Ranking the Big Ten head football coaches entering the 2024 season
Coaching turnover ruled the offseason both in the Big Ten and across college football.
Many of the moves set off several dominoes, like Nick Saban retiring at Alabama, which then led to Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer taking the Alabama vacancy and Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch moving over to Washington.
Related: Which Big Ten football team has the toughest conference schedule in 2024?
All of these coaching changes — from Saban’s retirement, to Jim Harbaugh’s move to the NFL, to Jonathan Smith moving from Oregon State to Michigan State — have at least some effect on the Big Ten landscape. Whether it’s a direct move or triggers subsequent assistant movement, Wisconsin fans should be interested in the results of the coaching carousel.
Entering the 2024 season there are five new head coaches in the Big Ten (UCLA, Indiana, Washington, Michigan, Michigan State), plus the addition of USC’s Lincoln Riley and Oregon’s Dan Lanning. The coaching landscape looks a lot different than it did at this time a year ago.
So far this offseason we’ve ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.
Now, here are Badgers Wire’s official Big Ten head coach rankings entering the 2024 season:
DeShaun Foster (UCLA)
Head Coaching Record: 0-0 (UCLA 2024-present)
UCLA Program Rank: No. 11
Foster takes over the UCLA job after former head coach Chip Kelly took the vacant offensive coordinator post at Ohio State.
There aren’t any negative reviews of him as a head coach, more just it being a complete unknown. Foster has been a running backs coach since 2016, never an offensive coordinator or head coach. So this promotion can either be a big hit or the exact opposite.
Curt Cignetti (Indiana)
Head Coaching Record: 19-4 (James Madison 2022-2023, Indiana 2024-present)
Indiana Program Rank: No. 17
Admittedly, this is partially an Indiana program rank. Cignetti might be a good coach, but it would take a heroic effort to win at Indiana in the new Big Ten. He did very well in two years at James Madison before taking the job this offseason. I’d bet against that carrying over into 2024 and beyond.
Ryan Walters (Purdue)
Head Coaching Record: 4-8 (Purdue 2023-present)
Purdue Program Rank: No. 15
Walters went through a tough first season at Purdue. The Boilermakers went 4-8 and just 3-6 in Big Ten play, finishing tied for last place in the Big Ten West.
A few things are true here: it’ll take some time for Walters to install his program after highly successful head coach Jeff Brohm left for Louisville, but it’s also really hard to win at Purdue.
Like Cignetti at Indiana, I’d bet against Walters turning Purdue into a consistent winner.
David Braun (Northwestern)
Head Coaching Record: 8-5 (Northwestern 2023-present)
Northwestern Program Rank: No. 18
David Braun might’ve done the most impressive coaching job of anybody in the nation last year. Northwestern struggles to recruit and it can’t bring any transfers, so Braun will be coaching with the second-most-talented team in almost every game.
Pat Fitzgerald was a terrific head coach at Northwestern for decades. Braun won’t reach that level, especially given the current state of college athletics.
Greg Schiano (Rutgers)
Head Coaching Record: 87-95 (Rutgers 2001-2011, 2020-2023)
Rutgers Program Rank: No. 16
Greg Schiano actually has Rutgers trending in a solid direction after a 7-6 2023 season — his first winning season since returning to Rutgers in 2020. The team will return 74% of its production entering 2024, so the Scarlet Knights could be competitive yet again.
Schiano isn’t turning Rutgers into a turnstile winner, but he’s trending in the right direction entering 2024.
P.J. Fleck (Minnesota)
Head Coaching Record: 80-56 (Western Michigan 2013-2016, Minnesota 2017-2023)
Minnesota Program Rank: No. 14
P.J. Fleck is a lot of things, the term ‘polarizing’ is one of them.
He carried a ton of momentum from the end of his Western Michigan tenure into his start at Minnesota. That saw a 11-2 2019 campaign, a mark the Minnesota program hasn’t been able to match since.
