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Power 5 Head Coaching Tiers: Where Does Vols Head Coach Butch Jones Fall?

By Zach Ragan

Sep 24, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones during the second half against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 38-28. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones during the second half against the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 38-28. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 15, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema shakes hands with Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze after the game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated Ole Miss 34-30. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema shakes hands with Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze after the game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated Ole Miss 34-30. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

Tier 4 — Perennial Winners

You can typically count on these coaches to take their team to a bowl game and have their team either in the top 25 or on the cusp of the top 25.

  • Bret Bielema — Arkansas (93-50)
  • Butch Jones — Tennessee (80-48)
  • Larry Fedora — North Carolina (77-44)
  • PJ Fleck — Minnesota (30-22)
  • Mike Leach — Washington State (113-77)
  • Jim Mora Jr — UCLA (41-24)
  • Todd Graham — Arizona State (88-55)
  • Paul Johnson — Georgia Tech (177-87)
  • Hugh Freeze — Ole Miss (69-32)
  • Will Muschamp — South Carolina (34-28)
  • Bronco Mendenhall — Virginia (101-53)
  • Dana Holgersen — West Virginia (46-31)
  • Kirk Ferentz — Iowa (147-113)
  • Rich Rodriguez — Arizona (156-113-2)
  • Pat Fitzgerald — Northwestern (77-62)
  • Kirby Smart — Georgia (8-5)
  • Justin Fuente — Virginia Tech (36-27)
  • Clay Helton — USC (16-7)
  • Pat Narduzzi — Pittsburgh (16-10)
  • Dave Doeren — NC State (48-30)
  • Paul Chryst — Wisconsin (40-25)
  • Mike Riley — Nebraska (108-91)
  • Matt Campbell — Iowa State (38-24)
  • Jeff Brohm — Purdue (30-10)

This is the tier where most college football coaches fall.

These are good coaches, that typically field a winning team. Sometimes they have a 10 win season. Other years they’re looking at seven wins, but they typically reach a bowl game.

For what it’s worth, I do believe the coaches at the top of this tier are better than the ones at the bottom of the tier. But I don’t think there’s enough separation to warrant a different tier for a coach like Larry Fedora and say Mike Riley.

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