There is always LOTS of debate here at Coaches Hot Seat on the best up-and-coming head coaches in college football that are ready for a step-up or return to a Power 5 Conference level team and after much discussion, plenty of wings, lots of chips & salsa, and a good bit of cold beer below is the 2015….
22 Best Non-Power 5 Conference Head Coaches Ready to Move Up
….which is the list we would be working off if we were sitting in an athletic director position at a Power 5 level school and looking for a current head coach at a lower-level school to hire to take over our school’s football program.
Now, each school is different and each of the below current head coaches would fit well at some schools and not fit so well at others and that is something that and athletic director needs to take into account which really goes to an AD understanding his own school first before he decides what kind and which coach and/or coaches he would target to be his next head football coach. We also have a list of College Assistant Coaches that are Ready to Move Up to Head Coaching positions, but we are still hotly debating that list right now!
We could include a few comments on each of the head coaches below BUT Hell why not just get to the list and be done with it already so….
22 Best Non-Power 5 Conference Head Coaches Ready to Move Up
1. Justin Fuente, Memphis
2. Dino Babers, Bowling Green
3. Tom Herman, Houston
4. Matt Campbell, Toledo
5. Rod Carey, Northern Illinois
6. Matt Rhule, Temple
7. Doc Holliday, Marshall
8. Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern
9. Bryan Harsin, Boise State
10. Troy Calhoun, Air Force
11. P. J. Fleck, Western Michigan
12. Jeff Brohm, Western Kentucky
13. Tim Murphy, Harvard
14. Matt Wells, Utah State
15. Mark Hudspeth, La. Lafayette
16. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
17. Skip Holtz, La. Tech
18. Bob Stitt, Montana
19. Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
20. Joey Jones, South Alabama
21. Everett Withers, James Madison
22. Beau Baldwin, Eastern Washington
We don’t know if Bronco Mendenhall or Ken Niumatalolo would be interested in moving from BYU and Navy respectfully BUT both are Very Good Football Coaches
Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
Other Non-Power 5 Head Coaches To Keep An Eye on in the Coming Years in Alphabetical Order
John Grass, Jacksonville State
Chris Klieman, North Dakota State
Lance Leipold, Buffalo
Ruffin McNeill, East Carolina
Joe Moglia, Coastal Carolina
Phillip Montgomery, Tulsa
Brock Spack, Illinois State
John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State
Bobby Wilder, Old Dominion