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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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Notre Dame
06 September 2014: Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly runs out onto the field with his players in action during a game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, at Notre Dame Stadium, in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /

No. 7: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly comes in at No. 7 on our list. He’s led the Fighting Irish to an 81-35 record over the past ten seasons, including a berth in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Notre Dame reached the CFP last season, losing to eventual national champion Clemson, but return in 2019 with quarterback Ian Book expected to take another step forward.

Kelly thrust Book into action early and it proved to be a season-saving change for the Irish. Book led the team to an 8-1 record, including wins against No. 7 Stanford, at No. 24 Virginia Tech and at USC.

The Irish got wins all over the country in 2018, continuing to build recruiting relationships away from South Bend. Neutral site victories in New York and San Diego will bolster future recruiting efforts in those areas, along with the recent trips to North Carolina and Virginia where the Irish played the Deacons and Cavaliers. Notre Dame is a proven hot-spot for 4- and 5-star recruits, though, as the Irish hasn’t had a single recruiting class in the Kelly era that ranked outside the top 17 nationally, per 247Sports.

That’s 10 consecutive seasons bringing in Top 25 talent, and Kelly’s been able to win with it. His career winning percentage of .702 ranks fifth-best among active head coaches. However, he’s still chasing that elusive national championship.