Coaching tiers shape 2025 season

An editorial look at how this season's coaching tiers reflect money, risk, and leadership in college football.

Freeman rises Venables under pressure shape 2025 coaching tiers

The Athletic again ranks FBS head coaches in eight tiers, judging the full body of work from resume to longevity and the ability to sustain success across different programs. The piece explains that this ranking focuses on head coaches only and excludes first-year captains, arguing the job requires a mix of CEO instincts and hands-on coaching. It notes Marcus Freeman moves up after Notre Dame’s recent run, while Brent Venables remains under scrutiny despite long‑standing credentials. Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney are highlighted as the only coaches with multiple national titles at the top of the ladder, and Ryan Day’s placement is debated because of his recent losses to Michigan and the broader context of Ohio State’s challengers. Beyond the very top, the list shows a large middle where coaches have won big but not yet sealed a national championship, including coaches who have reached CFP semifinals and others who are still climbing. The piece also features candid agent commentary on how money and resources influence outcomes in today’s game, from USC’s strategy to be measured against ROI to Lanning’s organizational strengths in Oregon.

The ranking paints a shifting landscape where leadership style matters as much as on field results. The move for Marcus Freeman signals that a strong early finish can propel a coach through the ranks, while Brent Venables’ status shows how quickly expectations and scrutiny follow a program with high resources and a demanding fan base. The discussion around investment highlights a core tension: spend more, but not always win more, which can invite public reaction and donor scrutiny. The piece also implies that the sport’s governance is increasingly about balancing a coach’s ability to recruit, develop, and mobilize resources with the pressure to deliver in a compressed window. As NIL and big budgets change the game, the traditional ladder of success now carries more moving parts than ever before. A future where coaching decisions are judged by ROI as much as rings seems increasingly likely, and that reality will test institutions’ patience and calendars alike.

Highlights

The coaching ladder will keep moving as resources, expectations, and schedules evolve.