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Top 20 college football head coaches heading into 2017

By Nicholas Ian Allen

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 26: (R-L) Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 26: (R-L) Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – APRIL 15: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – APRIL 15: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

12. Tom Herman, Texas Longhorns

  • Career Record: 22-4 (.846), two seasons
  • Record at Texas: 0-0, first season
  • Championships and Awards: 2015 American Athletic Conference Champions, 2015 AAC Co-Coach of the Year

There are two criteria that are particularly dangerous when it comes to evaluating head coaches in college football: small sample sizes and potential. New Texas head coach Tom Herman fits into both categories, and has yet to face the demands of a game leading one of the most prestigious programs in college football history onto the field. Nevertheless, given his outstanding performance at Houston, which caught the eyes of the decision makers in Austin, Herman has earned a spot on our list.

After calling plays for the 2014 College Football Playoff National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes, Herman was given his first head coaching opportunity at Houston. He capitalized immediately by leading the Cougars (who were 8-5 the year before he arrived) to a 13-1 record and a win over No. 20 Temple in the AAC Championship Game, which put Houston No. 14 in the playoff committee’s final rankings and earned UH a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Houston capped the year with a 38-24 victory over No. 9 Florida State in the Peach Bowl. After a 9-4 record in 2016, Herman left for Texas with an impressive 22-4 overall record that included a perfect 6-0 mark against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

Nearly as impressive as his performance in the win column, Herman was able to win on the recruiting trail as well. No high school recruit given a consensus five-star rating had ever signed with a school outside a Power Five conference since the 247Sports Composite came into existence. Yet in his first full recruiting cycle, even with the rumors swirling that a bigger program would swoop him up quickly, Herman was able to convince Houston native and No. 6 overall recruit Ed Oliver to stay home and sign with the Cougars.