The top 5 jobs in college football: Which programs do coaches, staffers consider the best?

So much has changed across college football over the past three years. There have been seismic coaching moves. Realignment has eliminated a power conference and forced us to reconsider how much geography actually matters. And the introduction of name, image and likeness combined with the freedom of movement provided by the transfer portal has thrown all prior convictions about roster management to the wind.

With all of these changes, we thought it was a perfect time to revisit this question we posed three years ago: What are the top five jobs in the sport?

The Athletic polled 50 people working in college football — from head coaches to general managers to assistant coaches, analysts and recruiting staffers — to determine which programs are now at the top of the food chain.

Some jobs might be attractive to one person but viewed completely differently by others. For example, one assistant coach’s ballot included Florida Atlantic (“great location, not as much pressure”) and Liberty (“they pay well, have really good facilities and that schedule”) among his top five. And the general manager of a Power 4 program said: “All that matters anymore is NIL and support.”

Even with all of the changes, a great job in 2021 is still a great job in 2024. The order of the top five has changed, but it’s composed of the usual suspects.

Note: First-place votes received 5 points, second-place received 4 points and so on. Several voters had a tie for fifth place; each school received 1 point for that vote. All voters were granted anonymity so they could speak candidly.

1. Georgia

Points: 173
First-place votes: 16
Total ballots: 43
Ranking in 2021: 3rd

Georgia might have lost to Alabama on the field last weekend, but that doesn’t change how this job is viewed in the industry.

The list of reasons this program sits in the top spot is long. As one Big Ten assistant put it: “Georgia is No. 1 because of the pool of (money) they have to pay, donor support, the facilities, the ability to consistently compete for a national championship, the tradition, the recruiting base they have in the South and the NFL pedigree that they can sell to recruits.”

Georgia is operating at peak efficiency right now. The university is committed to winning. The donors and fans are, too.

And the talent pool is immense. At one time, Texas, Florida and California were viewed as the big three states in recruiting circles, but that’s changed dramatically. The state of Georgia has produced 152 blue-chip prospects over the past three recruiting cycles (2023-25), far outpacing California (104 blue-chippers) in terms of talent production.

Georgia Tech is another in-state P4 program, but it’s not a true threat to the Bulldogs’ recruiting efforts. And though out-of-state programs such as Alabama, Tennessee and Clemson, among many others, have scored some nice recruiting wins in the state, Georgia still eats first.

The Bulldogs had all of these advantages three years ago, too, but had yet to break through and win their first national title since 1980. They won it in 2021 and followed up with another in 2022.

We’re supposed to separate coaches from the program for this exercise, but it’s difficult when Kirby Smart has Georgia functioning like the closest thing we’ve seen to Nick Saban’s Alabama.

“Kirby is the new Saban,” an AAC assistant said, “They’re ahead of the curve on everything.”

2. Texas

Points: 155
First-place votes: 12
Total ballots: 45
Ranking in 2021: 3rd

The potential is limitless. It’s the flagship university in a state that produces an abundance of talent with everything you could ask for in terms of NIL, facilities and staffing.

“It’s the absolutely unlimited resources that you have to do whatever you need,” said a Group of 5 offensive coordinator who voted Texas No. 1. “That is a place that has zero excuses (not) to win.”

The Longhorns have been strong in the NIL space from the very beginning. One of Steve Sarkisian’s most pressing priorities when he took the job was to beef up the trenches. So what did some alumni and supporters do? They created an NIL initiative that provided $50,000 annually to every scholarship offensive lineman. That total seems like nothing years later, but the thought process is what matters.

The move to the SEC will pour even more money into a program and an athletic department that was already among the richest in the nation.

Texas has had these sorts of advantages even before realignment and NIL drastically changed the sport. But internal alignment and politics are key components of this job and are reasons that have prevented the Longhorns from reaching their potential in the past.

“Texas has such a great recruiting pool. That recruiting base is just so vibrant,” an SEC coordinator said. “You just gotta know how to deal with the politics with the Texas high school coaches. They’ll screw your ass in a heartbeat. Those coaches want to be recruited like they’re the five-star. It’s totally different than anywhere else.”

An AAC assistant said: “Has everything but you have to have the personality to handle all the boosters (like Mack Brown and Sark do).”

Texas has a quality athletic director, Chris Del Conte, in place now. Sarkisian has done an outstanding job building the roster, mainly through high school recruiting but also with some key transfers. He won the Big 12 in the program’s final year in the league and is a contender for an SEC and national championship this year. And it seems like everyone is pulling in the same direction, which is why an already great job is viewed more favorably than it was in the previous iteration of this poll.

Points: 143
First-place votes: 8
Total ballots: 45
Ranking in 2021: 2nd

The Ohio State job is essentially recession-proof. The Buckeyes have avoided the sustained stretch of mediocrity that Alabama, Texas and other elite programs have experienced. The past three coaches, including Ryan Day, have won at least 82 percent of their games. The last six coaches have posted a winning percentage of .715 or better.

