Athlon Ranks All 128 College Football Coaches
In the spirit of this is offseason and there is not much to discuss of tangible value once we get past the bball NBA entrees for the next few months, here is one of those lists to have fun with. Athlon ranks all 128 coaches, will highlight some prominent names below:
- #1 Saban
- #2 Urbz
- #3 Spurrier
- #6 Synder (in my book considering his resources he should be #3)
- #8 Dantonio
- #9 Kelly
- #11 Frankin (seems high, yes good job at Vandy but let's see)
- #12 Shaw (given good foundation from Harbaugh and able to maintain it)
- #17 Miles
- #18 Fitzgerald
- #21 Anderson
- #30 RR
- #31 Mora (think this guy is a stud - if UCLA blooms this year should shoot up ranks)
- #35 Ferentz
- #36 Kill (has done well with Minnesota's resources)
- #38 Hoke
- #43 Pelini (seems too low - for all the hate he has done a solid if not great job)
- #53 Beilema (if you did this survey a year ago he'd probably be top 20, shows you how karma can hit you)
That said the "brand" is still strong as in a similar rank a month ago, UM's football coaching job was ranked #10 in the country.
Nothing shocking in the evaluation of Hoke:
I don't see him at #2, but I also don't see anyone who I would put over him.
Isn't your statement an oxymoron?
You mean like Swiss Cheese?
Yes but he has multiple NCs and while OSU has not taken the last step he was 25-0 with them until the BTCG. Can't see Spurrier ahead of him and Stoops rarely wins the big game. Saban is clearly #1 with room to spare but there are not many clear candidates for #2 outside of Urbz - remember he took an awful Utah program places early in his career as well.
Briles is interesting as a #5 - still too soon for me to tell on him but pound for pound I'd put Synder in the top 3 considering he rebuilt that program not once but twice and when he left KSU they imploded. And it's KSU.
All your info is correct, but Urbz still sucks.
We'll see how good Hoke really is this year and, sadly, next year. I'm still behind the guy.
I actually think Spurrier is high. 90s Spurrier, of course, may have been #1, but he is not 90s Spurrier anymore. While he has produced two terrific teams in the last two years, he has not won the conference and he has balanced this with some mediocre seasons as well.
Miles, on the other hand... crazy, yes. #17? Too low.
38 seems like a polite, non-inflammatory spot for Hoke. This is all just subjective ranking anyway, after all. I can tell you that he'll be at the top of every "coach on the hotseat" list in August.
I dont know if you saw my comment in the other thread StephenR but I definitely like your insight - even when we disagree.
That said I would say I agree with this assessment and I dont know if having the 8th best coach in the B1G is going to lead us back to the promised land. This is what worries the hell out of me - I just dont think Hoke is a good enough coach (might be a wonderful person and definitel forgot more about football than I'll ever know) to make Michigan - Michigan again.
And from the sounds of this evaluation neither does Athlon.
He's the 8th best coach in the Big Ten partly because of how his teams have played recently. Which comes down to a lot more than simple coaching ability.
Maybe Nick Saban and Urban Meyer do better with what Hoke had at his disposal the last couple years, but if you get much farther down the list than those guys, I don't know that too many of them could do appreciably better. The program was a mess after Rodriguez left.
The only way anyone could have saved the OL would have been if they landed 5 juco OL players 2-3 years ago. RR seems like a decent to good coach at Arizona but he really f'd up everything from his defense to recruiting while here.
Right. And Rodriguez came into a decent situation at Arizona (Matt Scott was a better QB than anyone Michigan had, Ka'Deem Carey got there before Rodriguez, there wasn't as much attrition/resistance), so the progress there has been accelerated. Even so, he's had a couple of decent-but-not-great seasons.
Who do you think will win more games the balance of their careers at their current respective schools-Hoke or RR? If I had to bet I'd go with Rich at Arizona.
Exactly, and I cannot understand why we use the 2012 season as an example of Hoke not getting it done. With the issues that came up that season, They lost games to perhaps the 3 best teams in the country 1 other in the top 10 and the Noooobraska game that essentially ended Denard's career at QB. I understand 5 losses looks bad on paper, but that is the most favorable 5 loss season I have ever seen, and how many future (upperclassmen) NFL players were on that team? That was a pretty good coaching job in 2012. Young team could have collapsed after Nebraska.
Dantonio, Meyer, Fitzgerald, Ferentz?
Well that pretty much matches up with the rankings if you neglect Jerry Kill and James Franklin. Honestly the only coach in the Big Ten I'd take over Hoke right now is Dantonio so long as Narduzzi comes too.
