Ranking All 12 Coaches in the 2025 College Football Playoff

Curt Cignetti? Ryan Day? Bob Chesney?! Find out where we ranked each ahead of the tournament.

Kirby Smart, Curt Cignetti, and Ryan Day are among the top coaches in college football. / Smart: Brett Davis-Imagn Images/ Cignetti: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images / Day: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 College Football Playoff is officially upon us.

Beginning on Friday and running through the New Year, a dozen of the NCAA’s best teams will have the opportunity to navigate the bracket and compete for a national championship as the sport embarks on its second annual 12-team postseason.

With four teams apiece from the Big Ten and the SEC, along with representatives from the ACC, Big 12, AAC, and even the Sun Belt, a wide range of quality programs—led by a plethora of great coaches—will vie for college football’s top spot.

With that in mind, let’s rank the 12 coaches in the CFP—based on a combination of résumé, past success, and their overall impact on their team.

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12. Pete Golding, Ole Miss Rebels

Pete Golding is taking over for Lane Kiffin as Ole Miss's head coach. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Replacing Lane Kiffin in Oxford will be no easy task. Pete Golding has his players bought in heading into Ole Miss’ first ever playoff appearance, but with zero experience as a head coach, the 41-year-old lands at No. 12 on our list.

MORE. Three Reasons Why Ole Miss Can Still Win a National Championship Without Lane Kiffin. Three Reasons Why Ole Miss Can Still Win CFP Without Lane Kiffin. dark

11. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes

Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes are the ACC's lone representative in the College Football Playoff. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

An alumnus of The U, Mario Cristobal has put together a 31–18 record since taking over in South Beach. A master recruiter, the 55-year-old led Miami to its second-consecutive 10-win season in 2025.

10. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders won the Big 12 Championship in a rout over BYU. / Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joey McGuire has Texas Tech rolling in his fourth season in Lubbock. Behind an elite defense, a 12–1 season, its first Big 12 Championship in program history, Texas Tech earned a bye in the first round of the CFP.

9. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Aggies

Mike Elko and the Aggies finished the 2025 season 11–1. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

After a handful of quality seasons as the head coach at Duke, Mike Elko left to take over at Texas A&M. Over his last two campaigns in College Station, the 48-year-old has notched an overall record of 19–6 and in 2025 has the Aggies at 11–1 and gearing up to take on Miami in the first round of the playoff.

8. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

Venables is in his fifth season as head coach of the Sooners. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taking over for Lincoln Riley in Norman was never going to be easy, but Brent Venables has done his best to make it look that way. The defensive guru has Oklahoma allowing an SEC-low 273.6 yards and 13.9 points per game, and—most importantly—has the Sooners back in playoffs for the first time since 2019.

7. Jon Sumrall, Tulane Green Wave

Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida following the 2025 season. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Jon Sumrall has parlayed a 43–11 record across the past four seasons—two at Troy and two as his current job, Tulane—into a job with the SEC’s Florida Gators. The 43-year-old will continue coaching the Green Wave throughout the postseason, and even donated $100,000 their NIL fund for 2026: “I want to see Tulane get better after I leave.”

6. Bob Chesney, James Madison Dukes

Bob Chesney had been sensational over his two seasons as head coach at James Madison. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Bob Chesney was coaching at DII Assumption College when the College Football Playoff debuted in 2014—and had been at D-III Salve Regina just two years earlier. A stop at Holy Cross and his current role at James Madison later, and the 48-year-old is headed for the big time as UCLA’s head coach in 2026, but not before leading the Dukes into the postseason.

5. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide

Kalen DeBoer has the Crimson Tide back in the College Football Playoff. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer has been here before, though he’ll take on the 12-team CFP for the first time with Alabama in 2025. The former Washington coach led the Huskies to a 14–1 record and an appearance in the national championship game in 2023.

Now, DeBoer will look to truly step into his predecessor Nick Saban’s shoes by guiding the Crimson Tide to their first title since '20.

4. Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks

Dan Lanning has led the Ducks to an 11–1 season in 2025. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dan Lanning has followed up the aforementioned Mario Cristobal with relative ease, winning 10-plus games in each of his first four seasons with the Ducks. In 2025, he’s bringing Oregon to their second-straight appearance in the playoffs and their third-consecutive CFP/New Year's 6 Bowl.

3. Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are defending national champions. / Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ryan Day has had quite the career resurgence since losing to Michigan in The Game way back in November of 2024. Since that fateful day in Columbus that had many calling for his job, the Ohio State coach has led his Buckeyes to 16 wins in their last 17 games—and of course, a national championship.

2. Curt Cignetti, Indiana Hoosiers

Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers are Big Ten champs. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He wins. Google him.

But seriously, over just two seasons at the helm in Indiana, Curt Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers from a laughing stock to a perennial powerhouse—and because of that, he has earned the nod over a national champion in Day.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs

Kirby Smart is a two-time national champion. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The long-time Nick Saban assistant has put together quite the coaching portfolio of his own since heading to Athens in 2016, amassing a 108–17 (.854) record and winning four SEC championships as head coach of the Bulldogs.

He’s a no-brainer for our top spot as he looks to guide Georgia to a third national title under his watch.

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