Ohio State has always been a power, but Urban Meyer changed the way the program recruited upon his arrival in 2012. Previous coaches relied on the best players in Ohio and the Midwest. Meyer went national and began signing top-five classes, and now the Buckeyes are one of the sport’s biggest brands. In the 2025 recruiting cycle, Ohio State holds commitments from blue-chip prospects out of Texas, Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Oklahoma, California and North Carolina. There has been a considerable talent gap between Ohio State and most of the teams in the Big Ten over the last decade.

But Michigan’s national championship served as a wake-up call for Ohio State and its supporters from an NIL perspective. The program was much more aggressive on that front this offseason and it led to significant player retention and crucial transfer portal additions.

“They can recruit nationally better than anyone else up there,” an AAC head coach said. “They can get SEC-caliber players and then they’re playing against slower teams. It’s also pretty evident that their NIL is pretty legit. And I think in this day and age, I think you judge the jobs off NIL. It starts with that, and then facilities and tradition. Like Ole Miss is a better job than it’s ever been because they’re throwing around tons of money.”

Of course, with all these advantages comes expectations. Day has yet to deliver a national championship to Columbus, and he’s lost to Michigan in three consecutive seasons. The pressure is on to beat the Wolverines and contend for the national championship this season. There are no excuses.

4. Alabama

Points: 123
First-place votes: 6
Total ballots: 43
Ranking in 2021: 1st

No program has won at a higher level for a longer period than what Alabama did under Saban. But, naturally, there’s the curiosity of what this job will be like without the greatest college coach of all time in charge.

The commitment, support and alignment are there. The recruiting appeal is strong. So is the brand power and whatever else you can think of.

But it’s tough to follow the man who just put together the greatest dynasty the sport has ever seen. Matching that success will be virtually impossible. Expectations are high, but how realistic or patient will the fans be?

“Has all (the positives) but sneaky hard (job) given expectations,” an AAC assistant coach said. “All Bama guys I worked with said UGA and LSU were a better job than Bama.”

“Saban set the standard,” a Big Ten receivers coach said, “but Saban also set the standard.”

All that might be true, but Kalen DeBoer has done all the right things since he took over in January. The Crimson Tide are recruiting at a high level — they have the No. 2 class in the country — and they just beat Georgia in a thriller to move up to No. 1 in the AP poll this week. So things are going as well as one could reasonably expect on and off the field.

“The network and the system is set,” an SEC coordinator said.

5. LSU

Points: 53
First-place votes: 3
Total ballots: 24
Ranking in 2021: 5th

There was a wide gap between the top four jobs and No. 5, but LSU is still a program with all the advantages needed to win championships.

The Tigers are the only power-conference program in Louisiana and have traditionally done an outstanding job keeping top talent from leaving the state. In the 2024 cycle, LSU signed 10 of the 11 blue-chip prospects in the state. In the current cycle, the Tigers have commitments from eight of the 12 blue-chippers from Louisiana.

“The entire state is rooting for you and they have such a great recruiting footprint,” an SEC coordinator said. “Houston is so close by and so many people there are big LSU fans. They can beat both Mississippi schools for whoever they want there, and they have that stadium and the culture. LSU is very unique. You don’t even have to recruit — you just have to evaluate, especially now that Saban is out of the game.”

It’s important to note that LSU’s previous three coaches — Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron — won a national championship. That is the expectation, and things haven’t ended well when coaches start to slip from the standard.

Miles and Orgeron were fired. Kelly reached the SEC title game in his first year but hasn’t been close to making a College Football Playoff appearance or competing for a national championship. The pressure will soon mount if this doesn’t change.

“It’s a unique job,” a Big Ten assistant said. “They can always get the top players out of that state, but if you have one bad year there, (oh), man.”

The best of the rest

Only four other programs received first-place votes: Oregon (two), USC (one), Michigan (one) and Texas A&M (one).

The Ducks ranked No. 6 with 28 points, followed by Michigan (19) and USC (16)

Three years ago, Oregon received just 10 points and ranked 14th. NIL has changed the game for the Ducks, who were a solid recruiting program before but are elite now and are a viable contender for almost any prospect they pursue.

“I think it’s gone from being a top-15 to a top six-seven job because of NIL,” a Big Ten assistant coach said.

A Power 4 head coach said: “Oregon is playing a different sport than the rest of the West Coast.”

As far as USC, a G5 coordinator said: “You have the market on the West Coast and the ability where, no matter what, you should be able to get guys. It is the West Coast school and there are not a whole lot of other big programs out there. No matter what people might say, I still think it’s an unbelievable job.”

Notably, Oregon and USC were the only two West Coast programs that received any votes. “Great places,” said an SEC assistant who considered putting those programs in his top five. “Recruiting is harder. I’ve lived it (out there.)”

Meanwhile, the allure of Texas A&M for some is still very real.

“Haven’t cashed in yet but it’s a gold mine,” a Power 4 coordinator said. “Best facilities. Most money. Most resources. NIL elite. Football state. One of the best followings. No limitations. Most don’t agree (but) just my opinion.”

Florida and Miami both received 8 points. The Florida job seems bound to open soon considering Billy Napier’s struggles. There were a couple of voters who placed the Gators just outside of the top five.

“Should be (top five),” one P4 recruiting staffer said, “but everyone keeps messing it up.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Bruce Yeung, Tim Warner, Kevin Liles / Sports Illustrated; John Korduner / Icon Sportswire)