Sports

Ranking the Big 12's College Football Coaches for 2026

By Steven Lassan Athlon Sports

Updated May 27, 2026 2:39 PM

With the Big 12's on-field volatility, it's no surprise this conference is one of the toughest collections of coaches to rank entering the 2026 college football season. BYU's Kalani Sitake and Houston's Willie Fritz headline the rankings, but Texas Tech's Joey McGuire, Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham, and TCU's Sonny Dykes aren't far behind the top tier in Athlon's Big 12 coach rankings for '26.

Long-time coaching veterans in West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez and Kansas' Lance Leipold also rank in the top half of the conference, while Colorado's Deion Sanders and Baylor's Dave Aranda are arguably two of the toughest coaches to place this offseason.

How did we compile the rankings for coaches by conference? For starters, it's an impossible task. However, we tried to weigh every possible factor. This is not simply a list of coaches ranked by accomplishment or wins. Career biography/resume, success in developing talent and landing prospects on the recruiting trail factored into the ranking. Additionally, Athlon's annual coach rankings also take into account a blank slate and subjectivity. If you start a program from scratch, which coach would you hire knowing what they accomplished so far and their career trajectory? Remember, you don't get the assistants - only the head coach. And head-to-head wins do not matter for this ranking.

Here are the results for the Big 12 Conference:

Klein - a former record-setting quarterback from 2008-12 and assistant from 2017-23 at Kansas State - returns to his alma mater after a successful two-year run as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator. During that stint, the Aggies averaged 30.4 points a game in ‘24 and upped that average to 33.8 a contest last season. Klein has no previous head-coaching experience. However, he's one of the top play-callers in college football and certainly understands what it takes to win in Manhattan.

Scalley is a native of Salt Lake City, played his college ball with the Utes (2001-04), and worked as an assistant or in an off-field role with the program since ‘07. Essentially, he's the perfect fit to run this program after Kyle Whittingham's departure. Under Scalley's direction as coordinator, the Utes consistently ranked among college football's best on defense. He's off to a 1-0 start as head coach following a win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl. Scalley has thrived as an assistant and coordinator. However, as with any first-time head coach, he's due some growing pains in ‘26.

Frost's return to UCF after a failed stint at Nebraska resulted in a 5-7 record with two wins in Big 12 play last year. Counting his previous run with the Knights, which includes a perfect 13-0 season in ‘17, Frost is 24-14 in Orlando. Frost's 16-31 stint with the Cornhuskers was a massive disappointment. However, with another offseason to mold the roster, UCF should push for a bowl appearance in ‘26 and provide the 51-year-old coach a chance to get his career back on track.

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After a breakthrough 9-4 mark in 2024, Colorado was expected to take a step back last year with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders off to the NFL. However, the drop was steeper than most expected, as the Buffaloes went 3-9 and won just one game in Big 12 play. Sanders is 16-21 in Boulder over the last three years but is 43-27 overall as a head coach counting a previous stint at Jackson State. After a needed overhaul of the roster and staff this offseason, optimism is high for Colorado to take a step forward again in ‘26.

After back-to-back losing seasons to start his tenure at Cincinnati, Satterfield guided the Bearcats to a 7-6 record and bowl trip last year. Can Satterfield continue that momentum in ‘26? With a revamped depth chart on both sides of the ball, Cincinnati will enter this fall with low expectations. He previously went 51-24 at Appalachian State from 2014-18 and finished 25-24 at Louisville from 2019-22.

Rogers has big shoes to fill in replacing Matt Campbell in Ames. However, the 39-year-old coach should be up to the task. After his playing career ended at South Dakota State (2005-09), Rogers moved quickly through the coaching ranks, eventually becoming head coach with the Jackrabbits in ‘23. He went 27-3 over two seasons in charge at South Dakota State and won the ‘23 FCS National Championship. After going 6-6 at Washington State last year, Rogers was picked to replace Campbell after his departure to Penn State. A major roster overhaul will challenge Rogers' ability to deliver a winner right away in '26.

The ‘26 season is clearly a make-or-break year for Aranda, as he ranks among the top coaches on the hot seat. Outside of a 12-2 season with a Big 12 title in ‘22, Baylor has struggled to have consistent success under his watch. The Bears are 36-37 overall in Aranda's tenure and have four losing records over the last six years.

A new era of Oklahoma State football begins this fall after Mike Gundy's long tenure ended during the ‘25 season. Morris is no stranger to life in the Big 12 as a former Texas Tech wide receiver and assistant in Lubbock (2013-17). The Texas native went 24-18 as the head coach at Incarnate Word from 2018-21 and finished 22-16 over three years at North Texas (2023-25). Included in that stint with the Mean Green was a 12-2 record in ‘25 with an offense that averaged 45.1 points a game.

After a disappointing 4-8 debut in 2024, the Wildcats showed marked improvement in Brennan's second year. The Wildcats rebounded to 9-4, with three of the team's four defeats coming by one score last season. Brennan's coordinator changes and roster management on both sides of the ball were instrumental in last year's turnaround effort. Prior to taking over in Tucson, Brennan went 34-48 at San Jose State, with three of his final four seasons resulting in a winning record at a challenging place to win. Brennan is 47-60 overall as a head coach entering ‘26.

Rodriguez's return to Morgantown resulted in a 4-8 record last year, but West Virginia's roster is in better shape this fall and is poised to take a step forward in ‘26. The 62-year-old coach previously went 60-27 with the Mountaineers from 2001-07, including three consecutive double-digit win totals (2005-07). Rodriguez is one of the top offensive minds in the game and is 194-137-2 overall as a head coach.

Kansas is looking to get back on track in ‘26 after back-to-back 5-7 seasons. Although that two-year stretch is a disappointment, Leipold has brought significant improvement to KU. Prior to his arrival in ‘21, the Jayhawks were among the worst power conference teams in college football. After going 2-10 in his debut, Leipold went 6-7 in ‘22 and finished 9-4 in ‘23 with a No. 23 ranking in the final top 25. Leipold has won at every stop in his coaching career, including stints at Buffalo (37-33 from 2015-20) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (109-6 from 2007-14). Considering that track record, it's safe to assume Leipold will find the right answers to get this program back to a winning record in ‘26.

Dykes enters his fifth season in charge at TCU with a 36-17 record. The Horned Frogs have won at least nine games in three out of his four years at the helm, including a 13-2 mark in 2022 with a run to the national championship game. Counting previous stints at SMU (30-18 from 2017-21), California (19-30 from 2013-16), and Louisiana Tech (22-15 from 2010-12), Dykes is 107-80 overall as a head coach.

Dillingham is one of the top rising stars among power conference head coaches. He's 22-17 since taking over at his alma mater in ‘23. The Sun Devils won the Big 12 title and earned a trip to the playoff in ‘24 and finished 8-5 last season despite a couple of key players missing significant time due to injuries.

The Red Raiders took a massive step forward in McGuire's fourth season by finishing 12-2 and winning the Big 12 title and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. McGuire - a Texas native and successful high school coach before taking over with the Red Raiders - is 35-18 overall in Lubbock and has posted four consecutive winning seasons. With the investment Texas Tech has made in acquiring and retaining roster talent, the next step for McGuire is to guide the program to a deep playoff run.

With a long track record of winning and success at a high level, it's no surprise Fritz has quickly transformed Houston into a Big 12 title contender since taking over in ‘24. The Cougars went 4-8 in Fritz's debut but finished 10-3 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play last year. Houston's No. 22 ranking in the final Associated Press poll was just the program's second top 25 finish since ‘16. Counting his tenure at Houston, along with stints at Tulane, Georgia Southern, Sam Houston, and Central Missouri, Fritz is 222-127 as a head coach.

BYU has quickly emerged as one of the top programs in the Big 12 under Sitake's watch. The Cougars are 23-4 since 2024 and just missed out on a playoff appearance in back-to-back years. Sitake is 84-45 as the program's head coach and has just two losing records over 10 years in charge. The next step for Sitake? Win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff. Both goals are within reach in ‘26.

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 2:23 PM.

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