Ranking College Football Coaches: 5 Best First-Year Coaches In 2026

There are 14 head coaches making a true debut as first-time FBS head coaches in 2026. 

There’s also a 15th candidate who is a pseudo-qualifier: NDSU head coach Tim Polasek, who is technically a first-time FBS head coach now that the Bison are playing the Mountain West. 

With more than 10% of FBS bringing in new head coaches who have not previously led a college football program at the highest level of Div. I- there’s sure to be some variance. Some programs will thrive; others will be hiring again in three years.

These are the coaches I believe are best positioned to succeed. 

Pete Golding, Ole Miss

It’s easy to have confidence in a first-time coach when he’s already won multiple College Football Playoff games.

When Pete Golding took over for Lane Kiffin at the end of last season, I assumed it was just the Ole Miss athletic administration doing the best they could in a bad situation. But Golding – who spent five years as the defensive coordinator at Alabama before joining Ole Miss in the same role in 2023 – showed real grit and talent in leading Ole Miss past Georgia and into the 2025 semifinals.

Ole Miss’ schedule is brutally hard this year, including games against Florida, Texas, Georgia, Auburn, Oklahoma, and rival Ole Miss. But with one of the Heisman favorites playing quarterback, Golding will be in position to deal out punishment to his chief rivals in the conference and position himself for a return to the postseason in his first full season as a coach. 

Tosh Lupoi, Cal

Tosh Lupoi is well-known as a high-energy leader and master recruiter. He trekked down the coast this offseason from Oregon to Cal, where he’s taking over a West Coast ACC program.

That’s a complicated enough scenario that it’s fair to be either optimistic or pessimistic about the situation. But for me, the most interesting piece of Lupoi’s inaugural coaching season is his staffing strategy.

Lupoi has gone all in on the idea of a young staff. Virtually no one on his staff is old enough to run for president. Experience is minimal, and everyone has a co-coordinator. Many of the guys on staff are in their late 20s or early 30s and have NFL development backgrounds. 

It’s a fascinating way to try to recruit and develop young college players – particularly considering the challenges of recruiting high-level talent at a place like Berkley. Keep an eye on the Golden Bears over the next couple of years.

Morgan Scalley, Utah

If you’re going to apprentice under a college football coach, you could do a lot worse than Kyle Whittingham. Morgan Scalley is a relative unknown outside of the state of Utah, but he’s been on the staff in Salt Lake City since 2008. He became the defensive coordinator in 2016 and the head-coach-in-waiting in 2024. 

Like Golding, Scalley took over for last year’s postseason and impressed the fans, scalding Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl. His staff is deeply connected to the state of Utah and will recruit well against BYU and Utah State. Utah will remain a primary power center in the Big 12 under Scalley. 

Mike Jacobs, Toledo

One hiring move I’ve grown to really like in recent years is reaching past the hot coordinator names to grab a successful lower-level coach. That’s exactly what the Toledo administration did when Jason Candle left for UConn at the end of last season, grabbing Mike Jacobs from Mercer. 

Jacobs did a good enough job at Mercer, joining in 2024 and promptly winning the program’s first two conference championships. Before that, he was a Division II coach at Lenoir-Rhyne (2020-23) and Notre Dame College (2016-19). His overall record as a head coach is 94-23. 

I think this will absolutely translate at Toledo, which is only about two hours west of his old Notre Dame stomping grounds in northern Ohio. His offensive coordinator, Cris Reisert, was the recent head coach of Gardner-Webb – a doormat of an FCS program until he revitalized their offense. Virtually everyone on staff has great Ohio connections, so I like their ability to identify and recruit good MAC talent. 

Toledo struggled to get over the hump and actually win the championship under Candle. Jacobs could change that. 

Collin Klein, Kansas State

To be honest, I don’t love a lot of the remaining hires. But the best of the bunch is probably Kansas State bringing Collin Klein home.

Klein, who was a real Heisman threat for K-State back in 2012, was a hulking beast of a dual-threat quarterback. I personally watched him destroy Geno Smith’s WVU team in Morgantown in 2012. It was scary.

Klein got some seasoning in recent years in the Big 12 and SEC, including most recently as a co-OC at Texas A&M under Mike Elko. That seemed to be enough for Kansas State, which pulled the trigger on a Klein hire after Chris Klieman left at the end of last season.

Klieman was arguably the best coach in the Big 12, and Klein is probably coming into this job a few years too early. Still, he’ll have a lot of authority in building the Kansas State brand and recruiting in the area, which could help him bridge that experience gap. 

I don’t think Kansas State is going to be good right away, but I could see them growing into a regular contender role over the next few years.

Best First-Year Coaches In 2026

• Pete Golding (Ole Miss)
• Tosh Lupoi (Cal)
• Morgan Scalley (Utah)
• Mike Jacobs (Toledo)
• Collin Klein (Kansas State)