College Football 2011: The 10 Most Overrated Head Coaches
I'm sure every Saturday you tune into games all day and wonder how a certain team's head coach got that job, still has a job or even why he isn't delivering pizzas instead of running a big-time college football program. While many coaches are actually very qualified for their position, some have actually garnered more fame and acclaim than they should rightfully get.
I'll admit, some of the coaches that made my list hurt me to have them on there. But upon doing the research, it showed they deserved to make the cut.
While you will likely object to many coaches on this list, and perhaps wonder why more didn't make it, here are the 10 most overrated coaches in college football.
10. Randy Shannon
1 of 10
I'll start with Shannon, also noting that an asterisk needs to be put next to his name, as he is currently out of a job. However, Shannon still needs to be on this list.
I'll never understand why he was hired at Miami in the first place. Miami kept saying it wanted new blood in the program after Larry Coker, then elevated Shannon from defensive coordinator. Shannon never really did anything and really underachieved at The U.
He led players astray in regards to playing time, coaches did not like working for him—he was generally someone you could not trust if you were involved with Miami program. Now he has shopped himself around for various defensive coordinator gigs at Texas, UCLA, Kentucky and Maryland, but has not landed any openings.
9. Kirk Ferentz
2 of 10
Oh, this hurts like a deep cut. I like Ferentz, I really do. He's an outstanding coach and really develops players well, especially on the offensive line. But upon further research, he's a bit overrated.
He saw the Hawkeyes lose to lowly Minnesota last year, which was included in a string of three straight loses to end the 2010 regular season. Ohio State and Northwestern were the others.
He's among the top two most senior coaches in the Big Ten and is 82-55 over his tenure. He's got a piece of two different conference titles, yet Ferentz has never led his squad to a stand-alone title.
8. Dennis Erickson
3 of 10
Arizona State's mantra all winter is how they were so close to having a 10-win season and how they lost a couple close ones last year. Okay, that's fine, but they still go down as losses nonetheless.
The program is led by Dennis Erickson, who has heard whispers concerning his job security at ASU. Erickson helped steer the dominant Miami ship for a period in the 1980s, but he had great talent there. He had a magical year at Oregon State, but he was run out of the NFL twice with the Seahawks and 49ers.
I just don't see the magic that supposedly surrounds him.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Jeff Tedford
4 of 10
Tedford has had a solid run at Cal. He came to Berkley in 2002 and got Cal out of the Pac-10 pits. He turned Kyle Boller from a resident of Bustville, USA, into a first-round pick.
But Cal was only 5-7 last season, and the program is not as strong as it was in years past. In fact, you can make a case it has been on a steep decline in the past few seasons. Tedford prides himself on recruiting, developing and coaching quarterbacks, but—aside from Aaron Rodgers—has Cal really had a dominant QB?
Nate Longshore fizzled out and Kevin Riley the same. Then there is the whole "Tedford Curse" thing. Don't talk to me about Rodgers either, because if you watch the film, Rodgers' mechanics with the Packers are more relaxed than his overly-stiff mechanical demeanor at Cal.
6. Joe Paterno
5 of 10
Again, JoePa is another coach that I actually like. He's one of the best to ever do it at the college level and could be a tradition himself of college football.
But let's face it, he probably needs to step aside and usher fresh blood into Penn State. I read a book once where a person very close to Paterno said his biggest flaw is that he hates change. That's why Penn State uniforms are so boring—and also why he won't stop coaching.
Plus, we've all heard whispers that he's really just a figurehead and Tom Bradley runs the program. In addition, rumors exist of Al Golden and Greg Schiano being the favorites to land the job after Paterno leaves.
5. Pat Hill
6 of 10
Hill has brought attention to Fresno State for ushering in a tough, "play anyone, anywhere" type of attitude. It is admired all over the country in college football. Fresno State is a school that many of the big boys shy away from.
However, the magic hasn't quite been there in recent years, and Hill has only one WAC title since 1997. Again, I like Hill—a lot, really. He is the clear face of the program and a great leader.
But he hasn't done as well as many think.
4. Mark Richt
7 of 10
There comes a time when a program and its fanbase want to take the next step. People start wanting to see the program move into the elite category and away from the "solidly good" department. Georgia and Mark Richt can't seem to make this jump.
Georgia is a great program, but it can't seem to make the jump to national elite status. Sure, Richt had six straight 10-win seasons in the middle part of the decade, but everyone in Athens is asking where are the BCS titles or at least title game appearances?
A .500 regular season in 2010 was not the ideal way of telling everyone the titles are coming. Richt has heard whispers of himself being on the 2011 hotseat, too.
3. Les Miles
8 of 10
Ah yes, the Mad Hatter. Miles is rumored to not be as beloved as he thinks in Baton Rouge, and of course the 2007 BCS title is routinely argued as if he is wearing Nick Saban's ring and not one Miles earned himself.
He's flirted twice with Michigan, and many around the nation feel he's overrated. The main factor getting him on this list is his infamously bad clock management skills.
LSU fans have griped on numerous occasions of how Miles either cost them a game or nearly cost them a game due to his mismanagement of the game clock.
2. Lane Kiffin
9 of 10
I scratched my head when Kiffin went from being the offensive coordinator at USC to the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. I wasn't a fan of Kiffin's play calling in his earlier days at USC, but I will admit I thought he did a fine job at USC this past season.
However, it seems Kiffin has landed some of the plush jobs in football, college or pro, without doing much. Think about it for a second—offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator at USC, head coach of the Raiders, head coach at Tennessee, head coach at USC.
I'm sure over time, and as he stays at USC, Kiffin will show he is actually a very good coach. Without really winning anything, however, you still have to wonder how he's gotten the jobs he's had.
1. Mack Brown
10 of 10
This saddens me, but I have to have Brown on this list. This isn't about Brown not having won anything or about a lack of success on the field.
This is more about pure coaching. You've heard it. I have too. Brown really is a CEO type and not a true X's and O's master. That's fine, but its still overrated. I'm sorry, but if I need a great game plan for the upcoming week, Brown's not the first coach I call.
He does a great job of recruiting, working with people and getting the Longhorn program to run smoothly. But as a pure coach, Brown is not on the level of a Nick Saban, Gary Patterson or Chip Kelly.
With a plush talent pool to recruit from, excellent facilities and some of the best resources in the country, you have to wonder Texas' success has been because of Brown or more of Texas being Texas.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
