Anthony Wilson
CBS Sports has released its 2024 Power Four Coach Rankings This Week, highlighting 68 of the sport’s most prominent program leaders. Coaches like Texas’ Steven Sarkisian and Washington’s Jedd Fisch saw big jumps in their respective rankings, while Baylor’s Dave Aranda and Arkansas’ Sam Pittman saw their stocks drop.
The retirement of former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh, who left his position at Michigan to take the vacant position with the Los Angeles Chargers, has led to movement near the top. Oregon’s Dan Lanning (9), Florida State’s Mike Norvell (8), Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer (7) and Sarkisian (5) all jumped into the top 10, while Georgia’s Kirby Smart took over the first place.
DeBoer’s jump comes less than two years after he was ranked 51st in the 2022 edition. He jumped 20 spots in 2023 and another 24 this time after leading Washington to the College football Playoff title game last season.
| Dropper 2024 | Dave Aranda, Baylor -26 (28 to 55) | Sam Pittman, Arkansas. -17 (42 to 58) | PJ Fleck, Minnesota -15 (24 to 39) | Mack Brown, UNC -15 (22 to 37) | Sonny Dykes, T.C.U. -11 (11 to 22) |
| Laughing 2024 | Steve Sarkisian, Texas +32 (37 to 5) | Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri +30 (51 to 21) | Jedd Fisch, Washington +30 (61 to 31) | Dan Lanning, Oregon +27 (36 to 9) | Kalen DeBoer, Alabama +24. (31 to 7) |
The biggest decliners from 2022 to 2023 were Boston College’s Jeff Hafley Baylor and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
While it’s impossible to project the sport’s ever-changing landscape, here are six coaches who could see a change in their ranks in 2025.
2024 Power Four Coaches Rankings: 68-26 | 25-1
Riser: Deion Sanders, Colorado
2023 ranking: 55 | 2024 ranking: 61
Measuring success at Colorado is different than almost any other Power Four program. The Buffaloes have recorded just two seasons with eight or more wins since 2003. While Sanders’ 4-8 mark in 2023 looks bad on paper, it was a drastic increase from the 1-11 shown the previous year. Sanders’ roster-building tactics are unconventional because Colorado heavily emphasizes the transfer portal while putting high school recruiting on the back burner. Sanders followed up on the strong statements he made about the offensive line after last fall’s loss to UCLA by completely overhauling the group with transfers. The move to the Big 12 and a tough non-conference schedule will make this a boom or bust season for the NFL Member of the hall of fame. If that happens, Sanders will catapult up the rankings.
Dropper: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
2023 ranking: 3 | 2024 ranking: 3
If Sanders’ transfer-heavy approach to roster construction is on one end of the spectrum, Swinney’s team-building strategy is on the other. Outside of the military academies, Clemson was the only program in the country that did not make any transfers. Swinney is one of the best coaches in the game with a resume to back it up, but the use (or lack thereof) of the transfer portal will catch up with his program sooner or later. Twelve players transferred from Clemson, including Beaux Collins (receiver) and Andrew Mukuba (defensive back). Meanwhile, 18 different FBS teams made at least 20 moves during the 2024 offseason. With so many promising coaches behind him embracing the portal, he could fall down the coaching ranks as his run at the top of the sport progresses in the rearview mirror.
Riser: Sherrone Moore, Michigan
2023 ranking: N/A | 2024 ranking: 52
Moore is the highest-ranked first-year coach on the list, and for good reason. He served as Michigan’s interim coach while Harbaugh was suspended and led the Wolverines to a 4–0 record. Moore was always the logical choice to replace Harbaugh if he left for the NFL, and now he has the chance to run the show in the new-look Big Ten. While Moore is a proven player, he has handed those responsibilities over to Michigan’s new offensive coordinator, Kirk Campbell, as he adapts to more of a CEO role with the program. There is room for it to climb into the top 25 if the program maintains its recent success.
Dropper: Ryan Day, Ohio State
2023 ranking: 8 | 2024 ranking: two
If Ohio State doesn’t make it to the Big Ten title game and the expanded College Football Playoff, something has gone seriously wrong in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes went all-in this offseason, and the transfer portal reflects that. Headlining the Buckeyes’ transfer class (ranked No. 10 in the country by 247Sports) is former Alabama safety Caleb Downs — the highest-ranked player available. It’s easy to see why he’s a decisive season for the dayand while his second-place ranking may not reflect that, there may not be a coach under more pressure to win now. Ohio State has lost three straight games to archrival Michigan and lost the CFP after finishing the 2023 campaign 11-2. Day seems like a logical choice to fall into this ranking next year if Ohio State doesn’t perform well in the CFP.
Riser: Troy Taylor, Stanford
2023 ranking: 69 | 2024 ranking: 60
Taylor came in last place in the coaches rankings last year and jumped nine positions in the last edition. While Stanford’s on-field product has been unremarkable in 2023, it’s easy to see the vision in what Taylor is building as the Cardinal adjust to life post-David Shaw. Stangord finished with the No. 30 recruiting class in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports. The crown jewel of the new recruiting class is four-star quarterback Elijah Brown, who could move into the starting role as early as this season. Taylor worked wonders at FCS Sacramento State with his creative offensive schemes, and it’s part of the reason he made the rapid rise from Big Sky offensive coordinator in Eastern Washington in 2016 to head of one of the West Coast’s most prominent programs. .
Dropper: Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
2023 ranking: 9 | 2024 ranking: 17
Fickell worked wonders in Cincinnati before stepping down to take the vacant position in Cincinnati. The first year of the Fickell era was confusing, as Wisconsin won fewer than eight games (in a non-COVID season) for the first time since 2012. The lack of success in its first season is one of the reasons it dropped out of the top 10 While there is reason for optimism that former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke can revive his career in Madison, the timeline is far from a breeze. Wisconsin hosts Alabama in a non-conference matchup on Sept. 14 before opening Big Ten play on the road against USC. The Badgers also face Penn State, Iowa, Oregon and Nebraska to close out the season. Wisconsin can afford to avoid Ohio State and Michigan, but a lackluster season could result in another drop in the rankings.
