What will happen to the Top 25 CFB coaches projected for 2024
By Ronald Evans
Instead of debating the annual Top 25 CFB coaches chosen by CBS Sports and 247Sports, let's take the exact rankings and predict how they will change a year from now.
The panel has been doing the rankings, including all the Power conference coaches, since 2015. As Tom Fornelli wrote in his summary, with no Nick Saban and no Jim Harbaugh, "there's a clear changing of the guard in the college football coaching world."
Dave Aranda, Sam Pittman, P.J. Fleck, Mack Brown, and Sonny Dykes had big falls from their 2023 rankings. Aranda went down 26 spots to No. 55; Pittman dropped 17 spots to No. 58, Fleck dropped 15 spots to No. 39; Brown dropped 15 spots to No. 37 and Dykes dropped 11 spots to No. 22.
The big gainers were Steve Sarkisian, up 32 spots to No. 5; Eli Drinkwitz up 30 spots to No. 21; Jedd Fisch up 30 spots to No. 31; Dan Lanning up 27 spots to No. 9 and Kalen DeBoer up 24 spots to No. 7.
Along with Sarkisian (No. 5), Drinkwitz (no. 21), and DeBoer (No. 7), five other SEC coaches are ranked in the Top 25. Kirby Smart is No. 1; Brian Kelly, No. 4; Lane Kiffin, No. 14; Mark Stoops, No. 20 and Josh Heupel, No. 23.