10 College Football Coaches We'd Want to Play for the Most
There are a litany of colorful characters within the college football coaching profession.
Every fan of the sport has a select few whose team they'd love to play for. This piece will attempt to name the 10 head coaches universally thought of as favorites.
There are criteria for any member's inclusion on this list. The act of winning football games—as well as the current trajectory of the said program—enters the equation first and foremost. The likability factor is integral, as is the excitement a coach can bring via personality or scheme.
Lastly, the act of developing talent at a high level surely matters.
Honorable mentions: Dabo Swinney, Jerry Kill, David Cutcliffe, Mark Richt, Butch Jones, Rich Rodriguez, Todd Graham, David Shaw, Steve Spurrier, Dana Holgorsen, Bill Snyder and Mike Gundy
Art Briles
1 of 10
It's really simple when it comes to Baylor and Art Briles.
The head coach hailing from Rule, Texas, has turned Baylor from a doormat into a burgeoning power within the Big 12 Conference. Briles has engineered back-to-back seasons of 11 wins.
Baylor's McLane Stadium is a newly sparkling state-of-the-art facility. Sitting right next to the Brazos River, this jewel will undoubtedly help recruiting efforts.
Offensively, Briles' scheme is an absolute dream to play in—especially for quarterbacks and wide receivers. Baylor led the nation in points per game a season ago (48.2) and was fourth in passing yardage (365.9) per game.
Briles is also a very respected man. Current Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury was a quarterback under Briles when he was an assistant coach with the Red Raiders.
Kingsbury had this to say about Briles:
"I was blown away by his ability to instill confidence in his players and the people he's around. He always made you feel like you were 10 feet tall and bulletproof.
"
Mark Dantonio
2 of 10
Mark Dantonio is a terrific teacher of the game of football.
His Michigan State teams are often fundamentally sound. They play with tremendous passion, toughness and discipline.
With the talent pool in Michigan not exceptionally deep, Dantonio and his staff have to rely upon developing his personnel. This has truly paid off, as evidenced by a 75-31 career record in East Lansing.
Due in large part to Dantonio's leadership, he's turned this program into one of the best in the Big 10. Recently, the team has clearly blossomed, as seen in Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl wins in back-to-back seasons.
The Spartans have also won at least 11 games in four of the last five years.
Jim Harbaugh
3 of 10
Is there a more intense coach in the country than Jim Harbaugh?
The Michigan man takes over at his alma mater, trying to turn around this once-proud program.
There's no question Harbaugh is a quirky individual. With the hopes of turning Stanford from a hapless program into a blue-collar bunch rooted in toughness, he distributed blue shirts to his entire team. Needless to say, it worked.
No one forgets the infamous handshake with Pete Carroll—nor will anyone fail to remember the scuffle involving former Detroit Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz.
Harbaugh is a winner and has proven that throughout his time in both the collegiate and professional ranks. His fiery personality can rub people the wrong way at times, but he's excellent at motivating his players to perform well.
Mark Helfrich
4 of 10
Who wouldn't want to play for Mark Helfrich and Oregon?
The offense run at Oregon is the epitome of excitement and fascination. An array of uniform combinations awaits any player up in Eugene—as does a rabid fan base.
While the Ducks have plenty of sizzle, Helfrich brings some substance to the forefront as well. In his first two years as a head coach (at any level), Helfrich has gone 24-4. He's continued the strong foundation laid by former coach Chip Kelly—and has even enhanced it a bit (especially when it comes to recruiting).
The Oregon native also brings a thoughtful and keen, yet pleasant demeanor to the football team.
Gus Malzahn
5 of 10
Gus Malzahn's revolutionary and quirky offense in 2011 helped lead Auburn to a national title. For any versatile player (particularly mobile quarterbacks), Malzahn's offense is a joy to be a part of.
His record as the head coach for the Tigers is 20-7. Going forward, there's no question Auburn will compete for SEC Conference crowns year in and year out.
Malzahn is also reputed as being a quality individual.
According to former tight end C.J. Uzomah (per Ryan Black of the Ledger-Enquirer), Malzahn "is genuine in what he's saying. We can relate to him."
Former fullback Jay Prosch shares a similar sentiment:
"He'll say like 'crap' or he'll call people 'scared'. He uses 'butt' instead of the 'A-word.' I don't know, some of the stuff he says you've never heard of before...But he never cusses and he's very respectful of his players, which is really nice.
"
As former corner Jonathon Mincy says, "He has the best interests of his players at heart. We're just blessed to have him as a coach."
Urban Meyer
6 of 10
The hottest program going right now is (the) Ohio State University.
There doesn't seem to be an end in sight to Urban Meyer's dominance within the Big 10 Conference. He's gone 38-3 during his three-year stint in Columbus—including an eye-popping 24-0 in conference play.
A winner of three national titles, Meyer is recruiting at such a level that he looks primed to add at least a couple more to his collection of monumental wins.
His development of players, in addition to the tradition surrounding Ohio State, makes Meyer a very attractive option to play under.
Les Miles
7 of 10When you're nicknamed "The Mad Hatter," eccentric behavior undoubtedly will be present.
Les Miles has a 103-29 career record as the head coach at LSU. His Tigers won a national championship in 2007, and LSU has perennially been an absolute factory in terms of churning out talent to the NFL.
He's also a man with an idiosyncratic penchant for eating grass on the sidelines during games. This is pretty awesome for one of the top coaches in the sport.
Miles' unique personality, coupled with his football acumen, makes him a potentially very fun coach to play for.
Jim Mora
8 of 10Jim Mora is a fiery individual with an unabated love for his players—and people in general.
The UCLA head coach was tremendously supportive of the family of Nick Pasquale, who had been a member of his football team before tragically passing away.
Mora also gives back to the community considerably. His Count On Me Family Foundation supports children from all walks of life.
Very recently, he spearheaded an effort to raise money for Avery Huffman, the daughter of Scout.com's national director of recruiting, Brandon Huffman. Mora's efforts have helped the Huffman family raise upward of $175,000 for various medical expenses.
In terms of on-field activity, Mora has helped turn UCLA from a mediocre program into one with a very bright future. In fact, the past three seasons (29-11) is the winningest three-year period ever in the school's history.
Mora's teams have also managed to beat crosstown rival Southern Cal three times in a row.
Nick Saban
9 of 10
Nick Saban doesn't have the most gregarious personality.
You won't see him joking around with his players during games. In fact, he prowls around the sidelines like a lion stalking its prey. The West Virginia native is—for all intents and purposes—intimidating.
However, all he does is win.
Saban has a career record of 177-59-1. He's won four national championships and effectively develops many of his players into sure-fire contributors for the next level.
When it's all said and done, Alabama's head man will go down as one of the best to ever be involved—coach or player—in the sport's history.
Many of his former players will one day tell their grandchildren about the time they played for the famed Nicholas Lou Saban, Jr.
Bob Stoops
10 of 10
Garnering the respect of your peers is a very special thing.
In a recent report by ESPN.com, multiple college football coaches were anonymously asked which coach they'd want their son to play for.
The two coaches tying for the top spot included Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops and Georgia head coach Mark Richt. Both are universally known as good guys within the profession—and either would be a wonderful choice to play for.
When comparing the two from a football standpoint, there's no question Stoops has achieved more in terms of team success.
Stoops won a national title in 2000 and has eight conference titles. Oklahoma is one of the most decorated programs in all of college football and will virtually always be in the hunt for a Big 12 championship.
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