Best Offensive and Defensive Coordinator Duos in College Football
In the fast-moving coaching carousel of college football, great coordinators are hard to keep around.
Just ask Ohio State's Urban Meyer or Clemson's Dabo Swinney, who saw their star offensive assistants move on to head coaching jobs this offseason. The same goes for Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Missouri's Gary Pinkel, two coaches who had to replace their excellent defensive coordinators.
Top coordinators are always prime candidates to make the move up the coaching ladder at another school, which makes having a successful set of top assistants a constant challenge for head coaches. Building and then keeping a dynamic one-two punch of coordinators is a luxury.
Here are the top 10 coordinator duos in college football for the 2015 season, judged by their experience, longevity and, most importantly, their on-field success either at their current school or their previous stops. Duos that have a coordinator who has never served in that role before were not considered for these rankings.
Sound off on these rankings and nominate your own favorite duos in the comments below.
Honorable Mention
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Arizona State's Mike Norvell and Keith Patterson: Norvell is one of the hottest young names in coaching thanks to his success so far with the Sun Devils offense, and Patterson's defense was a turnover-creating machine in 2014.
LSU's Cam Cameron and Kevin Steele: One of the most interesting duos in the SEC, Steele's up-and-down career as a defensive coordinator has landed him at LSU, where he'll join up with the experienced Cameron's power pro-style offense.
Michigan's Tim Drevno and D.J. Durkin: Drevno returns to the offensive coordinator position after years of being an excellent line coach. Durkin has spent the last few seasons building great defenses with Will Muschamp at Florida.
Penn State's John Donovan and Bob Shoop: James Franklin already has a lot of chemistry with Donovan and Shoop, who moved with him to Penn State after three seasons at Vanderbilt.
Wisconsin's Joe Rudolph and Dave Aranda: Rudolph was in charge of a highly productive Pittsburgh offense last season while Aranda had another fantastic year of Wisconsin defense under former head coach Gary Andersen.
10. Notre Dame's Mike Sanford and Brian VanGorder
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A fast-rising star in the coaching world, Mike Sanford came to Notre Dame this offseason after one outstanding season as the offensive coordinator at Boise State, which finished with the 14th-best total offense and a Fiesta Bowl victory last season. He has had success everywhere in his young career and will bring some new tweaks to a Fighting Irish offense that returns a ton of talent this season.
On the other side of the ball, Brian VanGorder has 25 years of coaching experience in the college game and the professional ranks. The 2014 season, his first with the Fighting Irish, had some rough stretches, but head coach Brian Kelly kept VanGorder in the hopes that he can help lead the defense back to championship quality.
The pickup of Sanford should be a great sign for the future of new starting quarterback Malik Zaire and the rest of the Fighting Irish's offensive attack. If the veteran VanGorder can turn things around on defense in a crucial second season, this combo could be the key to getting Notre Dame into the national title picture.
9. Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley and Mike Stoops
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Oklahoma's offense needed a jolt after a disappointing 8-5 season, and head coach Bob Stoops looks to have that in new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who will bring the Air Raid offense back to Norman. At just 31 years old, Riley is a young star in coaching and already has the experience of leading a potent attack. Last season, Riley's East Carolina offense finished third in passing yards per game and fifth in overall yardage.
The defensive staff at Oklahoma went through a shakeup this offseason, but Mike Stoops is still in charge heading into 2015. While 2014 went south for both Stoops brothers, Mike's defense finished No. 20 in fewest yards allowed per game in 2013 and frustrated an Alabama offense in the Sugar Bowl that season.
The hiring of Riley is cause for optimism among Sooners fans as Stoops tries to tap into the success the defense had two seasons ago. Both coordinators have had great campaigns in the past, and bringing them together could be a recipe for huge Oklahoma seasons in the future.
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8. UCLA's Noel Mazzone and Tom Bradley
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Never underestimate the value of great experience on a coaching staff. That's exactly what Jim Mora has at UCLA in Noel Mazzone and Tom Bradley, two coordinators who have both been coaching since 1980.
In its three seasons under Mazzone, the UCLA offense has set numerous school records and has produced several star players, from former quarterback Brett Hundley to 2014 Pac-12 leading rusher Paul Perkins. Mazzone has served as an offensive coordinator at eight different schools during his career, but he has seemed to hit his stride in Los Angeles.
Defensively, the Bruins now have Tom Bradley to take over a promising unit this season. The longtime Penn State assistant coach excelled at his "bend, don't break" system with the Nittany Lions, which consistently finished in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense. In a conference with plenty of powerful offenses, that knowledge of keeping opponents out of the end zone—no matter how many yards you allow—could lead to some highly successful defenses at UCLA.
7. Florida's Doug Nussmeier and Geoff Collins
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New Florida head coach Jim McElwain turned to the man who replaced him as Alabama's offensive coordinator back in 2012 to help guide the offense at his new program. Before a disastrous 2014 under Brady Hoke at Michigan, Nussmeier helped revitalize the offense at Washington and then went to Alabama, where he won a national title in 2012 and had an offense that was fifth in yards per play in 2013.
Geoff Collins made a surprising jump from Mississippi State to Florida that seemed to irritate former boss Dan Mullen. He should have no problem continuing a tradition of great defense with the Gators after leading a Mississippi State squad that was No. 1 in red-zone defense last season.
McElwain appears to have a tough year ahead of him at Florida, but he has two quality coordinators to help build toward the Gators' future. Nussmeier has title-winning experience, and Collins has helped build successful defenses in the SEC. This new duo might not get the spotlight like most of the others on this list, but the resumes are impressive.
