Head Coach Rankings: Top 10 Coaches in College Football

The top 10 head coaches in college football were revealed ahead of the 2025 season, via On3’s JD PicKell.

There are a lot of familiar names on the list and perhaps the order will surprise you. PicKell revealed this list Wednesday now that the season is fully in the rearview mirror.

Let’s dive into PicKell’s top 10 coaches in college football.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia

Smart is the de facto No. 1 coach, not named Ryan Day of course. The Bulldogs’ coach has two national titles under his belt and won another SEC title this season.

Georgia was a little shorthanded due to injury against Notre Dame in this year’s quarterfinals. But with the way Smart has built his program, this could be your No. 1 team next season, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff.

2. Ryan Day, Ohio State

Day finally got over the hump and led Ohio State to a national title this season. If you don’t opt for Smart, this is the best coach in America.

Maybe the only thing holding Day back is the Michigan bugaboo. He’s lost four times in a row to the Wolverines but Ohio State did enough to get into the playoff this year to make a run. But make no mistake, he has to beat them and avoid a fifth straight loss next season.

3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas

Sarkisian worked wonders at Texas to return the program near the top of college football. He’s an excellent offensive coach and now has full use of Arch Manning in 2025.

Perhaps this QB is the answer to get them over the hump. Quinn Ewers was solid and Texas was a few plays away back to back years from getting to the title game. Also, the move to the SEC did not affect Texas negatively, a credit to Sarkisian.

4. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

DeBoer is still high up on PicKell’s coaching list despite a down year by Alabama standards. Then again, it was his first year. Missing the CFP wasn’t a great look, but DeBoer could excel in Year 2.

Getting back to the playoff is paramount and making sure the QB room is right is top priority. If DeBoer does that, as he did at Washington, Alabama is going to be a problem for the rest of the country.

5. Dan Lanning, Oregon

Lanning has only gotten better as a coach during his time at Oregon. They were the No. 1seed this year and undefeated before falling to Ohio State in a rematch.

Based on the trend, Oregon keeps taking a step forward, so naturally, the Ducks could very well win it all next year. They had a loaded roster in 2024, so will see if Lanning’s practices pay off in development, recruitment and the portal next year.

6. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

Freeman, if he wasn’t recognized as one already, is one of the top coaches in college football. The team went 14-2 this year, winning 13 games in a row before falling short in the national championship.

Freeman has a plan in place at Notre Dame and already exceeded expectations. But now, the expectation is to get back to the playoff each year and be able to make these types of runs since Notre Dame won’t be able to get a bye in the current format. However, Freeman has set a new standard and it’s going to be tough to beat.

7. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Swinney had a bit of a resurgence this year even if Clemson’s season wasn’t up to his standard. The Tigers got into the ACC title game, won it, and returned to the playoff.

They were competitive against Texas in the first round of the playoff on the road. But, they couldn’t advance. With one more year of Cade Klubnik at QB, perhaps Clemson can advance further and get into title contention.

8. Brian Kelly, LSU

Kelly’s been a really good coach throughout his entire career at Notre Dame and LSU. But make no mistake, LSU expects titles and Kelly has yet to get to the CFP with the Tigers.

But he could get there as long as he continues to win on the recruiting trail and nail specific transfers. Don’t sleep on Kelly keeping this LSU program afloat in the upper tier of the SEC.

9. James Franklin, Penn State

Franklin proved some doubters wrong this year, but Penn State still fell to Ohio State in the regular season and came up short vs. Notre Dame with a trip to the national championship on the line. Still, Franklin is a very consistent coach.

PicKell has him near the bottom of the top 10, but there are few guys better and most of them are elite coaches. Is Franklin elite? Maybe with Penn State running it back in 2025 he could be.

10. Josh Heupel, Tennessee

Heupel’s done a fabulous job at Tennessee since taking over and got the Vols to the playoff this year. Now it’s about taking it a step further and not taking a bad loss.

Tennessee was in the thick of things for an SEC title but came up short. QB Nico Iamaleava is back next season and if Heupel is as good of an offensive coach as advertised, he could be very dangerous next season.

These are the top 10 coaches as of now, going into the 2025 season. It’s a list that could certainly see change and some other names by the time we get to the fall.