Ranking the Best Coaches in the Big 12

[@shortsallyear8602]

As a BYU fan. Coach Witt is the current best coach.

[@davidbradham3515]

As a Ute fan, I couldn't agree more. I was afraid when Urban left, that he would bolt for BYU

[@GreenSpider69]

As an Iowa State fan. I think A tier is acceptable until we win the league or get 10 wins.

[@kirkmoody6109]

Nah his nfl talent says otherwise

[@notmyrealname1730]

Whittingham also does what he does with mostly 3 star recruits. His recuit class us usually ranked in the middle of the FBS.

[@jimedick9496]

Kyle Whittington is the best coach in the Big 12. Personally, I think he’s a top 5 coach nationally. When you look at his success, vs his the recruiting star power, he shouldn’t have that many wins, but not only dues he win, he’s won championships. Point is, he knows what to look for, and he recruits and develops these young men to be physical and smart players. That alone says a lot about his coaching abilities. He does more with less. I’m a Duck fan, so my opinion doesn’t mean a whole lot. But there’s no denying his coaching chops. I have mad respect for him as an all around head coach. It’s obvious his players love him and play very hard for him. I think Gundy is nipping on the heels of KW. What he has done is nothing short of impressive.

[@kirkmoody6109]

He hasn't won championships actually he won 2 pac12 championships that no longer matter and that didn't matter becuase he won win the top pac12 teams were all down playing like crap. The big12 is still a tougher conference than the pac ever was the pac12 was soft as baby shit utah won't do better than 9-3 KW isn't that great and he will figure that out quickly

[@jimedick9496]

@@kirkmoody6109 Please use quotations, it’s hard to understand your writing. I like the Big 12. Where did I insinuate anything negative? My post isn’t a jab at any other coach, it’s a compliment to KW. I’m not even a Ute fan. I’m an Oregon fan. I’m still calling it like I see it. kW and are my two top coaches. Great coaches across the board. Geez dude, relax

[@notmyrealname1730]

​@@kirkmoody6109 thanks for the input, zoob.

[@Cooe.]

​​​​​@@kirkmoody6109Lol this is absolutely absurd. 🤣 The Pac-12 as a whole was stronger than the ACC and Big-12 for most of its last ≈3-4 years. 🤷 See Washington's playoff run vs the absolute implosion that was TCU's (or any of Oklahoma's attempts). The Pac-12 was loaded with consistently good teams during that era (which is what caused the parity playoff spot cannibalisation it was so very infamous for) whereas the Big-12 might have one great team, but only a couple good ones and then a ton of absolute garbage! Your Iowa State fanboyness is freaking hilarious though! 😂

[@NealBrownnBeers]

Big 12 Party/Tailgate scene tier list next 😂😂

[@knightu1642]

LOL! I like this one!!!

[@larryparis925]

"Coach" Sub-Prime belongs in the D Tier. The guy is a ham.

[@chasewade6482]

My question about Sonny Dykes is that he has a very mid record without Riley as OC and then really good with Riley at OC. What is Sonny without Riley moving forward?

[@timbruchmiller1042]

Texas Tech has the third most B12 conference wins since 1996, behind Kstate(the most) & okie state(2nd most)!!

[@IMWeblike]

Next year coach 'Prime' will have double digit wins, if you total all three seasons....

[@knightu1642]

LOL! Possibly. But I do hope a majority of our Big 12 coaches have good to excellent seasons! I would love to see 6 teams in the top 25 with at least 2 to 3 in the top 12 to make the playoffs!

[@grondhero]

🤣

[@ostentatioussavant8215]

He would have had double digit wins this past year had they just won the close games. They had 6 losses decided by a touchdown or less. Pretty impressive when you consider how absolutely terrible their line was.

[@Number4lead]

Sanders wins in th category of most annoying and most overrated.

[@RCJH2022]

Ohhhh, That's a BINGO!

[@krtodd1]

The Big 12 is absolutely loaded with great coaches.

[@ervinjd]

You nailed it John. Wouldn't change a thing.

[@Ace0000087]

Campbell and Iowa State did play for a Big12 Title a few years ago

[@rkarins3825]

Dykes is B/C Tier. His record as a HC speaks for itself (the 2022 season being an outlier).

[@GoHawgs1987]

Haven't watched yet, but it's Gundy as number 1. Eight 10-win seasons at a program like Oklahoma State is unbelievable, considering their history before him. They had 13 losing seasons from 1989 to 2005. And they havent had a losing season under Gundy.

[@NealBrownnBeers]

Respect what Leipold and Klieman have done at their schools, but Gundy should be 1 or now with Whitt probably at two and the Kansas coaches and Campbell rounding out the Top 5.

