1, Jonathan Smith, Oregon State
This man deserves every penny he’s getting from his recent extension. People forget just how bad a shape this program was in at the end of the Gary Andersen era and he’s managed to get the Beavers on the precipice of double-digit wins for the first time in a decade. And it’s not a fluke – he’s not grabbing a ton of kids out of the portal à la Mel Tucker and hoping it all works out.
2. Willie Fritz, Tulane
Tulane football hadn’t been relevant since Shaun King was taking snaps for the Green Wave back in the 1990’s, and Fritz has them playing in a New Year’s Six game after winning a very difficult AAC. The former Georgia Southern coach has also proven that old dogs can still learn new tricks, as he’s adapted the old-school triple option attack he used in Statesboro and completely revamped it into one of the truly unique offenses in the game.
3. Chip Kelly, UCLA
I still don’t quite understand why so many people in the national media are down on Kelly as a coach. He guided Dorian Thompson-Robinson to breaking nearly every single record Bruins passing record in the books, had the team ranked in the top 10 for a good while this season and has them in a great position on the recruiting trail. I’m not sure what there isn’t to love about how things have gone so far in Westwood for him.
4. PJ Fleck, Minnesota
All he does is keep on winning. So even if they didn’t win a division that was right there for the taking this year, this man can flat-out coach. He’s done a great job of turning a Gophers team that was seemingly eternally mediocre and made them competitive year-in and year-out.
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5. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
I love this guy. He’s such a perfect fit in Lubbock, and the results are there even earlier than expected. The Red Raiders finished fourth in the conference, beat Texas in an epic game, and are moving 100% in the right direction. McGuire is a coach’s coach, and I’ve been saying all along just how strong his ties are to the Texas high school football coaching community and how that is going to pay dividends down the line. Well, turns out, it already is.
