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.

Browse coachesCompare coaches

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

16/51

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.

Reset to recommendedClear all

Recommended baseline

Keep at least 3 seasons in view to avoid tiny-sample profiles dominating the charts and leaderboards.

Coach Identity

The fastest way to narrow style and school context.

Time and Sample

Keep the result set stable before reading the charts.

Recommended: 3+ seasons.

Quality

Shortcut the list toward stronger resumes and stronger finishes.

These filters reshape the charts and the results table together, so every leaderboard and callout below reflects the same active set.

You are on the recommended baseline view.

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

Frank Leahy

Volatility: 9.13 • Average SRS: 22.65

86.4% win rate • 38.3 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

Frank Leahy

This is the clearest first-pass view for peak versus stability. It is the best place to start browsing.

BalancedPeak Dominator

Frank Leahy is currently highlighted in the success vs volatility view.

Volatility
9.13
Average SRS
22.65
Career Win %
86.4%
Peak SRS
38.3
View coach profile

Active chart outliers

These callouts update with the active discovery mode and filtered coach set.

4 markers

  1. Highest peak

    Red Blaik

    Single-season ceiling leader in the current filtered set.

    44.1 peak SRS

  2. Most consistent elite coach

    Tom Osborne

    High average strength without the season-to-season swing.

    24.22 avg SRS • 4.49 volatility

  3. Steadiest floor

    Pete Reynolds

    Lowest volatility in the view. Lower is more stable.

    1.28 volatility

  4. Elite but volatile

    Chuck Fairbanks

    Big ceiling, but the weekly shape moved around more than the steady tier.

    15.61 volatility

Top Career Peaks

Keep the ceiling board in view, but as a support module for the active lens, not the main destination.

  1. 1. Harry Hughes

    1916

    46.5

  2. 2. Red Blaik

    1945

    44.1

  3. 3. Nelson Norgren

    1916

    44.0

  4. 4. Henry Williams

    1905

    42.5

  5. 5. Amos Alonzo Stagg

    1905

    42.2

Elite and steady

Upper-left is the premium zone: strong average results without much season-to-season swing.

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.

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.

3 boards

Highest Peak SRS

Single-season ceiling leaders.

View

  1. 1. Harry Hughes

    1916 Colorado State (6-0-1)

    46.5

  2. 2. Red Blaik

    1945 Army (9-0)

    44.1

  3. 3. Nelson Norgren

    1916 Utah (3-2)

    44.0

  4. 4. Henry Williams

    1905 Minnesota (10-1)

    42.5

  5. 5. Amos Alonzo Stagg

    1905 Chicago (11-0)

    42.2

Best Career Win %

Who won the most across a meaningful sample.

View

  1. 1. Walter Camp

    5 seasons

    97.1%

  2. 2. Knute Rockne

    1924 Notre Dame (10-0)

    88.1%

  3. 3. Ryan Day

    2019 Ohio State (13-1)

    87.5%

  4. 4. Frank Leahy

    1946 Notre Dame (8-0-1)

    86.4%

  5. 5. Jesse Harper

    1913 Notre Dame (7-0)

    86.3%

Most Top 10 Finishes

Coaches who stacked elite endings.

View

  1. 1. Bear Bryant

    1971 Alabama (11-1)

    22

  2. 2. Joe Paterno

    1994 Penn State (12-0)

    22

  3. 3. Tom Osborne

    1995 Nebraska (12-0)

    18

  4. 4. Nick Saban

    2016 Alabama (14-1)

    18

  5. 5. Bo Schembechler

    1973 Michigan (10-0-1)

    16

Stability

Stability shortcuts

Who stays in control year after year.

1 board

Most Consistent

Low-volatility coaches with enough sample.

View

  1. 1. Parke Davis

    1897 Lafayette (9-2-1)

    0.0

  2. 2. DM Balliet

    1901 Purdue (4-4-1)

    0.0

  3. 3. Mike Sanford Jr

    2022 Colorado (1-6)

    0.2

  4. 4. Henry Shenk

    1943 Kansas (4-5-1)

    0.5

  5. 5. Jerry Baldwin

    2001 Louisiana (3-8)

    0.5

Longevity

Longevity shortcuts

Long arcs, big samples, and durable careers.

1 board

Longest Careers

Big careers and long arcs.

View

  1. 1. John Anderson

    1976 Brown (8-1)

    64 years

  2. 2. Paul Davis

    1963 Mississippi State (7-2-2)

    59 years

  3. 3. Amos Alonzo Stagg

    1905 Chicago (11-0)

    53 years

  4. 4. George Barclay

    1951 Washington and Lee (6-4)

    48 years

  5. 5. 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.

