Anyone who can make SC relevant is a great coach
But, for now, on to the top 10 coaches in college football RIGHT NOW. I used several criteria as a basis for this list, including winning percentage, national championships, recruiting, ability to win independent of institutional resources (facilities, budget, boosters, location, etc), and potential.
1. Nick Saban (Alabama)
Winning Percentage: 74.7%
National Championships: 4
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 1.8
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Sure, Nick Saban has won at LSU and Alabama, which are powerhouses, but he was also 34-24 at Michigan State, a good, but not elite program. Saban is probably better suited to take programs with existing resources and make them elite than build a program up.
Potential/Outlook: Saban has won 4 National Championships. As long as he keeps his current intensity level, the outlook is great.
2. Urban Meyer (Ohio State)
Winning Percentage: 84.2%
National Championships: 2
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 5 (b/w UF and OSU)
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Urban Meyer was 17-6 at Bowling Green and 22-2 at Utah, leading Utah to an undefeated season and BCS Bowl in 2004. Urban Meyer is one of the most innovative coaches and can probably win anywhere.
Potential/Outlook: As long as Meyer stays "healthy" and keeps his program disciplined, he is great. But, the end of his Florida career leaves a few concerns.
3. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
Winning Percentage: 73.4%
National Championships: 1
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 16.8
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Arguably the best. Steve Spurrier has made South Carolina into a consistent 10-12 game winner each year. Do I need to say anything else?
Potential/Outlook: Depends on how much longer Spurrier wants to keep coaching. He seems content at South Carolina/Augusta National and will probably keep South Carolina in SEC contention.
4. Gus Malzahn (Auburn)
Winning Percentage: He has only been a head coach at the college level for 2 seasons. I am not reporting this statistic because it is such limited representation at this point.
National Championships: 0 (1 potentially coming)
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: NA
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: It is hard to tell at this point, but he did lead Arkansas State to a 9-3 record in his only year head coaching. Auburn is a major program, but has to constantly deal with being in the same state as Alabama, making it a potentially difficult job recruiting. Malzahn has done well thus far.
Potential/Outlook: This is why Malzahn is so high on this list. I believe he is the most innovative coach in college football. He took a program that was 3-9 and has made it 12-1 in his first season. In addition, his schemes are some of the most simple, yet complex and effective in college football. Pulling amazing victories over Georgia and Alabama, if Malzahn stays at Auburn and keeps innovating, watch out. Couple these feats with his offensive coordination in 2010 when Auburn won the national championship and the future looks bright for Malzahn.
5. Jimbo Fisher (Florida State)
Winning Percentage: 81.5% (in 4 seasons)
National Championships:0 (1 potentially coming)
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 4.5 (in 4 seasons)
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Jimbo Fisher has only been a head coach at Florida State, a powerhouse program. Hard to say at this point.
Potential/Outlook: Florida State keeps growing under Fisher and has finally reached the National Championship after a dominating year. Fisher, formerly under Saban, has a similar demeanor as his former head coach.
6. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma)
Winning Percentage: 80.3%
National Championships:1
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 11
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Bob Stoops has only coached at a perennial powerhouse. He recruits well and seems to develop talent pretty well. I would guess he would be successful at most universities.
Potential/Outlook: Stability. Oklahoma is almost always good, even if they are overrated. An 80.3% winning percentage is unbelievable. If Stoops stays, I suspect he will consistently win 10-12 games per year.
7. Chris Petersen (Washington)
Winning Percentage: 88.5%
National Championships:0
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: Not Relevant
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Chris Petersen, before taking the job at Washington, made Boise St. into a national power. An 88.5% winning percentage is unbelievable, even with a weaker schedule. In addition, while at Boise St., he led the Broncos to victories over major programs, such as Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, and Georgia.
Potential/Outlook: It will be interesting to see what Petersen does with a tougher schedule at Washington. I'm guessing he'll do pretty well.
8. David Shaw (Stanford)
Winning Percentage: As with Malzahn, Shaw has only been a head coach for a limited period (3 years)
National Championships:0
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: Not relevant
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Even though Stanford is known more as an academic school, the athletic institution is top-notch across the board. Shaw has sustained and built upon Harbaugh's success.
Potential/Outlook: Sure, Jim Harbaugh revitalized Stanford and turned them into a national power again, but Shaw has sustained success at Stanford over the past 3 seasons, leading the Cardinal to 3 straight BCS bowls. As long as Shaw stays, Stanford should remain nationally relevant.
9. Les Miles (LSU)
Winning Percentage: 73.1%
National Championships:1
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 8
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Les Miles was solid at Oklahoma St. prior to LSU, with a record of 28-21. There's no doubt he has done better at LSU, a program with better access to talent, but the schedule is also harder than Oklahoma St.
Potential/Outlook: People criticize and laugh at Les Miles a lot but since 2005, LSU has won more than 10 games 6 times. LSU will always be relevant under Miles.
10. Mark Richt (Georgia)
Winning Percentage: 74.1%
National Championships:0
Average ESPN Recruiting Ranking over Past 5 years: 7.8
Ability to win independent of institutional resources: Mark Richt has only coached at Georgia and probably represents the most polarizing coach on this list. Georgia has always recruited well due to its location and draw of Athens, but Richt has kept Georgia as a program which produces elite NFL talent.
Potential/Outlook: Richt is going to keep Georgia's program in line overall and will probably average winning 10 games each year. It is hard to find many coaches that will average that many wins per season. But, it is surprising that a program which consistently recruits such elite talent has yet to win a national title. Entering this NFL season, the 5 programs with the most active players on NFL rosters were USC, Miami, Texas, LSU, and UGA. Guess which is the only one not to win a national title since 2000?
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