Kirk Herbstreit ranks top seven coaches from college football Week 11

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit is back at it with his list of the top performing coaches following a chaotic Week 11 of college football. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key and defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci lead off the list after the Yellow Jackets handed No. 4 Miami its first loss of the season.

However, they weren’t the only team to pull off a win against a top five team. Ole Miss also beat No. 3 Georgia, landing head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Pete Golding in the No. 2 spot on Herbstreit’s list.

Those were the two most obvious choices to make the list, but there were several other deserving candidates as well. The ACC, Big 12 and SEC each took up two spots in the rankings.

You can view the full list of Kirk Herbstreit’s top coaches from Week 11 of college football below.

1. HC Brent Key/DC Tyler Santucci, Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech held Miami to its lowest point total of the season in a 28-23 victory against the No. 4 Hurricanes. The defense recording three sacks and also forced a fumble from quarterback Cam Ward, a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Key is in his third season with the Yellow Jackets and now has them bowl eligible for the second straight year. He is 17-14 overall in his time with the program, but this could end up being his most successful season yet.

2. HC Lane Kiffin/DC Pete Golding, Ole Miss

Much like Georgia Tech, Ole Miss used its defense to roll to a 28-10 victory against Georgia on Saturday. The Bulldogs struck first to take an early 7-0 lead, but the Rebels would not give up a touchdown the rest of the way as they bottled up quarterback Carson Beck.

The Rebels have now won at least eight games in each of the past four seasons under Kiffin, including a program-record 11 victories in 2023. They still have a shot to earn an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff thanks to their performance Saturday.

3. HC Kalen DeBoer, OC Nick Sheridan, Alabama

The Crimson Tide offense came back to life in a 42-13 victory against LSU over the weekend. Quarterback Jalen Milroe appeared to regain his preseason form as he rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns in addition to throwing for 109.

The win puts Alabama in good position to close out the year as it has games against Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn remaining. All of those should be winnable to and keep them in the CFP conversation if they finish 10-2.

4. HC Deshaun Foster, UCLA

The Bruins started off 0-4 in Big Ten play this season, Foster’s first at the helm. However, with a 20-17 victory against Iowa this past week, they’ve now won three straight.

UCLA managed 414 total yards of offense against an unforgiving Hawkeyes defense as quarterback Ethan Garbers threw for a pair of touchdowns. It seems unbelievable given how they started the year, but the Bruins now have a chance to become bowl eligible with just two more wins.

5. HC Lance Leipold, Kansas

Much like UCLA, the Jayhawks have started to make strides in the past few weeks after an egregious start to the season. Kansas notched its first top 25 win of the season by a score of 45-36 against Iowa State, marking its second win in the past three games.

Running back Devin Neal had a big day as he became the school’s all-time leader in career rushing yards. He finished with 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win as the Jayhawks totaled 237 on the ground.

6. STC Kelly Poppinga, BYU

BYU escaped Utah by a score of 22-21 on a last-second field goal on Saturday to keep its undefeated season alive. It was one of three field goals on the day for kicker Will Ferrin, including two in the second half.

Additionally, Keelan Marion returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and the Cougars averaged 44.8 yards per punt. On a day where they needed all the help the could get, it was the special teams that came up big in multiple ways.

7. HC Bill O’Brien, Boston College

O’Brien rounds out Herbstreit’s list of the top college football coaches from Week 11. The Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday to earn a 37-31 victory against Syracuse.

Boston College ran the ball 51 times for a total of 313 yards and three touchdowns as Kye Robichaux and Jordan McDonald both surpassed the 100-yard mark. The Eagles are now just one more win away from reaching bowl eligibility with three games remaining.