Ranking 2010 ACC Football: Coaches

Posted by Brandon Rink on August 10, 2010 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article

Ranking the ACC coaches is quite a task – got some help from Twitter today…

Opened up the rankings to Twitter today and here’s how it turned out…

1) Frank Beamer – 1.36
2) Paul Johnson – 1.9
3) Jim Grobe – 4.22
4) Butch Davis – 4.36
5) Frank Spaziani – 6.1
6) Dabo Swinney – 6.5
7) Randy Shannon – 6.8
8) David Cutcliffe – 7.09
9) Jimbo Fisher 7.2
10) Tom O’Brien – 10
11) Mike London – 10.22
12) Ralph Friedgen – 10.7

Check out the individual votes here.

My Rankings

1) Frank Beamer-Virginia Tech Hokies
Overall Record: 229-115-4. Record at VT: 187-92-2. ACC: 38-10.
The ACC record can’t be topped over the long run – he has the most ACC titles of any current ACC coach.

2) Paul Johnson-Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Overall Record: 127-46. Record at GT: 20-7. ACC: 13-4.
The strong first two seasons are a temptation to vault Johnson to the top. There’s not a coach I would rather have calling the plays in the ACC.

3) Jim Grobe-Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Overall Record: 92-84-1. Record at Wake: 59-51. ACC: 31-41.
Obviously, the record doesn’t show all of Grobe’s work, but he found a way to ride a redshirt freshman QB to an ACC title in 2006 and has made the Wake program respectable.

4) David Cutcliffe-Duke Blue Devils
Overall Record: 53-44. Record at Duke: 9-15. ACC: 4-12.
Another record doesn’t show it guy, but he has made strides at a heavy-basketball school and the Blue Devils are no longer that easy check mark for a W in the ACC.

5) Butch Davis-North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall Record: 71-38. Record at UNC: 20-18. ACC: 11-13.
At Miami, Davis amassed that great record, but at UNC, he’s been middle of the road. This is a big year for Davis for whether he climbs or falls among the ranks of ACC coaches.

6) Dabo Swinney-Clemson Tigers
Overall Record: 13-8. Record at Clemson: 13-8. ACC: 9-4.
Just in one full year at Clemson, Swinney took the Tigers to their first Atlantic Division crown, and were one defensive stop from taking the title. But we really get to see how good he is in 2010 with his top offensive stars gone.

7) Tom O’Brien-North Carolina State Wolfpack
Overall Record: 91-66. Record at NC State: 16-21. ACC: 19-21.
O’Brien has done about one thing really well – beat his rival – after that, he has had issues with injuries and not showing for games like Duke and others.

8) Jimbo Fisher-Florida State Seminoles
Overall Record: 0-0. Record at FSU: 0-0. ACC: 0-0.
The overall record is a bit skewed since he was the de facto coach last year, and I’m a big fan of his offensive coaching and defensive hires in the offseason.

9) Randy Shannon-Miami Hurricanes
Overall Record: 21-17. Record at Miami: 21-17. ACC: 11-13.
The ‘Canes have improved each year under Shannon, and the rubber meets the road in 2010 for where Shannon’s place in the coaching community really is.

10) Frank Spaziani-Boston College Eagles
Overall Record: 9-5. Record at BC: 9-5. ACC: 5-3.
Spaziani took a team with a freshman QB to an 8 win campaign in 2009, and with another strong defense coming back, the Eagles could be poised for an ACC run.

11) Ralph Friedgen-Maryland Terrapins
Overall Record: 66-46. Record at Maryland: 64-46. ACC: 38-34.
A 2-10 season will knock a coach down, and things are on a downhill slope for Friedgen from seasons at Maryland where he won 8, 9, 10, 11 games with the Terps.

12) Mike London-Virginia Cavaliers
Overall Record: 24-5. Record at Virginia: 0-0. ACC: 0-0.
London is the big unknown in the ACC – he talks the talk, but I want to see him coach the ‘Hoos before I move him up the rankings.

We heard Twitter’s ranking – how do you rank them?