Best Offensive and Defensive Coordinator Duos in College Football
Finding the right duo of coordinators is a tough task in college football. Excellent assistants are hired away by other schools for head coaching jobs year after year, making the coaching carousel spin even faster at the coordinator level.
Last year, Alabama's Nick Saban, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State's Urban Meyer all lost defensive coordinators to bigger gigs. Out West, Oregon's Mark Helfrich had to replace his ace offensive coordinator as well as Arizona State's Todd Graham.
The constant turnover as these positions means the 10 teams in the following countdown are in enviable spots for the 2016 season. These schools are our picks for the 10 best offensive and defensive coordinator duos in college football, based on 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.)
Which coordinator duo do you think is the best in college football? Let us know in the comments below.
Honorable Mention
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Indiana's Kevin Johns and Tom Allen: This is a true under-the-radar combo for the future. Johns has been the offensive coordinator of head coach Kevin Wilson's chaotic offense in the Big Ten, which fired the Hoosiers into a bowl game last year. Allen was an instant success at USF with his attack-minded scheme and was snatched up quickly by Indiana to help fix its struggling unit.
Iowa's Greg Davis and Phil Parker: Davis, a longtime offensive coordinator, helped Iowa find a new level of success under "New" Kirk Ferentz in its 12-0 start to the 2015 season. Parker had a top-25 defense with the Hawkeyes, and his position group produced Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Desmond King.
Ohio State's Tim Beck/Ed Warinner and Luke Fickell: Life after Tom Herman wasn't always smooth-sailing for Ohio State, but the Beck/Warinner combo has plenty of exciting talent to work with in 2016. Urban Meyer says Fickell is still the defensive coordinator at OSU after Greg Schiano's hire, and the tenured Buckeye assistant is coming off a fantastic year alongside new Rutgers head coach Chris Ash.
Tennessee's Mike DeBord and Bob Shoop: DeBord's first offense at Tennessee had some hiccups—especially in the passing game—but it went from 11th in the SEC in points per game to third in 2015. Shoop led an elite, sack-generating defense at Penn State last year and was simply a home run hire by Butch Jones this offseason.
Virginia Tech's Brad Cornelsen and Bud Foster: Cornelsen followed Justin Fuente to Virginia Tech after turning Memphis' offense from doormat to dominant in Group of Five play with quarterback Paxton Lynch. Bud Foster is one of the best defensive coordinators of all-time and is staying in Blacksburg after Frank Beamer's departure.
10. Houston: Major Applewhite and Todd Orlando
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Houston head coach Tom Herman received a lot of due praise for how the Cougars' "smashmouth spread" offense looked in their breakout 13-1 campaign last season, but offensive coordinator Major Applewhite deserves plenty of credit, too. According to Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com, Herman has adapted more of a "CEO" approach with Houston and has let the former Alabama and Texas assistant call the shots.
"I try to leave Major alone as much as I can on game day," Herman said, per Maisel. "We'll talk in between series. 'What are you seeing? What do you like?' And then, during a series, very similar to mine and [Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer's] relationship. ... I can focus on managing the entire team without getting so consumed with every play call."
On the other side of the ball, Herman made a standout hire in Todd Orlando, who is the Group of Five's highest-paid assistant coach. The former UConn, FIU and Utah State defensive coordinator was in charge of another strong mid-major defense that ranked first nationally in takeaways, sixth in yards allowed per rush and 20th in points per game. Together, Applewhite and Orlando should keep Houston rolling with Herman in 2016.
9. LSU: Cam Cameron and Dave Aranda
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LSU made what has been considered as the best assistant coach hire in the entire country this past "silly season" by plucking defensive coordinator Dave Aranda from Wisconsin. Aranda will be tasked with bringing more of the dominance back to the Bayou Bengals' defense, while veteran offensive coordinator Cam Cameron looks to keep things rolling with LSU's attack.
Aranda became a quick sensation in college football with his work at Wisconsin, where he turned low-rated recruiting classes into top-five defensive units nationally with his unique schemes and play calls. Wisconsin ranked fourth nationally in total yards allowed per game under Aranda, and he now has the ultra-athletic core of blue-chip recruits to work with down on the bayou.