[@ChrisWade-um5wl]

Gundy does have 1 losing season. His first in 2005. 4-7. Other than that, none. Best coach on the Big 12

[@kirkmoody6109]

​@NealBrownnBeers I don't see how utah comes in automatically good I don't see them doing better than 9-3 losses to Arizona, iowa state, and okstate

[@GoHawgs1987]

@ChrisWade-um5wl Good catch. I was thinking Miles was still there for that. It's still incredible. It makes me wonder what he could do with a good few recruiting cycles. Even for having to convince guys to come to Stillwater, his one knock is that he or his staff aren't great recruiters. He'll get like a 45th ranked class coming off an 11 win season.

[@andrew_0_8288]

⁠@@kirkmoody6109 the last time Utah had 3 conference losses outside of last year’s injury ridden season was 2018. The only way they lose 3 this year is if they choke very poorly. They will be favored in every (minus maybe okstate) game they play this year.

[@gunwrencher1566]

Your assessment of Campbell is surprisingly objective.

[@jrod112278]

I'd move Dykes to the B tier, Leipold to the A tier, Prime to the C tier, and Sataki to the C tier. Other than that, good list.

[@defylogictech]

Hey John... Enjoyed this video. Not bad on the Choices. All can be rationalized.

[@timchadd2865]

Kyle Wittingham immediately becomes the best coach in the BigXII. Everyone else can debate on who’s second.

[@GreggRobinson-rb3xy]

No way sanders is even close to the top. Why? What has he done at D1 level? ESPN jumps on any new big thing and makes a big production of it and then it quickly fizzles out. I love sanders the coach, the person, the father and his spiritual awareness, but prove it to me on the field.

[@jeffwoollard2280]

The rating for Neal Brown at this point is about right, and maybe a little high for his overall record. That said, I believe he has finally built something in Morgantown and has the ability to coach with anyone with the right Jimmy and Joe's. We'll find out after this season. The Mountaineer's first game of the season will start to tell the rest of the story, and keep in mind that Brown's team won the last time they played Gundy's team in Stillwater. Nice video! Keep up the good work.

[@johnnyhutchinson5394]

I'm not sure about his coaching ability just yet. I've seen some good coaching from him, but I've also seen way too many baffling coaching decisions from him. This year is make or break, across the board. Looking at who we beat and who beat us, last year's record is not very impressive. This year's schedule should be far more telling.

[@stevencraven4897]

John - Did you play with Kalani at BYU?

[@grondhero]

As a TCU fan, I hope you're correct on Dykes. This year I think we'll find out what kind of coach he really is. Thankfully, he brought in a decent defensive coordinator. I hated having a defense with more holes than a golf course. As a TCU fan and Dallas Cowboys fan, I think you have Sanders too high. Remember, he sat down with Joel Klatt and claimed they were going 15-0 year one. From that perspective (and his personality) he's a D-tier coach, IMHO. We'll see what happens this year, but I guarantee Shadeur won't survive the season if he takes another 52 sacks.

[@sarahmccoy1941]

There are a lot of good coaches. I don’t know who should belong in the best category.

[@johnfaris5376]

KS has had BYU finished ranked a couple of years, he is an likable guy and seems like a decent recruiter, especially when one considers the challenges of getting college age guys to commit to live BYU's honor code, a tough sell for anybody. Solid coach IMHO

[@kayakyakyakr]

I think you're pretty much right. McGuire at a B is right. I think Gus should probably be B right now, has room to grow. Fritz is a great coach. I worry about his tenure, he's way up there in age. Prime as a b-tier is ok. We'll see where he goes in year 2, and if he even sticks around for year 3. Sataki I'd probably have in C as well to give room to grow rather than room to fall

[@NealBrownnBeers]

Fair spot for Neal sadly, top of C at least is what I see as fair. How high some of the fanbase seems to think of him is somewhat trolling the portion of the fanbase that hates him. Way I see him is that be ironically reminds me a fair bit of Ted Lasso, he seems like a great guy and you want to root for him but it does feel like there are frustrating results at times.

[@jwilburn4712]

Great pics Although I'd put coach PRIME on the D tier I understand why you placed him where you did

[@joaquinmorales3673]

Kenny Dillingham did more with an injury riddled O-line and QBs, than Dieon Sanders did with all the louis he brought in. Smdh.

[@Monkey2398]

Kyle Witt by far… and I’m a byu fan.

[@logotzip3967]

huge Iowa State fan here, I honestly thought you'd put Campbell in the B tier. He's done incredible work at ISU, but he's disappointed the last few years. 2021 and 2022 were pretty big let downs. Last year was a pleasant surprise but 7-6 still isn't anything phenomenal. A-B is the right spot for him.

[@G-Blockster]

Fair list.

[@ChrisWade-um5wl]

Kleiman & Leipold are A tier. They need more time performing at the FBS level to be S tier.

[@JKTKst8Cat]

It’s a conference specific list not national list.

[@ChrisWade-um5wl]

@@JKTKst8Cat Even more why they are A tier. Leipold has only coached KU for 3 years. He’s resurrected the program and a solid coach but he needs more than 3 years to get S tier. Kleinman is also a very good coach but only 5 seasons as HC at KSU. You need more time for S tier status. Gundy & Whittingham are a step above both of them.

