Three years ago, Curt Cignetti was a relatively anonymous coach at James Madison and Indiana was on the verge of going 3-9.
Now, Indiana is a national champion led by Cignetti, the overwhelming choice as the No. 1 coach in college football.
The 64-year-old Cignetti vaulted to the top of the annual top 25 college football coach rankings by both Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman earlier this month. Two-thirds of readers who took our survey agreed.
We asked three questions: 1) Who is the best coach in college football? 2) Who are their top five coaches, in any order? And 3) Do you approve or disapprove of the job the coach of their favorite team is doing? We received 3,023 responses, and 2,025 — 67 percent — voted Cignetti as the best coach in college football. He also appeared on 90 percent of top-five ballots (the most of any coach), and, of course, every self-identified Indiana fan who responded said they approve of the job he is doing.
Who’s the best coach in college football right now?
CoachVotesStewBruce
67.0%
1st
1st
14.6%
2nd
2nd
6.7%
7th
7th
3.6%
3rd
3rd
1.5%
4th
6th
This is admittedly an unscientific poll. Who received the sixth-most No. 1 votes at just 0.6 percent, just ahead of Lane Kiffin? Kirk Ferentz — and two of those votes actually came from non-Hawkeyes fans.
Still, the consensus of more than 3,000 readers, even if heavily weighted toward a few fan bases (hello, Notre Dame supporters), lined up pretty closely to the rankings from Feldman and Mandel
1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Every Indiana fan who voted in the survey chose Cignetti No. 1 after two seasons in which he has gone 27-2 and turned the losingest program in major college football history into a national champion.
Take Indiana fans out, and he still received 65 percent of the non-Hoosier vote, well ahead of the rest of the pack. Marcus Freeman and Kirby Smart got support in the poll, but even 53 percent of Notre Dame fans and 22 percent of Georgia fans voted for Cignetti.
“Indiana was just a miracle last year. No one predicted anything like that happening. Just brilliant coaching in a new era of college football.” — Mike (Notre Dame fan)
“I’m trying to imagine someone doing with Georgia basketball what Cignetti did with Indiana football. I can’t. Cignetti instantly overcame a multi-decadal record of mediocre or worse. Maybe NIL and the transfer portal at least render such a turnaround possible where before it wasn’t, but it’s still a phenomenal achievement and I don’t think we will see it duplicated soon, if ever.” — Bill D. (Georgia fan)
“Coach Cig took the WORST program of my lifetime and turned it into a national champion in two years. Some will argue that he did it mostly with grown men, but those same adults were available to the rest of the country. The pudding’s proof will be can he sustain this pace? He has won everywhere he has been. Let’s see if he can keep Kirby Smart, Ryan Day and the like where they currently sit: Behind him.” — Xavier (Georgia fan)
“Curt Cignetti took a program that never really won any games, never had fans in the stadium, never really beat any top-10 teams and never really won bowl games. In his second year, that same program won all the games, put their fans in all the stadiums, beat as many top-10 teams as they had in their history and won all the bowl games.” — Shane G. (Indiana fan)
2. Kirby Smart, Georgia
Smart owns a pair of national titles, winning back-to-back championships in 2021-22. The Nick Saban protege also has nine consecutive AP top-seven finishes, with an .848 win percentage since taking over in 2016.
He received more than twice as many votes as any coach not named Cignetti, with Georgia fans making up 26 percent of his voting bloc. Zero Indiana fans chose Smart, but he got plenty of support from Big Ten fans — as well as a handful of Alabama fans.
“I went with Georgia’s Kirby Smart because while what Cignetti has done at Indiana in a brief window of time is incredibly impressive, I have been more impressed to this juncture by coach Smart’s ability to have his team at or near the top of college football for an extended period of time.” — Mark O. (Notre Dame fan)
“I still think Kirby is the leader in the post-Saban clubhouse. Georgia is extremely competitive every year. You can’t deny what Cignetti did last year, but one year doesn’t make you the best.” — Jeff (Ohio State fan)
“Kirby has achieved consistency at the highest level of the sport. No team has a higher floor than Georgia this year and going forward. Over the next decade, Georgia’s average final ranking is probably likely to be head and shoulders above the rest.” — Jake B. (Georgia fan)
3. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Notre Dame fans were by far the most enthusiastic respondents to our poll, making up nearly 20 percent of the vote. That helps explain why Freeman is third on this list, ahead of Day and Lanning. Both Feldman and Mandel ranked Freeman — who is 43-12 as head coach — seventh.
