CBS Sports has released its top-25 Power Four coaches for the 2024-25 football season. This year‘s coaching carousel has been one for the ages. Along with the usual year-to-year insanity, two of the greatest coaches in 2024 — including arguably the greatest college head coach of all time — have left college football altogether.
Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for another chance at the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. Nick Saban, on the other hand, chose to retire from the game, ending one of the most influential dynasties in college football history. With their departures, some room at the top of the list opened.
There has been a lot of movement since January, but some of the usual suspects like Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, and Brian Kelly are on the list. But that begs the question, where exactly does Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney rank?
Tom Fronelli ranks Swinney as the third-best coach in the Power Four. Here’s what he had to say about Coach Swinney:
Dabo stays at No. 3 this year, but the spot feels tenuous. Had Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh stuck around, would he still be in the top three? I’m skeptical. Swinney does things his way, and I don’t blame him because when you’ve had as much success as he’s had doing it his way, it’s natural to resist change.
That refusal to adapt, however, played a role in Clemson failing to win at least 10 games last year for the first time since 2010. There are four teams who have yet to accept an incoming transfer this offseason. Three of them are service academies. Clemson is the fourth. 2023 rank: 3
Despite having a down season in 2023 and his Crusade against the transfer portal, the two-time national championship coach continues to be regarded as one of the best in the nation.
Swinney also held onto his third-place 2023 rankings, but as Fronelli wrote, would he be top-three if Harbaugh and Saban didn’t leave? Swinney will have every opportunity to answer that this fall.