College Football Coaches with Most Job Security
Job security is not what it used to be in today's world of college football, where falling just short of expectations or one bad season can lead to a quick firing.
After a season in which Georgia dismissed Mark Richt after averaging nearly 10 wins per year, the sense of job security is changing across the country.
Auburn's Gus Malzahn and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin find themselves on the hot seat just a couple of years removed from huge seasons. LSU's Les Miles was almost on his way out late last year. Penn State's James Franklin and Texas' Charlie Strong both face a crucial 2016 for their futures.
But on the other side, a handful of college football's best coaches can enjoy a strong sense of security heading into the 2016 season. Thanks to consistent success and long contract extensions, there are those who won't have to sweat that much even if their teams dip in quality this fall.
Here are the college football head coaches who have the most job security right now—a "Secure 16." These selections were based on longevity, records and contract lengths with their current schools. Some, such as the ones in the above photograph, are all too obvious, while others are underrated for what they've built at their respective programs.
Alabama Crimson Tide's Nick Saban
1 of 16
Years at school: 9
Record at school: 100-18
Under contract through: 2022
Let's kick off this countdown with the head coach who has the most security in all of college football. Nick Saban has built a dynasty at Alabama, winning four national championships in the span of seven years after resurrecting a sleeping giant in Tuscaloosa.
At Alabama, boosters have purchased and pay the property taxes on his home. He's been rewarded with several contract extensions and raises that now have him making $6.9 million a year from now until 2022—and that's before the bonuses that he usually hits each season with the Crimson Tide.
By bringing home another national championship and No. 1 recruiting class in the past year, Saban nailed down his claim as the best coach in the game. He is already a living legend at Alabama, and there's a statue of him on campus. A coach can't get much more secure than that.
Baylor Bears' Art Briles
2 of 16
Years at school: 8
Record at school: 65-37
Under contract through: 2023
Before Art Briles landed in Waco, Texas, prior to the 2008 season, Baylor football was the doormat of doormats in the Big 12. The Bears hadn't made a bowl game since 1994, and they were riding a streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons.
But Briles brought Baylor back to bowl season in 2010, and the program took off to new heights right after that. Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy in Briles' record-setting offense. Two years later, Baylor completed the first of back-to-back 11-2 seasons—the first of their kind in program history—that featured Big 12 championships.
After the first Big 12 title in 2013, Baylor rewarded Briles with a massive contract that runs through the 2023 season. Under Briles, the Bears have become a national force and now play in a sparkling new stadium thanks to the momentum generated from his tenure. He is Baylor football at this point.
Clemson Tigers' Dabo Swinney
3 of 16
Years at school: 7 (plus one interim)
Record at school: 75-27
Under contract through: 2021
With four straight 10-win seasons to his name, Dabo Swinney was already well secure in his job at Clemson before the start of the 2015 campaign. But by leading the Tigers to an undefeated regular season, an ACC championship and a berth in the national title game, Swinney locked himself down in Death Valley.
Swinney took over for Tommy Bowden midway through the 2008 season, and a 6-7 campaign in 2010 made his seat quite warm at Clemson. But the Tigers were patient, and they were rewarded with a long streak of success both on the football field and the recruiting trail.
Clemson is now a national championship contender under Swinney, who is in line for another contract extension and raise this offseason, according to Aaron Brenner of the Charleston Post and Courier. He signed an extension with the Tigers in 2014 that will keep him under contract until 2021—and that number is set to increase soon.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Florida State Seminoles' Jimbo Fisher
4 of 16
Years at school: 6
Record at school: 68-14
Under contract through: 2022
After taking over for the legendary Bobby Bowden in 2010, Jimbo Fisher has ensured Florida State is a constant presence in the national title picture. Fisher has won 10 or more games in all but one of his six seasons with the Seminoles, who won three straight ACC championships and the final BCS National Championship under him.
Because of his great success at the talent factory in Tallahassee, Fisher's name is consistently mentioned when any powerhouse program—such as LSU last November—or NFL franchise is looking to make a change. But Fisher has stayed put so far, and the Seminoles have rewarded his loyalty with a huge contract.
Fisher is currently under contract through 2022 at Florida State, where his base salary was $5 million last season. That number will go up by $100,000 for every year he stays at Florida State between now and 2022, and there's a great chance he'll add a few more trophies to his case in the meantime.
Houston Cougars' Tom Herman
5 of 16
Years at school: 1
Record at school: 13-1
Under contract through: 2020
Hiring a first-time head coach is always a gamble, but Houston hit the ultimate jackpot with former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman in 2015. In just one season, Herman went from a coach on the rise to a candidate for virtually every vacancy in the Power Five conferences—and some jobs that weren't even open.
Herman's Cougars went 13-1 in his first season in charge, taking home the AAC championship and a monumental Peach Bowl victory over Florida State on New Year's Eve. The program then landed the nation's No. 40 recruiting class, which was headlined by Top 10 overall recruit Ed Oliver.
