College Football Coaching's Middle Class: CFN Rankings 51-100
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
A wide collection of coaching talent falls into the middle class section of the 2026 CFN preseason head coach rankings.
Several in the 50s belong higher – and will be with another great season – and others are top prospects who are just getting going. And then there are the coaches who have been around for a long time, but need to find a little bit of magic.
Here are the CFN head coach rankings from 51 to 100.
2026 CFN Preseason Head Coach Rankings 51-100
CFN 2026 Preseason Head Coach Rankings
– The Best of the Best: Top 10
– Just Outside the Elite: 11-25
– The Best of the Rest: 26-50
– The Bottom 38: 101-138
– Grading All 30 New Head Coach Hires
100. Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan
2025 Coach Rank: 86
FBS Record: 61-83 | FBS Win %: 42.4%
Entering his 30th season overall, despite all he has done, he has eight losing seasons in the last 12 at EMU – the record has been progressively worse in each of the last four.
– Eastern Michigan 2026 Team Preview
99. Pete Lembo, Buffalo
2025 Coach Rank: 77
FBS Record: 47-40 | FBS Win %: 54%
A coach’s coach, he knows what he’s doing, but there hasn’t been a lick of consistency. After a great nine-win start at UB, last year was a disappointing dip.
– Buffalo 2026 Team Preview
98. Tim Albin, Charlotte
2025 Coach Rank: 64
FBS Record: 34-30 | FBS Win %: 53.1%
Too good a head coach to struggle as much as he did last season at Charlotte – he was great at Ohio – he has to improve the talent level faster. It’s not there yet
– Charlotte 2026 Team Preview
97. Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State
2025 Coach Rank: 52
FBS Record: 119-98 | FBS Win %: 54.8%
Able to adapt in a snap, he went from cranking up great ground games at Navy to a high-powered passing attack at SJSU. Now the wins have to come after a rough year.
– San Jose State 2026 Team Preview
96. Collin Klein, Kansas State
2025 Coach Rank: Not Ranked
FBS Record: 0-0 | FBS Win %: 0%
The favorite son has come home. A star offensive coordinator about to take on his first head coaching gig. He’ll get a little bit of time to find his footing – a little.
– Kansas State 2026 Team Preview
95. Scott Frost, UCF
2025 Coach Rank: 97
FBS Record: 40-45 | FBS Win %: 47.1%
Forget trying to recreate the magic of that 13-0 2017 season – this is a rebuilding job. Frost suffered losing seasons in his other six campaigns between UCF and Nebraska.
– UCF 2026 Team Preview
94. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
2025 Coach Rank: 92
FBS Record: 87-62 | FBS Win %: 58.4%
At least he came up with a winning season, going 7-6. Great at App State, he’s been a winner, but he’s 40-46 over seven seasons at Louisville and Cincinnati.
– Cincinnati 2026 Team Preview
93. Butch Jones, Arkansas State
2025 Coach Rank: 87
FBS Record: 110-91 | FBS Win %: 54.7%
Jones hasn’t made Arkansas State a superpower, but he has settled into the gig going into his sixth year. He was better than he got credit for at Cincinnati and Tennessee.
– Arkansas State 2026 Team Preview
92. Bill Belichick, North Carolina
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
2025 Coach Rank: 16
FBS Record: 4-8 | FBS Win %: 33.3%
He might be the greatest NFL coach of all-time, but he has just one winning record since 2019. He’s Belichick. This has to work, right? At least, this can’t be a hot mess this year.
– North Carolina 2026 Team Preview
91. Mike Locksley, Maryland
2025 Coach Rank: 82
FBS Record: 39-75 | FBS Win %: 34.2%
Just 8-43 before he turned Maryland around in his third season, the good vibes of three straight bowl-winning campaigns are gone after two 4-8 runs. He’ll get one more shot.
– Maryland 2026 Team Preview
90. Fran Brown, Syracuse
2025 Coach Rank: 70
FBS Record: 13-12 | FBS Win %: 52%
Great in his first year when QB Kyle McCord was healthy, it all went wrong last year when QB Steve Angeli got hurt. It might not be a consistent run, but his teams turn it loose.
