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USA Today
7 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
SEC Football Coaches ranked by career winning percentage; who takes the top spot?
SEC Football Coaches ranked by career winning percentage; who takes the top spot? The SEC is home to some of the top brands in college football. Schools like Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, and Tennessee move the needle on the recruiting trail, in the eyes of the networks, or any time there's a coaching vacancy. This offseason, there wasn't any turnover in the SEC. Coaches like Billy Napier, Shane Beamer, and Clark Lea coached themselves off the hot seat. Elsewhere, Brent Venables and Mark Stoops may have felt the temperature turn up on their office chairs. There were varying results among first-year SEC head coaches. Mike Elko and Texas A&M were pretty good, while Jeff Lebby has a far tougher task in revitalizing Mississippi State. Ahead of the 2025 season, here's how the SEC coaches rank in winning percentage. Only records from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) were considered. For example, Kalen DeBoer's time at Sioux Falls wasn't considered. 1. Mike Elko, Texas A&M Career FBS Record: 24-14 FBS Win Percentage: 85.7% Bowl Record: 1-1 A strong season for Mike Elko in year one despite some quarterback turmoil. The defense looks ready to contend. Just need more consistency on offense. 2. Kirby Smart, Georgia Career FBS Record: 105-19 FBS Win Percentage: 84.6% Bowl Record: 9-3 Kirby Smart might not have played for a national championship each of the last two seasons, but Georgia is coming off of another SEC title and will be one of the favorites to contend for the national title once again. With Saban out of the picture, Smart is the top Dawg in college football. 3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Career FBS Record: 46-13 FBS Win Percentage: 77.9% Bowl Record: 2-2 Kalen DeBoer has had a lot of success everywhere he's been. Year one in Tuscaloosa was a disappointment, though, with losses to Vanderbilt and a not-so-good Oklahoma team. Though he's turning over the quarterback position, he won't be able to satisfy the Alabama faithful unless he gets the Tide into the playoff. 4. Josh Heupel Career FBS Record: 65-23 FBS Win Percentage: 73.8% Bowl Record: 3-4 Josh Heupel made quite the statement this offseason with Tennessee's stance on the Nico Iamaleava situation. That came after a 10-win season and a College Football Playoff berth. Last year, the Vols beat Oklahoma in Norman and upset Alabama at home. Heupel is one of the better coaches in college football. 5. Brian Kelly, LSU Career FBS Record: 195-73 FBS Win Percentage: 72.7% Bowl Record: 10-6 2024 was the first time Brian Kelly didn't win 10 games since a 4-8 season in 2016. He's only ever had two losing seasons in 21 years as a college head coach. He's a really good coach, but hasn't been able to win enough big games to win the national title. Could 2025 be the year? 6. Lane Kiffin Career FBS Record: 106-52 FBS Win Percentage: 67% Bowl Record: 5-4 Lane Kiffin is one of the most experienced head coaches in college football and has established himself as one of the better coaches in the game, especially on the recruiting front. His work in the transfer portal earned Kiffin the nickname "Portal King," but that wasn't enough to get Ole Miss to the playoff in 2024. 7. Eli Drinkwitz Career FBS Record: 50-25 FBS Win Percentage: 66.7% Bowl Record: 2-2 A four-point loss to South Carolina likely kept Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers out of the playoff. The Tigers have a manageable schedule in 2025 but need quarterback Drew Pribula to be the real deal. 8. Billy Napier, Florida Career FBS Record: 59-31 FBS Win Percentage: 65.5% Bowl Record: 3-2 After a pair of seven-loss seasons, Billy Napier finally earned his first winning season at Florida. With D.J. Lagway leading the offense, Napier and the Gators have a tough schedule to navigate to try and make the playoff. 9. Hugh Freeze, Auburn Career FBS Record: 94-57 FBS Win Percentage: 62.2% Bowl Record: 6-3 Hugh Freeze hasn't had a winning season in two years at Auburn, but he's hoping 2025 will be the year with a new quarterback in Jackson Arnold. 10. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Career Record: 84-52 FBS Win Percentage: 61.7% Bowl Record: 4-5 He doesn't have a high winning percentage, but back-to-back playoff appearances have earned Steve Sarkisian a lot of love from the rankers. On offense, this will be his biggest coaching challenge with how much they're turning over on offense, but it's time for the Arch Manning experience. 11. Shane Beamer, South Carolina Career FBS Record: 29-22 FBS Win Percentage: 56.8% Bowl Record: 1-2 Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks were just a few plays away from making the College Football Playoff. LaNorris Sellers and a strong defense give the Gamecocks a chance to be contenders in 2025. 12. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Career Record: 22-17 FBS Win Percentage: 56.4% Bowl Record: 0-3 It's a huge season for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners after another 6-7 season. But despite the results from last year, there's a lot of optimism about what OU could be in 2025. 13. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Career FBS Record: 77-73 FBS Win Percentage: 51.3% Bowl Record: 4-4 The Brock Vandergriff experiment didn't work out for Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats, and he's hoping for better success with Zach Calzada, who's on his third SEC team after spending a year at Incarnate Word. 14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas Career FBS Record: 30-31 FBS Win Percentage: 49.1% Bowl Record: 3-0 Sam Pittman earned a reprieve from the hot seat after an improved 2024 where they beat Tennessee. Getting Taylen Green out of the transfer portal was huge for Pittman and his future with the Razorbacks. 15. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Career FBS Record: 16-33 FBS Win Percentage: 32.6% Bowl Record: 1-0 It was a big year for Vanderbilt, earning wins over Alabama and Virginia Tech and gaining bowl eligibility. Diego Pavia gave Clark Lea and the Commodores a huge boost. 16. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State Career FBS Record: 2-10 FBS Win Percentage: 16.7% Bowl Record: NA If they give Jeff Lebby time in Starkville, he'll be able to get the Mississippi State offense going. He'll have to hit regularly in the transfer portal to turn things around quickly. Lebby ranked last among Power Five coaches. