The sport has produced several coaches set to take next decade by storm
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — When the dust settled from the 2023 season it saw college football coaching icon Nick Saban retire from Alabama and National Championship winning coach Jim Harbaugh flee from Michigan.
There departures along with landscape changes in NIL, tampering, the transfer portal among other things changed how the older coaches led their programs. No longer did they have the ultimate power but players now have the freedom to earn as much and come and go as they please.
That has generated loads of excitement as it creates new coaching stars. Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Deion Sanders (Colorado), Mike Elko (Texas A&M), Dan Lanning (Oregon) Mario Cristobal (Miami), Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), Rhett Lashlee (SMU) and Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State) all seem to be guys that will be the face of college football for years to come.
Each of these men are producing quality teams who are all in the race to make the expanded 12-team playoff or in the running to win their conference.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
In his fourth season at the helm, the Longhorns have been ranked as high as No. 1 this season by AP Poll voters. Even after a home loss to Georgia, Texas is poised to make a run at a playoff bid for the second straight season which should be the standard in Austin.
As for Sarkisian, he has helped guide his program into the SEC with ease but has only played one ranked team this season. The Longhorns next three opponents (Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky) all sit outside the top 25 but the renewal of its rivalry against Texas A&M could determine which Texas school makes the playoff.
Mario Cristobal, Miami
Heisman hopeful, quarterback Cam Ward, might be the reason for the Hurricanes being back among the national elite. Whether Miami is back on a consistent basis is unknown but are a good story especially if it can make the playoff.
Success is something Cristobal doesn’t take for granted as he’s experienced the peaks and valleys of coaching. His edge may be what helps this team coast to an undefeated season, win the ACC and potentially win a national title.
“This is the most fun I’ve had coaching,” Cristobal said two weeks ago. “There are special years that stand out. This is one of those years, and we’re just getting started. There’s a lot more. But these guys have discovered that the most fun is winning. I’ve never had fun getting my butt kicked… I think that almost launches you to another level of effort and want to, because validation of hard work usually leads to more hard work and more commitment and more belief. We’re seeing that.”
“I think whether you win by one or whether you win by 40, you’ve gotta celebrate those things. It’s hard to win.”
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Coach Prime deserves his flowers even if it falls short of a Big 12 conference championship or playoff berth. Boulder, for the past 30 years, has been one of the hardest places to win.
It was going to take an out of the box hire, someone with such swagger and determination, to completely flip the script at Colorado and make the program desirable. That’s exactly what Sanders has done in such a short time.
Sitting at 6-2 overall and a single loss in league play, there’s certainly an outside shot for the Buffaloes to win its conference and steal a bid into the playoff. There may be a specific number coaches must reach to be in consideration for the award but an eight or nine win season at Colorado is like winning a national championship, it’s tough.
Dan Lanning, Oregon
That beating from Georgia in his head coaching debut just a short three years ago didn’t keep Lanning down at all. The machine that was a Stetson Bennett led Bulldgos team chowed down on anything in its sight.
Lanning has led Oregon to its first No
. 1 AP Poll ranking since 2012, a victory over then No. 2 Ohio State and have a favorable schedule to close out an undefeated regular season.
If the stars align, the Ducks will face The Buckeyes once again but at Ford Field in Detroit for the Big Ten Championship and a auto-bid for the playoff. Should Lanning lead Oregon to that mark it’ll be as impressive of a resume as anyone.
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
A state known for basketball has become a football factory in two months with Cignetti taking the Hoosiers football program to heights not seen since the 1960’s. Indiana is 8-0 for the first time since 1967 and earned dominant victories over last year’s playoff runner-up Washington and at Nebraska the previous two weeks.
Google him. Cignetti wins. The 62-year-old head coach has won everywhere he’s been and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Like Sanders at Colorado, Indiana has long been known to be a place where coaching careers go to die but he is proving otherwise.
The No. 13 Hoosiers are a well-oiled, coached machine and are speeding toward a top-10 matchup at Ohio State if it can get past Michigan State and Michigan first. Even if Cignetti ends up with one loss it should be enough to be a finalist for coach of the year.
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