Compare selected (0)
1271 filtered coachesSuccess vs Volatility activeSorted by Identity descending
Compare
Blanton Collier

41-36-3 • 1954-1961

Kentucky
880413653.1%10.0
14.5

1960 peak

2.9———0
Balanced

Consistent Winner

Al Onofrio

38-41 • 1971-1977

Missouri
779384148.1%11.3
18.0

1973 peak

6.529.017.3#170
Defense-First

Defense-First

Charlie Weis

41-49 • 2005-2014

Kansas, Notre Dame
890414945.6%0.9
20.8

2005 peak

10.627.125.1#91
Defense-First

Peak Dominator

Tom Coughlin

21-13-1 • 1991-1993

Boston College
335211361.4%7.4
10.2

1993 peak

2.434.225.3#130
Offense-First

Consistent Winner

Joe Tiller

126-92-1 • 1991-2008

Purdue, Wyoming
182191269257.8%5.7
18.5

1998 peak

6.835.427.9#130
Offense-First

Longevity Coach

Jack Christiansen

30-22-3 • 1972-1976

Stanford
555302257.3%8.6
12.7

1973 peak

3.631.723.0—0
Balanced

Consistent Winner

Billy Napier

59-31 • 2018-2025

Florida, Louisiana
890593165.6%5.2
11.7

2024 peak

5.332.326.5#150
Offense-First

Consistent Winner

Prink Callison

33-23-2 • 1932-1937

Oregon
658332358.6%6.0
16.6

1933 peak

8.1———0
Balanced

—

Jerry Stovall

22-21-2 • 1980-1983

LSU
445222151.1%7.8
21.3

1982 peak

9.527.824.0#110
Defense-First

Defense-First

Andy Avalos

22-14 • 2021-2023

Boise State
336221461.1%6.6
12.4

2021 peak

4.728.422.5—0
Defense-First

Consistent Winner

Ted Tollner

69-68-1 • 1983-2001

San Diego State, USC
12138696850.4%1.1
13.2

1986 peak

6.929.326.3#101
Balanced

Longevity Coach

Mel Tucker

25-21 • 2019-2023

Colorado, Michigan State
546252154.4%0.5
11.1

2021 peak

5.626.126.1#91
Defense-First

Defense-First

Bill Curry

83-105-4 • 1980-1996

Alabama, Georgia Tech +1
171928310544.3%2.0
17.5

1989 peak

9.127.024.9#91
Defense-First

Longevity Coach

Todd Graham

106-72 • 2006-2021

Arizona State, Hawai'i +3
141781067259.6%3.3
22.3

2013 peak

8.632.729.7#120
Offense-First

Longevity Coach

Chuck Amato

49-37 • 2000-2006

NC State
786493757.0%6.7
16.1

2002 peak

6.132.024.6#120
Offense-First

Offense-First

Dana Holgorsen

92-69 • 2011-2024

Houston, West Virginia
14161926957.1%5.8
17.9

2018 peak

6.232.927.0#170
Offense-First

Longevity Coach

Dirk Koetter

66-44 • 1998-2006

Arizona State, Boise State
9110664460.0%4.6
17.3

2004 peak

9.438.132.8#190
Offense-First

Volatile Builder

Hunk Anderson

27-26-3 • 1931-1936

NC State, Notre Dame
656272650.9%6.7
23.8

1931 peak

12.6———0
Balanced

—

Sam Boyd

15-15-1 • 1956-1958

Baylor
331151550.0%9.0
20.0

1956 peak

7.9——#110
Balanced

—

Clark Shaughnessy

108-89-10 • 1915-1946

Chicago, Maryland +3
242071088954.6%-2.8
19.5

1940 peak

10.3——#21
Balanced

Longevity Coach

David McWilliams

31-26 • 1987-1991

Texas
557312654.4%6.8
18.6

1990 peak

6.732.323.8#120
Balanced

—

Houston Nutt

103-81 • 1997-2011

Arkansas, Boise State +1
151841038156.0%7.2
15.3

1998 peak

8.233.723.7#140
Offense-First

Longevity Coach

Willie Fritz

76-62 • 2014-2025

Georgia Southern, Houston +1
12138766255.1%-0.1
10.5

2022 peak

5.927.427.2#91
Balanced

Longevity Coach

Sol Metzger

64-33-5 • 1904-1924

Baylor, Pennsylvania +3
11102643365.2%0.8
24.7

1917 peak

15.4———0
Balanced

Volatile Builder

Barry Odom

45-33 • 2016-2025

Missouri, Purdue +1
778453357.7%4.5
18.9

2018 peak

6.931.326.1#230
Offense-First

Offense-First

Showing 376-400 of 1271

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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.