Now, the program is off a 6-7 2023 campaign which saw a last-place finish in the Big Ten West. His 2024 recruiting class is ranked No. 39 in the nation, that after a No. 53 finish in 2023 and No. 52 in 2022. Things are not trending in the right direction for. Fleck.
Mike Locksley (Maryland)
Head Coaching Record: 31-59 (New Mexico 2009-2011, Maryland 2015-present)
Maryland Program Rank: No. 12
The story of Maryland under Mike Locksley is predictable: a 4-0 or 5-0 start through part of October, then a complete collapse once conference play begins. His team finished 8-5 in both 2022 and 2023, but each came after a torrid stretch to start the season.
His tenure at New Mexico was a complete failure with only two wins in 2.5 years. But he seems to have figured things out at Maryland. The Terrapins now have three straight winning seasons (2021-2023), the program’s first solid stretch since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
We need to see what the program looks like without Taulia Tagovailoa under center finally. Either way, I’m holding Locksley stock entering the new age of the Big Ten.
Jedd Fisch (Washington)
Head Coaching Record: 17-22 (UCLA 2017, Arizona 2021-2023, Washington 2024-present)
Washington Program Rank: No. 5
Jedd Fisch takes over the Washington job after Kalen DeBoer surprisingly left for Alabama.
Fisch showed an impressive winning ability at Arizona, taking the program from 1-11 in his first year, to 5-7 in his second to 10-3 this past season. Expect that winning to continue now at a far superior program.
The biggest knock on Fisch is a lack of longevity, which he can easily prove with several good seasons with the Huskies.
Sherrone Moore (Michigan)
Head Coaching Record: 4-0 (Michigan interim in 2023)
Michigan Program Rank: No. 3
Sherrone Moore takes over Michigan at the peak of its powers as a program. The problem: Jim Harbaugh took nearly every top assistant with him to the Los Angeles Chargers, and most of the 2023 team’s top contributors are gone to the NFL or graduation.
Moore’s spot on this ranking is due completely to the unknown. He could keep Michigan at a Big Ten-winning level for the next decade, or the program could slip back to the pack in the conference under his watch.
I’m giving Moore the benefit of the doubt given Michigan’s recent history, his exceptional work as interim coach and his prowess on the offensive side of the football. A lot of that will rely on whether the recruiting success continues.
Bret Bielema (Illinois)
Head Coaching Record: 115-77 (Wisconsin 2006-2012, Arkansas 2013-2017, Illinois 2021-present)
Illinois Program Rank: No. 13
Bret Bielema won’t win national titles at Illinois. He likely won’t even win a Big Ten title. But Bielema’s coaching pedigree, especially at Wisconsin in the early 2010s, warrants respect on this list.
Remember, this is a ranking of coaches in the conference, not who will win the most games this season.
I think Bielema has another strong coaching run in him, whether it’s at Illinois or elsewhere in a few years.
Jonathan Smith (Michigan State)
Head Coaching Record: 34-35 (Oregon State 2018-2023, Michigan State 2024-present)
Michigan State Program Rank: No. 9
Jonathan Smith was one of the hottest young coaching names in this cycle after years of success at Oregon State. It feels like a home run hire for Michigan State as the program looks for a sense of continuity after the Mel Tucker era quickly collapsed.
Smith brings with him highly-touted young quarterback Aidan Chiles and the ability to build a strong on-field identity.
Yes, he isn’t proven like some other coaches in the conference are. But I’m high on Smith as one of the better coaches in the conference.
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
Head Coaching Record: 196-119 (Iowa 1999-present)
Iowa Program Rank: No. 10
Kirk Ferentz is a legend of the game. No, he isn’t winning conference titles. But he’s built a consistent winner at Iowa for the last 25 years.
Consider this: Iowa failed to reach six wins only once since 2001. The program has eight double-digit win seasons in that span, including a 10-4 mark in 2023.
