why does it feel like #5 and #6 are based more on the pedigree of the school than the talent of the HC?
Ranking B1G Head Coaches
- Thread starter LaQuintaHawk
- Start date
Ryan Day at OSU …. Born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.
putting him second is like picking the guy with a gun to win the knife fight.
the analogies could continue, but I digress.
putting him second is like picking the guy with a gun to win the knife fight.
the analogies could continue, but I digress.
Matt Campbell better than KF? You just can’t make this **** up!
Frankly, both Fleck and Fitz are getting dissed. And this list SHOULD be called "Top 6 Spenders, Plus a Randomized List of the Other 12".
Rhule waaaaay too high. Had one great season at Baylor 6 years ago and been garbage in 3 season in pro and college since. If going off past results feel like fickell then should be ahead of him with playoff berth at cincy. Both have done nothing 3 seasons in big 10. Fitz success with his tenure at NW should be above him and even the boat rowers time at MN and great season at WMU where they made a BCS bowl should have him over rhule.
5 and 6 are ludicrous. Neither has coached a game in the B1G. Campbell has a losing record vs B1G teams. Whittingham is 3-4 vs the B1G over the last 10 years.
Like him or not, Fleck is too low. He should be in the 9/10 slot.
Like him or not, Fleck is too low. He should be in the 9/10 slot.
How are three coaches who haven't yet coached a game for their B1G programs placed in front of anyone?
I asked this when he was hired at Maryland - what qualifies Mike Locksley to be hired (stay hired) as a head football coach? It’s truly amazing.
Prior to Maryland, he was 2-26 - two wins and twenty six losses -at New Mexico. While at NM a sexual harassment complaint was filed against him and he was suspended without pay for a sideline altercation with one of his assistant coaches.
He then landed as a Maryland, hired as an OC. When Randy Edsel was fired mid-season in 2016, Locksley took over as Interim HC and he finished the season 1-5. He then migrated to Alabama as an anylyst then OC
Maryland hired him as HC in 2019 even though he sported a combined HC record of 3-31.
In six seasons as Maryland HC Locksley is 37-49 (.430) He is 17-48 (.261) vs. B10 opponents (1-8 in both 2024 & 2025).
His overall HC record is 39-75 a .342 win percentage.
How does he stay employed?
Prior to Maryland, he was 2-26 - two wins and twenty six losses -at New Mexico. While at NM a sexual harassment complaint was filed against him and he was suspended without pay for a sideline altercation with one of his assistant coaches.
He then landed as a Maryland, hired as an OC. When Randy Edsel was fired mid-season in 2016, Locksley took over as Interim HC and he finished the season 1-5. He then migrated to Alabama as an anylyst then OC
Maryland hired him as HC in 2019 even though he sported a combined HC record of 3-31.
In six seasons as Maryland HC Locksley is 37-49 (.430) He is 17-48 (.261) vs. B10 opponents (1-8 in both 2024 & 2025).
His overall HC record is 39-75 a .342 win percentage.
How does he stay employed?
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Fleck yes. Fitz, not so much. He hasn't coached in 3 years and his last few years at NW were dreadful.
My list:
Cig
Kf
Day
Lanning
Whittingham
Bielema
Fleck
Braun
Riley
Fisch
Campbell
Fitz
Chesney
Schiano
Rhule
Fickell
Odom
Locksley
Doing more with less is a big criteria for me and that is why kf is so high
Cig
Kf
Day
Lanning
Whittingham
Bielema
Fleck
Braun
Riley
Fisch
Campbell
Fitz
Chesney
Schiano
Rhule
Fickell
Odom
Locksley
Doing more with less is a big criteria for me and that is why kf is so high
It is interesting that no one weighs the talent from NIL that teams accumulate. Are these truly great coaches or do they have the most talent?
yeah, I get it. Billy Martin would be proud of you for quoting him (sorry to show my age)
I think you know why he's still employed.....
Because it’s Maryland? I honestly don’t know. I mean, he is a pretty good recruiter but it hasn’t translated to much success
Ranking KF over a guy who won a national championship a year ago is kinda crazy
Its about the job you do as a coach. Reverse the roster and who wins? And yes I know they recruited the players, BUT my God how hard can it be to recruit to OSU, really? I doubt that Day would have to even leave his office to land a top 5 class. Can you imagine the extra work in evaluation it must take to find the lower ranked players it takes to even compete against top teams even more so in this $$$$$ period of time. I think Kirk and his GM of player procurement Barnes are doing a fantastic job.
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Bielema is too low also. Should have him and Ferentz in at least the 5/6 slots, not sure about the order. But those two have won multiple Big Ten titles in their tenures at schools that don’t have the resources the others above them have. Considering the talent and resources they’ve had access to, you could argue that they should be up there in the top 3. I’d also take Fitz over Rhule any day of the week. Rhule is only that high because of the N(owledge) on the helmet of the school he coaches.
I get Cignetti being #1 right now coming off a championship considering he did it at Indiana. But I want to see sustained success from him before I crown him as some legendary coach. With new coaches anymore you have to strike early with NIL and the transfer portal before the new car smell wears off. He did that and succeeded. If he’d been hired in 1999 like Ferentz, could he have done the multi-year program build like Ferentz when you couldn’t overhaul your roster immediately and recruit players with $s.
