ACC Head Coach Rankings For 2021
It's been a while since I ranked something that didn't require extensive research into dozens of players across several different teams. But I'm sure these rankings won't anywhere near as controversial. In these rankings, I'm taking several variables into account. Obviously, an overall winning record is important. But so are consistency, recruiting, making and winning bowl games, and experience. There isn't a mathematical formula or algorithm for calculating which head coach is best; this is a very subjective exercise. Nevertheless, here are my rankings of the football coaches in the ACC.
14. Dino Babers
(All-time: 61-52, At current school: 24-36, Bowls: 2-0)
Just a few years ago, Dino Babers was one of the hottest coaching names in college football. Babers and the Orange had just completed a 10-3 season, their best finish since 2001. Since then, however, things have gone downhill very fast. 2018 was Babers’ only winning season with the Orange so it looks more like a fluke than anything. Syracuse was hit hard with injuries and opt-outs last season, contributing to their 1-10 season. Regardless, they are among the worst in the conference at almost every position group. They have a few good players on defense, but they lost some high-performing players and were still among the worst defenses. Babers has struggled to recruit and develop players. If he can’t put together a winning season, his time in upstate New York is most likely over.
13. Scott Satterfield
(All-time: 63-36, At current school: 12-12, Bowls: 4-0)
Satterfield arrived in the ACC with significant fanfare. He just completed a stellar run with Appalachian State, shepherding them from the FCS to the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers won the conference in Satterfield’s final three seasons there. He carried that momentum in a solid first season with the Cardinals, posting an 8-5 record with bowl win over Mississippi State. However, things fell flat in 2020, as Louisville fell to 4-7. Several opt-outs, along with inconsistency and injuries at the quarterback position, led to this backslide. But Satterfield added fuel to the flames in a confusing press conference towards the end of the year. He seemed to assert that players do not have the same commitment that coaches do. This comment came amidst reports that he spoke with South Carolina about their coaching vacancy at the time. Satterfield penned an apology letter to Louisville and their fans. But Satterfield seemingly thinned out his own ice, and for basically no reason. He has a very interesting offense and could turn things around but these are not the kind of comments you want to hear as a Louisville fan or player.
12. Justin Fuente
(All-time: 64-49, At current school: 38-26, Bowls: 2-3)
Justin Fuente is another name whose record belies his job status. His tenure with the Hokies got off to a banger start, earning an ACC championship berth and a Belk Bowl win to finish 10-4. However, it has been all downhill since, finishing 9-4, 6-7, 8-5, and 5-6. Accompanying these records are three consecutive bowl losses before 2020, when the Hokies did not play in a bowl game. Fuente’s seat has gotten increasingly hotter in the last two seasons. Several prominent players have transferred away from Blacksburg. Arguably the darkest omen was Fuente receiving the dreaded “seal of approval” from the athletic director. Such a declaration typically presages a firing in the next 12-16 months. Fuente has struggled on the recruiting trail and displayed issues with game management. His seat is among the hottest in college football and many pundits expect him to be fired, some predicting before the season is even over. However, this could create a rallying effect in the locker room and perhaps save Fuente’s job. We shall see...
11. Jeff Hafley
(All-time: 6-5, At current school: 6-5, Bowls: 0-0)
From one coach whose stock is plummeting, we move onto one whose is soaring. Despite only finish 6-5, Jeff Hafley and BC are among the most popular “sleeper” teams this preseason. Some BC fans (perhaps even including my boss) might think I have Hafley ranked too low. They may have a point. Hafley arrived at a relatively moribund program with no head coaching experience of any kind. Then the global pandemic hit about three months into his tenure. However, even without a normal offseason of training and practice, Hafley rallied the team together behind a newly explosive offense and led them to a 6-5 finish. All of this occurred with the BC football program experiencing a literal handful of positive COVID tests over the course of nearly a year. The Eagles bring nearly everyone back and with a full offseason, they are projected to be dangerous. Nevertheless, this will only be Hafley’s second season as a head coach and we’ve seen plenty of coaches struggle in their second year. We simply do not know enough about Hafley to rank him any higher, in my opinion. In next year’s rankings though, expect Hafley to be ranked much higher.
