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College football coaches have their hands full by attempting to build a winning program and manage rosters that are constantly changing. It's for this reason that becoming one of the top college football coaches can be one of the most difficult things.
Here's a look at the top 10 college football coaches who were included in former national champion quarterback and CBS Sports' Danny Kanell's list, shared on Instagram.
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Top 10 college football coaches who made Danny Kanell's list
#10 Lance Leipold, Kansas
Lance Leipold is one of the top college football coaches after helping turn around college football at Kansas. The Jayhawks had failed to win over three games over the last 11 seasons before Leipold took over as their coach in 2021.
Leipold has brought the Jayhawks to two straight bowl games and went 9-4 last season. Kansas was one of the top offensive teams in 2023 and beat UNLV 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
#9 Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach in 2005 and has a 162-79 record at the Utes helm.
He has proven himself as one of the top college football coaches as a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year and has brought the Utes to 17 bowl games, with a 11-6 record.
#8 Lincoln Riley, USC
USC's Lincoln Riley has a .804% winning percentage at major schools over his seven years as a head coach. He began his head coaching career at Oklahoma in 2017 and won the Big 12 Coach of the Year award in 2018.
He took the job at USC in 2022 and went 11-3 during his first season with the Trojans. Last season, he led the Trojans to an 8-5 record and beat Louisville 42-28 in the Holiday Bowl.
#7 Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Steve Sarkisian is one of the biggest names among current college football coaches after coaching at Washington, USC and Texas.
Sarkisian has a career record of 71-49 at major programs over his 10 years as a head coach. He led Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season but fell 37-31 to Washington.
#6 Mike Norvell, Florida State
The 2023 ACC Coach of the Year, Mike Norvell, led Florida State to a 13-1 record last season as one of the top college football coaches. He led the Seminoles to wins over LSU, Clemson, Duke and Louisville last season on their way to becoming champions of the ACC.
Theres' an argument to be made for Norvell to be higher on this list, but his 1-5 record in bowl games lands him as the sixth-best among college football coaches.
#5 Ryan Day, Ohio State
Ryan Day took over as Ohio State's head coach after the departure of Urban Meyer.
Day has a 56-8 record over the last six seasons as the Buckeyes coach and won the 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year. He has won two Big Ten championships but has yet to win a national title.
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#4 Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Kalen DeBoer was one of the top college football head coaches last season, leading the Washington Huskies to the College Football Playoff championship game.
DeBoer took over the head coaching job at Alabama in 2024 to replace the legendary Nick Saban following his retirement. DeBoer was the 2023 AP Coach of the Year and a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year in two seasons at Washington.
#3 Brian Kelly, LSU
Brian Kelly is one of the top college football coaches, with a 186-69 career record and a 9-6 record in bowl games.
Kelly has spent time head coaching for Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU. He's a two-time AP Coach of the Year, a three-time Big East Coach of the Year and the 2020 ACC Coach of the Year.
#2 Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Dabo Swinney took over as the interim head coach at Clemson in 2008 and was hired as the permanent coach in 2009. He quickly became one of the most successful college football coaches, leading Clemson to a bowl game every season since he became their head coach.
Swinney is a two-time ACC Coach of the Year and the 2015 AP Coach of the Year. He has two national title wins with the Tigers and has won the ACC championship eight times.
#1 Kirby Smart, Georgia
Kirby Smart is the top coach in college football, according to Danny Kanell's list. Smart was hired as Georgia's coach in 2016 and is a three-time SEC Coach of the Year.
He has gone 94-16 in eight seasons with the Bulldogs and has won the SEC championship twice. He also won two national titles, with Georgia going back-to-back College Football Playoff championships in 2021 and 2022.
Which of these college football coaches do you think deserves to be ranked number one? Let;s know in the comments section:
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