Without further ado, here are the top 25 defensive coordinators in college football. Beyond assisting the head coach in the team management, we listed other roles of the defensive coordinator below. Hell do it again at Texas. Related content for you: Highest-graded players at every position through Week 11 of the 2021 college football season via Seth Galina. When we talk of the top best defensive coordinators in college football, Geoff Collins should be reserveda special position. In 2011, he bagged a spot as a first-team member of the college football dream team. This is a leap of faith that Coombs could well be in the top 10-15 a year from now. With Iowa earning 6 straight wins in the 2021 season and a West Division title to their name, Phil is set to take the team to the top spot in college football. The latter is six more than any other Power Five defense. READ ALSO: 10 Best Hockey Boarding Schools in USA | 2022 Ranking. See Also: The 50 Best College Football Players of All Time | 2022 Ranking. Although they ran into Joe Burrow's LSU buzzsaw in 2019, Grinch is putting the pieces together for a playoff run that will change the school's narrative. He is tied for the highest PFF grade at the position through Week 11, and his blitzing prowess is the biggest reason why. 14-ranked scoring defense in the nation, and a unit that led the ACC with 15 INTs. PFF's highest-graded defensive player last college football campaign met with the . The Badgers have allowed a 17.7% successful pass rate when they get pressure on the quarterback, which is the best in the FBS. Because of Hutchinson and Ojabos impact, the Wolverines lead the Power Five in pressure rate generated so far this season (38.8%). At Notre Dame, the veteran defensive coordinator improved their ranking and allowed an average of 369.2 yards for each game played. The 38-year-old former Wake Forest safety. Rodriguez who was a state champion wrestler and three-time state champion quarterback in high school has a nose for the ball. Until he became a head coach, Brent held national titles and numerous awards. With 9 returning starters, if the stars align, this could be an Aggies defense that leads the team to a Playoff berth. With other defensive coordinators ranking high as top coaches and going ahead to become respected head coaches in various teams, these are our 15 best defensive coordinators in college football in 2022. We want our coaches to walk in and fix things from day one, regardless of if there's talent on campus. The previous season saw him commanding the Aggies defense as a top 10 unit. All three of those players own a PFF grade north of 80.0 for the season something only four SEC interior defensive linemen can say right now. 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Can Dave Clawson and Wake Forest win the ACC Atlantic yet again? Over the years, college football has taken its spot as one of the best sports young ones is enthusiastic about while in college. Opponents managed just 14.8 points per game against the Black Knights, and the 2nd-year DC is a man to watch. Only the 2016 Alabama defense, which featured six first-round picks, comes close to Georgia this season. The ways to score in college football include touchdowns, which will earn a total of 6 points, field goals to give 3 points, two-point conversions, extra points, and safety. Our issues this year were edge rushers, LBs, and safeties. Follow on Twitter @MattHayesCFB Follow on, LSU's 3 permanent rivals for 9-game SEC schedule have been set, per report, Quinten Dormady, former Tennessee QB, under playbook investigation in XFL, Alabama basketball adds commitment from 4-star forward, FanDuel Massachusetts Promo: Pre-Launch Special Scores $100 in Bonus Bets, Jalin Hyatt impresses in limited NFL Combine showing, WynnBET Mass Promo Code: How to Claim Big Value with Pre-Launch Bonus, BetMGM UFC 285 Promo Code: Claim $1,000 First Bet Offer on Any Fight, Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code: Claim Best Bonus for UFC 285, NBA Saturday, Will Levis generated 'a noticeable buzz' during deep-ball portion of NFL Combine, Texas A&M punctuates impressive SEC season with upset of No. Can he translate that to making a talented defense significantly better? In the game of defensive football, no one does it better than Pete Golding, one of the best defensive coordinators in college football so far. 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Georgia inside linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) celebrates with Georgia outside linebacker Nolan Smith (4) after getting a sack during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Arkansas and Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Theyve combined for 83 total pressures, 20 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. Pry came to State with James Franklin and while his usually stout defense stumbled a bit in 2020, expect to see a return to form that had PSU finishing with 40 or more sacks each of the previous 5 years before last year. A former special teams coordinator for a Cincinnati program that became the first to earn a College Football Playoff berth from an Group of 5 program, Mason charged Notre Dame's special teams unit to record-setting efforts in 2022. Brian Borland, University at Buffalo Defensive Coordinator The Buffalo playcaller has built a consistently excellent unit. . Lets take a look at the best defensive coordinators in college football in 2022 in this article. His fame as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football got him a spot at Penn State as a defensive coordinator in no time. He holds the position as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football easily as the last two years saw some tough performances in the season but Brent wasnt swayed. It is the work of the coaches to recruit students who are top players from high school and have them join their teams. That's the kind of naivety only Texas fans are capable of. