Great coaches can win anywhere. Lincoln Riley was on the brink of a title at Oklahoma, Brian Kelly the same at Notre Dame, yet both of them left for greener pastures. Yet, why did the coaches make the moves?
In short there are three things that go into a great college football job; brand name, recruiting base, and job security.
Notre Dame falls short on the recruiting base but is near the top in brand name and job security. Maybe Kelly believes his coaching acumen will create a sense of security in Baton Rouge.
Oklahoma seems to have all three, but Lincoln Riley wanted a new challenge in Southern California.
1. Alabama
Alabama is the best job in college football. No other program has reached the heights of the Tide. It’s impossible to put them anywhere but the top spot. Alabama is such a good job that Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to not play against them.
2. Ohio State
Ohio State runs the midwest. They control the recruiting base and have the ability to dip their toes in California, Texas, and Florida. The seamless transition between Urban Meyer and Ryan Day reveals the strength of the job. It’s hard to fail at Ohio State.
3. USC
USC has become a criminally underrated job during this hiring cycle. Hence why Lincoln Riley made the move. No need to play an SEC schedule, or worry about the titans in the Big 10.
The Trojans have the ability to look in their backyard, recruit Southern California, and win a national championship in three years. The administration showed patience with Clay Helton to build the credibility of the job. The program has more patience with their coaches (to their own detriment at times) to build the credibility of the job.
Lincoln Riley will be at USC for a long time and can control football on the West Coast.
4. Oklahoma
5. Texas
We’ll announce Oklahoma and Texas in conjunction with one another. They operate the same, both moving to the SEC and recruiting in the same area. Oklahoma deserves the edge for team success and administration patience, but these two are top 5 jobs.
The talent base in the state of Texas should belong to these two, but Ohio State and Alabama seem to take the best players.
6. LSU
Unique to LSU, the Tigers own the state of Louisiana in recruiting. Louisiana constantly produces national championship caliber players and Brian Kelly can’t wait to dip his toes into that talent.
The one thing holding this job from the top of the list is the laughable administrative lack of patience.
The reason for the lack of patience is warranted at times, but the coach always needs to be on his toes in Baton Rouge. It’s still a great job.
7. Georgia
Georgia’s program is very similar to LSU. They own a state and the only thing that holds the job back is the administration’s lack of patience.
Georgia has one of the best recruiting bases in America. Hence, why the Bulldogs are heavy favorites to win the title this season.
Georgia is still an unbelievable job.
8. Notre Dame
Notre Dame has arguably the best brand recognition and administration patience on the list, but by far the worst recruiting base. Players win titles and Notre Dame does not have the players to win the College Football Playoff. Brian Kelly made the right move.
Yes, the Irish have a great recruiting class next year, but they do not have a home base to build off of to build a sustainable contender. Notre Dame never has and never will roll in consistent top 5 recruiting classes.
Recruiting directly ties to championships. Don’t blame Brian Kelly for leaving.
9. Clemson
Clemson is on the list by default. You can’t leave the Tigers off because of recent success in the playoff. Dabo Swinney doesn’t seem to be leaving any time soon, so it’s hard to say whether the Clemson job has the staying power past an all time great coach.
10. Texas A&M
Texas A&M is the most underrated job in college football. The boosters and recruiting base are among the best in college football. The clear problem reigns from the fact that Oklahoma and Texas will always be bigger brand names than the Aggies.
You can win a national championship at Texas A&M, but the job is not on the level of Texas and Oklahoma.
Honorable Mentions
- Michigan
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Florida
- Florida State
