There’s more star power than ever among the ranks of college football coaches. It’s hard to keep track of all of them, but ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg has us covered ahead of the 2025 season.
The college football analyst ranked the Top 10 coaches to watch this coming college football season. From legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick at North Carolina to Deion Sanders in Boulder, the juicy storylines write themselves.
Additionally, there’s a myriad of coaches looking to make a name for themselves in college football, while a couple of huge names are hoping for a bounce-back 2025. Check out Rittenberg’s rankings below, beginning with the aforementioned Belichick at the top of the list. Was there really ever any other choice? Not a chance.
Bill Belichick shocked the world by taking the job in Chapel Hill this offseason. There isn’t anyone who doubts his football acumen, but his tenure is already off to a rocky start, with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson’s name coming up much more than he would like. When the rubber meets the road, we’ll see what he has for North Carolina in his first season of college football.
Rittenberg: “The most talked-about coach entering the 2025 season is a 73-year-old who has never worked at the college level, but guided the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships. … Will his first year be desirable or disastrous? There may be no in-between as he takes over amid so many questions.”
Penn State had its best shot at making it to a national title game since James Franklin took over this past season. The Nittany Lions fell just short, but with Drew Allar returning to play quarterback, the Nittany Lions should be right back in the mix. If they’re not, questions regarding the coach’s future in Happy Valley might begin to arise.
Rittenberg: “He led Penn State to its first two CFP wins last season and will have quite possibly his best overall team, led by quarterback Drew Allar. … Can he deliver Penn State’s first national title since 1986? The ingredients are there, but Franklin must now meet the highest of expectations.”
Brent Venables’ return to Oklahoma came with a ton of fanfare. However, the bloom is off the rose. A late-season win over Alabama might’ve saved his bacon in 2024. Expectations will be greater in 2025, amid an offensive revamp. The Sooners will need to make a bigger impact in the SEC during their second season in the conference.
Rittenberg: “His return to OU momentarily dulled the pain and anger surrounding coach Lincoln Riley’s abrupt departure. But the Sooners’ results under Venables have been painful, too: 22-17 overall, 2-6 in OU’s inaugural SEC season and an offense that plummeted to 119th in passing and 97th in scoring last season. … Venables now must win or face significant job pressure.”
Replacing Nick Saban is impossible. Kalen DeBoer did a tremendous job early in the season with the Crimson Tide, but the wheels began to fall off with some uncharacteristic losses. Quarterback Jalen Milroe is on to the NFL, and it remains to be seen where the coach turns at the position next, but Tuscaloosa is a pressure cooker. There’s no way around it, DeBoer has to win.
Rittenberg: “DeBoer followed a coaching icon in Nick Saban and went through a turbulent first season, as Alabama missed the CFP despite the expanded field. He has had a full offseason to shape and develop the roster, and reunited with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was integral to the Washington Huskies’ surge. … Another CFP miss won’t be received well in Tuscaloosa.”
What Deion Sanders has done at Colorado is nothing short of immaculate. However, his two calling cards in Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are on to the NFL, with their numbers retired to boot. Will Coach Prime be able to keep the faith in his program moving forward? The Buffaloes and the residents of Boulder sure hope so.
Rittenberg: “The spotlight has been on Sanders since he arrived in Boulder, and Year 3 will be no different. … Phase 2 of Coach Prime at CU will feature a team trying to build on a nine-win season and challenge for the Big 12 title.”
Brian Kelly was clowned on by fellow coaches, players and media members when he arrived in Baton Rouge. He’s done a solid job during his first two seasons, making it to the SEC title game during Year 1, but now expectations have changed. With Garrett Nussmeier back, the Tigers will need to compete for the College Football Playoff, or the heat will be turned up.
Rittenberg: “Kelly came to the Bayou with the expressed purpose of winning a national title, just like the three Tigers coaches before him (Ed Orgeron, Les Miles, Nick Saban). Instead, he watched his former team, Notre Dame, make a CFP run while he sat home again. Kelly could have his best team as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier stayed, and LSU made a strong transfer portal push.”
What a season it was for Marcus Freeman in 2024. He’s become a star as Notre Dame’s head coach, but the year ended with a whimper, as Ohio State took it to the Fighting Irish in the finale of the college football season. It remains to be seen what he has in store for an encore, but it’ll be the coach’s job to ensure there’s no hangover in 2025.
Rittenberg: “He entered 2024 with questions about his readiness, amplified after a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois, but ended the season in the national title game. After getting everything he could out of his team, Freeman has a younger but arguably more talented squad in 2025. … Another CFP appearance will cement the 39-year-old Freeman as one of the sport’s best coaches.”
There might not be a coach in college football who had a more demoralizing 2024. Florida State went from title contenders to a running joke throughout the season, and Mike Norvell went from being considered a top-tier coach to potentially losing his job. He changed a ton over the last year, including both his coordinators. We’ll see if 2025 is more kind to him.
Rittenberg: “Norvell is entering his sixth year at FSU, but doesn’t it feel like longer? He started off with two losing seasons and then won 10 games before a 13-0 start to the 2023 season that culminated with an ACC championship. But the CFP snub sent Florida State into a tailspin, as the team went 2-10 last fall. … He’ll need to (engineer a turnaround) reach Year 7 in Tallahassee.”
There was some drama as to whether Mike Gundy would return to Oklahoma State over this past offseason. That seemed unfathomable heading into the 2024 season, but last year was such a disaster that it made sense. Nothing is set in stone for the Cowboys, but perhaps that’s where the coach will thrive in 2025.
Rittenberg: “After winning Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2023, Gundy had the Pokes positioned to contend annually in the reshaped league. Coming off his worst season, though, Gundy needs a turnaround with a reshaped coaching staff and a transfer-laden roster to keep his job.”
Dabo Swinney pulled another rabbit out of his hat in 2024. He willed Clemson to the College Football Playoff after winning the ACC title, but the Tigers couldn’t overcome Texas in the first round. With Cade Klubnik returning for a final run, they’ll be a popular pick to make a run. Time will tell if it comes to fruition.
Rittenberg: “He’s seven years removed from his last national title and has taken heat for largely stiff-arming the transfer portal and digging in on certain philosophies. After a surprise ACC title in 2024, Swinney has one of his best rosters. … He aims for his third national championship doing it his way.”
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