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores. The DC mercenary over the past 3 decades, DeRuyter has led stout defenses at Ohio, Navy, Nevada, Air Force, Texas A&M, Cal, Oregon and now Texas Tech, where hes charged with fixing a defense that has allowed 30+ points per game in each of the past 12 seasons. The internet "wisdom" is that if the defense is bad, the DC is bad. Kwiatkowski was outstanding at Washington, leading the Huskies to sub-20 PPG defensive performances in 5 of his 7 years there. A veteran coach at an above-average school? While the offensive coordinator will tell his players that the best defense is a good offense, the defensive coordinator makes it his duty to train for defense during practices and also call for defensive plays during games. Its a wash with the uncertainty and lack of hitting in the preseason. The Aggies will be looking a new defensive coordinator for the first . CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 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Presently with USC as a defensive coordinator, his defense scheme includes the defensive line attacking the gaps and creating opportunities for the linebackers to tackle. Jeff Lebby, OC, Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin has one of the brightest offensive minds in today's game. It hasnt allowed more than 25.9 since and usually has hovered around the 20-point mark. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt make up the highest-graded interior defensive line in college football. This certainly applies to Michigan, which ranks top five in the Power Five in defensive successful play rate against the pass. Including his stint as a position coach, he was in Knoxville for 20 seasons. With his strategies, the Wisconsin team has ranked top 5 in defense rank, and the Badgers ranked third in scoring defense and improving the points and yards allowed per game. have generated pressure when blitzed, as they rank second and eighth respectively among Power Five off-ball linebackers in pass-rush grade. The defensive linemen guard against any ploy to take the ball across the middle line while the 3 linebackers placed strategically in the backfield defend the runners. The stars of the Michigan defense reside on the edge. All three of those players own a PFF grade north of 80.0 for the season something only four SEC interior defensive linemen can say right now. Thats more about personnel than coaching. 10 Best Hockey Boarding Schools in USA | 2022 Ranking, The 25 Best College Football Teams of All-Time | 2022 Rankings, The 50 Best College Football Players of All Time | 2022 Ranking, The 50 Best College Football Coaches of All Time | 2022 Ranking, Best Football Prep Schools in the USA| 2022 Rankings, 15 Largest College Football Stadiums in USA, 15 Best Websites To Watch College Football Online Free, 15 Best High School Football Teams In Florida | 2022, Best Football Prep Schools in the U.S | Rankings, 20 Cute College Mascots In The USA| Pictures, 15 Largest College Football Stadiums in USA | 2022, 100 Informative Speech Topics for College Students in 2022, Top 10 D2 (DII) Colleges in North Carolina | NCAA List 2022. DeRuyter did a solid job at Cal of making a horrible defense pretty good. in Week 7, the Hawkeyes still are one of the three highest-graded teams in coverage in the Power Five. A longtime NFL assistant, he was on the verge on turning the Kentucky defense into a legit factor in the SEC, then left in 2019 for a job with the Kansas City Chiefs. As of publication, the highest paid defensive coach in Division I college football earns more than Wade Phillips in the NFL. Pass-rush matters at the Power Five level, as the pass rush can explain what happened on a given pass play just as much as coverage. That's not all Coombs of course, but he came back . Defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs defense is just a different animal. Thomas has racked up 26 combined sacks and quarterback hits while playing anywhere from nose tackle to edge defender. Brent is one of the best defensive coordinators in college football and a force to reckon with in 2022. And I didnt see a unit that looked liked they had high football IQ. Hes still an elite recruiter. In 2020, Oklahoma was the 29th-best scoring defense in the country and the ninth-best run defense. One of college footballs great maxims is that defense wins games and championships. He is known for strategic defense schemes which take the ball away from the opposing teams. Georgia won 37-0. I'm just trying to grasp how low we're willing to go with the excuses. Factors considered included team success, defensive success, longevity, success at other jobs and programs, and the likelihood that this particular defense will shine in 2021. Venables is one of the best in the business when it comes to scheming pressure, which has continued this season. This second-year coordinator tightened up the defense last year (improved from 29 to 26 PPG allowed, from 4.5 yards per carry allowed to 4.2, and from -10 turnover margin to +5). Brent Venables made $2.5 million as offensive coordinator, while Tony Elliot made $2.13 million. Hell do better with more and better players in 21. . Without further ado, here are the top 25 defensive coordinators in college football. Theyve given up only four touchdowns while picking off 18 passes in zone coverage this season. Last year, not so much (30.8 PPG allowed, 428 total yards, 35 sacks).