5. James Franklin- Head Coach of Vanderbilt James Franklin took on the most difficult head coaching job
in the SEC in 2011. Vanderbilt pursued Franklin after then Auburn offensive
coordinator, Gus Malzahn, denied the opportunity to be the head coach. James
Franklin had absolutely no prior head coaching experience before coming to
Nashville to lead the Commodores. He was lured away from Maryland, where he was
the offensive coordinator. In his first two years as head coach, James Franklin
led Vanderbilt to consecutive bowl games including a 9-4 record last season.
Why is this a big deal? Before taking Vanderbilt to consecutive bowl games in
his first two seasons, the Commodores had appeared in 3 bowls in 34 years. James Franklin is a big risk coach
that may very well take Vanderbilt all the way to Atlanta in the future if given enough time. It is extremely hard to recruit for Vanderbilt because of the
school's academic excellence, and Franklin has proved he can not only recruit
but also win in the toughest conference in the country.
4. Dabo Swinney- Head Coach of Clemson Dabo Swinney became the interim head coach for Clemson after Tommy Bowden was fired in 2008. Prior to being named the interim head coach, Swinney was the wide receivers coach for Clemson. The Tigers finished the season 8-5, which included a victory over South Carolina. Clemson decided to name Swinney the official head coach at season's end. His career record at Clemson is now 40-21. Last year, Clemson went 11-2 and upset LSU in the Chik-fil-A Bowl. Dabo Swinney has defied all odds and proved his abilities as a head coach. This was just the fourth 11 win season in school history. Clemson will be pursuing a possible ACC Championship and a third straight double digit win season. Dabo Swinney brings a lot of excitement to this program through his electrifying coaching ability. He has lots of enthusiasm and will compete for the ACC on a yearly basis if he continues to recruit successfully.
3. Brady Hoke- Head Coach of Michigan
If there is any man who has proved that he can win at any college football program, it is Brady Hoke. Hoke's career record is 66-57. While that may not seem very impressive, Hoke has had to rebuild every program he has coached. After taking over as head coach for his alma mater, Ball State, in 2003, Hoke slowly but surely turned Ball State around which included an undefeated regular season in 2008. Ball State is obviously not an FBS powerhouse, so having an undefeated regular season is very impressive. Hoke left Ball State to accept the head coaching job at San Diego State. In just his second season coaching at San Diego State, he led his team to a 9-4 record which included a bowl appearance. The Aztecs had not appeared in a bowl since 1998. After just two seasons at San Diego State, Brady Hoke accepted the head coaching job at Michigan. In his first season at Michigan he defied all odds and led Michigan to an 11-2 season and BCS bowl victory. Prior to Brady Hoke's first season at Michigan, the Wolverines had been to only one bowl since 2007. 2007 is also the last year Michigan won a bowl. Fans in Ann Arbor are excited and they have every right to be. Hoke has also proven himself as a great recruiter. Michigan will once again will be competing for a spot in the Big Ten Championship and Brady Hoke has them back to their winning ways.
2. Art Briles- Head Coach of Baylor
Baylor's football team received a lot of publicity because of Robert Griffin's Heisman season. While Robert Griffin is one of the big reasons why Baylor had a successful season, a large amount of the credit should be awarded to head coach Art Briles. Briles started his head coaching career at Stephenville High School where he won 4 state championships and only lost 2 games in a period of six years. He began his college head coaching career at Houston. In a 5 year career at Houston, he helped lead the Cougars to 4 bowl appearances. Prior to Briles being hired by Baylor in 2008, the Bears had not been to a bowl since 1994. After just two years at Baylor, Art Briles coached a 7-5 squad that received a bowl bid. A year later, Baylor produced a 10 win season behind quarterback Robert Griffin. Briles is hoping for a run at the Big 12 Championship. Although 2013 might be the year for Baylor to accomplish such a feat, a conference championship might just be in the near future.
