Strange circumstances brought Martin and Malzahn together, but now the pair are united for a second time. There isnt a lot more to say about these two. Under Cains watch, Oklahoma outside linebacker Nik Bonitto broke out as a second-team All-American in 2020 and enters this season as one of the nations top defensive players. Posted 130 catches in six NFL seasons, including 47 catches for 754 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. Is back at Ohio State after starring for the Buckeyes as a wide receiver (2005-08). A note: We limited the list to coaches under 45 and did not include anyone who is already an offensive or defensive co-coordinator at the Power 5 level, which is why you wont see guys such as Glenn Schumann (Georgia), Jon Sumrall (Kentucky) or Brian Williams (Maryland) despite their names coming up several times during the information-gathering process. Dabo has lifted whatever Clemsoning curse was put on the Tigers and has won 81% of his games so far. Is the grandson of Lou Holtz. Ranking college football's 10 best head coaches in 2022 Limited Ads. Imagine a world in which Kirby Smart is a two-time national champion, one where his team did not blow a 10-point lead to Alabama in the fourth quarter of the 2018 championship game and then a 14-point third-quarter lead in the SEC Championship the following year. Kinne, Recent jobs: UCF (2021), Hawaii offensive coordinator (2020), Philadelphia Eagles special projects assistant (2019), Arkansas offensive analyst (2018), Recent jobs: Tennessee (2021), Rice offensive coordinator (2018-20), North Carolina Central head coach (2014-17), Recent jobs: Pitt (2021), Hawaii wide receivers coach (2020), William & Mary offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2019), Howard offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2017-18), Oklahoma Baptist running backs coach (2016), Arizona State quality control coach (2015), Tennessee senior offensive analyst Matt Merritt, Recent jobs: Tennessee (2021), James Madison running backs coach (2019-20), Elon running backs coach/special teams coordinator (2017-18), Oklahoma inside linebackers coach Brian Odom, Recent jobs: Oklahoma (2019-present), Missouri outside linebackers coach (2017-18), Washington State defensive quality control coach (2015-16), Georgia State cornerbacks coach Cory Peoples, Recent jobs: Georgia State (2020-present), Georgia Southern cornerbacks coach (2018), Albany State defensive coordinator (2017), Recent jobs: Memphis (2020-present), Liberty linebackers coach (2019), Alabama graduate assistant (2017-18), Baylor special teams coordinator/safeties coach Matthew Powledge, Recent jobs: Baylor (2020-present), Louisiana special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach (2018-19), ULM special teams coordinator/tight ends coach (2016-17), Florida linebackers coach Christian Robinson, Recent jobs: Florida (2018-present), Mississippi State graduate assistant (2017), Ole Miss graduate assistant (2015-16), Texas A&M defensive line coach Elijah Robinson, Recent jobs: Texas A&M (2018-present), Baylor defensive line coach (2017), Temple defensive line coach (2014-16), Texas A&M defensive backs coach TJ Rushing, Recent jobs: Texas A&M (2020-present), Memphis secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator (2018-19), Arizona State secondary coach (2016-17), Recent jobs: SMU running backs coach (2020-present), SMU offensive assistant (2019), Texas offensive analyst/on-campus recruiter (2018), Texas A&M linebackers coach Tyler Santucci, Recent jobs: Texas A&M (2020-present), Wake Forest (2019), Texas A&M analyst (2018), Notre Dame analyst (2017), Texas State linebackers coach (2016), Iowa State running backs/wide receivers coach Nate Scheelhaase, Recent jobs: Iowa State (2018-present), Illinois analyst (2016-17), Illinois running backs coach (2015), Penn State running backs coach JaJuan Seider, Recent jobs: Penn State (2018-present), Florida running backs coach (2017), West Virginia running backs coach (2013-16), LSU offensive graduate assistant Derek Shay, Recent jobs: LSU (2020-present), McNeese State tight ends coach (2019), Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive line coach (2017-18), Recent jobs: UAB cornerbacks coach (2019-present), UAB analyst/grad assistant (2016-18), South Alabama quality control coach (2014-15), Virginia Tech cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith, Recent jobs: Virginia Tech (2020-present), James Madison safeties coach (2019), Elon secondary coach (2017-18), Penn State graduate assistant (2015-16), Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor, Recent jobs: Notre Dame (2019-present), Carolina Panthers wide receivers coach (2017-18), Stanford running backs coach (2014-16), Recent jobs: Ohio (2021), LSU analyst (2020), Cleveland Browns quality control coach (2019), New York Jets pro personnel intern (2018), Oklahoma graduate assistant (2015-17), Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington, Recent jobs: Ohio State (2019-present), Michigan linebackers coach (2018), Cincinnati defensive line coach (2017), Boston College assistant (2012-16), Charlotte co-coordinator/defensive line coach Marcus West, Recent jobs: Charlotte (2019-present), Minnesota defensive line pass rush specialist (2018), Austin Peay co- coordinator/defensive line coach (2016-17), Recent jobs: USC (2020-present), Oregon cornerbacks coach (2018-19), Nebraska cornerbacks coach (2017), Arizona cornerbacks coach (2016), San Jose State secondary coach/recruiting coordinator (2013-15), Florida State secondary coach Marcus Woodson, Recent jobs: Florida State (2020-present), Auburn secondary coach (2018-19), Memphis secondary coach (2016-17), Fresno State secondary coach (2014-15), UTSA co-coordinator/defensive line coach Rod Wright, Recent jobs: UTSA (2019-present), East Carolina defensive line coach (2018), Sam Houston State defensive line coach (2014-17). Again, there was a win decrease in his first season, as the Gophers went from nine wins to five in 2017, but a two-game improvement in 2018 foreshadowed an 11-2 season in 2019. Has been Georgias pass game coordinator since 2019. 