Best Coaching you've seen this season

Harbaugh at Stanford for sure....

Also SMU, Navy - these guys have been either perennial doormats or have extreme academic and enviornmental standards (Navy) that limit what they can do and who they can recruit. I used to say when Paul Johnson was at Navy that they should have just named the COY award after him- to be successful with those guys and limitations is just amazing.

Paul Rhodes, Iowa State
Bill Snyder KSU
Paul Johnson GT

not belechcuk last night

I don't know if any of these local HS coaches read this board, but I still think these guys deserve a ton of props.

The best coaching job I saw locally was Robbie Norris at Sullivan North HS in Kingsport, TN. He took over that formerly proud team a few years ago after its entire feeder system was dismantled and the program was left in shambles. He's still got basically no feeder system, very little money, a patchwork OL and defense, and only one real stud (who is a great, hard-nosed HS player but not a major college prospect by any means), yet his team went 9-3 and made the 2nd round of the playoffs. He also did what I thought were some creative, clever things with his Doublewing--an offense we really don't see much of around here anyway.

I've also got to give a ton of credit to Stacy Carter at North's crosstown rival, Sullivan South. Not only has he rebuilt a proud program that had fallen on hard times back into a true contender over the past 6 years--a reclamation project that's succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams--but this year he's guided the Rebels to a 10-2 record in the wake of a tragedy. In the opening game of the season one of their senior captains, Jake Logue, died on the field from an undetected heart condition, and their starting QB fractured his back in the 3rd game and missed half the season. In spite of all this, Carter's team is still hanging on in the playoffs, making it to the third roud. Talk about overcoming adversity.

I'd like to also cite Sullivan South's upcoming opponent in the playoffs, Jeremy Jenkins of Daniel Boone HS in Gray, TN, as another praiseworthy local coach. When Jenkins took over Boone a few years ago, they'd only had one 9 win season in 30 years as a school with basically no tradition and low expectations. Jenkins has really changed the culture there, and after going on the road and knocking off the undefeated #1 school in class 5A last week, he's got those kids believing they can do anything. The local media thinks he's a miracle worker. It's hard for me to argue with that assessment.

Also, on the other end of the state, I think that Devin Rutherford at White Station HS has also done a great job. He had a lot of talent back from a team that had made back-to-back appearances in the state semis in our biggest classification and he seems poised to do even better this year (10-2 and still alive in the 3rd round). That might not sound so impressive at first, until you consider that this year he's built the offense around an unheralded Sr. QB who hadn't even played the position since MS and turned the kid into a Mr. Football finalist pretty much overnight. Consider me impressed!

In college, well, there's:

Paul Johnson's masterful job at GT
Lane Kiffin and his work-in-progress at Tennessee
Jim Harbaugh at Stanford
Gary Patterson at TCU
Brian Kelly at Cincinatti
Ken Niumatalolo at Navy (8-3--at Navy!?!?!)

As much as I hate to say it, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban at Florida and Alabama, respectively, deserve more credit than they get. They've got talent and the offense at both schools hasn't been dominant, but the bottom line is they've kept both teams focused and undefeated after 10 games.

The NFL is full of great coaches, but Sean Payton has really stood out to me as the best HC in the league this year.

Gary Patterson to me has done an amazing job as well as Chris Peterson. I really hope they recieve their due in a shot at the BCS...

Also, a school here in Southeast PA, Avon Grove....recently started football program again about 7 years ago?, now in 4A (highest class) playoffs in District 1 (maybe 1st or 2nd toughest in the state)

Really big turnaround, this is their first non-losing season since program started back up.

North Penn, they're ranked number 1 in state but play in tough league, tough non-league schedule, undefeated so far....year in year out one of the best teams, lost a lot of talent from last year's team. Sometimes the best jobs are done when the expectations are sky high AND you meet them.

Robb Akey (and his assistants) at Idaho. The man took a program Tom Cable (yes, the one Coachbdud just mentioned) ran into the ground and two other coaches left for dead in a three year period (Nick Holt and Dennis Erickson) and brought them to a likely 8-4 record and a bowl berth in only his third year! If he chooses to write a book on program rebuilding after he retires, it will quickly become one of those books that every serious coach has in their library.

I know I'm a little biased, but somebody had to throw his name out there! ;D

Al Golden-Temple

Yes, I forgot about Al Golden...great job at Temple. They have found the formula finally!

June Jones at SMU...they can actually win the CUSA.
I would even venture to say Ellerson at Army. They may not have a winning record, but it is not the same Army it used to be.
Georgia Tech...that's been said.
Golden at Temple...Up until this year I forgot they had a team.

Winner has to be Chip Kelly at Oregon. I am sorry but for a coach to have to deal with what he had to deal with in WEEK 1 and still be in some contention for a Rose Bowl spot. That could have happened to any of us and not turned out well for the season.

Oh and me on my Online Dynasty on Playstation...I have put in some tough frustrating games at WKU running the Flexbone. Think we are about to turn things around. Playing in the Sugar Bowl tonight vs Tennessee.

Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. Tons of injuries...starting RB (Jewel Hampton) and CB (Jordan Bernstein) injured in preseason and out for the year. Yes, they have lost 2 in a row, but to get that team to play like they did at Ohio State Saturday was amazing

I have to give a shout out to Dabo Swinney.

Took over a program that he had been a part of, but it was thought that they were underachieving every year.

They also rebounded from an early season heartbreaker to GT and some in-fighting (allegedly) between coaches and coaches/coaches and administration.

Headed to the ACC championship (which isn't saying much)

1. Gary Patterson-TCU
2. Harbaugh-Stanford
3. Peterson- Boise State
4. Paul Johnson- Georgia Tech
5. Brian Kelly- Cincinnati
6. Ferentz Iowa
7. Butch Jones- Central Michigan
8. Randy Edsall- Uconn
9. Al Golden- Temple
10. Weinstadt- Pitt

Also:
Kevin Sumlin-Houston
Rob Akey- U of Idaho
Chip Kelly- Oregon
Huston Nut-Ole Miss

William and Mary DC Bob Shoop has made W&M into a top 5 1AA defense. The Tribe has been good a lot during Laycock's tenure but that's been mostly because of their offense. Now they can stop people, too.

Mike London and his staff at Richmond have made the Spiders into a 1AA power. To give credit where it's due Dave Clawson didn't exactly leave London with bare cupboards. Both of these schools have very stringent academic requirements and both staffs have done well to get them playing good football.