By popular demand—or force of habit—the college football most intriguing lists are back. First up, the 25 most intriguing coaches for 2024.
1. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide
The man who is replacing The Man in Tuscaloosa actually has a better career college winning percentage than Nick Saban, .897 to .804. But stacking up victories in NAIA ball is different than doing it in the Southeastern Conference, which is now the task. DeBoer did incredible work at Washington, taking the Huskies to the 2023 College Football Playoff championship game. Now, he merely has to do even better work at Alabama to satisfy the demands of the job.
2. Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes
If a coach with a 56–8 career record can be in a must-win situation, this is it. Three of those eight losses have come to the team the Buckeyes must beat on a regular basis, Michigan. And they’ve come in a row. And the Wolverines won the national championship last season. Combine those facts with the $20 million NIL (for lack of a better term) investment Ohio State made in player retention and attraction with the Harbaugh vacuum in Ann Arbor, and the urgency to win it all cannot get any higher in Columbus.
3. Sherrone Moore, Michigan Wolverines
Speaking of the Harbaugh vacuum, Moore gets the chance to replace one of the biggest athletic heroes in school history. He’s also got a fresh NCAA alleged violations issue dropping on his desk any day, with a draft of a notice of allegations charging that Moore committed a Level Two violation by deleting text messages with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions after Stalions gained instant infamy last fall for a spying scheme to steal opponents’ play signals. Moore could face a suspension and repeat-violator status, in addition to trying to keep Michigan atop the Big Ten.
4. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes
After two years of rather dramatically failing to live up to expectations and an $8 million annual salary, Cristobal appears to have a breakthrough team. The Hurricanes brought in elite transfers to bolster the offensive backfield and defensive front, in addition to in-house player development that could yield results. The schedule is advantageous as well, with the Florida State Seminoles at home and no game against the Clemson Tigers. Miami improved from being blown out a lot in 2022 to losing close games (take a knee, Mario), but now it’s time for a major leap forward to salvage Cristobal’s savior status.
5. Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes
There is no most intriguing list without Coach Prime. Suffice to say, nobody has ever run a major program the way Sanders is. That generated a huge amount of buzz and some significant improvement over the previous malaise in Sanders’s first season—but the final record was 4–8, which isn’t anything special. Since then there has been additional high turnover among players and staff, feuds with local media and wild (largely anonymous) allegations about off-field player behavior. Long story short, nobody knows what the on-field product will look like in Year 2. With this likely being the final college season for star quarterback Shedeur Sanders (Deion’s son) and two-way player Travis Hunter, the time is now to make a bowl game and show that Sanders is serious about building the program for the long haul.
6. Lane Kiffin, Mississippi Rebels
The challenge for Kiffin is to advance beyond the current successful smart aleck role to champion. This Ole Miss team would appear to have a chance to do that—but last season’s team looked that way as well, and as much fun as it was going 11–2 and beating the Penn State Nittany Lions in a bowl game, losing to Alabama and the Georgia Bulldogs by a combined 49 points was telling. Can the gap be closed in 2024, particularly on the lines? There is no lack of talent, either among roster holdovers or newcomers brought in by the Portal King. Alabama is off the schedule and Georgia comes to Oxford, so dare to dream.
7. Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans
The man who started a massive coaching carousel chain reaction in late 2021 has lost some luster and could use a return of his mojo. Hired away from the Oklahoma Sooners in a stunner, Riley had a splashy first season with 11 wins, a berth in the Pac-12 championship game and a Heisman Trophy for Caleb Williams. But defensive liabilities were evident that season and became glaring in ’23, leading to an 8–5 dud. Now comes a massive change of scenery and upgrade in conference competition, which coincides with life after Caleb. The schedule is spicy: LSU in Las Vegas; at Michigan; vs. Penn State; vs. Notre Dame; plus potential rebound teams Wisconsin and Nebraska. Is Riley’s program tough enough for that grind?
8. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners
The general consensus is that Texas is ready for its SEC moment, while the Sooners have some proving to do. They were picked seventh in the preseason media poll, which is not what the program is accustomed to. Venables has progressed from a bust of a debut season to a pretty good Year 2, but still has work to do. Against steeper competition he’s trying to prove himself a worthy heir to national title winners like Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops, much less a CFP coach like Riley.
9. Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks
The 38-year-old has displayed just about every characteristic of a rising superstar in the coaching ranks—he’s a successful recruiter, strategist and motivator, with a 22–5 record to show for it. Now come the next challenges: taking the Ducks into the Big Ten as an immediate title contender; and moderating some of the in-game aggressiveness that has played a part in his 4–4 record in one-score games (0–3 against rival Washington). Lanning adds another super-experienced quarterback via the portal (Dillon Gabriel to replace Bo Nix) and has a fully formed roster. If any realigning program looks ready for the new reality, Oregon should be it.
10. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri Tigers
Drinkwitz has sort of been Lane Lite, from the visor to the wisecracks to winning games—but not yet titles. An SEC championship might still be beyond reach of a Mizzou team that has some holes to fill defensively, but playoff aspirations don’t appear to be unrealistic. Drinkwitz is a terrific recruiter who has also developed some players nicely through his first four seasons in Columbia. The schedule offers a path to playoff contention, with Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee all off the slate. If the Tigers do break through, the next question will be whether Drinkwitz wants to stick with what he’s built or shop around for other jobs.
11. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Since being promoted as the surprising replacement for Brian Kelly, Freeman has been impossible to pigeonhole. He certainly doesn’t qualify as a disappointment with a 19–8 record, but he’s also lost more games in that span than Kelly lost in the previous four seasons combined. So he isn’t a home-run hire yet, either. Tough losses have been followed by big wins and vice versa. This season could provide more definition, with a 12-team playoff that is suited for the Irish to crash if they’re good enough. If they aren’t, Freeman’s seat could start to warm up.
12. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers
He keeps doing things his way, which is a 2018 kind of way. That has created some angst in a fan base that knows full well that it’s ’24 and times have changed drastically. Coming off their most losses (four) since ’11, the Tigers are ranked 14th in the coaches’ poll, their lowest preseason ranking in a decade. But Swinney has done some fine work when doubted, most recently finishing last season with five straight victories after Tyler from Spartanburg called him out on the radio. If Cade Klubnik comes around at QB and Garrett Riley finds a way to energize the offense, Dabo could get another chance to crow about “Little Ol’ Clemson.”
13. Jedd Fisch, Washington Huskies
After working for seven coaches who have won Super Bowls or college national titles, Fisch’s first head-coaching job was at moribund Arizona. He lost 11 games his first year and won 10 in his third, which got him the Washington gig in the Saban domino reaction. Fisch takes a fertile offensive mind to Seattle, where he should once again be able to start a job with lowered expectations after the Huskies went through a fire sale of coaches and players—plus a move to the Big Ten—after making the CFP title game.
14. James Franklin, Penn State Nittany Lions
If any high-level coach should benefit from the new reality of the sport, it’s Franklin. Realignment has freed him from the tyranny of facing Ohio State and Michigan every season (just the Buckeyes this year in Happy Valley). Playoff expansion is also a welcome development for a program that would have been a frequent qualifier in a 12-team field over the last eight years, if there had been one. Winning seasons that felt mildly dissatisfying might now be greeted with enthusiasm, which might ease the Franklin fatigue that afflicts some in the Penn State fan base.
15. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns
After a career-validating playoff berth last season, Sark’s team should be back in contention again despite the step up to the SEC. He’s got it rolling now, to the point that “Texas is back" can be said with a straight face. The SEC gave the Longhorns a lovely welcome gift, a conference schedule that features zero true road games until Oct. 26—at Vanderbilt. Yes, Georgia comes to Austin and the Horns must go to College Station to renew the hate fest with Texas A&M, but the planets (and collective donors) are aligned for Sark and Texas to be in contention for the national title for the second straight year.
16. DeShaun Foster, UCLA Bruins
Hiring someone who has never been a head coach or a coordinator to lead a mid-tier program into a killer new conference is certainly a choice, and we’ll see how that plays out for athletic director Martin Jarmond. Foster’s introductory remarks at Big Ten media day seemed to underscore how raw he is, but winning the news conference matters much less than winning on the field. Foster was a great player and trusted assistant, so we’ll see how steep the head-coach learning curve is. Given the low expectations for the Bruins, this season shouldn’t be too pressurized for Foster—but there’s no such thing as no pressure at the power-conference level.
17. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs
With Saban retired, Smart takes over as the undisputed boss of the SEC. He and Swinney also are the only two active head coaches with multiple national championships—and the smart (ahem) money is on Kirby to get to three before Swinney. It could happen as soon as this season, with the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches’ poll. But the continual drip-drip-drip of off-field problems has opened up Smart to the most criticism he’s ever faced, while raising questions about whether lack of discipline is threatening to sabotage a dominant era.