1 offense in college football by far. Was a linebacker at Georgia (2009-12) and made 17 career starts for the Bulldogs. Was part of helping Liberty go 10-1 in 2020. He then led Waynesboro Area (Pa.) to a share of the league title a year after finishing 0-10. Jay Johnson, Michigan State -- $1.35 million 2. Kasey Dunn, Oklahoma State -- $800,000* 3. Former Texas A&M starting quarterback; he beat out current Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill for the Aggies starting QB job. A veteran Power 5 head coach mentioned Hankton as someone he sees as a potential Group of 5 head-coach candidate. Let's rank the top 100 . At North Carolina Central, Mack posted a 31-15 record and was a finalist for the 2016 Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year award. Previously assisted in the development of Molden, McDuffie and others as the Huskies assistant defensive backs coach. Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs in the second quarter against the Utah Utes during the 2022 Rose Bowl college football game at the Rose Bowl. 2023 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Based on that feedback, here are 50 coaches (including a few support staffers) you need to know entering the 2021 season. Now hes revamped the Texas A&M program, going 26-10 in three seasons and coming off a 9-1 season with huge aspirations for a national title hunt in 2021. The Bulldogs were the only SEC team with multiple 50-plus-yard kick returns. Coastal Carolina has only graced the FBS for four years, but it has improved every season, culminating in a ludicrous 11-1 record last fall thanks to a full-scale offensive transformation. JaMarcus Shepard, Washington -- $650,000+6. 15 Best College Football Coaches of All Time LSU Football: Cortez Hankton listed as the top WR coach candidate From Yale's Walter Camp to Alabama's Nick Saban, here are eight whose innovations or achievements have significantly impacted the sport over the past 15 decades. As Charlottes offensive coordinator in 2019, Atkins led a unit that ranked 28th nationally in yards per play (6.31). Promoted to defensive pass game coordinator earlier this year. The Cyclones' last four defenses rank eighth, 11th, 14th and 17th in EPA allowed per play among the 40 team seasons in the Big 12 since 2017. Contributed to Southern Utah winning the Big Sky championship in 2017 with a defense that forced 29 turnovers and ranked third in the conference in scoring defense. For what it's worth, Gattis made $525,000 while coaching the Crimson Tide's wide receivers in 2018. He is repeatedly hitting home runs on the recruiting front and is breeding high-upside players into elite-level route-runners. Cortez Hankton, LSU -- $850,000+ 2. Of course, he was wildly successful in the years before his Buffalo tenure. As the Mustangs running backs coach, Samples has aided in the progression of players such as Ulysses Bentley and Tyler Lavine. 9 in 2019 (184.2). Helped BCs defense improve by an average of 71 yards per game against conference opponents in 2020 (from 494 yards per game under the previous staff in 2019 to 422.8 yards per game last season). The feel in the coaching world is that Odom likely would be a top contender for the Oklahoma coordinator job if Alex Grinch leaves for a head-coaching opportunity. Yes, Alabama claimed 12 championships before Saban's arrival, but it was a program going through turmoil and probation before he took the reins. The Best Coaching Candidates Available NCAA / NFL Football Coaches Was a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist as a running back at Michigan and finished his Wolverines career (2004-07) as the programs leading career rusher (5,040 yards). -- Nate Scheelhasse coaches Iowa State's running backs and wide receivers. Turned down NFL job opportunities this past coaching cycle. That came after Brocks group ranked either first or second in the Pac-12 in net punting, kick-return average and kick-return defense in 2018. Best wide receiver tandems in college football - NFL.com 8 in 2019. While playing in eight games for Miami last season, he caught four passes for . Made a big-time impression with people at LSU during his one season on the Tigers staff. Bryan McClendon, Georgia -- $700,000+4. Among them were sacks per game (2.2) and tackles for loss per game (8.0). Has recruited and coached players like DeMarvin Leal, a former five-star recruit who could be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. A 3-4 season in the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign put a slight damper on Fleck's progress, so 2021 is a big year for him. -- Junior Adams was Washington's original wide receivers coach on Kalen DeBoer's new staff, at $500,000 per year. Had two all-conference defensive backs last year first-teamer Elijah Molden (who was picked by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of this years NFL draft) and second-team selection Trent McDuffie. He had 191 catches for 3,379 yards and 31 touchdowns in his four-year career. Within a four-day period in July, he landed two of the top-ranked recruits in SMU program history five-star wide receiver Jordan Hudson and four-star safety Chace Biddle. Has coached multiple all-conference and future NFL running backs, including Miles Sanders at Penn State and Charles Sims and Wendell Smallwood at West Virginia.