Of the Notre Dame fans who responded, 33 percent voted Freeman as the best coach in the country and 100 percent said they approve of the job he’s doing. He did get 12 first-place votes from non-Notre Dame fans.
“Freeman at Notre Dame seems like such a great leader of men. It would be an honor for him to coach any of my kids. Also he clearly knows football and is loyal to Notre Dame.” — Dom (Houston fan)
“Marcus Freeman has changed the entire narrative on Notre Dame. The criticism (overrated, no longer relevant, can’t recruit, etc.) was legitimate from the time Lou Holtz left through Brian Kelly’s tenure. Though some still harbor these sentiments, Freeman is proving in real time that these beliefs no longer hold true. Moreover, he has turned a longstanding ‘weakness’ (academic standards) into a strength. It’s been a long time since ND fans had something to be truly happy about when it comes to their football team and coach.” — Greg (Notre Dame fan)
4. Ryan Day, Ohio State
Day joins Cignetti, Smart and Dabo Swinney as the only active coaches with a national championship, and though his four-game losing streak against Michigan clouded how he was viewed, it’s hard to argue with an 82-12 record.
Even three Michigan fans voted for Day as the best coach in the country. Of the Ohio State fans who weighed in, 35 percent chose Day as the No. 1 coach and 97 percent said they approve of the job he’s doing. (Among the naysayers, Buckeyes fan John S. says: “He’ll have to beat Michigan a whole bunch more.”) The 2024 national title and 2025 win over Michigan have most people respecting Day as one of the nation’s top coaches.
“Ryan Day recruits at the highest level, puts offensive skill players in the NFL at an incredible rate and consistently wins.” — Jeff H. (Michigan fan)
“As an Ohio State homer, Ryan Day has become everything we could’ve hoped and more. He has brought an NFL feel to our program and despite continued turnover on the coaching staff he brings in talented and experienced coaches. Ryan has become the general of the OSU program and not just a head coach.” — Wesley (Ohio State fan)
5. Dan Lanning, Oregon
Lanning is still trying to be the coach who vaults Oregon to its first national championship. But every Oregon fan who responded said they approve of the job the 39-year-old is doing — he is 48-8 with two Playoff bids and a Big Ten title, after all — and he even received 31 best-coach-in-America votes from non-Ducks fans.
“In this era of college football, I think the organizational leadership, steady-hand skills are more significant than being an X’s and O’s wizard. X’s and O’s matter, but relationships, integrity and being an anchor to a meaningful connection between players and schools is top tier.” — Eric (Iowa fan)
“Been mostly ups and a few heart-and-soul-crushing downs with Dan. Still, I would run through a brick wall for him. He has bought years and years of goodwill just by making this program exciting again. Sometimes a championship isn’t the only goal. Though, I’d give just about anything to have one and I know under Dan it will come. But sometimes it’s about enjoying a season and getting a smattering of legendary games each year Dan is our coach. Plus, he’s a good dude and makes the entire league better. That counts for a lot.” — Jack (Oregon fan)
Who are the top 5 coaches in college football?
CoachVotesStewBruce
90.0%
1st
1st
83.7%
2nd
2nd
62.3%
3rd
3rd
52.1%
4th
6th
46.8%
7th
7th
16.4%
10th
5th
15.4%
8th
15th
15.4%
9th
9th
11.6%
6th
13th
10.9%
5th
4th
8.5%
15th
25th
7.6%
18th
10th
6.7%
14th
20th
6.4%
19th
8th
5.9%
11th
11th
5.3%
NR
21st
We asked readers to choose their top five coaches, in any order. The results align fairly closely with the votes for the best coach.
Cignetti and Smart easily appeared on the most ballots, with Day also above 60 percent. Those three also make up the top three in the top 25 rankings by Mandel and Feldman.
The rest of the top five was clear: The only other two who got more than 16.4 percent of the vote were Lanning and Freeman, with a big drop-off to a group that includes Miami’s Mario Cristobal, LSU’s Lane Kiffin, Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer received the 10th-most support here, after being ranked fourth by Feldman and fifth by Mandel.