Cameron has had an up-and-down time as offensive coordinator at LSU, where he once helped develop former quarterback Zach Mettenberger into a force in the SEC but has been a subject of criticism over the last couple of seasons. LSU has consistently had one of the best rushing attacks in the nation under Cameron, and 2016 will be no different with Leonard Fournette back. Now the pressure is on Cameron to resurrect LSU's passing attack and make the Tigers a complete contender.
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8. Michigan: Tim Drevno and Don Brown
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Tim Drevno has been Jim Harbaugh's right-hand man for a long time, so it should've come as no surprise last season when the new Michigan offensive coordinator instantly hit it off with the Wolverines. According to Football Outsiders, Michigan went from 82nd in offensive S&P+ rating in 2014 to 30th in 2015, a testament to the improved efficiency of the Wolverine attack.
On the defensive side of the ball, Harbaugh wasn't able to retain D.J. Durkin, who left for the Maryland head coaching job after leading the nation's No. 5 defense in 2015. So Michigan went out and got the architect of the nation's No. 1 defense—former Boston College assistant Don Brown. The 60-year-old Brown will implement his 4-3 scheme in Ann Arbor, and there's a great chance the Michigan defense could be even better in 2016.
"Last season, the Wolverines ranked fourth in the nation in total defense, sixth in scoring and... third in defending the pass," Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod wrote. "With the standard improvement one could expect from six returning starters, it would hardly come as a surprise if new defensive coordinator Don Brown once again directed the nation's top-ranked defense, just as he did at Boston College a year ago."
7. Florida: Doug Nussmeier and Geoff Collins
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On paper, Jim McElwain's hires of Doug Nussmeier and Geoff Collins prior to his first season at Florida were more than solid. Nussmeier had championship experience as an offensive coordinator in the SEC, and Collins led an attack-minded Mississippi State defense to great success in 2013 and 2014.
Nussmeier's offense started with a bang and ended with a whimper in 2015, as the Gators finished a dismal 102nd nationally in yards per play. A lot of that had to do with the suspension of quarterback Will Grier, who helped lead the Gators to a 6-0 start and a 38-10 victory over then-No. 3 Ole Miss. Nussmeier inherited a mess from the Will Muschamp regime, and it's safe to say Florida should be much better on offense with a consistent quarterback and another year of continuity.
Collins, however, kept the Florida defense rolling strong for the most part in 2015. The Gators held opponents to fewer than four touchdowns in all but two games, improving its points per game to less than 20 for the first time since 2012. Florida also finished eighth nationally in yards allowed per play and fifth in sacks. The "Minister of Mayhem" gave the Gators more of an edge in the pass rush and will have a lot of talent to work with in the future under McElwain.
6. Clemson: Jeff Elliott/Tony Scott and Brent Venables
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Clemson has polar opposites when it comes to its coaching position. On one side, the Tigers have a veteran defensive coordinator who is among the best in college football. On the other side, they have a duo who is still new to the new role on offense. But it's hard to argue with the results.
Brent Venables has cemented himself as one of the top assistants in the country after building a second straight top-10 defense at Clemson out of a small group of returning starters. After another huge exodus of talent to the NFL draft last offseason, Venables developed new stars along Clemson's dominant defensive front and lockdown secondary as the Tigers made it all the way to the national championship game.
On offense, wide receivers coach Jeff Scott and running backs coach Tony Elliott shared offensive coordinator duties last year as the Tigers set numerous school records with quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Wayne Gallman and a deep corps of wideouts. Elliott calls the plays, and the two combined for great success in their first year in charge. This duo/trio doesn't have as much combined experience as others on this list, but it's still one of the best in the game.
5. Notre Dame: Mike Sanford Jr. and Brian VanGorder
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Notre Dame took a chance on Mike Sanford Jr. last offseason, hiring him after just one fantastic year as the offensive coordinator at Boise State. The move paid off tremendously, as Sanford navigated through several injuries to key players—including his starting quarterback—to lead an offense that ranked a spectacular sixth nationally in yards per play and 34th in points per game.
For defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, success hasn't arrived that easily in South Bend. His two defenses at Notre Dame have had their bright spots, and he helped produce several talented NFL draft picks. But consistency has been a major issue, so the Irish have room to improve after a modest uptick in performance in last year's campaign that finished in a New Year's Six bowl.
Both Sanford and VanGorder had to deal with the injury bug last season for their respective units, and Notre Dame was still a championship contender for most of 2015. Now that they're fully settled in as the top assistants under head coach Brian Kelly, the Fighting Irish should be able to take another step forward in 2016.
