Ranking the ACC's College Football Coaches for 2024
Ranking the top coach in the ACC hasn't been much of a debate in recent years, as Clemson's Dabo Swinney has been the easy pick at No. 1. But with the Tigers in a small decline, and Florida State's rise to the top of the ACC in 2023 under Mike Norvell, there's a healthy debate about which coach should get the nod at No. 1. Swinney edged Norvell in Athlon's ACC coach rankings for '24, but the gap is very small entering this season.
The ACC has plenty of depth in the coaching ranks with Louisville's Jeff Brohm, NC State's Dave Doeren, and Wake Forest's Dave Clawson headlining the next tier. SMU's Rhett Lashlee is a rising star, and new Boston College coach Bill O'Brien is one of the top hires of the offseason.
Success with any college football team starts with coaching. Even if a program doesn’t have the resources of the nation’s elite jobs, a good coach can elevate a program into national title or conference title contention. However, similar to any position on the field, statistics may not tell the full story when judging a coaching tenure.
How did we compile the rankings for coaches by conference? For starters, it’s an impossible task. However, we tried to weigh every possible factor into this ranking. This is not simply a list of coaches ranked by accomplishment or wins. While those aspects are important, it doesn’t provide a complete picture of how successful coaches are. Also, every program has a different amount of resources available. Hierarchy in college football also plays a vital role in how successful programs are. It’s always easier for programs with more built-in advantages to contend for a national title on a more consistent basis.
The above factors, along with career biography/resume, success in developing talent and landing prospects on the recruiting trail factored into the ranking. Additionally, how well programs value staff (is the head coach better as a CEO or hands-on approach) and the facilities or program resources matter into forming an outlook of how coaches have performed at different stops throughout their career.
Again, wins and the career biography to this point are important. But our rankings also take into account a blank slate and subjectivity. If you start a program from scratch, which coach would you hire knowing what they accomplished so far and their career trajectory? Remember, you don't get the assistants - only the head coach. And head-to-head wins do not matter for this ranking. Athlon will rank every coach in all conferences this offseason.
Also see:
- Post-Spring Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC
- Post-Spring College Football Playoff Projections
- Grading New Head Coaches | 6 Coaches on Hot Seat
Here are the results for the ACC:
Ranking the ACC's College Football Coaches for 2024
Clemson's Dabo Swinney holds a slight edge over Florida State's Mike Norvell in the ACC coach rankings for 2024.
[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
1. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
2. Mike Norvell, Florida State
3. Jeff Brohm, Louisville
4. Dave Doeren, NC State
5. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
6. Mario Cristobal, Miami
7. Mack Brown, North Carolina
North Carolina's Mack Brown is only one of three active FBS head coaches with a national title.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Brown is only one of three active FBS head coaches with a national championship and his second act in Chapel Hill has produced a solid 38-27 record with five bowl trips. The Tar Heels have struggled in games after November the last three years with a 6-10 mark during that span. Brown is 282-149-1 overall at the FBS level, which includes a successful 158-48 run at Texas from 1998-2013.