YHTS Countdown to Kickoff 2013: 9 Days Out, 9 Best Coaches

By Adam Zimmerman

And....that's the last we'll see of you on this countdown, Mack

For today's edition of the Countdown, we are going to rank who I perceive to be the best coaches in college football. There are tons of factors anyone can use when evaluating coaches - wins, recruiting, revenue, stability, cleanliness, aggressive vs. conservative - and how much importance you place on each of those will greatly affect how the rankings pan out. If (when) these rankings upset you, take a breath and remember - only 9 days until Kickoff.


9. Les Miles

Just as many people will say that he is too high on this list as will say he should be a top 5 coach. My feelings on the Mad Hatter are this: He won his championship with Saban's players but has kept the momentum going from there. He doesn't always inspire confidence with his game management but he's aggressive and his gambles pay off. If I was a player, I think I'd love to play for Les. LSU is a great place to coach with great recruiting ties and plenty of revenue. Essentially Les was given a Corvette. He hasn't crashed it yet, which is good, but he hasn't pulled away from the pack either. 

8. Bob Stoops

He's won 8 Big 12 Championships during his 14 years at OU. Personally I despise him, but that record speaks for itself. 

7. David Shaw

Like Miles, he has definitely benefited from the success of his predecessor. But Stanford is not a Corvette. Something tells me not many rosters in the 'power 6' conferences (except Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Duke) would be able to make it in to Stanford. Shaw has continued to keep Stanford more than relevant without Harbaugh and Luck. If Stanford plateaus over the next 2-4 years, look for Shaw to make a move to a bigger (easier academics) program or even the NFL. 

6. Kevin Sumlin/Brian Kelly

I put these two together because they both have track records of reviving programs and achieving early success. Of course Baylor fans would say Art Briles had more to do with Houston's success than Sumlin but based on his first year at A&M, it looks like Coach Sumlin is plenty capable of winning on the biggest stages. Kelly got the Notre Dame job after his success at Cincinnati and surprised everyone by getting the Irish to the National Championship game. They obviously weren't ready to play Alabama but wins over Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford and USC in one season is a hell of an accomplishment. Both will need to prove that 2012 wasn't a fluke for either of their programs.

5. Will Muschamp

When he was named Coach-in-Waiting at Texas, I worried his emotions would limit his ability to effectively control a whole team for a whole season (let alone the amount of bureaucracy that goes along with the job). When he left for Florida, I hoped I was right. I wasn't. I'm not sure he even knows the names of all 11 of his offensive starters, but as long as he is able to hold onto an offensive coordinator to worry about that, he is capable of putting the nation's best defense on the field year in and year out and that will always give his team a chance to be top 5 nationally. 

4. Gary Patterson

He could've/should've left for a bigger and richer school years ago. But because he didn't, he has created an atmosphere of stability around the TCU program that even Texas and Bama might be jealous of. No one knows what Saban or Mack will be doing this time next year, but it's a safe bet that GP will be in Fort Worth wearing purple. In terms of recruiting, that may be a bigger boost for the Frogs than joining the Big 12 was. He needs to prove he can finish on top after a season with a real schedule but considering what he did with a freshman running back turned quarterback in his first try, I'm not too worried about that. 

3. Urban Meyer

His record makes him the only real threat to supplant Saban at the #1 spot. But anyone can win at Florida and Ohio State. While I may think Columbus and Gainesville would be shitty places to live, both universities, athletic departments and football programs are as well run and established as any in the country. I'm docking him even more because he can't keep his players out of jail and he seems like a worse father than Paul Manziel. John Calipari thinks Urban Meyer has questionable morals, but if I needed a coach to win one game, there are very few people I'd call before I got to Urban.

2. Bill Snyder

The fact the he can even convince one teenager to move to Manhattan, Kansas is enough to get him on this list. The fact that he can do it consistently and at the age of 108 is why he is #2 on this list. He represents the epitome of making chicken salad out of chicken shit. 

1. Nick Saban

Finally, something that makes him happy.
You're welcome, come by the YHTS offices anytime.

Either he is the Devil or he made a...hell... of a deal with him. I stand by my feelings that he is too obsessed with Johnny Manziel and that could hurt his team. Is there anything else negative I can say about any coaching decision he's made since leaving the Dolphins? I can't think of one. But he is really short.