Coaches Research Hub
Search any coach, jump to the record answer, then verify it with year-by-year rows, ranked-game splits, school impact, and comparisons.
Answer Pages
Fast answers, deeper profiles.
Current Research Window
Search coach records, career wins, win percentage, and rankings from the same filtered universe as the discovery visuals below. Start from the recommended sample, then tighten the field around identity, school, time span, or quality.
1271
Coaches in view
1786 indexed coaches available
11694
Coach-seasons
12392 total coach-season rows
2/51
Page position
1271 coaches in the current filtered result set
Summary and Filtering
Coach search stays primary, then school, archetype, time span, and quality sharpen the rankings. The recommended starting point is 3+ seasons.
Primary Discovery
Start with career shape or flip to identity. Either way, the chart, the coach summary, the outlier list, and the table context all stay synchronized.
Start with the simplest question: who paired real strength with a repeatable week-to-week shape?
Frank Leahy
Volatility: 9.13 • Average SRS: 22.65
86.4% win rate • 38.3 peak SRS
Hover or focus a point to isolate it. Click a coach to carry that selection into the results table.
Average SRS reads overall strength. Volatility is the spread of season-to-season SRS, so lower values mean a steadier profile.
Career shape lens
This is the clearest first-pass view for peak versus stability. It is the best place to start browsing.
Frank Leahy is currently highlighted in the success vs volatility view.
These callouts update with the active discovery mode and filtered coach set.
Highest peak
Red Blaik
Single-season ceiling leader in the current filtered set.
Most consistent elite coach
Tom Osborne
High average strength without the season-to-season swing.
Steadiest floor
Pete Reynolds
Lowest volatility in the view. Lower is more stable.
Elite but volatile
Chuck Fairbanks
Big ceiling, but the weekly shape moved around more than the steady tier.
Keep the ceiling board in view, but as a support module for the active lens, not the main destination.
1. Harry Hughes
1916
2. Red Blaik
1945
3. Nelson Norgren
1916
4. Henry Williams
1905
5. Amos Alonzo Stagg
1905
Supporting Insights
These are shortcuts into the same table below. Performance leads the stack, while stability and longevity stay visible without competing with the main chart.
Performance
The fastest path into peak and results leaders.
Single-season ceiling leaders.
1. Harry Hughes
1916 Colorado State (6-0-1)
2. Red Blaik
1945 Army (9-0)
3. Nelson Norgren
1916 Utah (3-2)
4. Henry Williams
1905 Minnesota (10-1)
5. Amos Alonzo Stagg
1905 Chicago (11-0)
Who won the most across a meaningful sample.
1. Walter Camp
5 seasons
2. Curt Cignetti
2025 Indiana (16-0)
3. Knute Rockne
1924 Notre Dame (10-0)
4. Ryan Day
2019 Ohio State (13-1)
5. Frank Leahy
1946 Notre Dame (8-0-1)
Coaches who stacked elite endings.
1. Bear Bryant
1971 Alabama (11-1)
2. Joe Paterno
1994 Penn State (12-0)
3. Tom Osborne
1995 Nebraska (12-0)
4. Nick Saban
2016 Alabama (14-1)
5. Bo Schembechler
1973 Michigan (10-0-1)
Stability
Who stays in control year after year.
Low SRS volatility among winning coaches with a real sample.
1. Parke Davis
1897 Lafayette (9-2-1)
2. Manny Diaz
2025 Duke (9-5)
3. Ryan Silverfield
2022 Memphis (7-6)
4. Lloyd Carr
1997 Michigan (12-0)
5. Elmer Layden
1938 Notre Dame (8-1)
Longevity
Long arcs, big samples, and durable careers.
Big careers and long arcs.
1. John Anderson
1976 Brown (8-1)
2. Paul Davis
1963 Mississippi State (7-2-2)
3. Amos Alonzo Stagg
1905 Chicago (11-0)
4. George Barclay
1951 Washington and Lee (6-4)
5. Joe Paterno
1994 Penn State (12-0)
Results Table
1271 filtered coaches in view. Lower rank numbers are better. Lower volatility means more stable. Lower SP Def numbers are better on the identity chart.
