) at NAIA Sioux Falls, achieving 9-3 in his lone full season at Fresno State and improving Washington from four wins to 11 in his first year there (then playing for the national title in year two after defeating Sarkisian in the Sugar Bowl semifinal).
Should DeBoer have benched Jalen Milroe and gone with someone more consistent and better for his system the first year with the Tide? Maybe, but I get trying to maximize your upside, even if it leads to the embarrassing result in Norman that kept them out of the playoff. Failure to play for the SEC title this fall will knock him down several spots and likely put him on the hot seat but the overall track record is strong.
3) Dabo Swinney, Clemson
There was a clear dip after Trevor Lawrence’s departure but between the ACC title/playoff bid/competitive effort in Austin last year and being one of two coaches on this list with multiple national titles I don’t think you can argue against this placement. The Garrett Riley hire seems like it’s starting to pay off, the Tigers return a ton and have a number of dudes projected as first-round picks in 2026. LSU comes to Death Valley in Week One in an incredible narrative game before a pretty tricky schedule as far as the ACC goes and a trip to South Carolina in the finale. If Little Ol’ Clemson doesn’t cash this season in and someone behind him wins their first title, the two rings will fade a little and this spot will be up for grabs.
2) Ryan Day, Ohio State
Obviously a weird guy but he’s 70-10 as a head coach, just won the national title with an incredible playoff run and would likely have another one if not for a one-point loss in the 2022 semifinals against Georgia. Ohio State’s operation might be foolproof with the resources available but when you cash it in like Day after the Michigan loss there isn’t much to dispute.
1) Kirby Smart, Georgia
Back-to-back national titles recently and he’s 97-14 overall after his eight-win debut in 2016. If we want to nitpick, they were overtime games against the Yellowjackets and Longhorns from missing a 12-team playoff a year after missing the four-team playoff and the disciplinary issues are starting to stack up. They dipped down to 7th in F+ in 2024 after finishing first, first and third in the previous three years. A light SEC schedule, relatively (Tennessee and Auburn the only true road games of note), this fall and no marquee non-conference opponent. An obvious number one but you’d have to say the trend line is pointing ever so slightly down.
Well, there it is. Where does this feel worst? Did you have a gut reaction to any in a negative way? Did you perhaps find yourself swayed in a positive fashion anywhere? The Whittingham-Brohm-Bielema-Cignetti stretch is dicey, and this is the lower end of where you could place Campbell, Riley and Cristobal but if they make the playoff this year I’ll eat the appropriate amount of crow and move them up. I am also low-end on Lanning but I’ll slide him up as needed if the Ducks cash in on being one of the preseason title favorites. Dillingham and Danielson might be hard-pressed to repeat last year’s successes, but let’s see them give it a go. If Kansas State notches another conference title, Klieman will leap into the Top 15.
My main question: Is there anyone outside of the Top Nine who you think has a compelling case for consideration in that group?
Thanks for reading. There should be a fresh podcast later this week so keep an eye on your feeds. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.