With the abrupt retirement of Bob Stoops, it got us thinking: who have been the most successful college football coaches since he started? Stoops was hired in 1998 and he’s been among the best in the business ever since.
There might not be a more difficult job in sports than the role of the college football head coach. From hard work on the recruiting trails to developing individual players, preparing your team for each week and delivering on high expectations, the stress that college football head coaches have to deal with is absolutely incredible. The best coaches are financially rewarded for their hard work and recognized for their incredible accomplishments. Here is a look at the best college football coaches since 2000.
Nick Saban, Alabama
There is a reason why Alabama has paid Nick Saban $11 million per year to coach their football club. With five national championships and seven SEC titles there isn’t a single person with any credibility that can question his position at the top of this list. Saban turned the Crimson Tide in to an absolute juggernaut and his never-satisfied nature has ensured the wheels continue to turn. Nobody will forget Alabama’s perfect 14-0 season when Alabama knocked off Texas for a national championship but that was only the beginning of the Saban era. The Crimson Tide has been a perennial national title contender under Saban’s watch and the fact that they have consistently delivered at the highest level is the biggest reason why he belongs at the top of this list.
Urban Meyer, Ohio State
After winning multiple national championship at the MAC level, Meyer’s meteoric ascension up the coaching ranks has continues in the FBS after turning around programs at Bowling Green and Utah before arriving at Florida. The Gators won the national championship in 2006 and after stress and burnout eventually led to Meyer taking a year off he wound up at Ohio State where he has transformed that program in to a perennial contender as well. The Buckeyes are 61-6 under Meyer and has won its share of a Big Ten East title in each of the last four years including in 2014 when Ohio State went on to win the national championship. Saban is at the top of the college football coaching pyramid but Meyer is an obvious second on this list.
Pete Carroll, USC
Before he took the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl Carroll transformed the Trojans in to national title contenders in the 2000’s. From 2001-09, USC put together seven straight seasons of 11-plus wins and won a pair of national championships with a runner-up finish to Vince Young and Texas in a third national title game. Over his nine-year span with the Trojans, Carroll went 97-19 with a pair of national titles. He might not coach at the college level anymore. However, based on what he did with USC he definitely deserves a spot on this list.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Over the last 17 years, Oklahoma has almost always been in the picture as a top-25 team. The Sooners haven’t won a national title since 2000, but since then they do have 14 seasons with at least 10 wins and six season with at least 12 victories. Oklahoma has compiled 10 Big 12 titles under Stoops with an overall record of 183-43. While he hasn’t had the same level of success on the biggest stage as the top two names on this list, there is no doubt that Stoops deserves this spot based on the work that he has done with the Sooners.
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don looks like a genius for taking a chance on a relatively unknown interim coach that had graduated from wide receivers coach within the program following the resignation of Tommy Bowden. Swinney wasn’t a household name back then but it is now. Swinney has put together six consecutive 10-win seasons and he has won three ACC titles but all of that pales in comparison to what he accomplished last season. The Tigers beat Saban’s Crimson Tide for their first national championship in 35 years, cementing Swinney’s spot among the top college coaches since 2000. Clemson has only started to tap in to its immense potential under Swinney and it will be very interesting to see what this program is capable of accomplishing over the next few years.
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