1. David Shaw- Head Coach of Stanford
David Shaw took over the head coaching at Stanford following the departure of Jim Harbaugh. Shaw was the offensive coordinator for Stanford and had no prior head coaching experience before taking over. In his first two seasons, Shaw appeared in back to back BCS bowls, which also included a PAC-12 Championship last year. Although one may argue that Shaw is winning with players that Jim Harbaugh recruited, one can not deny how difficult it is to win not only at Stanford, but also compete in the PAC-12 on a yearly basis. David Shaw has great coaching skills and plenty of coaching experience in both college football and in the NFL. Shaw has narrowly missed the opportunity to play in the national title game the last two seasons. Stanford has a strong chance to win another PAC-12 Championship and may very well make it to the national championship if they survive teams like Oregon, UCLA, and USC. If he continues his success, do not be surprised to see programs chasing after Shaw to be their head coach. The ability to continue Stanford's success after Harbaugh's departure shows David Shaw's coaching skills and ability to win. If you do not already know this man, I suggest memorizing his name because he is on track to be one of the best coaches in college football.
Honorable Mentions
Mark Hudspeth- Head Coach of Louisiana
Charlie Strong- Head Coach of Louisville
Gary Anderson- Head Coach of Wisconsin
Bill O'Brien- Head Coach of Penn State (He is entering his second season as head coach so he was not eligible for the list. Extremely impressive first year as head coach considering the sanctions Penn State received.)
3. Brady Hoke- Head Coach of Michigan
If there is any man who has proved that he can win at any college football program, it is Brady Hoke. Hoke's career record is 66-57. While that may not seem very impressive, Hoke has had to rebuild every program he has coached. After taking over as head coach for his alma mater, Ball State, in 2003, Hoke slowly but surely turned Ball State around which included an undefeated regular season in 2008. Ball State is obviously not an FBS powerhouse, so having an undefeated regular season is very impressive. Hoke left Ball State to accept the head coaching job at San Diego State. In just his second season coaching at San Diego State, he led his team to a 9-4 record which included a bowl appearance. The Aztecs had not appeared in a bowl since 1998. After just two seasons at San Diego State, Brady Hoke accepted the head coaching job at Michigan. In his first season at Michigan he defied all odds and led Michigan to an 11-2 season and BCS bowl victory. Prior to Brady Hoke's first season at Michigan, the Wolverines had been to only one bowl since 2007. 2007 is also the last year Michigan won a bowl. Fans in Ann Arbor are excited and they have every right to be. Hoke has also proven himself as a great recruiter. Michigan will once again will be competing for a spot in the Big Ten Championship and Brady Hoke has them back to their winning ways.
2. Art Briles- Head Coach of Baylor
Baylor's football team received a lot of publicity because of Robert Griffin's Heisman season. While Robert Griffin is one of the big reasons why Baylor had a successful season, a large amount of the credit should be awarded to head coach Art Briles. Briles started his head coaching career at Stephenville High School where he won 4 state championships and only lost 2 games in a period of six years. He began his college head coaching career at Houston. In a 5 year career at Houston, he helped lead the Cougars to 4 bowl appearances. Prior to Briles being hired by Baylor in 2008, the Bears had not been to a bowl since 1994. After just two years at Baylor, Art Briles coached a 7-5 squad that received a bowl bid. A year later, Baylor produced a 10 win season behind quarterback Robert Griffin. Briles is hoping for a run at the Big 12 Championship. Although 2013 might be the year for Baylor to accomplish such a feat, a conference championship might just be in the near future.
1. David Shaw- Head Coach of Stanford
David Shaw took over the head coaching at Stanford following the departure of Jim Harbaugh. Shaw was the offensive coordinator for Stanford and had no prior head coaching experience before taking over. In his first two seasons, Shaw appeared in back to back BCS bowls, which also included a PAC-12 Championship last year. Although one may argue that Shaw is winning with players that Jim Harbaugh recruited, one can not deny how difficult it is to win not only at Stanford, but also compete in the PAC-12 on a yearly basis. David Shaw has great coaching skills and plenty of coaching experience in both college football and in the NFL. Shaw has narrowly missed the opportunity to play in the national title game the last two seasons. Stanford has a strong chance to win another PAC-12 Championship and may very well make it to the national championship if they survive teams like Oregon, UCLA, and USC. If he continues his success, do not be surprised to see programs chasing after Shaw to be their head coach. The ability to continue Stanford's success after Harbaugh's departure shows David Shaw's coaching skills and ability to win. If you do not already know this man, I suggest memorizing his name because he is on track to be one of the best coaches in college football.
Mark Hudspeth- Head Coach of Louisiana
Charlie Strong- Head Coach of Louisville
Gary Anderson- Head Coach of Wisconsin
Bill O'Brien- Head Coach of Penn State (He is entering his second season as head coach so he was not eligible for the list. Extremely impressive first year as head coach considering the sanctions Penn State received.)
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