I get Cignetti being #1 right now coming off a championship considering he did it at Indiana. But I want to see sustained success from him before I crown him as some legendary coach. With new coaches anymore you have to strike early with NIL and the transfer portal before the new car smell wears off. He did that and succeeded. If he’d been hired in 1999 like Ferentz, could he have done the multi-year program build like Ferentz when you couldn’t overhaul your roster immediately and recruit players with $s.
Texas, Alabama, Georgia. You could make that same claim for them about easy recruiting. Texas hasn't won a natty since Vince Young. Bama is a pale shadow of what they were under Saban. Coaching still matters. Not anyone can win a natty even with a loaded roster.
That's a silly hypothetical. You can't simply "reverse rosters". Guys build their teams differently and work differently. There are a multitude of different factors in putting together and coaching a college football team.
There are always advantages at places like tOSU, Notre Dame, Alabama...but nothing is automatic. Look no further than our "friends" to the West.
KFz is a hell of a coach, but you can't rank him above a guy who won a NC a little over a year ago.
First I never said I'd rank him over Day, But I'll stand by its WAY easier to recruit top players to those schools PERIOD, and its still about the jimmies and the Joe's. I also think people WAY under value the job our staff has done and how much more work is involved in finding those "fits" guys who can become all conference level players and then actually developing them into that level.
Yes coaching still matters. I'm just saying that the job our staff does with not only finding under valued players AND them developing them into all conf level players is got to be ALOT harder then bringing in a bunch of 5 and 4 stars. Not to mention the depth of talent difference when injuries rear their ugly head. Its NOT an even playing field. That would seem pretty obvious.
I don't think anyone is questioning the staff's ability to develop underrated recruits. The other side of the sword is that elite offensive skill players have avoided Iowa because of KF's aversion to offense. Is that changing under Lester? Time will tell. There have definitely been rays of sunshine.
Excellent point. I'm hopeful we're seeing that as well....
KF coaching at a blue blood could have meant a lot of titles. All he has to do is have 2 great coordinators and recruiters then unleash the Kraken of great defense and special teams with a powerful offense, sort of like 2002 every year
I remember when Luke Fickell showed up as a top 5ish coach in these lists before he had ever coached a Big Ten game, too(not counting his stint as interim at Ohio State).
That said, Whittingham and Campell will certainly have a better pool of resources to work with than Fickell did, so we'll see how they do, I guess.
That said, Whittingham and Campell will certainly have a better pool of resources to work with than Fickell did, so we'll see how they do, I guess.
Your argument is he won a national title a year ago, so he is better. Thus, following your logic, if he hadn't won that title, he wouldn't be ranked above KF. I look at his national title as an inditement on his inability to coach. He has had equal or better talent in his 7 years at OSU. His not winning a natty all those years with all that talent, would be a large negative.
You infer much which was not implied
It's "indictment", not inditement.
No doubt tOSU gets better talent (as I previously acknowledged). It's still not automatic. There are a handfull of top teams that fall short every year. There's only one Champion. That doesn't mean every other coach is a failure. Day finished in the TOP 5 6 of his 7 years (10th the other year, oh the horror) and had his team in the playoff 5 of those 7. Games don't win themselves.
No question KFz gets a lot done with the resources he has and he knows exactly how he wants to build his program and team. He's a top coach. Wouldn't trade him, I love what he's done for Iowa football. He's a legend. But in the end it's where you end up. He hasn't made a playoff, much less gotten close to a NC.
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Even under KFs best offenses, how many 5* recruits did Iowa have. Good offenses or not, Iowa rarely gets consideration from 5* recruits. And when is the last time you heard anyone say Day, Saban, et. al., found a diamond in the rough?
1. Cignetti
2. Lanning
3. Ferentz
4. Whittingham
5. Day
6. Fitzgerald
7. Campbell
8. Bielema
9. Fleck
10. Braun
11. Rhule
12. Fisch
13. Schiano
14. Riley
15. Fickell
16. Chesney
17. Locksley
18. Odom
2. Lanning
3. Ferentz
4. Whittingham
5. Day
6. Fitzgerald
7. Campbell
8. Bielema
9. Fleck
10. Braun
11. Rhule
12. Fisch
13. Schiano
14. Riley
15. Fickell
16. Chesney
17. Locksley
18. Odom
ML got hired because it's Maryland (he's native to the area), he's a good recruiter and OC, and he went to the Nick Saban rehab school for former head coaches. He wasn't a good fit for UNM and was awful there as HC, but I can understand why Maryland would give him a shot.
Maybe they haven't fired him yet because he had three solid seasons 2021-2023, and because there is some hope for next year with their dynamic young QB. Another losing season, though, and I suspect he will be gone.
I don’t think Campbell had as much NIL as Iowa but he managed to beat Iowa three of the last four.
They're the new girls in town. I think Scott Frost, Luke Fickell, and Matt Rhule were all top 5 when they joined the league.