10. Mike Norvell
(All-time: 41-21, At current school: 3-6, Bowls: 0-3)
Mike Norvell is another coach in his first year coaching in the ACC. Despite Norvell struggling in his first year in Tallahassee, he has a proven track record as an experienced and successful head coach from his time at Memphis. Norvell truly was given a rough hand last year. There were some issues between him and some of the older players over training regimens during the pandemic and the tensions surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement last summer. These problems were allegedly assuaged, but multiple Seminoles still opted out of the season. To make matters worse, there were numerous injuries and COVID issues, including a positive diagnosis for Norvell himself. In short, everything that could have gone wrong for a head coach in their first year went wrong. This year, Norvell brought in a very solid recruiting class, buttressed by multiple high-profile transfers. With more of “his guys” in the locker room, Norvell should finally be able to turn Florida State around.
9. Geoff Collins
(All-time: 21-26, At current school: 6-16, Bowls: 1-0)
Geoff Collins is ranked remarkably high for being the only coach with a career losing record in the conference. However, Collins was tasked with an incredibly difficult mission coming to Georgia Tech from Temple: turning over a former triple-option team. Shockingly, he’s nearly completed that turn-around in two seasons, amidst a global pandemic. He’s been recruiting very well and brought in lots of transfers to help shore up the trenches. The Yellow Jackets also have two of the most dynamic young threats in the conference, in quarterback Jeff Sims and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The offense has a chance to be electric but the defense needs to take a step forward for Georgia Tech to compete. Apparently, Collins has not endeared himself to the local media and is somewhat abrasive. But from an outsider’s perspective, the players seem bought in and Georgia Tech was extremely competitive against nearly every opponent last year. Collins has had a relatively meteoric rise through the coaching ranks. While his stock is still pointing up, another losing season in Atlanta could reverse his fortunes very quickly.
8. Manny Diaz
(All-time: 14-10, At current school: 14-10, Bowls: 0-2)
Manny Diaz is another third-year coach whose stock is trending upward. Diaz struggled his first year as head coach with the Hurricanes in 2019, especially on offense. But he brought in offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and quarterback D’Eriq King to revitalize his offense. It worked like a charm. The Hurricanes’ hopes are a bit dulled as King is still not 100% and most likely won’t reach his full powers due to suffering an ACL tear in the bowl game. Diaz is also recruiting extremely well and seems well on his way to returning Miami to being The U of old. Regardless, I am still skeptical. Diaz seems like a great defensive coordinator but I’m still not sure how great of a head coach he really is. If King is not ready to go or reinjures himself, the Canes are thin and inexperienced at QB; if a backup is forced to take over, it could reveal how good of a coach Diaz really is. Next year will also be telling for Diaz when he loses King and some other very highly-touted players to the NFL. Right now, Diaz is a solid coach who is buoyed by his assistants and elite players. If he can get the Hurricanes to the ACC championship, and maybe even beat the Crimson Tide in Week 1, I’d be very willing to revisit this assessment.
7. Pat Narduzzi
(All-time: 42-34, At current school: 42-34, Bowls: 1-3)
After a tumultuous few years in the post-Dave Wannstedt era, Pat Narduzzi has stabilized the Pitt football program. The Panthers only have one losing season under his watch, but they have also only won one bowl game in four opportunities. Narduzzi has had some of the same in-game decision-making issues that plagued another former-ACC coach with Italian roots. But he’s been a very solid recruiter, especially in Western Pennsylvania, and has developed many players into NFL prospects. With the ascension of North Carolina and Miami, the Coastal division is not the anarchic thunderdome of the 2010s. But Narduzzi’s principles still continue to work on defense and he’s been willing to make radical changes to his offense on a near yearly basis, employing everyone from Matt Canada to Mark Whipple and Brennan Marion. Expectations might start to increase for Narduzzi soon, as he has not won more than eight games yet. But it’s hard to argue with consistent victories.
6. David Cutcliffe
(All-time: 118-117, At current school: 74-88, Bowls: 7-4)
David Cutcliffe resurrected Duke’s football program when it was basically on death’s door. He has to contend with some of the most stringent academic standards in college football. Yet, he made Duke into at least a respectable football school that puts players into the NFL with decent consistency. However, I think Cutcliffe might be reaching the end of the road. He’s surprisingly only 66, but he’s been coaching football for 45 years. Cutcliffe is currently the fourth-oldest head coach in college football, behind Mack Brown, Nick Saban, and Butch Davis. Additionally, the Blue Devils have been trending downward the last few seasons; looking at this year’s roster, there’s no reason to think that trend will be reversed. Cutcliffe is renowned for being a quarterback whisperer but I think the nuances of the rest of the game, along with the off-field aspects, might have passed him by. With Coach K retiring from the basketball team, I think the Duke athletic program could look for a complete refresh across their two biggest sports. Cutcliffe put together a remarkable career across several schools. However, I think it’s time for him to hang it up.
