This article by Rivals.com ranks the top 30 current college football coaches. Their rankings are interesting, but it’s difficult to take any ranking system too seriously that has Kirk Ferentz at #5, ahead of Big Ten coaches Jim Tressel and Rich Rodriguez. So, we made our own rankings. Now, these may not be your typical list of “Who is the best coach?†Instead, we ranked 25 of Rivals top 30 in five categories: Age/Longevity, Recruiting, Game Prep/Schemes, In-Game Coaching, and the “It†Factor. The categories (all scored on a 0-10 scale) break down as follows…
Age/Longevity: Completely objective. Ranked according to 5 year intervals.
(Scores of 10: Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriguez, Chris Petersen, Greg Schiano)
Recruiting: Pretty self-explanatory. Who is getting the most talent?
(Scores of 10: Pete Carroll—in a class of his own)
Game Prep/Schemes: Special credit to guys like Mike Leach, Rich Rodriguez, and Gary Patterson who have developed their own offensive/defensive schemes that have become popular.
(Scores of 10: Rich Rodriguez, Brian Kelly, Mike Leach, Gary Patterson, Paul Johnson)
In-Game Coaching: Who makes good halftime adjustments? “Second half†teams get priority here.
(Scores of 10: Frank Beamer, Jim Grobe)
“It†Factor: Some guys have “it,†most don’t. “It†is why JoePa still gets 5-star 18 year olds, why Nick Saban is able to fill Alabama’s spring game after a miserable season.
(Scores of 10: Nick Saban, Pete Carroll, Joe Paterno)
After assessing all of these categories for all 25 coaches, the official rankings are below. Keep in mind, these are not necessarily the best coaches or the best recruiters. Rather, they reflect who I would choose as my coach if I were allowed to pick anyone, based on the 5 categories mentioned previously.
1. Urban Meyer (47.5)
The clear #1. He’s young, can recruit, and already has two national championships. Florida fans should feel very fortunate.
T2. Nick Saban (46)
Michigan State, LSU, Alabama. The guy wins everywhere he goes.
T2. Mark Richt (46)
If Richt could recruit a little better, he’d be at the top. Phenomenal coach in an extremely tough conference.
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T2. Rich Rodriguez (46)
Despite his rough 2008, Rodriguez has a proven track record. He created an offense used by many people including #1 on the list. Michigan fans will be very happy in the future.
T5. Bob Stoops (45.5)
All he’s done at Oklahoma is win.
T5. Brian Kelly (45.5)
Brian Kelly is what Urban Meyer was five years ago. ND fans should be hoping for this guy next year.
T5. Chris Petersen (45.5)
Young, energetic, and creative. Has taken Boise State to the next level during his tenure there.
T8. Pete Carroll (45)
Controversial, but Carroll continually loses games he shouldn’t in a weak conference. Without a doubt the best recruiter on the list though. Plus, his ethics are anything but clean.
T8. Frank Beamer (45)
Awesome gameday coach whose special teams schemes go unmatched.
T8. Mike Leach (45)
Leach is to the passing game what Rich Rod is to the running game. Would be interesting to see Leach with some more talent.
T11. Jim Tressel (44.5)
I’m sure many will think Tressel should be higher on the list, but most of his fanfare comes from great recruiting and a recently weak Big Ten.
T11. Greg Schiano (44.5)
A popular candidate to take over for JoePa, Schiano knows his stuff.
T13. Mack Brown (44)
Benefits largely from the great talent in the state of Texas. Consistently underachieves.
T13. Jeff Tedford (44)
Quarterback genius. Might have been higher on the list a few years ago.
T15. Kirk Ferentz (43.5)
Not sure how people see this guy in the top 5, he has had a TON of talent in Iowa the last few years and hasn’t  done much.
T15. Gary Patterson (43.5)
Best defensive coach in the country. Period.
T15. Randy Edsall (43.5)
Making noise at UConn, previously thought to be impossible.
T15. Paul Johnson (43.5)
Bringing back the option. Nebraska probably wishes they had hired him about now.
T19. Jim Grobe (43)
Awesome, awesome coach. Would be much higher if not for being a poor recruiter and as old as he is.
T19. Les Miles (43)
Les is really a bad coach, but he is an excellent recruiter and he surrounds himself with great assistants. Recognizes his weakness: coaching football.
21. Steve Spurrier (42.5)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Visor has really slipped the last five years.
22. Mark Mangino (42)
Making waves in Kansas, especially when he jumps in the pool.
23. Gary Pinkel (41.5)
Great offensive mind, just can’t ever seem to put it all together.
T24. Joe Paterno (40)
Sad to see JoePa so low on the list. Please retire, Joe.
T24. Houston Nutt (40)
Awesome recruiter. Terrible coach.
The Massacre
Popularity: 1% [?]
With all due respect, the “please retire, Joe” argument became contrived and, more-or-less, disproven over the past few seasons. He has compiled a 40-11 mark in the past four years, and his players continue to be very productive. Bring up the supposed “character issues” in Happy Valley and I’ll direct you to the other 90% of Paterno’s players who haven’t made any headlines despite their upstanding reputations and dedication academically and working in the community. How frequently do you hear about the exceptional character of guys like Michael Robinson, Tamba Hali, Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor, Sean Lee, Evan Royster, Deon Butler, Derrick Willims, Jordan Norwood, Evan Royster, Aaron Maybin, Lydell Sargeant, Gerald Cadogen, and so many others who have roamed the field over the past few seasons? Attempting to make an argument against whether or not Paterno should be able to remain head coach at Penn State has become next-to-impossible, just as it should be; he’s an ambassador for Penn State football, he is synonymous with Penn State football, he IS Penn State football, and therefore he should and will remain head coach as long as he pleases.