No. 19 – (Russo) Paul Chryst; (Evans) Gus Malzahn. The ‘Gus Bus’ leaks more oil than any top contender. But he wins often enough in big games. He deserves being on this list. Career Winning 67.6 percent.
No. 20 – (Russo) Gus Malzahn; (Evans) David Shaw. Shaw’s 71.7 winning percentage keeps him on my list, but he needs a big bounce back after the Cardinal lost eight games last season.
No. 21 – Another match with Mike Gundy. I am not holding the mullet against him. Gundy wins season after season at the pace of 66.8 percent.
No. 22 – (Russo) Ken Niumatolo; (Evans) Mario Cristobal. Cristobal did well enough at FIU for two bowl games. He has been tremendous at Oregon. His Career Winning was 36.5 percent at FIU and is 75 percent at Oregon. He might be on track to follow Nick Saban as the Alabama Crimson Tide head man.
No. 23 – (Russo) Kirk Ferentz; (Evans) Bronco Mendenhall. Bronco had a good run at BYU. After a rough start at Virginia, he is building a solid winner. Career Winning 63.9 percent.
No. 24 – Two votes with maybe a surprise choice of Lance Leipold. He has had a hard climb to respectability at Buffalo. In the 13 seasons before Leipold, the team averaged 8.3 losses per season. Leipold has taken that average down to 6.4 losses per season with winning records the last three seasons.
No. 25 – (Russo) Mario Cristobal; (Evans) Tom Herman. This was a tough pick for me. It was tempting to go with Ryan Day after the Buckeyes sensational 2029 season. Herman has not yet met expectations in Austin. I think that will change in 2020. Career Winning 71.2 percent.
There will be football again for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Until then Bama Hammer will work to offer commentary, recruiting info, even some Alabama Crimson Tide history, and all the news available.