This list of the best college football coaches of all time is full of big names and legendary coaching empires. Ever wondered who was is the greatest college football coach of all time? Now is your opportunity to have a say in the matter. Granted, picking who this should be won't be easy, as you have to consider different eras of NCAA football along with a number of other factors, like bowl game wins, national titles, who was on their team, and who got the most bang for their buck out of their players. But it's on you to pick whatever criteria you want in determining who is the best college football coach ever. As long as they coached college play at some point, they can be listed here, but be sure to vote based on each coach's storied college career only.
There are some pretty big names on this list, titans of the coaching world. If you're an Alabama fan, you'll have a tough time picking between Bear Bryant and Nick Saban. The same goes for any Notre Dame fan and for USC supporters, who do you think is a better coach: John McKay or Pete Carroll? Who's the best of these famous college football coaches?
It shouldn't be easy for you to decide who the greatest college football coaches are. There are simply too many all time greats. Just remember though, where would each coaches' team be without them steering the ship and keeping the players in line? Not an easy question to answer.
So who is the best college football coach of all time? It's up to you to decide. If you notice someone isn't on this list and should be, feel free to add him. This is the crowdranked list of what coach deserves to called the greatest ever, so choose wisely!1
2,4351,453Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been... more on WikipediaNick Saban
Age: 692
2,2741,588Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college... more on WikipediaBear Bryant
Dec. at 70 (1913-1983)3
1,6641,454Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach,... more on WikipediaTom Osborne
Age: 834
525419John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American... more on WikipediaJohn Heisman
Dec. at 67 (1869-1936)5
1,1951,030Knute Kenneth Rockne ( kə-NOOT; March 4, 1888 – March 31, 1931) was a Norwegian-American... more on WikipediaKnute Rockne
Dec. at 43 (1888-1931)6
563513Pop Warner
7
393278William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney (born November 20, 1969) is an American college football... more on WikipediaDabo Swinney
Age: 518
467448Robert Reese Neyland ( NEE-lənd), MBE, (February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American... more on WikipediaRobert Neyland
Dec. at 70 (1892-1962)9
884869Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, and... more on WikipediaLou Holtz
Age: 8310
606568Robert Anthony Stoops (born September 9, 1960) is an American football coach who serves as... more on WikipediaBob Stoops
Age: 6011
606574Ara Raoul Parseghian (; May 21, 1923 – August 2, 2017) was an American football player and... more on WikipediaAra Parseghian
Age: 9712
218177John Terrill Majors (born May 21, 1935) is a former American football player and coach. A... more on WikipediaJohnny Majors
Age: 8513
628600Bill Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is a retired college football coach and former player. He... more on WikipediaBill Snyder
Age: 8114
858793Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is a former American football player and coach... more on WikipediaSteve Spurrier
Age: 7515
1,1921,219Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a former college football player and coach.... more on WikipediaUrban Meyer
Age: 5616
9860William Ernest Walsh (November 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007) was an American football coach. He... more on WikipediaBill Walsh
Dec. at 76 (1931-2007)17
715695James William Johnson (born July 16, 1943) is an American football broadcaster and former... more on WikipediaJimmy Johnson
Age: 7718
28292Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football player,... more on WikipediaVince Lombardi
Dec. at 57 (1913-1970)19
743674Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football... more on WikipediaBud Wilkinson
Dec. at 78 (1916-1994)20
197165John Hayden Fry (born February 28, 1929) is a former American football player and coach. He... more on WikipediaHayden Fry
Age: 9121
460444Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach,... more on WikipediaFrank Beamer
Age: 7422
1,0691,066Wayne Woodrow Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American football player and... more on WikipediaWoody Hayes
Dec. at 74 (1913-1987)23
911902Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. ( SHEM-bek-lər; April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an... more on WikipediaBo Schembechler
Dec. at 77 (1929-2006)24
1,4431,470Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as... more on WikipediaJoe Paterno
Dec. at 86 (1926-2012)25
823855Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He... more on WikipediaBarry Switzer
Age: 83