| Compare | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ara Parseghian 131-52-5 • 1956-1974 | Northwestern, Notre Dame | 19 | 188 | 131 | 52 | 71.0% | 19.6 | 32.2 1970 peak | 9.3 | 34.7 | 12.4 | #1 | 9 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Blair Cherry 32-10-1 • 1947-1950 | Texas | 4 | 43 | 32 | 10 | 75.6% | 21.9 | 30.7 1947 peak | 5.5 | — | — | #3 | 2 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Joe Paterno 409-136-3 • 1966-2011 | Penn State | 46 | 548 | 409 | 136 | 74.9% | 15.6 | 30.6 1994 peak | 7.9 | 35.2 | 16.9 | #1 | 22 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Chris Petersen 147-38 • 2006-2019 | Boise State, Washington | 14 | 185 | 147 | 38 | 79.5% | 15.1 | 27.3 2016 peak | 6.5 | 35.7 | 18.3 | #4 | 5 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Red Blaik 166-48-14 • 1934-1958 | Army, Dartmouth | 25 | 228 | 166 | 48 | 75.9% | 13.3 | 44.1 1945 peak | 11.6 | — | — | #1 | 9 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Dan Devine 172-57-9 • 1955-1980 | Arizona State, Missouri +1 | 22 | 238 | 172 | 57 | 74.2% | 14.7 | 31.3 1977 peak | 7.3 | 33.7 | 12.7 | #1 | 7 | Defense-First Peak Dominator | |
Howard Jones 194-64-21 • 1908-1940 | Duke, Iowa +4 | 29 | 279 | 194 | 64 | 73.3% | 16.1 | 35.3 1931 peak | 11.8 | — | — | #0 | 3 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Dan Lanning 48-8 • 2022-2025 | Oregon | 4 | 56 | 48 | 8 | 85.7% | 18.9 | 22.3 2023 peak | 3.4 | 42.4 | 18.6 | #3 | 2 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Steve Spurrier 228-89-2 • 1987-2015 | Duke, Florida +1 | 26 | 319 | 228 | 89 | 71.8% | 14.9 | 31.2 1996 peak | 8.8 | 38.9 | 21.3 | #1 | 13 | Offense-First Peak Dominator | |
Jimbo Fisher 128-48 • 2010-2023 | Florida State, Texas A&M | 14 | 176 | 128 | 48 | 72.7% | 14.8 | 31.3 2013 peak | 5.9 | 37.1 | 16.4 | #1 | 5 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Jim Harbaugh 118-46 • 2007-2023 | Michigan, Stanford | 13 | 164 | 118 | 46 | 72.0% | 15.2 | 30.2 2010 peak | 9.8 | 34.7 | 17.5 | #1 | 5 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Marcus Freeman 43-12 • 2021-2025 | Notre Dame | 5 | 55 | 43 | 12 | 78.2% | 18.2 | 24.1 2025 peak | 4.9 | 36.3 | 17.5 | #2 | 2 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Bobby Dodd 165-64-8 • 1945-1966 | Georgia Tech | 22 | 237 | 165 | 64 | 71.3% | 16.0 | 28.3 1956 peak | 6.2 | — | — | #2 | 7 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Bill Battle 59-22-2 • 1970-1976 | Tennessee | 7 | 83 | 59 | 22 | 72.3% | 16.4 | 28.3 1970 peak | 7.0 | 29.8 | 14.0 | #4 | 3 | Defense-First Peak Dominator | |
Vince Dooley 201-77-10 • 1964-1988 | Georgia | 25 | 288 | 201 | 77 | 71.5% | 15.9 | 26.2 1981 peak | 5.4 | 31.7 | 15.6 | #1 | 8 | Defense-First Peak Dominator | |
Lincoln Riley 90-28 • 2017-2025 | Oklahoma, USC | 9 | 118 | 90 | 28 | 76.3% | 15.8 | 22.7 2017 peak | 5.1 | 44.3 | 26.0 | #3 | 4 | Offense-First Peak Dominator | |
Curt Cignetti 46-6 • 2022-2025 | Indiana, James Madison | 4 | 52 | 46 | 6 | 88.5% | 14.5 | 27.3 2025 peak | 8.8 | 35.4 | 18.4 | #10 | 1 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Phillip Fulmer 151-52-1 • 1992-2008 | Tennessee | 17 | 204 | 151 | 52 | 74.3% | 14.9 | 24.4 1993 peak | 6.4 | 37.0 | 18.7 | #1 | 6 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Lloyd Carr 122-40 • 1995-2007 | Michigan | 13 | 162 | 122 | 40 | 75.3% | 16.3 | 21.5 1997 peak | 2.9 | 36.6 | 17.5 | #1 | 5 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Frank Broyles 149-62-6 • 1957-1976 | Arkansas, Missouri | 20 | 217 | 149 | 62 | 70.0% | 15.2 | 26.1 1970 peak | 7.7 | 30.5 | 17.4 | #2 | 9 | Defense-First Peak Dominator | |
Mark Richt 171-64 • 2001-2018 | Georgia, Miami | 18 | 235 | 171 | 64 | 72.8% | 15.0 | 23.7 2014 peak | 4.5 | 36.5 | 16.0 | #2 | 7 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Jim Tatum 100-35-7 • 1942-1958 | Maryland, North Carolina +1 | 14 | 142 | 100 | 35 | 72.9% | 14.0 | 25.9 1951 peak | 7.3 | — | — | #1 | 4 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Bernie Bierman 144-56-9 • 1925-1950 | Iowa Pre-Flight, Minnesota +2 | 24 | 209 | 144 | 56 | 71.0% | 13.9 | 27.8 1934 peak | 9.6 | — | — | #1 | 6 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Charles McClendon 135-61-7 • 1962-1979 | LSU | 18 | 203 | 135 | 61 | 68.2% | 16.2 | 26.1 1969 peak | 5.7 | 29.6 | 14.9 | #7 | 5 | Defense-First Peak Dominator | |
Mark Helfrich 37-16 • 2013-2016 | Oregon | 4 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 69.8% | 17.1 | 27.1 2014 peak | 10.4 | 46.0 | 26.9 | #2 | 2 | Offense-First Peak Dominator |