The Houston head coach turned down advances from all across the country, electing to stay with the Cougars on a new contract that more than doubled his salary and took him through the rest of the decade. Herman will continue to be one of the top names on every school's wish list as long as he's at Houston, and his security with the Cougars is rock solid.
Iowa Hawkeyes' Kirk Ferentz
6 of 16
Years at school: 17
Record at school: 127-87
Under contract through: 2020
Heading into the 2015 season, Kirk Ferentz was the coach with more job security than he probably deserved. His massive buyout on a contract that ran through 2020 didn't sit well with fans of a program that went 34-30 from 2010 to 2014.
But then last year happened. Ferentz welcomed some changes to his program, and "New Kirk" led the Hawkeyes to a 12-0 regular-season record—the first in school history—before back-to-back losses in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl. As Rick Brown of HawkCentral.com wrote, "there's been nary a whisper about a contract" since Iowa went on its big run in 2015.
Best of all for Ferentz, he has an opportunity to do something similar in 2016 thanks to a good amount of returning starters and a still-favorable schedule in the Big Ten West. Combine the good will from last year and the size of that once-frustrating contract, and Ferentz has outstanding job security.
Kansas State Wildcats' Bill Snyder
7 of 16
Years at school: 24
Record at school: 193-101-1
Under contract through: 2017
There's job security, and then there's what Bill Snyder has at Kansas State. After all, his name is on the stadium that he coaches in on fall Saturdays—a name change that happened before the school brought him out of retirement ahead of the 2009 season.
Snyder is synonymous with Kansas State football. Before he arrived in 1989, the Wildcats had more overall losses than any other school in what was then known as Division I-A football. Under Snyder, Kansas State has won double-digit games in nine different seasons, two Big 12 championships and seven bowl games.
With a contract set to expire in 2017 and a commitment to coach in 2016, Snyder will be able to walk away on his own terms, just like he did with his first retirement in 2005. In the cutthroat world of major college football, that is a real luxury.
Marshall Thundering Herd's Doc Holliday
8 of 16
Years at school: 6
Record at school: 50-28
Under contract through: 2021
Through the constantly changing landscape of Group of Five football, Doc Holliday has built a consistent mid-major power at Marshall. After two losing records in his first three seasons, the Thundering Herd have posted three straight campaigns of 10 or more wins, including a 13-1 mark in 2014.
"We've made a commitment to Doc Holliday that, hey, we want you here and we're going to do everything possible to keep you here," Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick said last year, per Derek Redd of the Charleston Gazette-Mail. "And we've shown that by stability, security, giving him the security he needs. And I think it assures our fans that we're committed to having the success we’ve had the last couple of years."
Holliday signed a contract extension through the 2021 season last April, and the Thundering Herd secured another 10-win season with a St. Petersburg Bowl victory—making Holliday 4-0 in the postseason at Marshall. The West Virginia native is quite comfortable in Huntington, and he's made the Thundering Herd one of the best teams outside of the power conferences in just a few short years.
Michigan Wolverines' Jim Harbaugh
9 of 16
Years at school: 1
Record at school: 10-3
Under contract through: 2021
Jim Harbaugh's status at Michigan was well secure even before he coached a single game for the Wolverines. Michigan went all-in on the former San Francisco 49ers head coach, who played quarterback at the school and is as "Michigan Man" as they come.
The investment—a massive seven-year contract worth $5 million per season, according to Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com—is already paying off in Ann Arbor. Michigan rebounded from a 5-7 campaign under Brady Hoke to a 10-3 maiden voyage with Harbaugh, complete with a bowl-game rout of Florida and a massive recruiting boost that has made him the talk of the offseason.
Harbaugh already had overwhelming support and buzz heading into the 2015 season, and the victories he's been able to score on and off the field have made his roots grow deeper inside Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines will be legitimate championship contenders in 2016 under Harbaugh, who appears to be in it for the long haul.
Michigan State Spartans' Mark Dantonio
10 of 16
Years at school: 9
Record at school: 87-33
Under contract through: 2021
When Mark Dantonio arrived at Michigan State, the Spartans were firmly behind powerhouse rivals Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten picture. But now Dantonio is coming off his third conference title in six seasons, with two major bowl wins and a College Football Playoff berth in the last three years alone.
The Spartans have emerged as one of the most consistent programs in all of college football under Dantonio, who nearly won 10 games in just his second season with the team. Since 2010, he's won at least 11 games in all but one year and is 7-2 against Michigan.
For Dantonio, Michigan State is not a stepping stone. He's committed to winning big in East Lansing, and the school just gave him a raise last month to $4.3 million per year. According to Kyle Austin of MLive.com, Dantonio's contract is a rolling six-year deal, which means a year is added after each one expires. He's a "Spartan for life."
Navy Midshipmen's Ken Niumatalolo
11 of 16
Years at school: 8
Record at school: 68-37
Under contract through: N/A
Navy is a proud football program with several famous names throughout its history, but no other head coach has had as much consistent success with the Midshipmen as Ken Niumatalolo. And after turning down BYU this offseason, Niumatalolo's security with the academy is off the charts.
