Collier11
6/21/2006, 03:10 PM
10. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina – Even at this late stage of his career, Spurrier brings something to a program that goes well beyond wins and losses. He’s still a lightning rod for attention, which means kids want to play for him, the media wants to interview him and fans want tickets when he’s in the building. That dynamic, which very few coaches in any sport can create, was on display in Spurrier’s first season in Columbia. As long he’s motivated, he’s still one of the best and most innovative coaches in college football. And if there’s a chance to get such a galvanizing figure on board, it’d be awfully hard to pass up.
One-Year Record at South Carolina: 7-5 (0-1 in bowl games)
One-Year Record Before He Arrived: 6-5 (0-0 in bowl games)
Career Record: 149-45-2 (6-7 in bowl games)
9. Jeff Tedford, Cal – As good as Tedford has been in his first four years in Berkeley, it’s hard to believe it took him so long to get his first head job. The program he inherited was in shambles beyond just its 1-10 record, but he’s whipped the Bears into shape and into three straight bowl games for the first since the late 1940s. Tedford is one of football’s most gifted offensive strategists and a quarterback guru in every sense of the title. Without his presence, there’s no way Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers make it into the NFL’s first round in 2003 and 2005, respectively.
Four-Year Record: 33-17 (2-1 in bowl games)
Four-Year Record Before He Arrived: 13-31 (0-0 in bowl games)
8. Mack Brown, Texas – He’s beaten Oklahoma. He’s won the Big 12. And he’s brought the national championship back to the Lone Star State. Maybe now folks outside Texas can appreciate what Brown has done for the Longhorns. Vilified for years for not being able to win the big game, he’s all that is right in college coaching. He cares about his kids, runs a clean program and creates a home-away-from-home type atmosphere. Oh yeah, he’s also won more than 80% of his games in Austin, including the last two Rose Bowls. Brown hasn’t been under .500 in a season since 1989 and has won at least nine games in 12 of the last 14 years.
Eight-Year Record at UT: 83-19 (5-3 in bowl games)
Eight-Year Record Before He Arrived: 56-36-2 (1-3 in bowl games)
Career Record: 169-93-1 (8-6 in bowl games)
7. Jim Tressel, Ohio State – He’s already won a national championship, beaten Lloyd Carr four times in five tries and won all but one bowl game. Yeah, Tressel has been a pretty good hire for the Buckeye program. At times, he can be maddeningly conservative and predictable on game day, but he gets results, and is well-positioned to make a run at a second national title in five years. Tressel recruits well, emphasizes the fundamentals and leads his troops with the steady hand of an old-school field general.
Five-Year Record: 50-13 (4-1 in bowl games)
Five-Year Record Before He Arrived: 46-15 (2-2 in bowl games)
6. Urban Meyer, Florida – Don’t let last year’s temporary bout with mediocrity fool you. Meyer is a superstar of the coaching ranks. And he’s going to win plenty of games for Florida in the SEC. Meyer’s critics came out of every nook and cranny in 2005, but you don’t coach Bowling Green out of an abyss and guide Utah to a BCS bowl win unless you’re special. Meyer’s only 41, has already proven to be a crackerjack recruiter and flies above the curve in terms of offensive ingenuity. If he can’t out smart you, he’ll out hustle you, an indication that his drive to succeed is relentless.
One-Year Record at Florida: 9-3 (1-0 in bowl games)
One-Year Record Before He Arrived: 7-5 (0-1 in bowl games)
Career Record: 48-11 (3-0 in bowl games)
5. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame – It’s only been one year, but what’s not to like about Weis? With the entire sports world scrutinizing his every move, he made a immediate and profound impact on a university that was going sideways. He’s a winner in ways that extend beyond the record. Yeah, nine wins and a Fiesta Bowl berth was an impressive debut, but Weis has also displayed a knack for out coaching the opposition, cleaning up in recruiting and energizing the masses that’ve been pining for a capable leader since Lou Holtz left South Bend. Like Ralph Friedgen, Weis should have had a job sooner, and looks poised to make up for lost time.
One-Year Record: 9-3 (0-1 in bowl games)
One-Year Record Before He Arrived: 6-6 (0-1 in bowl games)
4. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa – Ferentz was extremely slow out of the gate, winning just four games in his first two seasons in Iowa City, but has been one of the country’s premier coaches since turning things around in 2001. In many ways, he’s college football’s version of Bill Belichick, a calm, cerebral leader, who surrounds himself with a terrific staff of assistants. Ferentz and Co. have earned a reputation for taking average recruits that few other schools wanted and molding them into dominant college players and coveted NFL draft picks. See Robert Gallery and Chad Greenway.
Seven-Year Record: 49-36 (3-2 in bowl games)
Seven-Year Record Before He Arrived: 43-38-1 (2-2 in bowl games)
3. Mark Richt, Georgia – In Richt, Georgia has joined forces with the kind of young and successful coach that can conceivably be the pillar of the program for two decades and the school’s next Vince Dooley. He’s been that good in his first five years in Athens. Good coaches win games, but great coaches win titles, and Richt had already bagged a pair of SEC championships before his 46th birthday, including last year’s, which took everyone by surprise. Throw in a hard-to-imagine 19-2 record on the road that includes no out of conference cream puffs, and
Five-Year Record: 52-13 (3-2 in bowl games)
Five-Year Record Before He Arrived: 40-17 (4-0 in bowl games)
2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma – No one is perfect, and that obviously includes coaches. Keep that in mind as visions of the 2004 Sugar Bowl, 2005 Orange Bowl and the first half of last year dance through your head. Yes, Stoops has shown hints of vulnerability the past couple of years, but not nearly enough to cloud all the good that he’d bring to any program. When he got on board in 1999, the Sooners were riding an unusual six-year streak of .500 or worse finishes, yet it took Stoops just two years to elevate OU to the top of the NCAA mountain. And they’ve been meandering near the peak ever since. He’s tough, disciplined and among the best defensive strategists in all of college football. Stoops is a franchise head coach, who’d bring dignity, better recruits and elevated expectations to his next employer.
Seven-Year Record: 75-16 (4-3 in bowl games)
Seven-Year Record Before He Arrived: 37-40-3 (1-1 in bowl games)
1. Pete Carroll, USC – Critics point to USC’s deep pool of local prep talent and assume any coach can be plugged into the job, and 10-win seasons will churn out. Those critics are sorely misguided. Carroll did not take over a well-oiled machine when he arrived in 2001. In fact, the once proud Trojans were mired in mediocrity and the last 10-win season had happened in 1988. After losing six games by a combined 29 points in his debut season, Carroll has led USC to a 48-4 record, four straight Pac-10 titles, three BCS bowl wins and at least a share of two national championships. His high energy, low stress coaching style has been a smashing success with the players, and his ability to make in-game adjustments and attract blue-chip talent from all over the country is second to none.
Five-Year Record: 54-10 (3-2 in bowl games)
Five-Year Record Before He Arrived: 31-29 (0-1 in bowl games)
One-Year Record at South Carolina: 7-5 (0-1 in bowl games)
One-Year Record Before He Arrived: 6-5 (0-0 in bowl games)
Career Record: 149-45-2 (6-7 in bowl games)
9. Jeff Tedford, Cal – As good as Tedford has been in his first four years in Berkeley, it’s hard to believe it took him so long to get his first head job. The program he inherited was in shambles beyond just its 1-10 record, but he’s whipped the Bears into shape and into three straight bowl games for the first since the late 1940s. Tedford is one of football’s most gifted offensive strategists and a quarterback guru in every sense of the title. Without his presence, there’s no way Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers make it into the NFL’s first round in 2003 and 2005, respectively.
Four-Year Record: 33-17 (2-1 in bowl games)
Four-Year Record Before He Arrived: 13-31 (0-0 in bowl games)
8. Mack Brown, Texas – He’s beaten Oklahoma. He’s won the Big 12. And he’s brought the national championship back to the Lone Star State. Maybe now folks outside Texas can appreciate what Brown has done for the Longhorns. Vilified for years for not being able to win the big game, he’s all that is right in college coaching. He cares about his kids, runs a clean program and creates a home-away-from-home type atmosphere. Oh yeah, he’s also won more than 80% of his games in Austin, including the last two Rose Bowls. Brown hasn’t been under .500 in a season since 1989 and has won at least nine games in 12 of the last 14 years.
Eight-Year Record at UT: 83-19 (5-3 in bowl games)
Eight-Year Record Before He Arrived: 56-36-2 (1-3 in bowl games)
Career Record: 169-93-1 (8-6 in bowl games)
7. Jim Tressel, Ohio State – He’s already won a national championship, beaten Lloyd Carr four times in five tries and won all but one bowl game. Yeah, Tressel has been a pretty good hire for the Buckeye program. At times, he can be maddeningly conservative and predictable on game day, but he gets results, and is well-positioned to make a run at a second national title in five years. Tressel recruits well, emphasizes the fundamentals and leads his troops with the steady hand of an old-school field general.
Five-Year Record: 50-13 (4-1 in bowl games)
Five-Year Record Before He Arrived: 46-15 (2-2 in bowl games)
6. Urban Meyer, Florida – Don’t let last year’s temporary bout with mediocrity fool you. Meyer is a superstar of the coaching ranks. And he’s going to win plenty of games for Florida in the SEC. Meyer’s critics came out of every nook and cranny in 2005, but you don’t coach Bowling Green out of an abyss and guide Utah to a BCS bowl win unless you’re special. Meyer’s only 41, has already proven to be a crackerjack recruiter and flies above the curve in terms of offensive ingenuity. If he can’t out smart you, he’ll out hustle you, an indication that his drive to succeed is relentless.
One-Year Record at Florida: 9-3 (1-0 in bowl games)
One-Year Record Before He Arrived: 7-5 (0-1 in bowl games)
Career Record: 48-11 (3-0 in bowl games)
5. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame – It’s only been one year, but what’s not to like about Weis? With the entire sports world scrutinizing his every move, he made a immediate and profound impact on a university that was going sideways. He’s a winner in ways that extend beyond the record. Yeah, nine wins and a Fiesta Bowl berth was an impressive debut, but Weis has also displayed a knack for out coaching the opposition, cleaning up in recruiting and energizing the masses that’ve been pining for a capable leader since Lou Holtz left South Bend. Like Ralph Friedgen, Weis should have had a job sooner, and looks poised to make up for lost time.
One-Year Record: 9-3 (0-1 in bowl games)
One-Year Record Before He Arrived: 6-6 (0-1 in bowl games)
4. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa – Ferentz was extremely slow out of the gate, winning just four games in his first two seasons in Iowa City, but has been one of the country’s premier coaches since turning things around in 2001. In many ways, he’s college football’s version of Bill Belichick, a calm, cerebral leader, who surrounds himself with a terrific staff of assistants. Ferentz and Co. have earned a reputation for taking average recruits that few other schools wanted and molding them into dominant college players and coveted NFL draft picks. See Robert Gallery and Chad Greenway.
Seven-Year Record: 49-36 (3-2 in bowl games)
Seven-Year Record Before He Arrived: 43-38-1 (2-2 in bowl games)
3. Mark Richt, Georgia – In Richt, Georgia has joined forces with the kind of young and successful coach that can conceivably be the pillar of the program for two decades and the school’s next Vince Dooley. He’s been that good in his first five years in Athens. Good coaches win games, but great coaches win titles, and Richt had already bagged a pair of SEC championships before his 46th birthday, including last year’s, which took everyone by surprise. Throw in a hard-to-imagine 19-2 record on the road that includes no out of conference cream puffs, and
Five-Year Record: 52-13 (3-2 in bowl games)
Five-Year Record Before He Arrived: 40-17 (4-0 in bowl games)
2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma – No one is perfect, and that obviously includes coaches. Keep that in mind as visions of the 2004 Sugar Bowl, 2005 Orange Bowl and the first half of last year dance through your head. Yes, Stoops has shown hints of vulnerability the past couple of years, but not nearly enough to cloud all the good that he’d bring to any program. When he got on board in 1999, the Sooners were riding an unusual six-year streak of .500 or worse finishes, yet it took Stoops just two years to elevate OU to the top of the NCAA mountain. And they’ve been meandering near the peak ever since. He’s tough, disciplined and among the best defensive strategists in all of college football. Stoops is a franchise head coach, who’d bring dignity, better recruits and elevated expectations to his next employer.
Seven-Year Record: 75-16 (4-3 in bowl games)
Seven-Year Record Before He Arrived: 37-40-3 (1-1 in bowl games)
1. Pete Carroll, USC – Critics point to USC’s deep pool of local prep talent and assume any coach can be plugged into the job, and 10-win seasons will churn out. Those critics are sorely misguided. Carroll did not take over a well-oiled machine when he arrived in 2001. In fact, the once proud Trojans were mired in mediocrity and the last 10-win season had happened in 1988. After losing six games by a combined 29 points in his debut season, Carroll has led USC to a 48-4 record, four straight Pac-10 titles, three BCS bowl wins and at least a share of two national championships. His high energy, low stress coaching style has been a smashing success with the players, and his ability to make in-game adjustments and attract blue-chip talent from all over the country is second to none.
Five-Year Record: 54-10 (3-2 in bowl games)
Five-Year Record Before He Arrived: 31-29 (0-1 in bowl games)