Top 10 best college football coaches entering the 2023 season, ft. Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and more
There are a lot of good coaches, but which names deserve to be considered as the best college football coaches heading into the 2023 season? There are some coaches who have been mainstays on lists like this, and it will be interesting to see how they do. We also have seen newcomers dominate and get to the point they cannot be overlooked.
Let's take a look at some of the best college football coaches and discuss why they deserve a spot on this list.
#10, Kyle Whittingham, Utah
It's difficult to hold the all-time wins mark for a program, but that is what Kyle Whittingham has done with the Utah Utes. He has a 154-74 career record and has been dominating lately as well. The Utes have won back-to-back Pac-12 championships, and he has been a huge reason why. Expect to see his name higher on the best college football coaches list in the coming years.
#9, James Franklin, Penn State
His 102-51 record is not as dazzling as other coaches, but that still makes him one of the best college football coaches. Franklin has won one Big Ten championship but continues to be a solid coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions. His tenure has made people forget about the Jerry Sandusky situation and corrected the course for the program and university.
#8, Mack Brown, North Carolina
Mack Brown is one of the unsung legends of college football coaching who does not get talked about. He has been in the coaching realm for 50 years in some way or form and has a career 274-144-1 record with a 14-11 bowl record. He won the 2005 national championship with the Texas Longhorns and has done well everywhere he has called home over the years. Expect another strong season out of him as he continues to get closer to 300 wins.
#7, Brian Kelly, LSU
Brian Kelly has shown to have success wherever he goes, and it's immediate. He has been a college coach since 1991 and has a 273-100-2 record with a pair of NCAA Division II championships under his belt.
Kelly came into prominence as he led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a decade before taking the LSU Tigers job. In his first season with the program last season, he made the Southeastern Conference championship game. Winning is something Kelly does very often no matter where he is.
#6, Lincoln Riley, USC
Lincoln Riley has shown to be one of the best college football coaches today. Between his time at Oklahoma and USC, Riley has a 66-13 record, but only a 1-4 record in bowl games. He has a reputation of being an offensive coach as his defense has been staggering behind. If the defense can improve, there will be cause to place Riley higher on this list.
#5, Ryan Day, Ohio State
When talking about the ability to rack up wins, there is no coach doing it better than Ohio State's Ryan Day. He has a record of 45-6, with a 2-3 bowl record. He was the 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year award and has won two Big Ten championships. With one of the most prolific offenses in college football, it will be interesting to see how he does in 2023.
#4, Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Dabo Swinney has been one of the best college football coaches we have seen and could replace Nick Saban when he retires.
Heading into the 2023 season, he heads the Clemson Tigers and has been doing an outstanding job with a 161-39 record. He also has won a pair of national championships and eight Atlantic Coast Conference championships. It is hard to imagine Clemson's success with anyone but Swinney on the sidelines.
#3, Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Despite potentially being suspended for the beginning of the 2023 season, the Michigan Wolverines coach deserves to be extremely high up on the list.
Jim Harbaugh has a strong college football resume as he has a 132-52 record and is 3-5 in bowl games. He has won the previous two Big Ten championships and continues to showcase his ability to see the field as a quarterback would to help the offense be elite.
#2, Kirby Smart, Georgia
The back-to-back national championships could be something that many people would put him at the top spot. However, Kirby Smart is at the penultimate position on this list of the best college football coaches. All he has done since joining the Bulldogs is win as he has an 81-45 record (48-9 in the Southeastern Conference).
His young career as a coach has been incredible, and it will be interesting to see how he continues to go from here.
Best college football coaches: Nick Saban, Alabama
Arguably the greatest football coach of all time deserves to be in the top spot of this list. Nick Saban has a 280-69-1 record and is 19-11 in bowl games. He has won a record seven national championships and 11 conference championships (10 SEC, 1 Mid-American Conference). Until he retires, he is going to hold the top spot on the best college football coaches list.