Ranking the top 10 coaches in college football under 45 years old
You’ve heard of Forbes’ 30 under 30, now get ready for the top 10 college football coaches under 45. CBS Sports has been compiling a list of the sport’s most talented young coaches for the past few years, with names such as Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin making the cut.
With both coaches now 46, they are ineligible for this year’s list, but there are plenty of talented coaches waiting to take their spot. Below is the full list of names heading into 2022, compiled by CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd.
Top 10 college football coaches under 45
10. Eli Drinkwitz (39), Missouri
After coaching Appalachian State to a 12-1 record in 2019, Drinkwitz took over as the Tigers coach. Since then, he has compiled an 11-12 overall record that includes 8-10 in SEC games. His biggest wins to date have come against LSU and Florida, and he is also one of only four coaches on this list to deliver a 12-win season.
9. Mike Norvell (40), Florida State
Norvell has struggled in his first two seasons with the Seminoles, having failed to produce a winning season thus far. He added several key transfer players this offseason including defensive end Jared Verse and running back Trey Benson as he aims to take FSU back to a bowl game.
8. Neal Brown (42), West Virginia
Brown has failed to deliver a big season yet with the Mountaineers, as his record sits at a mediocre 17-18 across three years. However, WVU has finished among the top half of defenses in the Big 12 the past two seasons and beaten at least one ranked opponent in all three years.
7. Jason Candle (42), Toledo
Despite being a candidate for several bigger jobs over the years, Candle hasn’t let his loyalty to Toledo waver. He has now spent 14 total years with the Rockets, including the past seven as head coach. In that time, he has amassed a 45-27 overall record while also securing a MAC Conference championship in 2017.
6. PJ Fleck (41), Minnesota
After taking Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl in 2016, Fleck took over a Golden Gophers program with little history of success. He has since turned them around, helping the team to a pair of top two finishes in the Big Ten West over the past five seasons. Since 1905, Minnesota has produced only four nine-win seasons, and three of them have come under Fleck.
5. Josh Heupel (43), Tennessee
Heupel has only coached one season in Knoxville, but the promise is evident. The Volunteers offense finished third overall in the SEC behind only Alabama and Ole Miss, as they ended the season with a 7-6 record. Now with a full year to recruit and implement his system, Heupel has even bigger goals in mind for his second season.
4. Bill Napier (42), Florida
A Nick Saban protégé, Napier will soon be coaching against his former mentor. Florida hired him this offseason after four years at Louisiana, where directed the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 33-5 record. A two-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2019, 2021), he is now tasked with turning the Gators around.
3. Matt Campbell (42), Iowa State
Set to enter his seventh season in Ames, Campbell has turned the Cyclones into a consistently good football team, which is quite the feat. He is the first Iowa State coach since 1978 to achieve three eight-win seasons, and it only seems a matter of time before he decides to take a bigger job.
2. Ryan Day (43), Ohio State
Day went undefeated in the Big Ten through his first two seasons and led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff both years. 2021 was a bit of a “setback” for the third-year coach, as he only won the Rose Bowl. Expect him to once again have Ohio State among the best teams in the country for the 2022 season.
1. Lincoln Riley (38), USC
The youngest coach on the list, Riley is also the best. In five years at Oklahoma, he led the Sooners to four Big 12 championship victories and three appearances in the College Football Playoff. Now, he is set to enter his first season at a USC program that is in need of some serious rebuilding.