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College football coach rankings: Has Dabo Swinney officially surpassed Nick Saban?

By Phil Poling

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers meets head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide at mid-field after his 44-16 win in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers meets head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide at mid-field after his 44-16 win in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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college football coaches
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 01: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns reacts during the second half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Has Dabo Swinney overtaken Nick Saban as the best college football coach? Ranking the 10 best coaches entering the 2019 season.

What makes a college football head coach great? Is it recruiting the best players? Winning games? Developing talent? A combination of all three, plus a little luck? There’s not just one blueprint, but these are a great base for any coach trying to build a foundation.

The easiest way to compile this list – college football’s ten best head coaches in 2019 – was to simply ask, “Who would you want to start a college football program with?” Each coach presents unique abilities. But like each coach is different from the next, so too is each school and challenge.

Being in a place that supports football obviously helps, too, but winning either forces that support or a move to a bigger stage. A few on this list fall into that category, a coach who outgrew his surroundings, but a handful has taken on the biggest programs in the sport. First on our list is one of the latter, and the program he heads seems larger than life – that could all be location, though.

No. 10: Tom Herman, Texas

With only five years of experience at the helm of a college football program, Tom Herman still manages to land on our list of best head coaches in 2019. He led his first team at Houston (2015-2016) to a 22-4 record over two seasons, including a 13-1 campaign in 2015 that resulted in a Peach Bowl victory.

Since returning to his alma mater as the head coach in 2017, Herman’s re-established the Longhorns among college football’s elite. His overall record is only 17-10, but a 10-4 2018 season capped-off with a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia has the team and fans dreaming of a College Football Playoff berth in the near future.

With quarterback Sam Ehlinger and wide receiver Collin Johnson already in place, the Longhorns are in solid position to compete. But if they’re to contend, unproven players will need to step up. That means contributions from not only backups but recruits as well. Luckily, Herman’s good at that game, too.

Per 247Sports, both Herman’s 2018 and 2019 recruiting classes rank as the third-best in the country, first in the Big 12. That includes four 5-star recruits and 31 4-star recruits. Are Sooner fans getting nervous yet?

Texas delivered Oklahoma their only regular-season loss in 2018. The Sooners got revenge in the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game, however, but the Longhorns are determined to build on their recent success. After all, Oklahoma will have yet another first-year starter under center (Jalen Hurts), giving the Sooners a potential wrinkle to iron out before the Red River Showdown.