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

4/51

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
Allyn McKeen

65-19-3 • 1939-1948

Mississippi State
987651976.4%13.5
19.7

1940 peak

5.0——#91
Balanced

Consistent Winner

John Cooper

192-84-6 • 1977-2000

Arizona State, Ohio State +1
242821928469.2%9.8
28.2

1995 peak

10.933.321.3#24
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Ed McKeever

20-8-1 • 1944-1947

Cornell, Notre Dame +1
32920870.7%13.0
24.2

1944 peak

8.0——#91
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Dennis Erickson

147-81-1 • 1986-2011

Arizona State, Idaho +4
192291478164.4%11.1
28.4

1990 peak

11.734.621.3#16
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Bernie Moore

83-39-6 • 1935-1947

LSU
13128833967.2%12.3
23.2

1936 peak

7.6——#23
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Frank Beamer

238-121-2 • 1987-2015

Virginia Tech
2936123812166.2%11.0
24.5

1999 peak

7.433.019.4#27
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Danny Ford

121-60-5 • 1978-1997

Arkansas, Clemson
171861216066.4%11.0
25.2

1981 peak

8.430.518.5#14
Defense-First

Peak Dominator

Dana Bible

190-69-22 • 1915-1946

LSU, Mississippi College +3
312811906971.5%9.1
28.8

1941 peak

8.8——#43
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Carl Snavely

106-49-11 • 1930-1952

Bucknell, Cornell +1
181661064967.2%10.3
25.8

1948 peak

9.7——#34
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Mack Brown

282-150-1 • 1985-2024

North Carolina, Texas +1
3543328215065.2%9.7
31.0

2005 peak

11.035.224.1#19
Offense-First

Peak Dominator

Bill Snyder

215-117-1 • 1989-2018

Kansas State
2733321511764.7%10.3
27.1

1998 peak

10.435.024.0#66
Offense-First

Peak Dominator

John Barnhill

54-22-5 • 1941-1949

Arkansas, Tennessee
881542269.8%13.1
21.6

1942 peak

5.3——#71
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Pappy Waldorf

157-89-19 • 1929-1956

California, Kansas State +2
282651578962.8%11.1
26.9

1949 peak

7.6——#36
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Terry Brennan

32-18 • 1954-1958

Notre Dame
550321864.0%14.0
21.7

1954 peak

8.5——#43
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Charley Pell

51-30-4 • 1977-1984

Clemson, Florida
885513062.4%14.8
22.7

1984 peak

7.331.314.9#33
Defense-First

Peak Dominator

Kyle Whittingham

167-86 • 2004-2025

Utah
222531678666.0%10.7
24.9

2004 peak

5.931.619.9#23
Defense-First

Peak Dominator

Doug Dickey

104-58-6 • 1964-1978

Florida, Tennessee
151681045863.7%13.8
22.4

1969 peak

7.230.218.3#22
Defense-First

Peak Dominator

Chuck Fairbanks

59-41-1 • 1967-1981

Colorado, Oklahoma
9101594158.9%13.9
34.7

1971 peak

15.629.423.8#23
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Paul Chryst

86-45 • 2012-2022

Pittsburgh, Wisconsin
11131864565.6%11.2
24.7

2017 peak

6.833.116.9#72
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Mike Bellotti

116-55 • 1995-2008

Oregon
141711165567.8%10.9
20.8

2007 peak

4.938.927.1#23
Offense-First

Peak Dominator

Jimmy Crowley

86-23-11 • 1929-1942

Fordham, Michigan State +1
14120862376.3%10.2
17.6

1942 peak

5.9——#32
Balanced

Program Stabilizer

Bobby Petrino

119-56 • 2003-2018

Arkansas, Louisville +1
141751195668.0%10.0
22.3

2004 peak

10.837.624.0#53
Offense-First

Peak Dominator

John Robinson

132-77-4 • 1976-2004

UNLV, USC
182131327762.9%10.7
27.8

1979 peak

13.533.521.5#23
Balanced

Peak Dominator

Mike Gundy

169-88 • 2005-2025

Oklahoma State
212571698865.8%9.9
27.6

2011 peak

9.336.224.0#32
Offense-First

Peak Dominator

Kalen DeBoer

46-13 • 2020-2025

Alabama, Fresno State +1
659461378.0%9.6
18.1

2024 peak

8.435.923.3#22
Offense-First

Volatile Builder

Showing 76-100 of 1271

23456

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.