Ranking the head coaches Purdue will face in 2023

Purdue’s 2023 football schedule ranks among the nation’s most difficult. The Boilermakers take on 11 Power Five programs, and they’ll take on some of the nation’s most proven head coaches this fall. Today, GoldandBlack.com ranks the men who will lead their teams on the field against Purdue.

12. DAVID BRAUN, NORTHWESTERN

Perhaps no coach in America enters the fall with a more challenging task ahead of him than David Braun. Thrust into the head coaching role following Pat Fitzgerald’s high-profile firing, Braun inherits a roster that lost its final 11 games last season. The Northwestern locker room seems divided at best, as coaches and players expressed their support of Fitzgerald during recent practices.

Braun came to Evanston in January following a four-year run as the defensive coordinator for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. He climbed the coaching ladder in the FCS ranks, as Northwestern is the first FBS program on his resume. In all likelihood, Braun will run the show in 2023 while university administration begins its coaching search for a full-time head man.

11. BRENT PRY, VIRGINIA TECH

Virginia Tech stood as one of college football’s most consistent programs for decades under legendary head coach Frank Beamer. Those days ended, however, as the Hokie program fell on hard times during the tenure of Justin Fuente, and now Brent Pry hopes to restore the Virginia Tech program to its former glory.

Year one for Pry didn’t go as he hoped. The Hokies limped to a 3-8 record, including an embarrassing loss to in-state opponent Old Dominion. While an overnight flip didn’t seem likely, few pegged the Hokies as a three-win team entering 2022.

Pry’s acumen as a defensive coordinator earned him the opportunity to rebuild the Virginia Tech program, but he’ll need to show progress in 2023 to convince the maroon and orange faithful that he’s the man in Blacksburg.

10. TOM ALLEN, INDIANA

When Indiana extended Tom Allen following the program’s breakthrough 2020 season, it seemed like a no-brainer. The Hoosiers played in their second-straight January bowl game and entered the 2021 season as a consensus top 25 team. Since then, however, the direction of the Indiana program has taken a nosedive.

With just six wins over the past two years and only two coming in Big Ten play, Allen enters this fall with question marks surrounding his future. Though it’s unclear whether the Indiana athletic department would eat his gigantic buyout, this fall represents a critical year for the Hoosiers. Allen’s close-knit relationship with his players is well-documented, but Indiana needs him to get the squad back in bowl game conversations.

9. DINO BABERS, SYRACUSE

After a pair of successful years at Bowling Green, Dino Babers took the Syracuse job at a time where it needed a revival. The move to the ACC asked the Orange to raise their level of play, and Babers has delivered mixed results.

With just two bowl appearances in seven seasons at Syracuse, Babers enters 2023 on the proverbial hot seat. Yes, the Orange won 10 games in 2018 and reached the top 15 of the AP Poll last season, but a five-game losing streak down the stretch of last season soured the mood inside the JMA Wireless Dome.

This job stands as one of the Power Five’s most challenging. While the program has improved during Babers’ tenure, he needs another trip to the postseason to solidify his future in upstate New York.

8. JEFF TEDFORD, FRESNO STATE

Tedford enters his 16th season as an FBS head coach seeking his fourth double-digit win season in five tries at Fresno State. After a questionable ouster from Cal despite nine winning seasons out of 11, he’s rebounded nicely. Fresno State consistency over the past quarter century has made it one of the premier jobs in the Group of Five.

Tedford’s time at Cal saw some of the program’s brightest stars come through the program, as Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson made the Golden Bears nationally relevant. Since Tedford’s firing, Cal’s become one of the weaker programs in the Power Five.

Fresno State enters the 2023 season on a nine-game win streak, as Tedford’s crew caught fire after a slow start. While in the twilight of his career, a Mountain West title and Los Angeles Bowl victory proved that Tedford still has it.

7. PJ FLECK, MINNESOTA

His style isn’t for everyone, but since arriving at Minnesota, Fleck’s results speak for themselves. After 2019’s breakthrough 11-win season, Minnesota won nine games in each of the past two seasons, just coming short of Big Ten West titles in both years.

Fleck arrived in Minneapolis following an impressive turnaround of the Western Michigan program, taking the Broncos from 1-11 to 12-0 and a New Year’s Six Bowl appearance. Now, after four bowl games in the past five seasons, he’s elevated Minnesota to a consistent player toward the top of the Big Ten West. While the roster lost plenty of key contributors from last season, Fleck would love nothing more than to win the final Big Ten West crown.

