The excellence of college football coaches is debated often. Luckily, we have hard data to rely on behind the fast-moving fall opinions.
While raw win totals don’t say everything about a coach, the fact remains that most of the active coaches with more than 100 career victories aren’t winning games by accident.
With Nick Saban now retired and making College GameDay predictions every Saturday, you might be surprised at some of the names who have replaced him on this list.
Which Active College Football Coach Has the Most Career Wins?
Brian Kelly is the winningest active college football coach with 292 wins under his belt. Those date back through stints at Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, and Grand Valley State prior to his current position at LSU.
Technically, Kelly has won 313 games as a head coach, as of Summer 2025, but 21 were vacated from the 2012 and 2013 seasons in South Bend.
Most Career Wins Among Active College Football Coaches
| Head Coach (Current School) | Career Wins | Current School Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Kelly (LSU) | 292 | 29 |
| K.C. Keeler (Temple) | 271 | 0 |
| Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) | 216 | 204 |
| Willie Fritz (Houston) | 212 | 4 |
| Chris Creighton (Eastern Michigan) | 196 | 57 |
| Rich Rodriguez (West Virginia) | 190 | 60 |
| Dabo Swinney (Clemson) | 180 | 180 |
| Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) | 169 | 169 |
| Lance Leipold (Kansas) | 168 | 22 |
| Kyle Whittingham (Utah) | 167 | 167 |
| Bronco Mendenhall (Utah State) | 140 | 0 |
| Chuck Martin (Miami OH) | 139 | 65 |
| Troy Calhoun | 135 | 135 |
| Curt Cignetti | 130 | 11 |
| Bret Bielema (Illinois) | 125 | 28 |
| James Franklin (Penn State) | 125 | 101 |
| Jeff Monken (Army) | 120 | 79 |
| Kalen DeBoer (Alabama) | 113 | 25?? |
| Dave Doeren (NC State) | 110 | 87 |
| Kirby Smart (Georgia) | 105 | 105 |
| Butch Jones (Arkansas State) | 103 | 19 |
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