18. Billy Napier, Florida Gators
After consecutive losing seasons, Napier needs to win games this year, pure and simple. Unfortunately for him, he’s been handed an absolute meat-grinder schedule with eight opponents in the coaches’ preseason Top 25—including in each of the last five games. Napier will at least have a more experienced team than his first two. After taking some lumps with a young defense, that unit should be significantly improved. Napier also needs to fix the chronic special-teams gaffes that have plagued his teams in Gainesville. The season opener against Miami is a credibility game for both head coaches; pity the one who loses.
19. Bill O’Brien, Boston College Eagles
What if BC, of all places, tuned out to make the best hire of the year? It seems possible. O’Brien did solid work in a very difficult spot at Penn State, taking over after the Jerry Sandusky scandal imploded the program, then won the NFL’s AFC South four times as coach of the Houston Texans. O’Brien did the Saban rebound assistant thing for a couple of seasons, which adds another layer of knowledge to his approach. Talented dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos gives O’Brien a nice building block for Year 1.
20. Spencer Danielson, Boise State Broncos
The former defensive coordinator did well enough as the interim coach of the Broncos to earn the full-time job, winning the last two games of the regular season and then walloping the UNLV Rebels in the Mountain West title game before losing to UCLA in the bowl game. Daniels, his staff and Boise State boosters then scored big in the personnel game, keeping star running back Ashton Jeanty out of the portal and landing USC transfer quarterback Malachi Nelson. Boise State looks well positioned for the Group of 5 automatic bid to the playoff if the Broncos stay healthy at key positions—and Danielson proves he’s up to the full-time job.
21. Rhett Lashlee, SMU Mustangs
Look out for Lashlee and his Mustangs. Coming off an 11–3 season and making the biggest leap in realignment—up from Group of 5 to Power 4—they could hit the ACC running. SMU is armed with a lot of experienced talent and a schedule that offers a chance to rack up a lot of victories, with Florida State the only opponent in the preseason coaches’ Top 25. This is Lashlee’s third season as a head coach, and if it goes well he will be in demand for other jobs—but SMU might be a place to stay, thanks to realignment and the chance to keep local talent home.
22. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Aggies
Few recent coaches have done as well with their first head-coach opportunity as Elko did with the Duke Blue Devils—his 17 wins across two seasons was the best in Durham in a decade. That, plus a booster revolt that vetoed the hiring of Mark Stoops, earned Elko a chance to return to A&M, a place where he was defensive coordinator from ’18–21. The revival and SEC arrival of Texas has upped the urgency at A&M after the Jimbo Fisher fiasco, and Elko should at least be able to deliver a physically tougher team. We’ll see how long it takes to win big there.
23. Matt Rhule, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Rhule’s second-year success rate is pronounced, having gone from two wins to six with the Temple Owls and one win to seven with the Baylor Bears. Then in the third year he hits double-digit victories—but the Cornhuskers aren’t there yet. This is Year 2 for Rhule in Lincoln, and the expectation will be Nebraska’s first bowl game since 2016—one of the sadder statistics in college football. With five of the first six games at home and all of them conceivably winnable, the path is there. In addition to improving the overall product, Rhule will have to manage the Dylan Raiola hype, with the freshman quarterback possibly in the mix to play (and start) right away.
24. Kyle Whittingham, Utah Utes
With Utah naming defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley as its coach-in-waiting, speculation is simmering that this might be Whittingham’s last season. The 64-year-old Whittingham has had 17 winning seasons in 19 years, including the last 10 in a row. With ancient quarterback Cam Rising back for one last ride, Utah is the preseason favorite to win its new league, the Big 12. It could be a great last lap for Whittingham, who has never gotten his full due nationally.
25. Brent Brennan, Arizona Wildcats
The 51-year-old West Coast lifer did something extremely difficult, making the San Jose State Spartans consistently respectable. That work was rewarded with the job in Tucson, where the program had been brought up off the deck by Fisch. Brennan now has a chance to be immediately competitive in the Big 12 with the retention of one of the best pass-and-catch combinations in the country in QB Noah Fifita and wideout Tetairoa McMillan. Given the seemingly wide-open nature of the league, why not the Wildcats?
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 25 Most Intriguing College Football Coaches for 2024.