[@ericedwards3055]

I'm sooo ready for season to start. Love Gus but I think we lose 3 games this season.

[@sarahmccoy1941]

Mike Gundy - DUI! DUI! DUI!

[@charlesschwaboverhere5582]

"Most drunk fanbases" 1. Texas Tech 1. West Virginia 2. Everyone else

[@JKTKst8Cat]

I think you need a conf championship to sit at S tier. Period. At the end of the day they are hired to bring W’s

[@CactusOnTheBrazos]

Why is a 4-8 coach on the graphic???

[@JJ-yx6jy]

LOL Klieman no S tier coach 🤣🤣🤣

[@RCJH2022]

This portal strategy is going to KILL Colorado going forward. He's made them relevant in the media but It reminds me of Charlie Weis at KU (I Know, I know... 🙄🙄 But hear me out!) He got rid of everyone, brought in a bunch of high rated 5th yr SR transfers, Transfers and JUCO guys who could "PLAY NOW". He let the HS recruiting numbers slip then 4 years later KU had maybe 35-40 scholarship players when a new coach came in. Obviously the portal is different but based on the numbers (5hs commits in 24, 6 in 25 so far) that's what prime is looking at.

[@timbruchmiller1042]

S tier should only be reserved for conference champs! liepold has no business in the S tier, I think you are too close to KU to see that one 9 win season does not deserve S tier; also Malzan should be s tier as he is the only coach in history to have beaten Nick Sabin 50% of the time!!

[@knightu1642]

I love your reasoning for Coach Malzahn at S tier! I would love for him to be there. But I honestly think only conference champion coaches should make the S tier. And I never knew he had such a high winning percentage against Saban!

[@horn3363]

I know deon is in a non football coach tier. Like movie and social media tier

[@ostentatioussavant8215]

Exactly, he's at a level above these guys. Probably win the Big 12 easily, tbh.

[@horn3363]

@@ostentatioussavant8215 he can't even keep a team together. Like 121 turnover since 22' looks like he can't get it right

[@ostentatioussavant8215]

@@horn3363 Players from losing teams tend to have bad work ethics and bad energy. High turnover is mostly positive in this case.

[@adrianvasquez254]

What’s the point of an S tier? Don’t we all grade based on A-F?

[@ostentatioussavant8215]

No, not everyone grades on A-F. S tier originated in Japan where S is the highest grade possible. It is considered superlative to an A, a practically flawless performance and is a grade that is rarely given.

[@knightu1642]

I agree with Coach Gus at A tier. I honestly would have thought you'd put him in B and that would have been fine too just because it was an average season last year. I do see his potential to get UCF to an 8-10 win season sooner than later but we shall see! Good job overall on the list John!

[@machutson5493]

Keep putting us Mountaineers down, just more cannon fodder.

[@jamesbond-fb9fp]

Prime is D until he proves otherwise.

[@jacklaw3962]

'Coach' prime is not actually a coach. He is a hype machine because of his former career as a player in the NFL. I've yet to hear one high level coaching attribute that he has...other than he attracts talent. So...make him the GM or Director of Marketing.

[@ThePoliticalAv]

Bill Self is the best coach in the Big 12

[@Number4lead]

Getting sick of seeing Sanders mug all over the media. He isn't even top 8.

[@michaelturley9140]

Im sorry but Neal Brown has rebuilt the WVU program. When Houston hired Holgorsen, Dana left our talent base utterly destroyed and the 5 years that you want to criticize Brown because he didn't win was while he was coaching a team without players. Well surprise! Brown now has players and the results are beginning to reflect that. You stupidly blame Brown for injuries caused by Dana Holgorsen. Houston fired Holgorsen for doing EXACTLY what he did at WVU....Holgorsen FAILED to recruit replenishing talent. If you sleep on the talent Brown is building at WVU then prepare yourselves for the losses that come with that mistake.

[@stevencraven4897]

Deion is a poser who has hired good assistants.

[@Okcguy]

😂 please you all know mike G is number 1 and then there’s every one else after that

[@derekbentz6036]

Deion B tier lol.

[@robertpearce4316]

Dave and neil cant be in the same tier Dave needs to be lower. Sonny has done well over all but 1 year with not his players. C at best

[@JohnKurtzShow]

I can’t get there when Aranda won a Big 12 title and a sugar bowl and Neal Brown hasn’t had more than an 8 win regular season at the P4 level

[@robertpearce4316]

@@JohnKurtzShow dave has a 1 win season plus 75% of his years were losing years

[@jackernst612]

@timchadd......- 0 ( zero ) Big 12 wins...........so 100 % B.S.

[@basementhorrorsreview]

UC will win 7 games this season, it seems like the only people who don’t have Satts back are non UC fans who have no clue what is happening on campus behind the scenes with this team. They will be right back to or better than what they were with Fickell in the next few seasons. Remember Fickell had a losing season his first season at UC, transition isn’t easy.