5. Dave Doeren
(All-time: 78-50, At current school: 55-46, Bowls: 4-3)
Dave Doeren might be one of the most underrated coaches in college football. I might even have him underrated in this list. In eight seasons with the Wolfpack, Doeren only has two losing seasons: his first, in 2013 when the cupboard was as bare as can be, and in 2019, when injuries ravaged the quarterback position in the post-Ryan Finley era. In those winning seasons, he’s never won less than seven games and made a bowl every year. NC State always puts out a competitive squad with Doeren at the helm. Plus, he’s been excellent at developing recruits and finding hidden gems. In an environment when NC State will always be, at best, third fiddle behind the Tobacco Road schools, Doeren has ensured that the Wolfpack are not to be forgotten or trifled with. His ceiling might be limited, thanks to Clemson’s dominance, but overlook the Wolfpack at your own peril.
4. Bronco Mendenhall
(All-time: 129-75, At current school: 30-32, Bowls: 7-7)
In an odd combination of the coaches preceding him and following him in these rankings, Bronco Mendenhall is another underrated coach that fields consistently competent teams at a school with stringent academic requirements. In 16 years as a head coach, Mendenhall only has four non-losing seasons, two of which came during his first seasons at BYU and Virginia. Virginia improved their record every year since Mendenhall took over. They fell back to earth a bit last year, which is understandable given the circumstances. Mendenhall’s teams always field excellent defenses, although their offenses have been a bit inconsistent. With most of the rest of the Coastal division teams getting their feet under them and becoming ascending programs, it will be interesting to see how Mendenhall and the Cavaliers respond.
3. Dave Clawson
(All-time: 130-124, At current school: 40-45, Bowls: 3-4)
This ranking might be a little confusing, as Dave Clawson has worse records, overall and at his school, than the two coaches preceding him. But Clawson has turned Wake Forest into a respectable program. After consecutive 3-9 seasons to begin his tenure with the Demon Deacons, Clawson has been 7-6 or 8-5 every year since. He went 4-5 this past year, but that is forgivable given the lack of non-conference games and COVID/injury issues. Clawson has repeatedly been able to develop players beyond their expectations and turn them into all-conference performers. For a program limited by certain academic standards (sound familiar?) in a very small college town, Clawson consistently punches above his weight class. He hasn’t been able to break through the 8-win barrier. But his teams are always competitive and this year’s squad is extremely deep and experienced.
2. Mack Brown
(All-time: 259-132-1, At current school: 84-56-1 [15-10 in second stint], Bowls: 14-9)
Few coaches have higher stocks right now than Mack Brown, especially coaches at his age. Only two years into his second run with the Tar Heels, Brown has returned North Carolina to contender status in the ACC. He was able to flip Sam Howell from Florida State and keep him home. Now, Howell is in the running for the Heisman Trophy and the #1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Brown has suffered a couple random bad losses every year. But entering his third year, with a fully turned over roster and several excellent recruiting classes under his belt. Despite losing multiple offensive playmakers and the defensive leader to the NFL, Brown has North Carolina as the favorite to win the ACC Coastal and has an outside shot to dethrone Clemson this year.
1. Dabo Swinney
(All-time: 140-33, At current school: 140-33, Bowls: 10-7)
Kings stay kings, I guess. Swinney has ruled the conference with an iron fist the last six seasons. The Tigers have won the ACC and made the College Football Playoff every year since 2014. They’ve reached four national championships and won two. Dabo is recruiting as well as ever, regularly securing five-star prospects at every position. He’s also in the midst of perhaps the greatest run of quarterbacks at any one school since...well I guess Oklahoma’s doing pretty good right now. Even with multiple starters off to the NFL every year, Swinney simply reloads and puts out another conference-winning team. Even with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne off to the NFL, there’s no reason to think he’ll stop now.