Athlon Sports Ranks all 130 Coaches
23. Scott Frost, Nebraska
It's probably safe to assume Frost will be moving up in these rankings over the next couple of seasons. The former Nebraska quarterback has returned to Lincoln to restore the program to national prominence. Frost has established an outstanding resume in a short amount of time. After a short NFL career, Frost worked as a graduate assistant at Nebraska and Kansas State, followed by a two-year stint at Northern Iowa as a defensive assistant. He joined Oregon's staff in 2009 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in '13. Frost called the plays for the Ducks' high-powered offense until he was hired as UCF's head coach prior to the 2016 campaign. The Knights made dramatic progress in Frost's first year, improving from 0-12 in 2015 to 6-7 in '16. UCF took another big step forward in 2017, finishing 13-0 and No. 6 nationally in the final Associated Press poll. This is one of the top hires for the 2017-18 coaching carousel, as Frost should win in a big way at his alma mater.
27. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Ferentz is the nation's longest-tenured head coach going into the 2018 season. During his time in Iowa City, Ferentz has recorded 143 victories, guided the program to 15 bowl trips and finished six times in the final Associated Press top 25 poll. Also, Iowa went to the Rose Bowl in 2015 and has won at least eight games in four out of the last five years. Since 2007, the Hawkeyes have just one losing season (2012). It's a sign of the Big Ten's coaching depth when Ferentz tranks No. 8 in the league.
23. Scott Frost, Nebraska
It's probably safe to assume Frost will be moving up in these rankings over the next couple of seasons. The former Nebraska quarterback has returned to Lincoln to restore the program to national prominence. Frost has established an outstanding resume in a short amount of time. After a short NFL career, Frost worked as a graduate assistant at Nebraska and Kansas State, followed by a two-year stint at Northern Iowa as a defensive assistant. He joined Oregon's staff in 2009 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in '13. Frost called the plays for the Ducks' high-powered offense until he was hired as UCF's head coach prior to the 2016 campaign. The Knights made dramatic progress in Frost's first year, improving from 0-12 in 2015 to 6-7 in '16. UCF took another big step forward in 2017, finishing 13-0 and No. 6 nationally in the final Associated Press poll. This is one of the top hires for the 2017-18 coaching carousel, as Frost should win in a big way at his alma mater.
27. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Ferentz is the nation's longest-tenured head coach going into the 2018 season. During his time in Iowa City, Ferentz has recorded 143 victories, guided the program to 15 bowl trips and finished six times in the final Associated Press top 25 poll. Also, Iowa went to the Rose Bowl in 2015 and has won at least eight games in four out of the last five years. Since 2007, the Hawkeyes have just one losing season (2012). It's a sign of the Big Ten's coaching depth when Ferentz tranks No. 8 in the league.
