ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has released his rankings of the top 25 college football head coaches for the 2025 season. Leading the list is Georgia’s Kirby Smart, followed by Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Texas’s Steve Sarkisian. Notably, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Oregon’s Dan Lanning round out the top five.
Here is McElroy’s complete top 25:
1. Kirby Smart – Georgia
2. Ryan Day – Ohio State
3. Steve Sarkisian – Texas
4. Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame
5. Dan Lanning – Oregon
6. Kalen DeBoer – Alabama
7. Dabo Swinney – Clemson
8. Jeff Brohm – Louisville
9. Brian Kelly – LSU
10. James Franklin – Penn State
11. Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss
12. Josh Heupel – Tennessee
13. Matt Campbell – Iowa State
14. Chris Klieman – Kansas State
15. Eli Drinkwitz – Missouri
16. Brett Bielema – Illinois
17. Lance Leipold – Kansas
18. Shane Beamer – South Carolina
19. Lincoln Riley – USC
20. Mario Cristobal – Miami
21. Kalani Sitake – BYU
22. Deion Sanders – Colorado
23. Curt Cignetti – Indiana
24. Rhett Lashlee – SMU
25. Kenny Dillingham – Arizona State
McElroy’s evaluations consider factors such as recent performance, program development, and recruiting success. For instance, he highlights Smart’s consistent leadership at Georgia, noting the team’s strong record and recruiting achievements.
Similarly, McElroy praises Deion Sanders for the progress made at Colorado, ranking him 22nd.
These rankings provide insights into the evolving landscape of college football coaching and set the stage for the upcoming season.