College Football Coaches Who Don't Get Enough Credit
When looking at the effectiveness of any head coach, many elements do come into play. The win-loss record is the most obvious barometer of success. However, each case is different from the next.
What shape was the program in when the new head man took over? How difficult is it to recruit at the school? What are the general expectations of the program?
All of these aspects determine both the development and improvement of said program. Using this as criteria, this piece will delve into some of the most underrated coaches in the country.
Honorable mentions: Steve Addazio, Craig Bohl, Mike Gundy, Jim Mora, Mark Richt, Mike Riley, Kyle Whittingham.
David Cutcliffe
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At first glance, a 40-48 career coaching record isn't overly impressive.
However, when considering the program's history, David Cutcliffe has done an exceptional job at Duke. Cutcliffe has effectively resurrected a football program constantly playing second fiddle to the basketball team.
Cutcliffe inherited a program coming off of a 6-45 clip over the preceding four seasons. Additionally, Duke hadn't been nationally ranked since 1994—and had not won a bowl game since 1961.
Despite being hindered by stringent academic standards and traditionally porous home crowds, the Blue Devils kept steadily improving under his leadership. The development culminated in 2013—when the Blue Devils won the ACC Coastal Division with a 10-4 overall record. It was the first winning season in Durham since 1994.
Since then, Cutcliffe orchestrated another winning season—going 9-4 in 2014. It marks the most successful two-year stretch in program history dating back to the 1930s.
Simply put, the man can coach. It's astounding how productive he's been at Duke—relative to the program's history prior to his arrival.
Todd Graham
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Although he left two jobs in somewhat controversial fashion, Todd Graham is a very good football coach.
Dating back to the start of his head coaching career in 2006 with Rice, he's had only one team finish with a sub-.500 record. At Arizona State, he won 10 games in two of his first three seasons in Tempe. Earlier in his career at Tulsa, he won at least 10 contests in three of his four years with the Golden Hurricanes—including an 11-win season in 2008.
In total, Graham's career record is an impressive 77-41.
His defensive style of coaching is rooted in discipline and aggressiveness. Being a fundamentally sound football team is also traditionally a staple of Graham's squads. This philosophy has turned Arizona State around from an average team into one constantly competing for the Pac-12 South Division crown.
Graham's 28-12 career record with the Sun Devils is just the tip of the iceberg. With two fertile recruiting bases in close proximity (California, Texas), ASU should be very competitive for the foreseeable future.
Paul Johnson
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It's always entertaining to see someone go against the proverbial grain and have success doing something unconventional.
Paul Johnson's archaic triple-option offensive scheme was incredibly popular decades ago. With the mass amount of spread offensive principles dominating the college football landscape, Johnson's stood steadfast in his conviction for the offense—and it's proven to pay off.
During his time at Georgia Southern, Johnson won at least 10 games in each of his five seasons with the Eagles. He finished with a stellar 62-10 career record.
At Navy, Johnson was the architect of one of the most successful periods of Midshipmen football in its program's history. He took over a team that had gone 0-10 the year before he became the head coach. After his initial year, he reeled off five winning seasons in a row before departing for Georgia Tech.
His ability to incorporate a "vintage" offense within a major conference has been impressive. Johnson's team won the ACC in 2009 and won the Orange Bowl this past year in impressive fashion over Mississippi State.
Johnson's career record is an impressive 165-74. He's continued to cement Georgia Tech's status as one of the most consistent programs in the ACC.
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Jerry Kill
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Jerry Kill is a strong developer of programs. He has won at every stop he's made throughout his coaching career—leaving the programs improved from where they were initially.
With a .607 overall career winning percentage, his stops throughout the Midwest have currently landed him at Minnesota. Prior to his arrival, the program was beset by depth issues, talent deficiencies and a lack of continuity.
Kill brought in a renewed effort in terms of fundamentals to the program—starting with the defensive side of the ball. He's accrued two straight winning seasons in Minneapolis. Once viewed as a doormat in the Big Ten, the Golden Gophers now have the look of an up-and-coming program within the conference.
The Kansas native has a career record of 148-96.
Ken Niumatalolo
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In his seven-year tenure as Navy's head coach, Ken Niumatalolo has accomplished a great deal.
Niumatalolo's teams have compiled winning records in six of the past seven seasons. Under his leadership, Navy has made seven bowl appearances—winning three (versus Missouri, Middle Tennessee State and San Diego State). Additionally, Navy is undefeated against rival Army and has beaten Notre Dame twice.
With Navy's unique process of recruiting, it's quite a testament to Niumatalolo's coaching ability in terms of competing against—and defeating—top competition.
There's no question Niumatalolo is a rising star in the coaching profession. It wouldn't be a shock to see bigger programs in the future with coaching vacancies look to him as a potential candidate.
Gary Pinkel
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From 1984-2001, the Missouri Tigers football program enjoyed only two winning seasons. During Gary Pinkel's 14 years as the head coach (beginning in 2001), the Tigers have had 10 winning seasons—including five seasons with at least 10 victories.
The Ohio native also took Toledo to an undefeated season in 1995 and has a career record of 186-103-3.
Pinkel's development of talent is a publicly understated strength of his. At Missouri, there isn't an overwhelmingly talented pool from which to draw recruits. Regardless, he's churned out multiple first-round picks during his time with the Tigers—specifically along the defensive line.
At Missouri, he's engineered the first 12-win seasons in program history (2007, 2013). His leadership also enabled the Tigers to win the SEC East division in back-to-back seasons (2013, 2014).
Although not listed with some of the perceived "best coaches" in the country, Pinkel has more than proven to at least be mentioned in the conversation.
Dabo Swinney
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Most people outside of the state of South Carolina would be surprised to hear just how successful Dabo Swinney has been with Clemson.
After initially taking over as interim coach in 2008, the Alabama native has compiled a 61-26 overall record. Clemson has won at least 10 games in each of the past four seasons—including two 11-win seasons in 2012 and 2013.
In fact, the year 1990 marked the last time in which a Clemson team had won at least 10 games in a single year. In bowl games, Swinney is undefeated in his last three tries—besting prominent programs LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
The program is definitely trending upward. Recruiting has been incredibly solid, and Clemson has firmly secured itself as one of the best programs in the ACC.
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