RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesFrom legends who've become institutions to up-and-coming superstars with the world there for the taking, these are the 15 coaches who are among the very best, but slightly below the current elite. All of them have won big things, but each is missing something. Can he win the really big games? Where's the national title? How long before all the great things turn into something special at a whole other level? They're all fantastic, and they're all in the top 25 in our 2026 ranking of the best head coaches in college football going into the season.
CFN Preseason Head Coach Rankings 11 to 25
Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (right) talks with quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
25. Jeff Monken, Army
2025 Coach Rank: 10 FBS Record: 89-63 | FBS Win %: 58.6% No one seems to grasp that it’s way harder than it seems to consistently win at Army . 12 seasons in, Monken continues to produce. - Army 2026 Team Preview - CFN Preseason Top 10 Head Coaches
24. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
2025 Coach Rank: 24 FBS Record: 213-128 | FBS Win %: 62.5% The head man at Iowa since 1999 - Troy Calhoun ( Air Force ) and Dabo Swinney (2009) are the only other coaches to be around since before 2013 - he’s an institution with over 100 more FBS wins than all but 11 other current head coaches. - Iowa 2026 Team Preview
23. Brian Newberry, Navy
2025 Coach Rank: 69 FBS Record: 26-12 | FBS Win %: 68.4% From five wins to ten, to 11, two straight bowl victories over Army. What more could you want? (Maybe an American Conference title.) Always remember that winning big at a service academy isn’t a given. - Navy 2026 Team Preview
22. Sonny Dykes, TCU
2025 Coach Rank: 27 FBS Record: 107-80 | FBS Win %: 57.2% Six winning seasons in seven years, a national championship appearance, and three seasons with nine or more wins in four runs with the Horned Frogs. He’s just that good. - TCU 2026 Team Preview
21. Jon Sumrall, Florida
2025 Coach Rank: 34* (at Tulane) FBS Record: 43-12 | FBS Win %: 78.2% The cell phone thing at SEC media days (he was JOKING) and pedicures got the headlines - whatever. He won three conference titles with a trip to the CFP in four seasons between Troy and Tulane. Watch out for Florida . - Florida 2026 Team Preview
20. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan
2025 Coach Rank: 12* (at Utah) FBS Record: 177-88 | FBS Win %: 66.8% Very good for very long at Utah, he’s getting the shot to do something special with everything in place to win a national title - even if it's not this year. He should be able to turn Michigan back into a College Football Playoff team. - Michigan 2026 Team Preview
19. Mike Elko, Texas A&M
2025 Coach Rank: 40 FBS Record: 35-16 | FBS Win %: 68.6% How many double-digit win seasons did Texas A&M have from 1999 to 2024? One. Elko got the Aggies to the College Football Playoff in Year Two, going 11-2. Watch him make the high-end success a regular thing. - Texas A&M 2026 Team Preview
18. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
2025 Coach Rank: 13 FBS Record: 22-16 | FBS Win %: 57.9% A rising star we loved from jump, he could’ve been the Michigan head coach, stayed at ASU, and has the energy and staying power to become a superstar. - Arizona State 2026 Team Preview
17. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
2025 Coach Rank: 14 FBS Record: 73-28 | FBS Win %: 72.3% Don’t get into a twist over Heupel’s disappointing 8-5 season - he won 30 games over the previous three years and won 72% of his games overall between UCF and the Vols. - Tennessee 2026 Team Preview
16. Kalani Sitake, BYU
Nov 29, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake during the first half against the UCF Knights at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images © Rob Gray-Imagn Images
2025 Coach Rank: 30 FBS Record: 84-45 | FBS Win %: 65.1% Rumored for the Penn State gig, nothing buys goodwill more than staying put. Winning 23 games in the last two years and four ten-win seasons in the last six helps, too. - BYU 2026 Team Preview
15. Matt Campbell, Penn State
2025 Coach Rank: 17* (at Iowa State ) FBS Record: 107-70 | FBS Win %: 60.5% Win now, win big, win big games, win, win, win. He got to two Big 12 championship games at Iowa State and made the program a consistent winner, but that’s not good enough for Penn State. There’s zero grace period, but this was the right gig at the right time. - Penn State 2026 Team Preview
14. Lincoln Riley, USC
2025 Coach Rank: 20 FBS Record: 91-27 | FBS Win %: 77.1% By most reasonable standards, he’s been among the top coaches in college football over the last nine seasons. USC doesn’t have reasonable standards - and rightly so. He’s been very good, but that’s not quite good enough. It’s Year Five - USC needs to be in the CFP. - USC 2026 Team Preview
13. Rhett Lashlee, SMU
2025 Coach Rank: 15 FBS Record: 38-17 | FBS Win %: 69.1% Could he make the jump from top OC to head coach? After 31 wins and a CFP appearance in the last three years, all while turning SMU into an ACC player, yeah, he’s doing just fine. - SMU 2026 Team Preview
12. James Franklin, Virginia Tech
2025 Coach Rank: 8* (at Penn State) FBS Record:...
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