247Sports Names College Football's No. 1 Coach In 2025

Today at 02:14 PM

There's no shortage of really good and clever coaches in college football. But when it comes to the best, there's one name that 247Sports believes stands above the rest.

In this weekend's ranking of the 25 best coaches heading into 2025, 247's Brad Crawford took a look at the CFB landscape and assessed the best head men in the current NIL/transfer portal era.

"For this 2025 update with spring practice set to begin in the coming weeks, there's a heavy emphasis on performances from the 2024 season with Monday night's national championship game on deck," Crawford wrote.

And while both coaches battling in tomorrow's title game rank pretty high on the college football analyst's list, it's another that he feels is the sport's best — and that's Georgia's Kirby Smart. Says Crawford:

Last season's ranking: No. 1

Career coaching record: 105-19

What changed: Georgia struggled at times offensively in 2024, but Kirby Smart still managed to win the SEC and reach the playoff despite a treacherous schedule along with inconsistent play up front, in the backfield and at the quarterback position. That's a testament to the Bulldogs' winning mentality under the current regime, which has produced two national championships in the last four years. Others are gaining on Smart, but for now, he's still the coach to beat in 2025 and the most respected in the game.

Ohio State HC Ryan Day, Oregon's Dan Lanning, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman round out Crawford's top five. With Dabo Swinney, Kalen DeBoer, Curt Cignetti James Franklin and Brian Kelly making up the rest of the top 10.

For the rest of the list, check out his other 15 names here.

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