6. BRET BIELEMA, ILLINOIS

Bret Bielema surprised many when he took the Illinois job following the dismissal of Lovie Smith in 2020. He’d spent three years away from coaching after his time at Arkansas ended poorly, but early returns on his hire at Illinois are glowingly positive.

His Illini teams embrace the same run-heavy, physical style that brought him major success at Wisconsin, and the success of Ryan Walters’ defenses vaulted the Illini into the top 25 last season. While the loss of Walters stings, Bielema’s Illini remain in a strong position moving forward. Now in his 15th year as an FBS head coach, his experience will help Illinois remain competitive.

5. MATT RHULE, NEBRASKA

The jump to the NFL didn’t work out for Rhule, but his results at the college level translate extremely well to what Nebraska will ask him to do. Rhule rebuilt the programs at Temple and Baylor after inheriting both in poor condition and after six-straight losing seasons, the Huskers hope to inch closer to their former glory.

Rhule spent just four years in Philadelphia but took Temple from 2-10 in year one to consecutive 10-win campaigns in his third and fourth seasons. Then, after inheriting Baylor following the Art Briles fallout, he took the Bears from 1-11 to 11 wins and a Sugar Bowl appearance. If he can get Nebraska back to winning seasons and flirting with the Top 25, nobody will get more love in the Cornhusker State.

4. KIRK FERENTZ, IOWA

Kirk Ferentz enters 2023 as the elder statesman of FBS football. He’ll lead Iowa for his 25th season this fall, running one of the nation’s most consistent programs over that quarter-century. While much of the focus of late has centered around off-field controversy and offensive ineptitude, the Hawkeyes have had just one losing season since 2006, and that doesn’t show signs of changing this fall.

The Iowa program embodies strong defense and special teams, and those units figure to rank among the nation’s best yet again this season. If the offense can find some power with transfer quarterback Cade McNamara, 2023 could join 2002, 2009 and 2015 as some of the Hawkeyes’ finest seasons.

3. LUKE FICKELL, WISCONSIN

Only one coach has taken a Group of Five program to the College Football Playoff: Luke Fickell. Sure, his one-year interim stint at Ohio State could have gone better. Fickell inherited a middling Cincinnati program from Tommy Tuberville, and he took it to unprecedented heights.

In his final five seasons with the Bearcats, Fickell won nine or more games in each season. 2021 served as the high water mark, as Cincinnati became the first Group of Five school to make the Playoff. He won 11 games twice prior to that too in 2018 and 2019.

Now, he makes the long-awaited jump to the Power Five level. While many thought he’d wait to coach a “blue blood” program, Fickell takes over a Wisconsin program that’s experienced nothing but success over the past 25 years. While questions persist about how he’ll seek to modernize the Badgers offense, Fickell appears primed to keep the good times rolling in Madison.

2. RYAN DAY, OHIO STATE

At nearly any other program in the country, Ryan Day would earn a statue for his 45-6 record through four-plus seasons with the Buckeyes. In Columbus, however, back-to-back losses to Michigan have Buckeye fans demanding better results.

While Michigan fans will insist that Day was “born on third base,” he took over Ohio State after Urban Meyer took the program to the sport’s mountaintop. And the program still sits near the top today, pulling in top five recruiting classes and competing for Playoff spots each season.

The Buckeye fanbase expects excellence, and Day has largely provided that during his time in Columbus. If he can take down Michigan and compete for a national championship, the vibes will be high again inside the Horseshoe.

1. JIM HARBAUGH, MICHIGAN

Talk about a 180. Following a 2-4 record in 2020, Michigan reduced Jim Harbaugh’s salary in a move that many expected to result in his firing. At that time, Michigan had failed defeat Ohio State during his time at his alma mater, and the program appeared on a downward slide.

Since then, Michigan is 25-3 with consecutive emphatic wins over the hated Buckeyes. The Wolverines breezed past Iowa and Purdue to earn Big Ten championships. The next step: advance in the College Football Playoff. While the loss to Georgia in 2021 was expected, the jaw-dropping loss to TCU in 2022 left a stain on the remarkable season.

Despite the NCAA investigation into the Michigan program, the Wolverines appear primed for another run for the Big Ten crown in 2023. The only question about Harbaugh now: will he stay at Michigan or pursue another stint in the NFL?