6. Texas A&M's Jake Spavital and John Chavis
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One of college football's youngest coordinators, the 30-year-old Spavital took over play-calling duties for the Aggies at the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl—a 541-yard performance in a comeback victory for Texas A&M. The Aggies' offense took a step back last season in Spavital's first season as the lone offensive coordinator, but it still finished No. 21 nationally in offensive S&P, an opponent-adjusted efficiency rating from Football Outsiders.
Texas A&M's main problems were on the defensive side of the ball, and the program upgraded its coaching staff in a big way by hiring longtime SEC coordinator John Chavis from divisional rival LSU. The Chief produced several high-ranking defenses and first-round NFL draft picks at LSU, and now he'll look to do the same with the base of elite recruits in College Station.
The early success of Spavital and the veteran leadership of Chavis gives head coach Kevin Sumlin a pair of coordinators who have the potential to be even better down the road.
5. Georgia's Brian Schottenheimer and Jeremy Pruitt
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After Mike Bobo left Georgia for the head coaching job at Colorado State, head coach Mark Richt made what Bleacher Report's Andrew Hall called a "high-risk, high-reward" hire this offseason in bringing Brian Schottenheimer to Athens from the NFL ranks. While Schottenheimer's offenses in the pros were never anything more than average, his system has the potential to mesh well with Georgia's top playmakers in 2015 and beyond.
Georgia fans won't have to worry about what is to come on defense, though, as coordinator Jeremy Pruitt enters his second year with the Bulldogs this fall. After helping guide Florida State to a national title in his only year as its defensive coordinator, Pruitt took charge of a Georgia defense that jumped from 45th to 17th in total yards allowed in 2014.
If Schottenheimer can put his stamp on an efficient pro-style offense and Pruitt can lead the defense to even more greatness in his second season, Georgia could be a serious national title contender. Right now, this coordinator combination is one of the most intriguing in the game.
4. Oregon's Scott Frost and Don Pellum
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Oregon's offense was already putting up ridiculous numbers before Scott Frost took over at offensive coordinator for the promoted Mark Helfrich ahead of the 2013 season. But, under Frost's guidance, the Ducks broke their school record for yards in a season in 2013 and then did it again en route to a national championship game appearance in 2014.
Although Oregon isn't known much for its defense, it has one of the most experienced—and best-dressed—assistant coaches in the nation in defensive coordinator Don Pellum, who has spent 22 seasons on staff at his alma mater. In his first season as Oregon's coordinator last year, the Ducks hit a six-game stretch toward the end of the year in which they allowed an average of 17.5 points per contest.
Pellum's defense will need to show more improvement in the seasons ahead, but his experience with the program makes him an extremely valuable member of Helfrich's coaching staff. Combine his knowledge with Frost's offensive prowess, and you have a duo that has already proven to be title-worthy.
3. Auburn's Rhett Lashlee and Will Muschamp
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Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn calls the shots in his explosive offense, but he also has the assistance of his protege Rhett Lashlee, who has worked under Malzahn in all but one of his nine years in coaching. Lashlee knows the Malzahn attack inside and out and was a Broyles Award finalist during the Tigers' record-breaking 2013 season.
But, of course, the real star of this duo is Will Muschamp, one of the best defensive coaches in all of football. Although his head coaching tenure at Florida didn't work out at all, every one of his defenses have finished in the top 10 nationally in total yards allowed per game since he became Texas' defensive coordinator in 2009. Now Muschamp is back in Auburn as the highest-paid assistant in the country.
Only time will tell if a truly elite defense can coexist with the type of hurry-up offense Auburn runs. Still, on paper, it's hard to beat the combination of Malzahn's and Lashlee's blistering attack and a Muschamp-led unit on the other side of the ball.
2. USC's Clay Helton and Justin Wilcox
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Clay Helton stayed on USC's staff after the hiring of new head coach Steve Sarkisian last season, and the move turned out to be a good one for the Trojans. The USC offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, who helped develop Matt Barkley into a record-breaking passer, was in charge of an attack that averaged 35.7 points per game in 2014.
Justin Wilcox is in his fourth stint as a defensive coordinator, having served at Boise State under Chris Petersen, Tennessee under Lane Kiffin and Washington under Sarkisian. USC's defense wasn't up to its usual best in Wilcox's first year, but don't expect that to happen again in 2014, especially with Wilcox's track record.
Now with one full year together as Sarkisian's coordinators, Helton and Wilcox are eyeing more success as the Trojans garner national championship buzz ahead of the 2015 season. Both assistants have already had several great seasons so far in their careers, and USC might be in line for even more improvement on both sides of the ball in 2015.
1. Alabama's Lane Kiffin and Kirby Smart
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The biggest offseason move of Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama paid off in a huge way last year, as new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin led one of the best offensive seasons in program history. With a first-year starter at quarterback, Kiffin's offense finished 18th in the country in total yards per game and put up a school-record 277.9 passing yards per game.
On defense, Saban continues to rely on longtime assistant Kirby Smart, who has won two awards as the nation's best assistant coach during his eight seasons with the Crimson Tide. Smart has had plenty of opportunities to leave Alabama and become a head coach, but he remains in Tuscaloosa as one of the SEC's longest-tenured coordinators.
While 2015 will only be the second season of the Kiffin-Smart partnership at Alabama, the two star assistants have already solidified their place as the best coordinator combo in the country. Kiffin is taking the Alabama offense to the next level, and Smart continues to build championship-caliber defenses with Saban in Tuscaloosa.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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