I don't know the "health" and "family" issues really turned me off. I hope they have an 8 win season just to see how dedicated he is to OSU or if those "personal life" issues flare up again. Plus he seems like he benefits from having a great QB in his system. Alex Smith at Utah, Tebow at UF, and Miller at OSU.
the dudes a heck of a coach and recruits like a maniac. meyer abuses the rules bc hes allowed to and the ncaa only slaps people on the wrist for non-criminal offenses. most alums, boosters, formers players, fans, administration, the ncaa and most importantly recruits all seem to either love his stye / results or look the other way. its results-driven business (and its definitely a business) and meyer produces, bottom line. if you wouldnt want him at um, youre either foolish and living in the past or perched on a high horse that no one cares about but minority of um people. easily #2 coach and id take him, he gets it done...i dont really like the dude as opponent, but he wins and his players go pro. hoke will not move up that list until he flips the switch...nice guys typically do not win in cutthroat businesses...he can still promote the family atmosphere but must balance with demanding perfection every single day from his staff and elite athletes. it appears they finally have some talented young athletes at skill positions compeiting for spots to showcase nfl talent...but he still needs those true difference makers on DL. and im still skeptical whether he understands that all 85 really matter... cant offer kids out of kindness of your heart or legacies if you do not envision them making legit impact on bsc level squad...does hoke just want to compete for B1G titles or does he want to win national titles? bc urban has proven hes all about the latter
April 10th, 2014 at 12:17 AM ^
Spot on. The only way to disagree with this is if you are more about morals. There's nothing wrong with that but the guys who seem the seedest in college ball seem to be on top. It mirrors life in that way. Sometimes hands need to get dirty to get things done.
Sounds about right, I guess. Feel like this is a fluid situation, but Hoke will be judged by how his kids perform this year and next.
If our only losses are @ND, @MSU, @OSU will he get that 5th year? Every other game on the schedule looks favorable to me.
I agree but alas I do not make that call. I can only buy or not buy season tickets and my displeasure/approval in the end is just noise.
If we're bowl eligible he'll be back.
The starting left tackle in the spring game would not have attended the senior high school prom yet if he were on a normal teenage academic schedule (i.e. wasn't an early enrollee). The offensive line is still too young. If Michigan defeats any one of those rivals on the road, it will be an upset and/or our defense will end up being amazing (not out of the question with some serious lock-down corners, great linebackers, and a d-line with a tremendous upside). Unless Michigan is worse than 8-4, Hoke should get another year. Hoke's heavily weighted final exam should be 2015. The offensive line depth will finally be rebuilt and we play our rivals at home. Frustration is fine (I certainly share in it), but Hoke has not done as bad of a job as head coach as many claim. Well, at least we can't conclude that he has done a poor job based on our data set.
Its year four, how many more years can you keep trotting out "oh...we're young." Get it done man. Any and all excuses at this point are all on Hoke.
April 10th, 2014 at 12:39 AM ^
Man, the blame on Rodriguez sure was strong when he had no senior DBs his third year.
April 10th, 2014 at 10:51 AM ^
I wasn't on the site during the RR years, but I can imagine the vitrol toward him. Yet, since Brady is a "Michigan man" many let the excuses keep coming. I've heard for the last 2 years, "201x" will be his year to prove it. RR didn't get those opportunities. I've seen too many other programs with less name strength and presitge turn around faster with less excuses and yet the largest fanbase in the nation will let obvious failures in coaching go. I didn't care for the Hoke hiring, but at the time didn't see anything realistically better available. Personally, I give him this season and that's it. I expect 9 wins (baring injuries) and to not get swept by our rivals again.
April 10th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
I didn't comment on here when Coach Rod was around. I started during the coaching change. But in private, you are right, I didn't give him the benefit of the doubt. That's what the worst record ever and terrible PR does. Hoke might not ultimately be the right coach, but I don't think his record or conduct merit a firing (yet), particularly in the context of where the program was before he got here.
That said, my post wasn't a defense of Hoke so much as a correction of a comment that there are no excuses. The empty class is kind of an excuse, as Hoke cannot be blamed for it. The guy asked when its all on Hoke; my answer was 2015. Will he make it that far? Depends on 2014.
If Michigan has another 8-4 or 7-5 type of season, do you really need a fifth year of Brady Hoke to come to a verdict on him as a head coach? I don't think you do. And with the way the roster and schedule is stacked for the 2015 season, that would give a new coach the boost he needs for success and momentum.
So it really comes down to do you think Hoke and the program can benefit (after three straight subpar seasons) from a good 2015 season, or would having a new coach create more of a benefit? If Hoke has enough momentum against him by the end of the 2014 season, and you can find a suitable replacement, it might be time for a switch.
The "suitable replacement" part is key.
Perhaps Nussmeier is in line to take over ala Dana Holgerson at WVU? Would Narduzzi take the job if offered? A Harbaugh assistant maybe? I say a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush for now. Hoke needs a minimum of 10 wins this season (bowl included) to get my support in the off season.
we would never offer the job to narduzzi even if he was the best candidate.
Here's what you get if you click on Athlon's Big Ten only rankings. In order as they see it:
1) Urban Meyer
2) Mark Dantonio
3) James Franklin
4) Pat Fitzgerald
5) Gary Andersen
6) Kirk Ferentz
7) Jerry Kill
8) Brady Hoke
9) Bo Pelini
10) Randy Edsall
11) Kevin Wilson
12) Darrell Hazell
13) Tim Beckman
14) Kyle Flood
Cmon man brush up on your Rutgers football!!!! #Big10
Which shows they probably didn't do too much research towards the end considering Kyle Flood is 15-11 with two bowl losses, while Tim Beckman is 6-18 with two of his wins over D-II schools.
Darrell Hazell is 1-11 at Purdue with a 6 point win over D-II Indiana State, and he ranks above both of them.
Did anyone else have to google Kyle Flood?
Ranking 128 coaches in order from 1-128 may be the dumbest. I suppose it's harmless, but it's still dumb.
April 10th, 2014 at 12:29 AM ^
For fucks sake I'm sitting on pins and needles to know why.