Ranking college football's new head coaches: Will Lane Kiffin, James Franklin, or someone else have best Year 1? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2025-26 college football coaching carousel was one of the most dramatic we've seen in some time. At the power-conference level, it was headlined by Lane Kiffin becoming one of the sport's biggest villains when he left Ole Miss for LSU in the middle of a College Football Playoff season.
Last year also saw James Franklin go from being Penn State's second-winningest coach in school history to a new face at Virginia Tech. Michigan then landed longtime Utah veteran Kyle Whittingham in a late-cycle hire.
No one has a crystal ball, of course, but the sporting world lives for predictions. With that, we try to rank all 17 of the new power-conference head coaches to find out who will make the most noise and finish their first seasons the strongest.
MORE: 2026 SN Preseason All-America Team | All-America teams by decade
You are probably rolling your eyes, but Kiffin has earned this spot. The Tigers' roster is one of the most talented in the nation, featuring big-time transfer portal additions in quarterback Sam Leavitt, EDGE rusher Princewell Umanmielen and receiver Eugene Wilson III.
#college #franklin #Football #head
The 2025-26 college football coaching carousel was one of the most dramatic we've seen in some time. At the power-conference level, it was headlined by Lane Kiffin becoming one of the sport's biggest villains when he left Ole Miss for LSU in the middle of a College Football Playoff season.
Last year also saw James Franklin go from being Penn State's second-winningest coach in school history to a new face at Virginia Tech. Michigan then landed longtime Utah veteran Kyle Whittingham in a late-cycle hire.
No one has a crystal ball, of course, but the sporting world lives for predictions. With that, we try to rank all 17 of the new power-conference head coaches to find out who will make the most noise and finish their first seasons the strongest.
MORE: 2026 SN Preseason All-America Team | All-America teams by decade
You are probably rolling your eyes, but Kiffin has earned this spot. The Tigers' roster is one of the most talented in the nation, featuring big-time transfer portal additions in quarterback Sam Leavitt, EDGE rusher Princewell Umanmielen and receiver Eugene Wilson III.
#college #franklin #Football #head
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