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Three Florida football legends land on 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Three Florida football legends land on 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot Three former Florida football greats are among the nominees for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation announced on Monday that defensive linemen Alex Brown and Brad Culpepper, along with wide receiver Percy Harvin, are part of a star-studded ballot that includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, along with 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks. Ballots are distributed to more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers. Voting closes July 1, with the 2026 class to be officially announced early next year. Brown, a dominant pass rusher from 1998 to 2001, was a consensus All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC selection. He ranks second all-time in career sacks for Florida and played a critical role in the Gators' 2000 SEC Championship run. Brown later enjoyed a successful NFL career with the Chicago Bears. Culpepper anchored the Gators' defensive line in the early 1990s and earned consensus All-America honors in 1991. Known for his strength and intelligence, Culpepper was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy and the recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. He played nine seasons in the NFL and remains involved in advocacy for athletes post-retirement. Harvin, one of the most electrifying players in college football during his time, was a key figure in Florida's national championships in 2006 and 2008. The versatile receiver and return man scored 32 total touchdowns in just three seasons, earning All-American honors before being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. With this trio under consideration, Florida continues to assert its historic legacy within the sport. The Gators boast multiple inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame, including Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith and Tim Tebow. Urban Meyer was the latest Gator to be inducted as part of the 2025 class. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Heisman winners Ingram, Newton, Griffin are among players on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III and former AP National Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh are on the ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation released the ballot Monday for the class that will be announced in January. It includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from lower levels. Ingram became Alabama's first Heisman winner in 2009 after running for 1,658 yards and 20 touchdowns. Newton in 2010 was just the third player in FBS history with 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns. Griffin in 2011 led the nation in points responsible for and ranked second in total offense. Suh was a force for Nebraska in 2009 and became the first defensive lineman in 15 seasons to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He finished fourth in voting but was honored as the nation's top player by The Associated Press. Among other players on the ballot are Iowa's Brad Banks, Colorado's Eric Bieniemy, Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter, Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald, Syracuse's Marvin Harrison, Oklahoma's Josh Heupel, Ohio State's James Laurinaitis, Washington State's Ryan Leaf, California's Marshawn Lynch, Illinois' Simeon Rice and Florida State's Peter Warrick. Among coaches on the ballot are Larry Coker, Gary Patterson and Chris Petersen. Coker led the Canes to consecutive national championship games and won the 2002 Rose Bowl to become the first rookie head coach to lead his team to a title since 1948. Patterson is TCU's all-time wins leader who led the Horned Frogs to six AP top 10 final rankings. Petersen is Boise State's all-time wins leader who led the Broncos to two undefeated seasons and led Washington to the 2016 College Football Playoff. The NFF also announced an adjustment to the eligibility criteria for coaches to be considered for induction. The minimum career winning percentage required for coaching eligibility will go from .600 to .595 beginning in 2027. The change would make Mike Leach eligible. Leach, who died in 2022, had a .596 winning percentage with a 158-107 record over 21 seasons at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. Leach was known for his innovative wide-open offenses and his knack for pulling upsets. He won 18 games against Top 25 opponents when his team was unranked.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Heisman winners Ingram, Newton, Griffin are among players on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III and former AP National Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh are on the ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation released the ballot Monday for the class that will be announced in January. It includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from lower levels.
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Heisman winners Ingram, Newton, Griffin on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III and former AP National Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh are on the ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation released the ballot Monday for the class that will be announced in January. It includes 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from lower levels. Ingram became Alabama's first Heisman winner in 2009 after running for 1,658 yards and 20 touchdowns. Newton in 2010 was just the third player in FBS history with 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns. Griffin in 2011 led the nation in points responsible for and ranked second in total offense. Suh was a force for Nebraska in 2009 and became the first defensive lineman in 15 seasons to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He finished fourth in voting but was honored as the nation's top player by The Associated Press. Among other players on the ballot are Iowa's Brad Banks, Colorado's Eric Bieniemy, Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant, Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter, Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald, Syracuse's Marvin Harrison, Oklahoma's Josh Heupel, Ohio State's James Laurinaitis, Washington State's Ryan Leaf, California's Marshawn Lynch, Illinois' Simeon Rice and Florida State's Peter Warrick. Among coaches on the ballot are Larry Coker, Gary Patterson and Chris Petersen. Coker led the Canes to consecutive national championship games and won the 2002 Rose Bowl to become the first rookie head coach to lead his team to a title since 1948. Patterson is TCU's all-time wins leader who led the Horned Frogs to six AP top 10 final rankings. Petersen is Boise State's all-time wins leader who led the Broncos to two undefeated seasons and led Washington to the 2016 College Football Playoff. The NFF also announced an adjustment to the eligibility criteria for coaches to be considered for induction. The minimum career winning percentage required for coaching eligibility will go from .600 to .595 beginning in 2027. The change would make Mike Leach eligible. Leach, who died in 2022, had a .596 winning percentage with a 158-107 record over 21 seasons at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. Leach was known for his innovative wide-open offenses and his knack for pulling upsets. He won 18 games against Top 25 opponents when his team was unranked. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