4. Stanford: Mike Bloomgren and Lance Anderson
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According to Vihan Lakshman of the Stanford Daily, David Shaw kept Stanford's coaching staff intact from the 2014 season to the 2015 season, which was the first time that had happened in Palo Alto since 2000. That paid off in a huge way last year for the Cardinal as they won the Pac-12 and nearly broke into the final four for the College Football Playoff.
At the helm of Shaw's staff of assistants are Mike Bloomgren and Lance Anderson, who turned down offers from other schools in the past couple of years to stay at Stanford. Bloomgren's offense took it to an explosive new level in 2015, finishing 19th nationally in yards per play by using Heisman runner-up Christian McCaffrey in a number of roles and unlocking the full power of its elite offensive line.
Anderson, who was contacted by Michigan for its defensive coordinator vacancy last December, didn't have the same type of top-15 success with the Cardinal's defense in 2015—but he only had four returning starters. That largely inexperienced unit was still a force in the Pac-12, finishing third in yards and points allowed per game. Both Bloomgren and Anderson are both coveted names in coaching, and their combined success has helped keep Stanford at a powerhouse level in recent seasons.
3. Oklahoma: Lincoln Riley and Mike Stoops
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Lincoln Riley was just what Oklahoma needed in 2015. After a eye-popping time in charge of East Carolina's uptempo offense, Riley landed with the Sooners last year following a lackluster 8-5 season. Riley's Air Raid was a dream fit, as he turned quarterback Baker Mayfield into a Heisman-contending star and took full advantage of the skill talent in players such as Samaje Perine and Sterling Shepard.
Riley's arrival coincided with a big season for Mike Stoops, who is in his second stint as his brother Bob's defensive coordinator in Norman. The Sooners ranked 15th nationally in total yards allowed per game and eighth nationally in interceptions and sacks. Oklahoma's defense was aggressive and opportunistic, and it helped the Sooners capture a Big 12 championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The dynamic coordinator duo will be back together in 2016 for an Oklahoma team that is expected to challenge for another playoff berth. These two have some holes to fill in their respective depth charts, but they should be in charge of some fantastic, title-contending units again this fall.
2. Texas A&M: Noel Mazzone and John Chavis
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Kevin Sumlin is entering a crucial year at Texas A&M that could make or break his job status. Fortunately for him, Sumlin can rely on the expertise of two veteran coordinators, Noel Mazzone and John Chavis, who have a lot of talent to work with in College Station.
Mazzone was hired this offseason to replace Jake Spavital after a huge downturn in offensive production. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee called Mazzone, who got his first experience as offensive coordinator at the college level in 1995 with Ole Miss, "a perfect fit" for the Aggies. He helped UCLA's offense smash numerous school records in what was one of the best four-year stretches in the program's history with his motion-heavy, zone-running scheme.
Then there is Chavis, one of the most respected names in all of coaching. The former Tennessee and LSU defensive coordinator helped the Aggies improve from 97th to 51st nationally in yards allowed per play and 77th to 28th in points allowed per game in the first year after his big-money move to College Station. With seven starters returning in 2016, including superstar end Myles Garrett, Texas A&M could be in for a huge defensive season.
1. Alabama: Lane Kiffin and Jeremy Pruitt
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The rich get richer in college football. After losing longtime defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to Georgia's head coaching vacancy after a national championship season, Alabama turned around and hired the Bulldogs' former top assistant—Jeremy Pruitt—to the same position.
Pruitt has been an extremely fast riser in the college coaching world. The former high school coach turned a successful stint as Alabama's defensive back coach into a defensive coordinator job at Florida State in 2013, where he helped the Seminoles win a national title. In the past two years, he's led top-20 defenses at Georgia and turned what was an underwhelming pass defense into the nation's best in 2015.
Now Pruitt will team up with Lane Kiffin on Nick Saban's coaching staff. Kiffin has resurrected his career in Tuscaloosa after his firing from USC, helping Alabama's offense evolve into one that's not afraid to get into shootouts like the 45-40 national title win over Clemson last season. He's led two first-year starting quarterbacks to the College Football Playoff and given this defensive-minded program an explosive offensive edge.
Stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings are courtesy of 247Sports.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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