– Syracuse 2026 Team Preview
89. GJ Kinne, Texas State
2025 Coach Rank: 58
FBS Record: 23-16 | FBS Win %: 59%
Even though he’s just 37, he packed a lot of coaching into a little bit of time. Great in his one year at Incarnate Word, he has three straight winning seasons with the Bobcats.
– Texas State 2026 Team Preview
88. Dave Aranda, Baylor
2025 Coach Rank: 51
FBS Record: 36-37 | FBS Win %: 49.3%
Give the guy credit – he’s doing everything possible to make it all work. The offense was a blast last season, but the 5-7 run wasn’t, making this a make or break season.
– Baylor 2026 Team Preview
87. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
2025 Coach Rank: 117
FBS Record: 7-18 | FBS Win %: 28%
Is it possible to have more excitement around a 7-18 coach about to deal with a death-trap of a slate? Lebby’s attack will be a problem for the SEC, but can it produce wins?
– Mississippi State 2026 Team Preview
86. Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State
2025 Coach Rank: 54
FBS Record: 146-95 | FBS Win %: 60.6%
His offenses are amazing, and he has the resume from his time at BYU and then Virginia, but he hasn’t had a winning season since 2019. His Aggie attack will rock again this year.
– Utah State 2026 Team Preview
85. Clay Helton, Georgia Southern
2025 Coach Rank: 48
FBS Record: 73-49 | FBS Win %: 59.8%
Helton isn’t dominating the Sun Belt, but he’s been okay in four seasons, coming off his second straight winning campaign. He’s good, but he’s overdue for a big year.
– Georgia Southern 2026 Team Preview
84. Barry Odom, Purdue
2025 Coach Rank: 49
FBS Record: 46-43 | FBS Win %: 51.7%
He was better than given credit for at Missouri, made an impossible situation great at UNLV, and he’ll get time to try turning Purdue around – but a sign of life would be nice.
– Purdue 2026 Team Preview
83. Bill O’Brien, Boston College
2025 Coach Rank: 43
FBS Record: 24-25 | FBS Win %: 49%
O’Brien’s Eagles were way better than the 2-10 record, but he needs to pull out of the nosedive fast after just his second losing season, college or pro.
– Boston College 2026 Team Preview
82. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
2025 Coach Rank: 67
FBS Record: 80-46 | FBS Win %: 63.5%
Still around after a stunningly miserable run so far, he’s getting another shot to reconfigure the program and be the coach everyone was hoping for from Cincinnati.
– Wisconsin 2026 Team Preview
81. Deion Sanders, Colorado
2025 Coach Rank: 42
FBS Record: 16-21 | FBS Win %: 43.2%
He’s Deion Sanders – his teams always bring the attitude and skill parts. Now he needs to prove he can win without Shedeur and Travis, especially after a brutal team crash in 2025.
– Colorado 2026 Team Preview
80. Ryan Silverfield, Arkansas
2025 Coach Rank: 44* (at Memphis)
FBS Record: 50-25 | FBS Win %: 66.7%
Ehhhhhhh, let’s see. He’s young, has a world of upside, and he still has to prove he can win big after never finishing better than third in the conference in six years at Memphis.
– Arkansas 2026 Team Preview
79. Charles Kelly, Jacksonville State
2025 Coach Rank: 127
FBS Record: 9-5 | FBS Win %: 64.3%
Could he go from a top assistant to a decent head man? All he did was take a team gutted by transfers and win nine games with a CUSA Championship appearance.
– Jacksonville State 2026 Team Preview
78. Matt Drinkall, Central Michigan
2025 Coach Rank: 129
FBS Record: 7-6 | FBS Win %: 53.8%
Relatively unknown after coming over from the Army coaching staff, he made the Chippewas solid right away. Just 43, he’s a rock-solid high-rising star.
– Central Michigan 2026 Team Preview
77. Willie Simmons, FIU
2025 Coach Rank: 88
FBS Record: 7-6 | FBS Win %: 53.8%
A wonderful fit for FIU after doing a fantastic job at Florida A&M, he made the Panthers interesting in a winning first run. He’s about to be a star with one more great campaign.
– FIU 2026 Team Preview
76. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
2025 Coach Rank: 71
FBS Record: 80-61 | FBS Win %: 56.7%
Pitt was known for churning through coaches, and now Narduzzi – who won the 2021 ACC title – is going into his 12th season. His teams win just enough to think a corner is about to be turned.
– Pitt 2026 Team Preview
75. Morgan Scalley, Utah
2025 Coach Rank: Not Ranked
FBS Record: 1-0 | FBS Win %: 100%
No pressure or anything. Just follow a Hall of Fame-caliber head coach, win double-digit games every year, and take things one step further and get into the CFP. Good luck.
– Utah 2026 Team Preview
74. Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State
2025 Coach Rank: Not Ranked
FBS Record: 110-101 | FBS Win %: 52.1%
Hell hath no fury like a head coach scorned. Fitzgerald closed 4-20 in his last two years at Northwestern, but no coach in America has a hotter fire going into the season.
– Michigan State 2026 Team Preview
73. Billy Napier, James Madison
2025 Coach Rank: 41* (at Florida)
FBS Record: 62-35 | FBS Win %: 63.9%
Let’s just say the Florida gig didn’t work. He’s still the guy who went 40-12 at Louisiana, but now he has to follow Curt Cignetti and Bob Chesney. This will be interesting.
– James Madison 2026 Team Preview
72. Mike Jacobs, Toledo
2025 Coach Rank: 59
FBS Record: 0-0 | FBS Win %: 0%
A wonderful hire for the Rockets, Jacobs won’t be at Toledo for long. All he does is win lots of games, with 33 victories over the last three years at Lenoir-Rhyne and Mercer.
– Toledo 2026 Team Preview
71. Lance Taylor, Western Michigan
2025 Coach Rank: 121
FBS Record: 20-19 | FBS Win %: 51.3%
The Broncos are just renting him. In his first gig as a head coach, WMU went from four wins to six to ten, to being the favorite to repeat as the MAC champion.
– Western Michigan 2026 Team Preview
70. Chuck Martin, Miami University
2025 Coach Rank: 78
FBS Record: 72-74 | FBS Win %: 49.3%
Among the better and most underappreciated head coaches going, 12 seasons in, Miami is a consistent MAC contender with three straight trips to the title game.
– Miami Unviersity 2026 Team Preview
69. Mike Norvell, Florida State
2025 Coach Rank: 36
FBS Record: 76-49 | FBS Win %: 60.8%
The win over Alabama was a mirage in a 7-18 run since the gut-punch of 2024. The program wants him to win, but four losing seasons in six years isn’t okay at this program.
– Florida State 2026 Team Preview
68. Matt Rhule, Nebraska
2025 Coach Rank: 39
FBS Record: 66-62 | FBS Win %: 51.6%
A huge, big-name hire, he slowed the Nebraska skid into irrelevance. However, he’s 19-19 with the Huskers and 66-62 in ten years as a college head coach.
– Nebraska 2026 Team Preview
67. Lance Leipold, Kansas
© Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
2025 Coach Rank: 37
FBS Record: 64-68 | FBS Win %: 48.5%
It's amazing how everyone seems to have forgotten how totally miserable Kansas football was before Leipold arrived. He has his best team, a new stadium, and a world of upside.
– Kansas 2026 Team Preview
66. Ricky Rahne, Old Dominion
2025 Coach Rank: 84
FBS Record: 30-33 | FBS Win %: 47.6%
Shockingly below the radar, he’s an offensive coach whose defenses and ground games have been great. After a 10-3 season, he’s one more big year away from being noticed.
– Old Dominion 2026 Team Preview
65. KC Keeler, Temple
2025 Coach Rank: 75
FBS Record: 17-19 | FBS Win %: 47.2%
He won national titles at Delaware and Sam Houston, and at 67, he’s trying to turn Temple into a player. To paraphrase Cignetti, Google him. He wins football games.
– Temple 2026 Team Preview
64. Blake Harrell, East Carolina
2025 Coach Rank: 111
FBS Record: 14-5 | FBS Win %: 73.7%
A great defensive coordinator in an under-the-radar way, he took over in the middle of 2024 and hasn’t looked back. One more good season and he’ll be hot on the carousel.
