Elite and steady
Upper-left is the premium zone: strong average results without much season-to-season swing.
Coaches Research Hub
Explore college football coaches by peak, consistency, and identity.
Turn coach-season records into career arcs, school-by-school tenures, style profiles, and side-by-side comparisons.
Peak finder
Jump from the broad landscape to the highest single-season ceilings.
Tenure story
See where coaches built, inherited, or stabilized a program.
Compare mode
Stack up to four coaches on the same profile and arc surfaces.
Current Research Window
These totals update with every filter so the discovery visuals and the table below stay on the same coach universe. Start from the recommended sample, then tighten the field around identity, school, time span, or quality.
3+ seasons
1271
Coaches in view
1786 indexed coaches available
11703
Coach-seasons
12402 total coach-season rows
10/51
Page position
1271 coaches in the current filtered result set
Summary and Filtering
Filter and rank coaches
Coach search stays primary, then school, archetype, time span, and quality sharpen the list. The recommended starting point is 3+ seasons.
Primary Discovery
One clear lens at a time.
Start with career shape or flip to identity. Either way, the chart, the coach summary, the outlier list, and the table context all stay synchronized.
Success vs Volatility
Start with the simplest question: who paired real strength with a repeatable week-to-week shape?
250 coaches shown
Elite and steady
Elite but volatile
Lower ceiling but stable
Lower ceiling and unstable
Mike Knoll
Volatility: 4.22 • Average SRS: -30.12
9.1% win rate • -25.6 peak SRS
Volatility
Average SRS
Hover or focus a point to isolate it. Click a coach to carry that selection into the results table.
Average SRS reads overall strength. Volatility is the spread of season-to-season SRS, so lower values mean a steadier profile.
Career shape lens
Mike Knoll
This is the clearest first-pass view for peak versus stability. It is the best place to start browsing.
BalancedBalanced
Mike Knoll is currently highlighted in the success vs volatility view.
- Volatility
- 4.22
- Average SRS
- -30.12
- Career Win %
- 9.1%
- Peak SRS
- -25.6
Active chart outliers
These callouts update with the active discovery mode and filtered coach set.
Highest peak
John Corbett
Single-season ceiling leader in the current filtered set.
17.1 peak SRSMost consistent elite coach
Craig Fertig
High average strength without the season-to-season swing.
-5.12 avg SRS • 4.96 volatilitySteadiest floor
Mike Sanford Jr
Lowest volatility in the view. Lower is more stable.
0.21 volatilityElite but volatile
Todd Monken
Big ceiling, but the weekly shape moved around more than the steady tier.
12.13 volatility
Top Career Peaks
Keep the ceiling board in view, but as a support module for the active lens, not the main destination.
- 46.5
1. Harry Hughes
1916
- 44.1
2. Red Blaik
1945
- 44.0
3. Nelson Norgren
1916
- 42.5
4. Henry Williams
1905
- 42.2
5. Amos Alonzo Stagg
1905
Elite but volatile
Upper-right still reaches major heights, but the shape was less repeatable.
Lower ceiling but stable
Lower-left profiles stayed steady even if the absolute ceiling never reached the very top tier.
Lower ceiling and unstable
Lower-right is where the career shape had neither a high average peak nor reliable steadiness.
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Supporting Insights
Quick leaderboards, grouped on purpose.
These are shortcuts into the same table below. Performance leads the stack, while stability and longevity stay visible without competing with the main chart.
Performance
Primary leaderboard shortcuts
The fastest path into peak and results leaders.
Highest Peak SRS
Single-season ceiling leaders.
1. Harry Hughes
1916 Colorado State (6-0-1)
46.52. Red Blaik
1945 Army (9-0)
44.13. Nelson Norgren
1916 Utah (3-2)
44.04. Henry Williams
1905 Minnesota (10-1)
42.55. Amos Alonzo Stagg
1905 Chicago (11-0)
42.2
Best Career Win %
Who won the most across a meaningful sample.