Sixteen coaches appeared on more than 5 percent of ballots. Here are some reader thoughts on the rest of the top 10:
Mario Cristobal, Miami
“The biggest hit against Mario Cristobal is that he made bad in-game decisions that cost his team. Looking at 2025, it’s clear that he has learned from those mistakes. Plenty of coaches got destroyed by Cignetti and Indiana last year. I don’t know if anyone would have beaten them, but Mario got the Canes within 41 yards of it.” — Stephen (Miami fan)
Lane Kiffin, LSU
“I support LSU hiring Lane Kiffin, but I have a feeling it will blow up in everyone’s face.” — Brady (LSU fan)
“Longtime Kiffin skeptic who is so dismayed by the lack of energy in the last two years of the Brian Kelly era that I’m ready for Kiffin. I think he’s at LSU for no more than five years, for whatever reason, and it probably ends poorly. But he brings innovative offense and his teams just have energy. I usually hate sideline antics and gimmicks like turnover chains and basketball hoops. But I’m ready for LSU to have an LSU feel again. Just give me the kid with the fire extinguisher on the sideline.” — Bob (LSU fan)
Kyle Whittingham, Michigan
“Michigan was able to come out of the Sherrone Moore fiasco with an upgraded head coach and staff. Kyle Whittingham did a great job keeping the roster and recruiting class intact and it’s exciting to see what he’ll be able to do next year with the most talented team he’s ever worked with. A-plus hire.” — Dan (Michigan fan)
“There’s no argument against Cignetti No. 1. He turned an afterthought into a juggernaut and made their wins look easy and boring. I put Whittingham second — people forgot how good he is because he chose to stay at Utah so long when he could’ve had a major job like Michigan 15 years ago.” — Ben D. (Texas Tech fan)
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
“I realize that picking Sarkisian as a top-five coach will be considered a premature selection. However, I like what he’s accomplished at Texas, and Texas is one of the hardest jobs for a head football coach given the expectations that are immediately placed on the coach as soon as he is hired. Sark has navigated those choppy waters well and installed a winning culture at a place that has lacked that culture for an extended period. Hook ’em.” — Neal (Texas fan)
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
“Kalen DeBoer has been a winner wherever he coaches, beginning at NAIA Sioux Falls.” — Roger H. (Arizona fan)
“I approve but with a giant grain of salt. DeBoer walked into a tough situation and he has done pretty well considering the unrealistic expectations. But there have been some concerning losses against weaker opponents, as well as lopsided defeats against better foes. He’s got another year or two from me before my goodwill runs out.” – Mark S. (Alabama fan)
Approval ratings
College football fans who responded to our survey tended to be optimistic, with 88.1 percent saying they approve of the job their coach is doing. I have two theories: 1) Because we combined the approval ratings with best coach voting in one survey, fans of the best coaches were most likely to respond; and 2) College football just had one of the wildest coaching carousels ever, and thus many coaches who were on the hot seat lost their jobs.
Still, plenty of disapproval was heard in certain places. The sample sizes for some fan bases were too small to draw conclusions from, but here are some thoughts and analysis:
• No coach drew a greater total number of disapprovals from his fan base than Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell (13.2 percent), who is 17-21 in three years in Madison. Fickell was viewed as a borderline top-10 coach when he left Cincinnati, and now he has one of the hottest seats in the country. Said Badgers fan Brian L.: “Fickell just didn’t understand the culture of Wisconsin. The Air Raid set us back big time. He can’t get the offensive line right, which used to be a strength for us.”
Still, a handful of Wisconsin fans said they do approve of the job Fickell is doing, with some saying he’s generating some momentum now after some injury and NIL limitations.
• The lowest approval rating by percentage for any team that received at least 10 votes? Florida State’s Mike Norvell at 4.3 percent. After a perfect regular season in 2023, Norvell is 7-17 over the past two seasons. He has four losing records in six years.
• Joining Norvell in the single digits: Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield (6.9 percent) and North Carolina’s Bill Belichick (7.1 percent). Said UNC fan Eric: “I’m a UNC season ticket holder. Skeptical of the Belichick hire, but was hopeful it would work. Ultimately less disappointed in how many losses we had (expected with the complete turnover) than how we lost — as undisciplined in all phases and at the worst times. Fans can put up with some off-field drama if there is a product that plays hard and smart, but this was a tough season.”
• Other interesting coaches under 50 percent: Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (40 percent), which would have seemed unthinkable not so long ago, and USC’s Lincoln Riley (43.2 percent), who has yet to sustain on-field momentum.
Writes Clemson fan Faith: “Honestly, I like Dabo, but last year wasn’t fun. I was hoping we’d make it to the Playoff and win the conference. I also thought Cade Klubnik would be awesome, but he regressed. I hope things get better soon. If not, it may be time for Dabo to go, but only on his own terms.”
• Two mixed approval ratings of note: Nebraska’s Matt Rhule (65.3 percent), who had the second highest total disapprovals but still came out on the positive side, and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer (73.1 percent), who generated plenty of skepticism alongside acknowledgments of how tall of a task replacing Saban was. Results indicated that a bad 2026 could cause sentiment to quickly shift downward for both Rhule and DeBoer.