rating every football teach in the AAC from 1-11 heading into the 2021 seasonPosted by Mcbride Cobb on May 19th, 2021 
We're nevertheless a couple of months far from the on-box action, but with spring follow periods basically concluded, school football's list and ranking season is upon us. Coming later this week at CBS sports is the annual ranking of all 65 vigor five head coaches. however, the AAC's coaches deserve a little love, too, because the convention continues to produce satisfactory courses led with the aid of terrific names. Former Auburn teach Gus Malzahn is coming into the league this season at UCF, and he brings the league's total of former power five coaches to four when counting Luke Fickell's season as Ohio State's interim head coach in 2011. beyond that neighborhood, which also comprises SMU's Sonny Dykes (Cal) and Houston's Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia), there may be also a couple of head coaches with specifically stunning resumes from their days as vigor 5 assistants. Tulsa's Philip Montgomery became Robert Griffin III's quarterbacks instruct and co-offensive coordinator at Baylor when Griffin received the Heisman Trophy in 2011. meanwhile, 2d-year South Florida educate Jeff Scott became part of two countrywide championship staffs at Clemson as co-offensive coordinator. The different 5 coaches have also compiled good information at their present or old head-coaching stops. So with out further ado, here is how our staff traces up the AAC coaches getting into 2021 using varying standards that absorbs head-teaching heritage, contemporary on-container effects, future abilities and intangibles into one rating. After a four-eight debut season at Cincinnati in 2018, Fickell is 31-5 (20-3 AAC) during the last three seasons and has dependent the Bearcats as the classification of the AAC. Fickell's quick elevation of the application after its loss of life beneath Tommy Tuberville has been stunning. The longtime Ohio State assistant and former Buckeyes meantime head coach could have departed for a pretty vigour five opportunity by means of now however has as an alternative opted to dwell and construct a powerhouse in his home state. lamentably, it appears as although playoff expansion or a flow to one other league may be Cincinnati's most effective path to the playoff. but the indisputable fact that Fickell has the software knocking on the door of the CFP is a testomony to his chops as a head train. A win at Notre Dame on Oct. 2 might send Fickell-Mania into overdrive after the Bearcats fell simply short against Georgia in the Peach Bowl remaining season. 2020 AAC rating: 1 2. Ken Niumatalolo, Navy The fact that Niumatalolo stays at No. 2 within the rankings after a three-7 season indicates the recognize the 56-yr-historical veteran has won while guiding the program to a one hundred and one-67 checklist in view that taking the reins from Paul Johnson on the conclusion of the 2007 season. Navy has logged three seasons of 10 wins or greater under his path, together with an 11-2 campaign in 2019. A cautious ramp-as much as the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and numerous injuries set the program back ultimate season, but Navy and its choice assault don't seem to be going anywhere. If the Midshipmen can settle on a quarterback and preserve him match in 2021, they should return to bowl eligibility. although, if things smash towards them again, it may make three out of four years by which the Midshipmen have didn't make a bowl, and that would put Niumatalolo liable to slipping in prestige among his AAC friends. 2020 AAC rating: 2 3. Gus Malzahn, UCF The incontrovertible fact that Malzahn is debuting three spots bigger in the AAC train rankings than his predecessor, Josh Heupel, shows how high the expectations are for the previous Auburn train in Orlando. Heupel turned into 22-4 in two seasons when he landed at No. 6 on this list last season, and he has due to the fact that moved on to an SEC gig at Tennessee. So it's not tough to see why the UCF trustworthy are positive that their football renaissance will continue under a train who owns three victories in opposition t Nick Saban from a pretty good run in the SEC. The 55-12 months-historical Malzahn could be an improve over Heupel, however he should reveal that he is still a excessive-caliber offensive educate after his Auburn teams struggled to reach their potential offensively in contemporary years. Having a star at quarterback in Dillon Gabriel should mean the Knights beginning his tenure with a excessive floor. Nonconference video games against Boise State and Louisville in September will supply Malzahn an opportunity to shine early. 2020 AAC ranking: N/A four. Sonny Dykes, SMU It took Dykes just two seasons to supply SMU's first double-digit win total given that 1984 as he guided the program to a ten-three checklist in 2019. The Mustangs dropped their remaining two games final season in opposition t Tulsa and East Carolina to finish 7-3 in 2020. The eu loss became chiefly confounding as the Mustangs fell in the back of via 38 and had been eradicated from league title competition. however SMU handled some devastating accidents final season, and there is no denying Dykes has accelerated the program to heights now not seen considering that its pre-death penalty days within the Nineteen Eighties. The success has been first rate ample to get the former Cal coach's identify in the combine for vigor 5 gigs as he turned into connected to the Tennessee opening this offseason earlier than it went to Heupel. 2020 AAC rating: 4 5. Willie Fritz, Tulane Fritz simply led Tulane to a third consecutive bowl video game for the first time in application background. by using going 6-6, the eco-friendly Wave also entire .500 or enhanced in three consecutive seasons for the first time seeing that 1979-81. despite the fact, Tulane is barely 6-10 in AAC play over the final two seasons and Fritz is barely 29-33 normal in 5 seasons with the application. commonly speakme, he is completed tons superior than his three most-contemporary predecessors on the school. but it's price wondering at this point if Tulane is capable of a real step forward season below Fritz that sees the program reach double-digit victories for just the second time seeing that 1934. With Oklahoma and Ole omit on the 2021 nonconference time table and Cincinnati returned on the convention slate, in basic terms accomplishing a fourth-straight bowl could be solid this season. 