From Dan Lanning to Bob Chesney; ranking the top HC's in the CFP

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In football, the head coach’s decisions have the ability to swing games, whether it’s a head-scratching play-call or a botched end-of-game situation. Those decisions are magnified in a postseason setting, which is exactly the stakes of the College Football Playoff.

The best coaches are able to manage the game to their advantage, giving their players the best possible chance to go out and succeed. But others unintentionally find ways to undercut their players and team, resulting in a loss that could’ve been a win simply with better coaching.

The 2025 edition of the CFP features a number of high-level coaches.

Even the head coaches of the Group of Five teams in the field, James Madison’s Bob Chesney and Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, will not be back at their respective programs after accepting Power 4 head coaching positions. Some have championship pedigree; others are just kicking open the door of their careers. One coach, due to the nature of college football in 2025, has never been a head coach but will be thrust into the spotlight come the first round.

In this piece, we’ll be ranking each head coach participating in the CFP from 12 to 1, taking into account all the duties that it takes to be a head football coach in the playoff.

12. Pete Golding, Ole Miss Rebels

Record as Head Coach: 0-0

2025 Team Record: 11-1, 7-1 SEC

As a result of Lane Kiffin’s pre-CFP departure to LSU, Pete Golding was named the head coach of the Rebels both in the playoff and moving forward. Though he’s fielded solid units during his three seasons as the defensive coordinator, it wouldn’t be responsible to rank him anywhere else but 12th on this list, as he’s never been the head coach for a game at the college level.

11. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes

Record as Head Coach: 94-78

2025 Team Record: 10-2, 6-2 ACC

Mario Cristobal as a recruiter and Mario Cristobal as a football coach are two different things and thus would place him at different spot on this list. But as a football coach, the former Ducks head man has made numerous questionable on-field decisions during his time with Miami. Let’s not forget, two ACC losses had the Hurricanes relying on a win all the way back in August against a Notre Dame quarterback in CJ Carr making his first career start just to eke their way into the final at-large spot.

10. Jon Sumrall, Tulane Green Wave

Record as Head Coach: 43-11

2025 Team Record: 11-2, 8-1 AAC

Having accepted the head coaching job at Florida, this will be Jon Sumrall’s final ride with the Green Wave. He’s shown himself as someone who can turn programs around, as he took over a five-win Troy program in 2022 and immediately won 23 combined games in two seasons before taking the Tulane job. The Green Wave won 11 games before he got there and he’s more than kept them afloat, elevating them to a playoff appearance. Despite making the CFP, Sumrall’s team isn’t particularly great at anything and is just 50th in scoring defense, his speciality. For those reasons, Sumrall, still a very good coach and worthy of the Gators’ job, lands at No. 10.

9. Bob Chesney, James Madison Dukes

Record as Head Coach: 21-5

2025 Team Record: 12-1, 9-0 Sun Belt Conference

Taking over the James Madison program ahead of 2024 season after leading Holy Cross to five consecutive Patriot League titles, the winning ways have continued for the Dukes under Bob Chesney. Curt Cignetti lifted up the program as they became an FBS team in 2022, and Chesney has done even better. The 48-year-old is still relatively on the younger side as a head coach and has proven himself to be a tremendous leader of men in his 16 years as a head coach — so much so that he was hired by UCLA to try to resurrect the Bruins‘ program.

8. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Aggies

Record as Head Coach: 35-15

2025 Team Record: 11-1, 7-1 SEC

It’s hard to argue with Mike Elko’s record this season, but due to the disappointments of last season’s 8-5 campaign and Las Vegas Bowl meltdown loss to the USC Trojans, it’s hard to put him any higher on this list. A 7-5 season in 2023 at Duke managed to get him hired to lead the Aggies program and he’s done what’s asked of him in leading them to the playoff. But you’re unlikely to hear Elko’s name uttered amongst the inner circle of college football head coaches anytime soon.

7. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Record as Head Coach: 35-17

2025 Team Record: 12-1, 9-1 Big 12

Joey McGuire’s in a similar spot as Elko, as he’s unlikely to be mentioned with the top head coaches in the sport. Despite that, he’s done a good job with this Red Raiders team, albeit with an influx in NIL compensation and transfer portal talent. Regardless, McGuire is ultimately responsible for the coalition of the team as a whole and they’ve meshed about as well as anyone could’ve hoped.

6. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide

Record as Head Coach: 56-16

2025 Team Record: 10-3, 7-2 SEC

DeBoar catches a lot of heat whenever Alabama loses, but it’s always worth a reminder that he’s following the legend of Nick Saban — who is un-followable and the Crimson Tide job was always going to be a tough one once he retired because the expectations are set through the roof. All things considered, DeBoer has handled it relatively well. Where he excels is on the offensive side of the ball, as he led an explosive Washington offense in 2023 to the national title game and has the Tide averaging over 30 points per game in the rugged SEC.

5. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

Record as Head Coach: 32-19

2025 Team Record: 10-2, 6-2 SEC

Brent Venables’ coaching tenure at Oklahoma has been mired with two disappointing 6-7 seasons, but his defensive coaching prowess has been on full display in 2025, completely carrying him to a top five spot. Despite battling SEC teams for eight of their games, the Sooners’ defense ranks seventh in scoring defense and ninth in scoring defense. Without those efforts on that side of the ball, Venables and Oklahoma wouldn’t be anywhere close to the position they’re in.

4. Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes

Record as Head Coach: 82-11

2025 Team Record: 12-1, 9-1 Big Ten

There’s a clear top four of head coaches in the CFP and Ryan Day just barely misses out on the top three. Yes, he has an 82-11 record, won a national championship last season and just extinguished his four-game losing streak to the rival Michigan Wolverines. But much of the Buckeyes’ successes have been due to the coordinator and position coaches, who have been extremely highly-regarded. Day doesn’t project as a “leader of men” type of coach nor as an X’s and O’s guy. He’s the conductor of the whole show for Ohio State and deserves credit for the national title, but falls behind the following three coaches.

3. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs

Record as Head Coach: 117-20

2025 Team Record: 12-1, 8-1 SEC

One of the best things about Kirby Smart during his time at Georgia has been that the Bulldogs have an identity. They know exactly who they are as a team, as they’ll punch you in the mouth and drag you to the deep end. It’s a mentality thing and one that Smart has instilled within the culture of his program. He’s won two national championships and come close to more, with this season presenting itself as another opportunity. Off-the-field player issues aside, Smart is one of the golden standards of head football coaches in the sport.

2. Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks

Record as Head Coach: 46-7

2025 Team Record: 11-1, 8-1 Big Ten

Dan Lanning‘s defensive prowess showed perhaps this season more than any other during his four-year tenure with the Oregon Ducks, but it was his ability to motivate his players that stuck out the most. Any slight against his program gets used to his advantage, as his motivational tactics are top notch. The only thing missing for Lanning — though to be fair it is just his fourth season — is postseason success, as he hasn’t led the Ducks to a playoff win. He’ll have a good chance to do so in Oregon’s first-round matchup with Chesney’s James Madison squad.

1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana Hoosiers

Record as Head Coach: 43-6

2025 Team Record: 13-0, 10-0 Big Ten

I mean, just Google him. All Curt Cignetti does is win, and he’s done it at every stop. He elevated James Madison into an 11-win team in his second season and has completely uplifted the entire Indiana program from the bottom of the conference and resigned to being a “basketball school” to what it is today: champions of the Big Ten and the No. 1 seed in the CFP. Meanwhile, he had a scowl on his face after the conference title game. Cignetti is never satisfied with success and has him team on the path of winning a national championship.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ranking the top head coaches in the 2025 CFP field

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