CFN 2026 Preseason Top 10 College Football Coaches
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
What makes someone one of the top ten college football coaches going into a season?
We give a hat tip to all-time greatness – all ten guys on this list will someday be in the College Football Hall of Fame – but this is more about who the best coaches are going into the season, combined with what they're doing with the talent they have in place.
Basically, if you have to make a case, you probably don't belong in the top ten.
CFN 2026 Preseason Top 10 College Football Coaches
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
10. Jeff Brohm, Louisville
2025 Coach Rank: 11
FBS Record: 94-56 | FBS Win %: 62.7%
It’s been lost in the fog that Purdue played in the 2022 Big Ten Championship before Brohm took over Louisville. The three straight seasons with nine wins or more were nice, but now it’s time to win something large.
– Louisville 2026 Team Preview
9. Lane Kiffin, LSU
2025 Coach Rank: 19* (at Ole Miss)
FBS Record: 116-52 | FBS Win %: 69%
Even better than you think, he already has 116 wins in just over 13 seasons. Pulling off 32 wins in his last three seasons at Ole Miss was fantastic. Now watch what he’s about to do with no barriers and all the resources at his disposal.
– LSU 2026 Team Preview
– Ranking all 30 New Head Coaches
8. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
2025 Coach Rank: 18
FBS Record: 57-17 | FBS Win %: 77%
Everyone wants to criticize him for what he didn't do yet. He has 20 wins in his first two seasons at Bama – Nick Saban only had 19. You don’t go 124-20 with nine or more wins in all ten full seasons as a head man without knowing how to coach.
– Alabama 2026 Team Preview
7. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
2025 Coach Rank: 5
FBS Record: 186-53 | FBS Win %: 77.8%
Dunk on Dabo all you want, but he’s still just a year removed from an ACC Championship. Even after last year’s dud, the guy has eight ACC titles and two national championships in 11 years. Find anyone else currently going who can match that.
– Clemson 2026 Team Preview
6. Dan Lanning, Oregon
2025 Coach Rank: 7
FBS Record: 48-8 | FBS Win %: 85.7%
He’s just getting started – the guy is only 40 – and he has 48 wins in four seasons. Yeah, his teams have crashed out in spectacular fashion, but it's been three years since he lost to a team that didn’t win or play for the national title.
– Oregon 2026 Team Preview
5. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
2025 Coach Rank: 6
FBS Record: 92-55 | FBS Win %: 62.6%
Texas enjoyed just one double-digit win season from 2010 until 2022 – 13 years. Sarkisian needed a few seasons, and then won 35 games in the last three years. Yeah, the playcalling might get a little too cute at times, but Texas is fantastic again as he keeps cranking out great team after great team.
– Texas 2026 Team Preview
4. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
2025 Coach Rank: 3
FBS Record: 43-12 | FBS Win %: 78.2%
One of the hottest head coaches in all of sports, he’s crushing the recruiting trail, has a great team returning, and he won 78% of his games in just over four seasons – that’s not a given, even in South Bend. Even harder than that, he actually made Notre Dame cool.
– Notre Dame 2026 Team Preview
3. Ryan Day, Ohio State
2025 Coach Rank: 2
FBS Record: 82-12 | FBS Win %: 87.2%
87%. Nick Saban won 87% of his games at Alabama. Urban won 85% for his career. Paterno won 75%. Bowden 74%. Bear Bryant 78%. No, it’s not a lock to win 87% just because he’s at Ohio State, especially in the modern era. Of course, he has to keep this up for another decade or more to walk among the college coaching gods, but he’s off to an amazing start.
– Ohio State 2026 Team Preview
2. Kirby Smart, Georgia
2025 Coach Rank: 1
FBS Record: 117-21 | FBS Win %: 84.8%
The guy is 37-3 in the SEC over the last five seasons – longevity and consistency matter. Winning three SEC championships in the last four years as part of a nine-year run of dominance turned Georgia into the SEC’s premier program. The run isn't stopping.
– Georgia 2026 Team Preview
1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana
2025 Coach Rank: 4
FBS Record: 46-6 | FBS Win %: 88.5%
All he did was take a 3-9 Indiana program and turn it into the new Alabama in two seasons. 27-2, a national title, and arguably the greatest season in the history of the sport. You don’t need to Google him anymore. He’s the best coach in college football.
– Indiana 2026 Team Preview
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos