College football head coach rankings after spring ball

Chris Klieman left a dynasty at North Dakota State to build a winner with the Kansas State Wildcats. He took them back to the Big 12 title game in 2022, beating the TCU Horned Frogs. It seemed like a continuation of what legendary head coach Bill Snyder started with the Wildcats. This could be a big year for Klieman as he looks to take KSU into the CFP for the first time with an expanded field.

The Kansas Jayhawks have experienced a meteoric rise over the past two seasons, and it's all thanks to Lance Leipold. A man who won six national championships with his alma mater, Wisconsin-Whitewater. Then he moved to Buffalo and won 24 games with just 10 losses over the past three seasons in a place where it's hard to win. Leipold came into a similar situation with KU, winning in a place that hadn't seen consistent success since the days of Mark Mangino. After a 2-10 record in year one, the Jayhawks are 15-11 over the past two years. Kansas, like its Sunflower State rivals, has a chance to be the best team in the Big 12, and they can thank Lance Leipold for what he's quickly built.

Brian Kelly wanted a new challenge and that's what he got when he left Notre Dame for the LSU Tigers. Still, he was successful, going 20-7 in his first two seasons in the SEC and winning the SEC West against Alabama in his first year. History says Kelly will win a title in the next two seasons with the Bayou Bengals, and the fact that he has the most wins in the FBS shows he knows coaching. This could be his biggest challenge after losing so many top performers last year, including the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

Three years ago, it seemed that Mike Norvell was going down the same path as many other FSU coaches in terms of relegation. In 2024, Norvell has been one of the better coaches in the entire CFB landscape and is coming off a season that saw them clinch the ACC title. As one of the coaches making better use of the transfer portal, he has a chance to lead the Noles back to the CFP next season.

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels have thrived on loading the roster through the transfer portal, and the 2024 team will be no different. The Rebels won a school-record 11 games last season and the squad is poised to compete for the SEC title. For that to happen, Kiffin will have to find a way to compete with Georgia, Texas and Alabama. This year, the Rebels will only face Georgia in the regular season, but will likely have to play one of the three games if they make it to Atlanta for the conference title game.

It's never easy following a legend like Nick Saban, but for the Alabama Crimson Tide, they could have done a lot worse than Kalen DeBoer. A man who won everywhere he went. He won three NAIA championships and had an impressive run in Washington, with his squad in turmoil before his arrival. He won two Pac-12 titles and led the Huskies to a national championship berth. Now he takes over a Crimson Tide team that was eliminated in the CFP semifinals last season. With plenty of talent around him, this team should be poised for another strong run in the expanded playoffs.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers have fallen somewhat out of favor. Swinney was once considered the second-best head coach in college football behind Nick Saban. He has now been overtaken by Smart. Still, Swinney is one of two active head coaches with multiple national championships, he and Kirby Smart. Quite an impressive list to be a part of. To get back to the top of this list, Swinney will have to return to the CFP after missing each of the last three seasons.

Even though Ryan Day was “born at third base,” as former Rivals head coach Jim Harbaugh said in reference to Day, the Ohio State Buckeyes coach has kept the Scarlet and Gray at the top of the college football world . Day compiled a career record of 56-8 and was one field goal away from playing for the national championship in 2022. After five consecutive top-10 finishes, all he needs is a win against Michigan (against whom Day is 1-3) and another national title.

Texas is back. And you can thank head coach Steve Sarkisian for that. After a record of 5-7 his first year and 8-5 his second, the Texas Longhorns won the Big 12 title and marched into the College Football Playoff. Although they lost a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, Sark has replaced that talent by raiding the transfer portal. With Quinn Ewers returning for another season, UT seems ready to take the SEC by storm. With a matchup against Georgia, we'll soon find out just how “ready” the Burnt Orange are.

In just two years, Dan Lanning has become one of the top coaches with what he has accomplished with the Oregon Ducks. Despite yet to win a conference title, Oregon has become one of the top teams in college football. Lanning continues to bring in talent and it seems only a matter of time before he lifts the national championship trophy. Kirby Smart's protégé has a 22-5 record and a 12-win season. He will have the opportunity to prove his worth as part of a loaded Big Ten in 2024.

When it comes to consistency, Kyle Whittingham is the perfect example. He joined the Utah Utes in 1996 as an assistant and worked his way up to head coach. He took over in 2005 and is the second-longest serving head coach. Nobody seems to be able to do more with less. Whittingham has won two Pac-12 titles in the last three years, beating the very talented USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks squads to capture those titles. The Utes should be in good shape to win the Big 12 next season.

If there's one coach who proved he was ready to take over as top coach after Nick Saban stepped down, it's Georgia's Kirby Smart. During his tenure with the Bulldogs, Smart has a 94-16 record since 2016 and a 5-1 record in the College Football Playoff. Even more impressive is the three-year career Smart is currently on. Under his leadership, UGA has a 32-2 record, two national titles and a perfect 5-0 record in bowl games. Ironically, both losses came in the SEC title game against his former mentor Nick Saban.