2026 Coach Rankings Overview
The Sporting News has unveiled its 2026 college football coach rankings, a list that blends win‑loss records, program trajectory and historical impact into a single 1‑138 snapshot. At the summit sits Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, who guided the Hoosiers to an immaculate 16‑0 campaign in 2025, earning the top spot for the first time.
Close behind, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, the architect of two consecutive national‑title runs, slides to second place after a dominant but slightly less perfect season. Smart’s drop reflects the high bar set by his recent dominance and the committee’s emphasis on recent performance.
The rankings also spotlight a wave of movement among the top tier. Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables each climb into the top 25, while Oklahoma State’s Eric Morris rockets upward by more than 40 positions, underscoring the impact of a single breakout year.
Key Movers and Fallers
Among the biggest climbers, Eric Morris’s ascent stands out, but the list also celebrates steady climbers such as Kalani Sitake of BYU, whose consistent ten‑win seasons have elevated his profile, and Matt Campbell, now leading Penn State after a high‑profile move from Iowa State.
Conversely, several veteran coaches experience notable declines. North Carolina’s Bill Belichick and Boston College’s Bill O’Brien each tumble by over 30 spots, a shift that the rankings attribute to stagnant win totals and missed postseason opportunities.
The methodology, unchanged for more than a decade, weighs overall career record, current‑school success and a three‑year trend, while also factoring in program expectations and head‑to‑head comparisons. As the new season approaches, the list serves both as a retrospective of past achievement and a forward‑looking gauge of which coaches are poised to shape the next era of college football.
The top 25 also welcomes newcomers such as Bret Bielema, who has turned Illinois into a winning program with 19 victories over the past two seasons, and Manny Diaz, whose revitalized Miami squad is now ranked among the ACC’s elite. Meanwhile, Willie Fritz’s Houston team continues to punch above its weight, and Kirk Ferentz, at 70, remains the second‑oldest coach in the FBS, still delivering eight‑plus win seasons at Iowa.
Other notable names on the rise include Kalani Sitake, whose BYU teams have posted ten‑win seasons in four of the last six years, and James Franklin, who begins a new chapter at Virginia Tech after a storied tenure at Penn State. Sonny Dykes, fresh off back‑to‑back nine‑win campaigns at TCU, and Eli Drinkwitz, who steered Missouri to a strong but narrowly missed top‑ranked matchup, also feature prominently.
The list further highlights Josh Heupel’s fifth straight winning season at Tennessee, Lincoln Riley’s adjustment to the Big Ten with USC, Jeff Brohm’s consistent eight‑win streaks and quarterback development at Louisville, Rhett Lashlee’s rapid rise at SMU, Kyle Whittingham’s historic career victories now anchored at Michigan, Mike Elko’s upward trajectory after Texas A&M’s first CFP appearance, Dabo Swinney’s two national titles tempered by a 7‑6 season, Mario Cristobal’s ACC‑leading Miami run, Lane Kiffin’s transition to LSU, Steve Sarkisian’s Texas juggernaut, and Kalen DeBoer’s third straight top‑10 finish at Alabama.