So, it’s official. Butch Jones is fired, and the Tennessee Volunteers are looking for a new head football coach. We’ve already talked about what a good coaching resume looks like, and we’ll be publishing our list of candidates and their profiles in the next couple of hours. Before that, though, I thought it would be worthwhile to develop a taxonomy of college football coaches, a sort of food chain, if you will, as it should help us in evaluating candidates.
There are a lot of ways to do this, but what we’ve ended up with a four levels of “Proven Winners,” Up and Comers, Great Coordinators, Gurus, and On Hiatus. The categories are not mutually exclusive; for instance, a Guru is probably also in one of the Proven Winner categories. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be much of a guru, would he? And coaches in all categories except those that are On Hiatus would need to be headhunted from their current job. Note, too, that listing someone as an example in a category isn’t meant to imply that they’re available, desired, or obtainable by Tennessee.
The Proven Winner, Level One – National Champion
This is a head coach who’s regularly winning at the highest level and has recently won a national championship (or a bunch of them).
Examples: Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney, Urban Meyer. Maybe Jimbo Fisher and Les Miles, although they each have a recency problem.
The Proven Winner, Level Two – Major Conference Champion
This is a head coach who’s regularly winning at the highest level, but hasn’t quite gotten to the pinnacle with a national championship yet. He’s regularly winning Power 5 conference championships. “Regularly” might be a bit strong; “recently” might be enough.
Examples: Bob Stoops, Gary Patterson, James Franklin, Mark Dantonio, Chris Petersen, David Shaw, Chip Kelly.
The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender
This is a head coach who’s regularly competing for championships in a Power 5 conference, but not regularly (or recently) winning them.
Examples: Justin Fuente, Mike Gundy, Gus Malzahn, Jim Harbaugh, Bobby Petrino, Charlie Strong, Paul Chryst, and Jim McElwain (maybe?). Also, Bret Bielema, who won championships in the Big 10, but he has a Peter Principle issue to overcome, not having duplicated his Big 10 success in the SEC.
The Proven Winner, Level Four – Mid-Major Champion
This is a head coach with a track record of winning non-Power 5 conferences.
Examples: Tom Herman, Scott Satterfield, Matt Campbell, Jeff Brohm, Willie Taggart, Lane Kiffin, Matt Rhule, P.J. Fleck, Brian Harsin, Blake Anderson, Butch Jones.
Up and comer
This is a head coach who is beginning to make a name for himself but doesn’t yet have a record of sustained success.
Examples: Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Scott Frost, Mike Norvell, Phillip Montgomery, Jason Candle.
Great coordinators
This is a coach who is currently serving as an offensive or defensive coordinator for a proven winner at a major program.
Examples: John Chavis, Jeremy Pruitt, Brent Venables, Lane Kiffin, Jim Moorhead, Mike Bobo, Chad Morris, Dave Aranda, Todd Grantham.
Gurus
These are guys who are known as innovators in their respective areas. They are likely also in one of the higher-level Proven Winner categories, but also may not have had the opportunity at a major program yet.
Examples: Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, Chip Kelly, Mike Leach, Gary Patterson, Nick Saban, David Cutcliffe, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin.
Pros
These are guys whose primary experience has been in the NFL ranks. Translation to college is iffy.
Examples: Jon Gruden, Jim Bob Cooter, Lovie Smith, Bobby Petrino.
On Hiatus
These are guys who are either between coaching jobs or presumably out to pasture. They probably don’t have buyouts.
Examples: Chip Kelly, Les Miles, Bob Stoops, Phillip Fulmer, Jon Gruden.