USA Today's Top 25 College Football Coaches

#25 -- MARK STOOPS, Kentucky

Kentucky is no longer just known for basketball -- and Mark Stoops is the primary reason why. Using his extensive recruiting ties in both Florida and Ohio, he's built a very strong roster in Lexington. The Wildcats have eight bowl appearances with Stoops as the head coach -- including two 10-win seasons. Considering the history of the program, and the fact they play in the SEC, this is essentially unheard of.

#24 -- JOSH HEUPEL, Tennessee

In just three seasons, Heupel has already brought Tennessee back to national prominence. The Vols are in a spot that they haven't resided in since the late '90s/early '00s. And, Heupel can be credited for that turnaround. He joined Tennessee in the 2021 season after three winning seasons at UCF. Heupel's Vols won 11 games last year and boasted the nation's top-scoring offense. Though some of his biggest playmakers left for the NFL following the '22 season, it doesn't seem like Tennessee's attack will slow down any time soon as long as Heupel is at the helm.

#23 -- Jamey Chadwell, Liberty
#22 -- Jedd Fisch, Washington
#21 -- Dave Doeren, N.C. State

#20 -- ELIAH DRINKWITZ, Missouri

Only 40 years old, Drinkwitz should have a long coaching career ahead of him. Drinkwitz's rise to becoming one of the hottest names in college football seemingly came out of nowhere. Before joining Missouri in 2020, Drinkwitz had been a head coach for one year. In 2019, he led Appalachian State to a 12-1 record. His work that season was enough to convince Mizzou to bring him on as head coach, and that faith is being rewarded. The Tigers were great in 2023 -- finishing the year with an 11-2 record and a national ranking of No. 8.

#19 -- James Franklin, Penn State
#18 -- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
#17 -- Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
#16 -- Jeff Brohm, Louisville
#15 -- Chris Klieman, Kansas State
#14 -- Lincoln Riley, USC
#13 -- Willie Fritz, Houston
#12 -- Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
#11 -- Dan Lanning, Oregon

#10 -- STEVE SARKISIAN, Texas

Sark is throwing up the horns and is feeling great about the state of his program. Earlier in his coaching career, Sarkisian had underwhelming stints as the head coach at both Washington and USC. His reputation took a hit following his USC tenure, but a nice run as Alabama's offensive coordinator resulted in one more crack at guiding a program. Sark took over as Texas' headman in 2021, and the program took a huge step in '23. The Longhorns knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa, went on to win the Big 12, and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. Now, Sark will look to take over the SEC.

#9 -- LANE KIFFIN, Ole Miss

Kiffin knows how to coach offense -- and he knows how to recruit. The former USC headman seemingly has gotten humbled in recent years. That'll happen when you go from head coach of the (then) Oakland Raiders to running the Florida Atlantic program. This perspective seemingly has done Kiffin a ton of good. He's now a more likable, seemingly down-to-Earth figure. In the process, he took the Ole Miss job with the hopes of turning it into a threat in the loaded SEC West. He's led Ole Miss to Bowl Games in each of his four seasons, and has finished in the top-30 in scoring every year.

#8 -- Mike Norvell, Florida State

#7 -- BRIAN KELLY, LSU

Brian Kelly's decision to leave South Bend for the LSU job was a bit of a gamble. In his last five years at Notre Dame, Kelly won 54 games. He's just over 10 years removed from having the Fighting Irish in the National Title game. However, Kelly believed that making a move to an SEC power could be highly beneficial. In Year 1 with the Tigers, Kelly led LSU to a 10-4 record capped off with a dominant 63-7 Citrus Bowl victory over Purdue. The Tigers are still a step behind the elite teams in the conference, but Kelly has started his tenure with back-to-back 10-win seasons.

#6 -- Lance Leipold, Kansas
#5 -- Ryan Day, Ohio State
#4 -- Dabo Swinney, Clemson
#3 -- Kyle Wittingham, Utah

#2 -- KALEN DeBOER, Alabama

Following a quick rebuild at Fresno State, Kalen DeBoer was plucked by a Washington team in desperate need of a makeover. In his first year with the Huskies, DeBoer led the team to an 11-2 record and a win in the Alamo Bowl. With stars such as QB Michael Penix Jr. and WR's Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, the Huskies reached the National Championship Game in 2023 -- where they came up short against Michigan. Following Nick Saban's retirement, DeBoer was convinced by Alabama brass to take over the program.

#1 -- KIRBY SMART, Georgia

At only 48 years of age, Kirby Smart is sitting pretty. Smart is coaching a premium program in the heart of the most talent-rich region in the country. He's winning recruiting battles versus Alabama, and can even stake the claim as the current best program within the SEC. Smart has won two National Championships with the Bulldogs, and Georgia should find itself in the playoffs once again in 2024 -- and that's thanks in large part to the job Smart has done building this program and establishing its identity as the current national juggernaut.