1. Walter Camp
5 seasons
97.1%2. Knute Rockne
1924 Notre Dame (10-0)
88.1%3. Ryan Day
2019 Ohio State (13-1)
87.5%4. Frank Leahy
1946 Notre Dame (8-0-1)
86.4%5. Jesse Harper
1913 Notre Dame (7-0)
86.3%
Most Top 10 Finishes
Coaches who stacked elite endings.
1. Bear Bryant
1971 Alabama (11-1)
222. Joe Paterno
1994 Penn State (12-0)
223. Tom Osborne
1995 Nebraska (12-0)
184. Nick Saban
2016 Alabama (14-1)
185. Bo Schembechler
1973 Michigan (10-0-1)
16
Stability
Stability shortcuts
Who stays in control year after year.
Most Consistent
Low-volatility coaches with enough sample.
1. Parke Davis
1897 Lafayette (9-2-1)
0.02. DM Balliet
1901 Purdue (4-4-1)
0.03. Mike Sanford Jr
2022 Colorado (1-6)
0.24. Henry Shenk
1943 Kansas (4-5-1)
0.55. Jerry Baldwin
2001 Louisiana (3-8)
0.5
Longevity
Longevity shortcuts
Long arcs, big samples, and durable careers.
Longest Careers
Big careers and long arcs.
1. John Anderson
1976 Brown (8-1)
64 years2. Paul Davis
1963 Mississippi State (7-2-2)
59 years3. Amos Alonzo Stagg
1905 Chicago (11-0)
53 years4. George Barclay
1951 Washington and Lee (6-4)
48 years5. Joe Paterno
1994 Penn State (12-0)
46 years
Results Table
Coach results table
1271 filtered coaches in view. Lower rank numbers are better. Lower volatility means more stable. Lower SP Def numbers are better on the identity chart.
1271 filtered coachesSuccess vs Volatility activeSorted by Identity ascending
| Compare | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darrell Hazell 25-43 • 2011-2016 | Kent State, Purdue | 6 | 68 | 25 | 43 | 36.8% | -9.3 | -0.5 2012 peak | 4.8 | 22.0 | 30.5 | — | 0 | Defense-First Defense-First | |
Ralph Graham 23-38-4 • 1906-1950 | Davidson, Kansas State +1 | 7 | 65 | 23 | 38 | 38.5% | -10.4 | 0.2 1907 peak | 7.9 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced Longevity Coach | |
Mike Cavan 22-34 • 1997-2001 | SMU | 5 | 56 | 22 | 34 | 39.3% | -9.8 | -2.1 1997 peak | 6.1 | 21.4 | 30.5 | — | 0 | Defense-First Defense-First | |
Andy McCollum 34-45 • 1999-2005 | Middle Tennessee | 7 | 79 | 34 | 45 | 43.0% | -11.0 | -2.2 2001 peak | 6.9 | 25.8 | 38.5 | — | 0 | Offense-First Offense-First | |
Homer Smith 53-71-1 • 1965-1978 | Army, Davidson +1 | 12 | 125 | 53 | 71 | 42.8% | -12.8 | 2.7 1977 peak | 8.8 | 19.8 | 29.7 | — | 0 | Defense-First Volatile Builder | |
Brian Burke 31-34-1 • 1979-1984 | Ohio | 6 | 66 | 31 | 34 | 47.7% | -13.5 | -0.5 1979 peak | 7.3 | 19.6 | 27.4 | — | 0 | Defense-First Defense-First | |
Fritz Shurmur 15-29 • 1971-1974 | Wyoming | 4 | 44 | 15 | 29 | 34.1% | -8.2 | -0.5 1973 peak | 5.7 | 23.9 | 31.9 | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Dana Dimel 50-88 • 1997-2023 | Houston, UTEP +1 | 12 | 138 | 50 | 88 | 36.2% | -11.7 | 5.3 1997 peak | 9.7 | 23.8 | 33.4 | — | 0 | Offense-First Longevity Coach | |
Leon Fuller 25-55 • 1982-1988 | Colorado State | 7 | 80 | 25 | 55 | 31.3% | -7.9 | -0.1 1986 peak | 5.0 | 26.2 | 32.6 | — | 0 | Offense-First Offense-First | |
Ted Shipkey 52-38-3 • 1931-1951 | Arizona State, Montana +1 | 10 | 93 | 52 | 38 | 57.5% | -16.4 | -7.7 1938 peak | 5.4 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced Longevity Coach | |
