College football coaching tiers 2026: It’s Curt Cignetti and Kirby Smart, then everyone else

Key Points:

• The Athletic has ranked FBS college football head coaches into eight tiers based on their complete body of work, including resume, resources, longevity, and recent results, excluding first-year head coaches.
• Tier 1 features Curt Cignetti and Kirby Smart as the top two coaches; Cignetti boasts 15 years without a losing season and multiple playoff appearances, while Smart has multiple SEC titles despite recent semifinal absences.
• Tier 2 includes coaches like Ryan Day, Kalen DeBoer, and Mario Cristobal, who have achieved significant success but face high expectations or recent challenges; Kyle Whittingham is also here due to his consistency despite no CFP appearances.
• Coaches like Dabo Swinney and James Franklin have dropped tiers due to recent performance declines or firings, while others like Matt Campbell and Bob Chesney have risen due to recent successes and program improvements.
• The lower tiers include coaches with rough starts or rebuilding challenges, such as Bill Belichick’s 4-8 debut at UNC and several others on hot seats or at low-resource programs, highlighting the variability and pressure inherent in college football coaching.