2020 AAC ranking: 3 (-2) Dana Holgorsen has finished little with Houston to justify his standing as the optimum-paid teach within the AAC. Getty pictures 6. Dana Holgorsen, Houston Holgorsen is just 7-13 in two tumultuous seasons at Houston, however the 49-yr-old former Mike Leach assistant owns a few 10-win seasons from his time at West Virginia to prop up his resume in the interim. Holgorsen must get things going quickly, even though, or else Houston's resolution to make him the AAC's optimum-paid coach goes to look in fact silly. The recruiting has been mediocre, the first two seasons have been negative and there haven't been many tangible indications of growth. This year's agenda presents no excuses for persevered failure. apart from a season-opening online game in opposition t Texas Tech, Holgorsen's company from 2000-07, the nonconference component is effortless (Rice, Grambling State and UConn). The Cougars even have benefit of lacking perennial AAC contenders Cincinnati and UCF during league play. 2020 AAC ranking: 7 (+1) 7. Philip Bernard Law Montgomery, Tulsa Making feel of Sir Bernard Law's tenure at Tulsa is a problem, however the former Baylor co-offensive coordinator beneath art Briles is trending up once again after the Golden storm accomplished 6-0 in usual-season AAC play final season. Tulsa was also aggressive in losses to Oklahoma State in September, in opposition t Cincinnati in the AAC title online game and towards Mississippi State in the armed forces Bowl. The strong campaign got here on the heels of a three-12 months stretch that saw Tulsa go simply 9-27 with Bernard Law Montgomery on the helm. however, of path, that terrible stretch adopted a 10-win season in 2016. Montgomery is never the primary coach to preside over dramatic u.s.a.and downs at Tulsa, but his tenure has definitely been a curler-coaster. famous person linebacker Zaven Collins is off to the Arizona Cardinals as a first-round draft choice, however Montgomery has enough ability back to retain things relocating in the appropriate path. 2020 AAC ranking: 9 (+2) eight. Rod Carey, Temple Carey loses more ground than any instruct within the AAC after the Owls regressed to 1-6 in 2020 following an 8-5 debut crusade for Carey at Temple in 2019. The Owls lost five games through double-digits ultimate season and customarily had been just unhealthy on the offensive side of the ball. it's not a superb signal for a educate with an offensive historical past. The large difference between Carey's gig at Temple and his seven-12 months run at Northern Illinois is that he inherited the Northern Illinois gig after serving two years as an assistant there. There became no continuity for Carey as he transitioned into the Temple job, and the amount of roster turnover this offseason suggests the acclimation length continues to be ongoing. despite the fact, the addition of former Georgia quarterback D'Wan Mathis is an incredible pickup that should bring reason behind optimism. 2020 AAC ranking: 5 (-three) 9. Ryan Silverfield, Memphis Silverfield did a pleasant job of protecting Memphis on the rails with an 8-3 listing in 2020 throughout his first season at the helm after his promoting following Mike Norvell's departure for Florida State. given that that big name playmakers Kenneth Gainwell and Damonte Coxie opted out, Silverfield's debut crusade could have been a great deal rougher. Now the forty-12 months-old in his first head-teaching gig will should put his personal imprint on the application as the Tigers replace Brady White at quarterback. Silverfield's relative anonymity previous to his promotion explains his low spot on this record, but if he continues Memphis at or near the precise of the AAC heap this season with a brand new signal-caller in area, predict to peer him make a pleasant jump on the 2022 record. 2020 AAC ranking: 11 (+2) 10. Mike Houston, East Carolina a look at ecu's 3-6 listing in 2020 during Houston's 2nd season after a 4-eight checklist all through his first 12 months could imply the Pirates made little development. but the Pirates had the improvement of beating up on Gardner-Webb, William & Mary, ancient Dominion and UConn all the way through Houston's debut season. just one of those victories got here in a league online game, and that turned into towards a UConn crew that entire 0-eight within the AAC and isn't any longer within the conference. So the proven fact that eu went three-6 in 2020 may still now not be written off as a total failure. in reality, the three wins have been relatively remarkable and included again-to-returned victories over Temple and SMU to shut the season. With most key players returning for Houston's third season, the former James Madison and fort instruct could have a pretty good opportunity to stream up on this list. 2020 AAC ranking: 8 (-2) eleven. Jeff Scott, South Florida Consecutive seasons of double-digit victories for South Florida in 2016 and 2017 below Willie Taggart and Charlie amazing think fairly far-off after the Bulls bottomed out at 1-8 ultimate year in Scott's first season. the former Clemson co-offensive coordinator has some work to do if he's going to prevent being cast because the next Chad Morris on Dabo Swinney's confined teaching tree. Morris went 2-10 in his first season within the AAC at SMU lower back in 2015 earlier than constructing the application as much as a 7-5 list in 2017 and departing for a failed two-yr tenure at Arkansas. a tricky nonconference time table that includes NC State, Florida and BYU does Scott no favors as he seeks to gain traction in 2021. 2020 AAC rating: 10 (-1)
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