Niumatalolo has won 64 percent of his games in eight seasons at Navy, where he took over for former boss Paul Johnson ahead of the 2008 season. Under Niumatalolo, Navy has gone to four straight bowl games for the first time in school history and just had its first 11-win campaign behind the talents of record-breaking quarterback Keenan Reynolds.
According to Bill Wagner of the Capital Gazette, Navy gave Niumatalolo a new contract after deciding to stay with the program late last year. While the exact terms of the contract were not disclosed, Niumatalolo received a raise. He is set to be in charge of the Navy football program as long as he wants.
Ohio State Buckeyes' Urban Meyer
12 of 16
Years at school: 4
Record at school: 50-4
Under contract through: 2020
The only other head coach in college football with a legitimate claim to Nick Saban's title as the best in the sport, Ohio State's Urban Meyer is extremely secure in his job in a division that is led by superstar head coaches.
Meyer, who won two national titles at Florida before his stint with the Buckeyes, signed an extension following Ohio State's 2014 national championship run that will keep him under contract through 2020. According to USA Today, Meyer is the third-highest-paid coach in college football behind Saban and Harbaugh—two coaches he beat in his most recent meetings.
The Ohio State coach has won at least 12 games in each of his four seasons with the program, and he's won three straight postseason contests. He's built an astonishing pipeline of NFL-caliber talent that will keep his teams competing for national championships even after massive roster turnover like the one he faces ahead of 2016.
Oklahoma Sooners' Bob Stoops
13 of 16
Years at school: 17
Record at school: 179-46
Under contract through: 2020
After Bob Stoops led Oklahoma to an 11-2 record in 2013 complete with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma tacked on more seasons to a massive contract that averaged out to $5.7 million per year.
While Oklahoma only went 8-5 the following season, Stoops re-established his job security in Norman by leading the Sooners to a Big 12 championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff last season. Now one of the most experienced head coaches in all of college football is looking to add to his impressive resume at Oklahoma.
Stoops won a national championship in his second season with the program and has picked up nine Big 12 titles over the course of his tenure. Oklahoma has won fewer than 10 games in only four of his 17 seasons in charge, and a large amount of much-needed changes to his coaching staff prior to 2015 has brought Stoops and the Sooners back to the forefront of college football.
Stanford Cardinal's David Shaw
14 of 16
Years at school: 5
Record at school: 54-14
Under contract through: N/A
If there were any faint whispers of doubt around David Shaw after Stanford's average 8-5 season in 2014, last year silenced them in a hurry. Shaw won his third Pac-12 championship in four seasons and made a serious run at a College Football Playoff spot.
In his five seasons since taking over for Jim Harbaugh, Shaw has won 11 or more games every season except for the aforementioned 2014 campaign. But that is proving to be more of an anomaly, as the power-minded Cardinal have gotten even stronger on the field and on the recruiting trail since Shaw took the reins prior to the 2011 season.
The only issue with Shaw here is that one can't put an exact figure on how secure he is at Stanford. He agreed to a "long-term" contract extension late in 2012, but a private school such as Stanford isn't obligated to give out its contract details. However, with a 54-14 record, three conference titles and two Rose Bowls to his name, it's no stretch to say Shaw is one of the most secure head coaches in the game today.
TCU Horned Frogs' Gary Patterson
15 of 16
Years at school: 16
Record at school: 143-47
Under contract through: 2020
Like his well-known rival at Baylor, Gary Patterson is the face of TCU football. Patterson has also been at it with the Horned Frogs longer than Art Briles has been at Baylor and longer than most of the coaches in this countdown have been with their respective schools.
Patterson has coached TCU as a member of four different conferences—five if you count the Big East stint that never included an official game—and has won double-digit games in 10 of his 16 seasons. TCU has gone from a mid-major force to a team that has competed for the Big 12 championship and blistered an SEC team in a major bowl game.
According to SB Nation's Frogs o' War, Patterson is under contract with TCU through the 2020 season. Patterson made TCU's patience in the first couple of Big 12 years pay off, and the school has likewise rewarded him for remaining loyal to the program he's helped build into a national name.
Utah Utes' Kyle Whittingham
16 of 16
Years at school: 11
Record at school: 95-46
Under contract through: 2020
Kyle Whittingham's tenure at Utah has been marked by loyalty from both sides. Whittingham took over for Urban Meyer heading into the 2005 season and steadily improved until a 13-0 campaign in 2008 that ended with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
Two 10-win seasons later, Utah became a member of the Pac-12. After a strong opening season, Whittingham had back-to-back losing campaigns. But Utah kept the faith in the head coach who had guided the Utes for so long, and he responded with a 9-4 season in 2014 and a 10-3 season last year—one that finished with a Las Vegas Bowl win over hated rival BYU.
Because of his recent success, Utah extended Whittingham's contract by two more years in January, keeping him aboard through the 2020 season. Although he's been courted by other power programs in the past, Whittingham has stayed with the Utes, who have given him a great amount of job security.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