Craig Fertig 8-36-1 • 1976-1979 | Oregon State | 4 | 45 | 8 | 36 | 18.9% | -5.1 | -0.2 1977 peak | 5.0 | 21.5 | 30.1 | — | 0 | Defense-First Defense-First | |
Tim Beckman 25-37 • 2009-2014 | Illinois, Toledo | 5 | 62 | 25 | 37 | 40.3% | -9.1 | -3.4 2013 peak | 5.5 | 27.1 | 31.7 | — | 0 | Offense-First Offense-First | |
Clarence Stasavich 27-21-1 • 1965-1969 | East Carolina | 5 | 49 | 27 | 21 | 56.1% | -15.9 | -5.6 1967 peak | 9.6 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
James Valek 8-32 • 1967-1970 | Illinois | 4 | 40 | 8 | 32 | 20.0% | -5.5 | 0.7 1970 peak | 6.3 | 23.5 | 31.2 | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
John McLean 9-17-1 • 1903-1905 | Missouri | 3 | 27 | 9 | 17 | 35.2% | -11.0 | 4.8 1905 peak | 11.5 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced Volatile Builder | |
Al Kawal 25-29-3 • 1947-1952 | Drake, Temple | 6 | 57 | 25 | 29 | 46.5% | -11.1 | -4.9 1949 peak | 5.4 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Chuck Mather 11-26-3 • 1954-1957 | Kansas | 4 | 40 | 11 | 26 | 31.3% | -7.8 | 0.4 1956 peak | 6.3 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Bill Lynch 56-83 • 1995-2010 | Ball State, Indiana | 12 | 139 | 56 | 83 | 40.3% | -10.6 | 0.1 2007 peak | 7.2 | 24.3 | 32.1 | — | 0 | Balanced Longevity Coach | |
Kim Helton 24-53-1 • 1993-1999 | Houston | 7 | 78 | 24 | 53 | 31.4% | -8.8 | 4.1 1996 peak | 9.2 | 26.8 | 35.0 | — | 0 | Offense-First Volatile Builder | |
Pat Sullivan 24-42-1 • 1992-1997 | TCU | 6 | 67 | 24 | 42 | 36.6% | -8.4 | 0.0 1994 peak | 5.5 | 23.3 | 33.0 | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Watson Brown 75-137-1 • 1983-2006 | Cincinnati, Rice +2 | 19 | 213 | 75 | 137 | 35.4% | -8.1 | 0.0 1987 peak | 6.3 | 25.2 | 33.6 | — | 0 | Offense-First Longevity Coach | |
Jim Criner 16-24-2 • 1983-1986 | Iowa State | 4 | 42 | 16 | 24 | 40.5% | -8.2 | -3.8 1986 peak | 2.9 | 23.6 | 31.3 | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Ed Chlebek 26-51 • 1976-1982 | Boston College, Eastern Michigan +1 | 7 | 77 | 26 | 51 | 33.8% | -11.0 | 6.4 1980 peak | 11.1 | 19.2 | 25.4 | — | 0 | Defense-First Defense-First | |
J Rix 16-19-7 • 1917-1921 | SMU | 5 | 42 | 16 | 19 | 46.4% | -11.4 | -2.2 1917 peak | 7.5 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
John Griffith 10-13-2 • 1909-1916 | Iowa, Oklahoma State | 3 | 25 | 10 | 13 | 44.0% | -10.3 | -1.4 1909 peak | 8.3 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced — |
About This Data
How to read the page
Filtered state
Every number, chart callout, and leaderboard on this page reflects the current filter state, not the full indexed universe.
Metric framing
Lower volatility means more stable. Lower finish rank numbers are better. On identity, lower SP Def numbers indicate stronger defense.
Research flow
Use the active chart to form a hypothesis, then drop into the table to sort, compare, and export the exact slice you are studying.
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