College football coaches change positions regularly. With that, schools are always looking for coordinators who are doing a good job. This could be to take the same spot or the head coaching position. Here are coordinators on the rise.
Coordinators on the Rise
ACC
Clemson: Garrett Riley
Garrett Riley had a quick rise to stardom last season. He helped TCU come out of nowhere to reach the College Football Playoff. The team averaged 38.9 points per game. Riley was one of the bigger names on the coaching market this offseason and Clemson made sure they signed him. He won the Broyles Award as the best assistant in college football and if he can turn Clemson’s offense around, he could win the award again.
Wake Forest: Warren Ruggiero
Ruggiero has been the offensive coordinator for Wake Forest since 2014. Things haven’t always been great, but more recently Ruggiero has the offense scoring points. After the team scored 41 points per game in 2021, they scored 36.1 points in 2022. Sam Hartman is now at Notre Dame, so Ruggiero needs to find production with a new quarterback. If he does well, he could have a better coordinator job or head coaching job next season.
Big Ten
Michigan: Jesse Minter
Minter was the defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2021 then took the same position at Michigan in 2022. In his lone season at the helm for Michigan, Minter’s defense allowed just 16.1 points per game. Minter’s father Rick had some head coaching experience and it looks like he has guided his son well, as he is only 40 years old, but already is a good coordinator.
Michigan: Sherrone Moore
After being the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach over the last two seasons, Moore is the sole offensive coordinator this year. His offensive line has been great, as they have won the Joe Moore Award as the best offensive line in the FBS each of the last two seasons. If he keeps the offense rolling, he could have a head coaching job in a few seasons.
Ohio State: Jim Knowles
After turning around Oklahoma State’s defense in 2021, Knowles did the same for Ohio State in 2022. The defense did falter at the end of the season and Knowles needs to get players that fit his scheme still. If they can limit the number of points they allow in big games, Ohio State could win a National Championship.
Wisconsin: Phil Longo
Longo has been the offensive coordinator for Ole Miss and North Carolina over the last several years. Last season, he helped new starting quarterback Drake Maye have a great season and the Tar Heels averaged 34.4 points per game. He is now tasked with turning around the offensive at Wisconsin in Luke Fickell’s first season.
Big 12
Baylor: Jeff Grimes
The last five seasons of football have had some nice highlights for Grimes. He was Zach Wilson’s offensive coordinator at BYU, then was hired by Baylor. For the Bears, he had the offense scoring 31.6 points in 2021 and 32.2 points per game in 2022. He’ll have limited talent returning, but Grimes getting it right could lead Baylor to a competitive state in the Big 12.
Kansas State: Collin Klein
Fans may remember Klein from his playing days for Kansas State when he was a Heisman Finalist. He has been an assistant at Northern Iowa and his Alma Mater Kansas State in his young coaching career. Klein helped Kansas State make the Big 12 Championship Game and average 32.3 points per game. Will Howard returns at quarterback, which gives them a chance to compete again.
Kansas State: Joe Klanderman
Klanderman has worked his way up the ranks from Division II to FCS to Division I. He has helped Chris Kleiman be successful in four years at Kansas State. The defense ranked 23rd in 2021 and 36th in 2022. One more good season and Klanderman should start getting noticed as much as he deserves.
Oklahoma: Jeff Lebby
Lebby started getting some love when he was the offensive coordinator at USF. He took the Oklahoma job last season and helped them average 32.8 points per game. Lebby needs to improve the offense this season to get some recognition for head coaching jobs, but he will have a more stable roster to work with.
TCU: Kendal Briles
After losing Garrett Riley, the Horned Frogs hired Briles. He was the offensive coordinator at Arkansas last season, where the team averaged 32.5 points per game. It will be hard to take over an offense that lost so much, but Briles will have several transfers to work with.
Pac-12
Utah: Andy Ludwig
Ludwig has moved his way up through the ranks and worked at many different schools. He has been the offensive coordinator at Utah since 2019. In 2021, the offense averaged 36.1 points per game, ranking them 14th in the country. Last season, they improved to rank 11th. At 59 years old, maybe getting a head coaching job isn’t in the cards, but Ludwig is doing very well at Utah.
Utah: Morgan Scalley
Scalley played for Utah in the early 21st century and has been an assistant with the program since 2007. He worked his way up to defensive coordinator in 2016. Scalley has done a solid job and last season helped the Utes allow 21.4 points per game. After aiding the team on their way to the Rose Bowl the last two seasons, bigger things might be in Scalley’s future.
Washington: Ryan Grubb
Grubb was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State and followed Kalen DeBoer to Washington. In his first season running the Washington offense, Grubb had the team average 39.7 points per game, which ranked seventh in the country. Another good season will have Grubb getting head coach offers.
SEC
Alabama: Tommy Rees
Late in the offseason, Rees was hired away from his Alma Mater of Notre Dame to the same position at Alabama. He will be tasked with keeping the offense rolling despite losing plenty of production. At Notre Dame, they had a subpar passing attack and he’ll have to get a lot out of a new starting quarterback at Alabama.
LSU: Mike Denbrock
Denbrock has been an offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Cincinnati and now LSU. He took over as LSU’s offensive coordinator last season. He helped them score 34.5 points per game and get to the SEC Championship Game. He is a little older as a coordinator at 59 years old, but possibly could get a head coach job if he does well again this season.
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