Yes, the offensive side of the football is in shambles and needs fixing, plus the new era of the Big Ten doesn’t help Ferentz’s approach. But all he does is win football games, so he deserves a good spot on this list.
Luke Fickell (Wisconsin)
Head Coaching Record: 71-31 (Ohio State 2011, Cincinnati 2017-2022, Wisconsin 2023-present)
Wisconsin Program Rank: No. 7
Luke Fickell is a proven winner, becoming the first coach to take a Group of Five program to the College Football Playoff when he did so at Cincinnati in 2021.
His tenure at Wisconsin is still in its infancy, especially as he and offensive coordinator Phil Longo look to craft the roster to their respective approaches on each side of the football.
I think Fickell has a ton of room to grow in the coming years. He’s proven to be a very good coach, but hasn’t won enough yet to be labeled ‘elite.’
Matt Rhule (Nebraska)
Head Coaching Record: 52-50 (Temple 2013-2016, Baylor 2017-2019, Nebraska 2023-present)
Nebraska Program Rank: No. 8
Matt Rhule is a terrific college football coach. He is also a horrible NFL coach who shouldn’t return to that level.
Rhule’s programs share a trajectory: terrible first season, solid second season, breakout third season. At Temple, he went from 2-10 to 6-6 to 10-4. At Baylor, he progressed from 1-11, to 7-6, to 11-3.
Now at Nebraska, a 5-7 first season could point toward an imminent breakout.
Rhule could leapfrog a few coaches ahead of him if Nebraska starts churning out 10-win seasons again. I think he’s that good of a coach.
James Franklin (Penn State)
Head Coaching Record: 112-54 (Vanderbilt 2011-2013, Penn State 2014-present)
Penn State Program Rank: No. 4
This is where the program’s ‘elite’ coaches begin.
Many call James Franklin ‘overrated’ when Penn State continues to drop big games to Michigan and Ohio State. My question then is, but how do you rate him?
He’s clearly better than every coach in the conference, except for the two — now three with a new addition — he can’t seem to beat. That means he’s perfectly rated, as the No. 4 coach in the conference.
Lincoln Riley (USC)
Head Coaching Record: 74-18 (Oklahoma 2017-2021, USC 2022-present)
USC Program Rank: No. 6
Riley is in an interesting case at the moment. He’s regarded as one of the best offensive coaches in the sport, has developed several Heisman winners and other top draft picks and took Oklahoma to two College Football Playoff births.
But things are rocky at the moment. Riley fired longtime defensive coordinator Alex Grinch during the 2023 season, needing to remake a side of the ball that held his team back for years. Now he’s entering a Big Ten where defense is the identity.
I’d bet on Riley’s ability to evolve and figure things out in the new Big Ten. He has the offense and Heisman-caliber quarterback part solved — something most other coaches struggle with.
Ryan Day (Ohio State)
Head Coaching Record: 56-8 (Ohio State 2018-present)
Ohio State Program Rank: No. 2
A few things are true here. First, I don’t love Ryan Day as a head coach and think Ohio State is being held back at the moment. Second, he was a 44-yard field goal away from winning a National Championship in 2022. Even with all the criticisms, it’s hard to argue with the track record.
Day must ascend to the top of the conference now that Jim Harbaugh is gone from Michigan. Otherwise, Ohio State won’t have trouble finding a new coach.
Dan Lanning (Oregon)
Head Coaching Record: 22-5 (Oregon 2022-present)
Oregon Program Rank: No. 1
I ranked Oregon No. 1 in the forward-looking Big Ten program power ranking, I’m picking the Ducks to go 12-0 this season and now I’m putting Lanning as the best coach in the Big Ten. I’m a believer.
The former Georgia defensive coordinator in only two years at Oregon already has the program recruiting at a top-5 clip. The high school talent paired with savvy transfer portal moves has Lanning’s team entering the 2024 season as SP+’s No. 3 team in the nation.
If I had to bet on any Big Ten coach to win multiple National Championships in the next 10 years, it would be Dan Lanning.
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