– East Carolina 2026 Team Preview
63. Shane Beamer, South Carolina
2025 Coach Rank: 46
FBS Record: 33-30 | FBS Win %: 52.4%
Can he get his groove back after a lousy season following a meltdown bowl loss to Illinois to end 2024? He’s still good, this year’s team is solid, and the bounce-back should come.
– South Carolina 2026 Team Preview
62. Brent Brennan, Arizona
2025 Coach Rank: 89
FBS Record: 47-60 | FBS Win %: 43.9%
Things look a lot better when you overcome your four-win first season with a 9-4 campaign. Now he has to prove Arizona has staying power.
– Arizona 2026 Team Preview
61. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
2025 Coach Rank: 79
FBS Record: 26-36 | FBS Win %: 41.9%
Having Diego Pavia had a lot to do with it, but Lea brought him aboard. He’s recruiting well, won 17 games over the last two seasons, and he made Commodore fans believe.
– Vanderbilt 2026 Team Preview
60. David Braun, Northwestern
2025 Coach Rank: 73
FBS Record: 19-19 | FBS Win %: 50%
Just 41, he might be Northwestern football for a long time with a new stadium, a strong team, Chip Kelly as his OC, and two bowl-winning seasons in his first three years.
– Northwestern 2026 Team Preview
59. Eric Morris, Oklahoma State
2025 Coach Rank: 85* (at North Texas)
FBS Record: 22-16 | FBS Win %: 57.9%
Okay, let’s see if this works at a power conference level. Just 40, he’s a rising superstar whose offense ripped it up at Incarnate Word and then at North Texas. His teams score.
– Oklahoma State 2026 Team Preview
58. Alex Golesh, Auburn
2025 Coach Rank: 74* (at USF)
FBS Record: 23-15 | FBS Win %: 60.5%
Let’s see if this thing works. His high-powered offensive style turned USF into a winner with 23 victories in three seasons, and now he’s about to make Auburn fun.
– Auburn 2026 Team Preview
57. Sean Lewis, San Diego State
2025 Coach Rank: 109
FBS Record: 36-44 | FBS Win %: 45%
Known for his great offensive coaching, last year he adapted and put together a whopper of a defense. He won at Kent State, and in one season he did wonders with the Aztecs.
– San Diego State 2026 Team Preview
56. Tony Elliott, Virginia
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
2025 Coach Rank: 114
FBS Record: 22-26 | FBS Win %: 45.8%
There it is. After fighting through adversity and tough seasons, Elliott was able to put it together in a shockingly great season. Now he has to prove it wasn’t a one-off.
– Virginia 2026 Team Preview
55. Timmy Chang, Hawaii
2025 Coach Rank: 104
FBS Record: 22-29 | FBS Win %: 43.1%
Amazing, he took over a total redo of a Hawaii program and, in three years, pulled off a nine-win campaign. Now he has enough talent back to be a real Mountain West player.
– Hawaii 2026 Team Preview
54. Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
2025 Coach Rank: 80
FBS Record: 32-24 | FBS Win %: 57.1%
The 42-year-old very quietly put together a great nine-win season at Wake Forest. He’s turning into the next big deal head man who’ll be on everyone’s radar if he does it again.
– Wake Forest 2026 Team Preview
53. Jeff Traylor, UTSA
2025 Coach Rank: 66
FBS Record: 53-26 | FBS Win %: 67.1%
Overdue for a Power Four program gig, he has six winning seasons and two conference titles in six years. However, UTSA needs to be a bigger factor again in the American.
– UTSA 2026 Team Preview
52. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
2025 Coach Rank: 65
FBS Record: 35-18 | FBS Win %: 66%
Yeah, he got a ton of help from the transfer portal, the NIL financing, and … he’s still the coach who brought a Big 12 title to Lubbock. That’s how the game is played now, and even with all of the turmoil, the results are all that matter. Texas Tech wins now.
– Texas Tech 2026 Team Preview
51. Tyson Helton, WKU
2025 Coach Rank: 47
FBS Record: 58-35 | FBS Win %: 62.4%
He has one of the consistently great Group of Six programs with six years with eight wins or more in seven years, another CUSA-contending team, and great winning consistency.
– WKU 2026 Team Preview
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos