National Coach of the Year: CFB insider unveils his top 5 candidates for coveted honor ft. Deion Sanders
As the college football season nears its zenith, the race for national awards like Coach of the Year is heating up. While voters could just honor the coaches of the nation's top teams, a few football wizards doing more with less get special recognition. College football analyst Joel Klatt took to X/Twitter to share his picks for the award.
Joel Klatt's top 5 Coach of the Year candidates
#1. Curt Cignetti
Cignetti is a 63-year-old veteran in his first head coaching job in major college football. He progressed through the head coaching ranks from Indiana University of Pennsylvania to Elon College to James Madison. Cignetti led Madison from FCS to FBS, winning 11 games in 2023. Now, he has the Indiana Hoosiers at 10-0 and a virtual lock for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff in his first year at IU.
#2. Deion Sanders
After a 27-6 run at FCS Jackson State, Sanders in his second season of a major program rebuild at Colorado. While his methods are eccentric and sometimes controversial, Sanders has the Buffaloes at 7-2 and No. 17 in the latest CFP rankings. For a coach with an 11-10 mark at the job, Sanders has done a remarkable job making Colorado must-see football.
#3. Kalani Sitaki
A longtime assistant, Sitaki obtained his first head coaching job at BYU in 2016. He's been quietly excellent with the school, going 70-41 overall and already having notched a pair of double-digit win seasons. But in 2024, Sitaki has BYU at 9-0, No. 6 in the CFP rankings and as the odds-on favorites to win the Big 12 and earn a playoff spot.
#4. Rhett Lashlee
A high-profile assistant coach for years, SMU was Lashlee's first head coaching job, where he started in 2022. In his third season, Lashlee has compiled a 26-10 record. At No. 14 in the latest CFP rankings, the Mustangs are on the cusp of a spot in the playoff. Lashlee could boost his profile a bit with a win in the ACC title game, where SMU will likely end up competing.
#5. Jeff Monken
Coaching at military service academies is an extra challenge, and Monken, who has been at Army since 2014, has seen the job through. In his first two seasons, the Black Knights were 4-8 and 2-10. Since then, he's posted two double-digit season win totals and has Army 9-0 this year. At No. 24 in the CFP rankings, Army is unlikely to reach the playoff, but Monken's work has still been astonishingly good.
Which coach would get your vote for Coach of the Year? Share your pick in the comments section below.