College Football Coaches With the Most National Championships

In the 2020 College Football Playoff, Alabama's Nick Saban set a historic milestone. With a dominant 52-24 victory over Ohio State in the 2020 National Championship Game, Saban eclipsed Bear Bryant's record to become the coach with the most national titles in college football history.

List of coaches who have secured at least three national championships.

Nick Saban, 7

Nick Saban boasts a total of seven national titles to his name. He clinched six championships during his tenure with Alabama in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020. His initial championship victory came in 2003 while coaching at LSU, where he shared the title with Southern California. In that season, while USC claimed the AP title, Saban's LSU team secured the BCS championship.

Bear Bryant, 6

The Alabama icon secured all six national championships with the Tide in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, and 1979. Highlighting his enduring legacy, Bryant's last championship victory in 1979 marked his 22nd season coaching for Alabama.

Bernie Bierman, 5

Bierman served as Minnesota's coach from 1932 to 1941 and then returned for another stint from 1945 to 1950. Under his leadership, the Golden Gophers achieved four seasons without a loss or tie. Additionally, he secured seven Big Ten championships.

Woody Hayes, 5

Hayes was the coach at Ohio State from 1951 to 1978, capturing titles in 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, and 1970. With the Buckeyes, Hayes achieved a record of 205-61-10, clinched 13 Big Ten championships, and notably engaged in the renowned "Ten Year War" against

Michigan's Bo Schembechler.

Frank Leahy, 4

Leahy achieved a remarkable record of 107-13-9 with the Irish, securing the second-highest winning percentage in history at .864, surpassed only by fellow Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne. Initially playing under Rockne from 1928 to 1930 and winning two titles, Leahy later claimed championships as a coach in 1943, 1946, 1947, and 1949.

John McKay, 4

During his 16-year tenure as Southern California's coach, McKay secured four championships in 1962, 1967, 1972, and 1974. Following a challenging 1975 season, McKay departed to take on coaching responsibilities for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL.

Howard Jones, 3

Jones secured his initial national championship with Yale in 1909 and clinched three more with Southern California in 1928, 1931, and 1932. Additionally, the Trojans posted an 8-0-2 record in 1939, earning a title; however, the AP awarded the championship to Texas A&M.

Walter Camp, 3

Camp both played for and coached Yale, guiding the Bulldogs to national championships in 1888, 1891, and 1892. His remarkable record during his time at Yale stood at 67-2.

Urban Meyer, 3

Meyer led Utah to an undefeated season in 2003 after two years at Bowling Green. He clinched his initial championship at Florida in 2006 by defeating Ohio State. Two years subsequent, he secured another title by overcoming Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game. Meyer's third championship arrived in 2014, marking Ohio State as the inaugural College Football Playoff national champion.

Tom Osborne, 3

Throughout his coaching tenure at Nebraska, Osborne faced criticism for not capturing a championship, with the Huskers missing out from 1973 to 1993. However, a turnaround occurred. Nebraska secured titles in 1994, 1995, and 1997 (sharing the latter with Michigan) before Osborne retired. He amassed a 60-3 record in his concluding five seasons.

Knute Rockne, 3

Rockne achieved an impressive record of 105-12-5 with the Irish, securing championships in 1924, 1929, and 1930. Tragically, his final championship-winning season was also his last; Rockne passed away in a plane crash in 1931.

Darrell Royal, 3

The Texas coach secured championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970, achieving undefeated records in two years. In 1969, a highly anticipated "Game of the Century" matched No. 1 Texas against No. 2 Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on December 6, with U.S. President Richard Nixon in attendance.

Barry Switzer, 3

Switzer guided the Oklahoma Sooners to national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1985, securing victories in six Orange Bowl games as OU's coach from 1973 to 1988. Later, Switzer clinched a Super Bowl victory with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 season.

Glenn "Pop" Warner, 3

Warner secured two championships at Pittsburgh in 1916 and 1918 before claiming another at Stanford in 1926, revolutionizing the sport with the single-wing formation. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

Bud Wilkinson, 3

Wilkinson's Sooners achieved a remarkable streak of 47 consecutive victories from 1953 to 1957, standing as the most extended winning sequence at the sport's premier level. He secured championships in 1950, 1955, and 1956.