Hiring the right coach in college football can be a marriage made in heaven for some schools, but a wedge between boosters and players at others. For every Dabo Swinney, Urban Meyer, and Nick Saban, there’s also a Rich Rodriguez at Michigan or Butch Jones at Tennessee that simply did not work out.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg took a look at college football head coaching hires since 1995 and composed a list of the best 25 hires (subscription may be required). As you would expect with the success Ohio State has enjoyed over that time period, the listing includes two Buckeye hires that ended in a slew of Big Ten championships, big-time bowls, and a national title apiece between them.
By now you’ve guessed the two guys ESPN has included. Both Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer will go down as two of the best to ever coach in Columbus, and both were hired in the not-too-distant past. But what did Rittenberg say about both, and where does he have them on the list.
Here’s where both coaches stand on the best hires over the last twenty-five years.