How ESPN Grades College Football Coaches

ESPN grades college football coaches on a curve based on their performance, so a coach who is struggling at a powerhouse program will receive a lower grade than one who is struggling at a Group of Five program. That means there are tons of coaches with poor grades, and the list isn’t final and is based on just half a season.

Dan Lanning

Dan Lanning is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at the University of Oregon. He previously served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia. He is widely known for his aggressive defense and has a reputation for winning games against the best teams in the country.

Before taking the Oregon job, Lanning was an assistant coach at Park Hill South High School in Kansas City, and a teacher. Although he had a full-time job, he desperately wanted to become a FBS college football coach. For years, Lanning sent email after email to college football coaches. He was eventually contacted by Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, but he was not able to secure a job.

Lanning’s defensive schemes have consistently ranked high in the country. His defenses have been especially stout against the run. His defenses are among the nation’s top five in total defense. Lanning also has a history of recruiting, which is a significant plus.

Lanning played linebacker at William Jewell College. Later, he moved to Arizona State to be the on-campus recruiting coordinator. He then transferred to Sam Houston State for a season. In 2015, he made a wise move by becoming an assistant coach under Nick Saban at Alabama.

Lanning’s decision to become a college football coach came about after a difficult time in his life. He had been dreaming about it since his high school days and had his eye set on a bigger stage. His wife was pregnant with their second child and he felt a need to get in the college coaching profession.

Lanning is currently the defensive coordinator at Georgia. He joined the Georgia staff as an outside linebackers coach in 2018 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2019. His recent record of success as a defensive coach at Georgia includes two top-10 units and the best defense in the nation this year.

Mike Elko

Mike Elko is a College Football Coach at Duke University. Before his current position, he served as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. Elko was hired by Duke on December 10, 2021. In addition to his college coaching experience, Elko is also the head coach of the Duke football team.

Mike Elko’s career has spanned nearly two decades. He began coaching at Stony Brook University in New York and majored in history at the University of Pennsylvania. While a college junior, Elko decided he wanted to be a coach. He began reading leadership books written by football legends, like Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy. Elko’s football mind has been praised by former players.

Elko was an assistant coach at Wake Forest and Notre Dame before being hired at Notre Dame in 2018. During his one season in South Bend, Elko led the Irish to a 10-3 record. His defense ranked eighth nationally in rushing touchdowns allowed per game. But the pair was unable to reach their desired results on offense. The A&M program won eight games under Elko in its first two seasons. The only defeat came against No. 1 Alabama.

A native of the Northeast, Elko spent his college career at Stony Brook University and was a graduate assistant at Penn. He then joined Bagnoli’s staff as a defensive backs coach in 2000. He also spent a season as defensive coordinator at the Merchant Marine Academy. Afterward, Elko was a co-defensive coordinator at Fordham University.

Elko, who spent the last 18 years as a defensive coordinator, has the experience and the ingenuity to match the challenges that Duke throws at him. Elko’s new job at Duke is no small feat, and the athletic directors are counting on his success. After all, the athletic directors parted ways with David Cutcliffe last November after losing 13 consecutive games in the ACC.

Elko met Franklin in December 2017. Franklin, a three-star prospect from North Carolina High School and a Maryland Eastern Shore resident, had received scholarship offers from dozens of big colleges. Then he had a text message for an emergency team meeting over Zoom, and saw Elko’s name in the text message.

Scot Loeffler

Scot Loeffler is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Bowling Green State University and previously served as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Boston College. His experience includes coaching quarterbacks in the NFL, teaching football, and developing young coaches.

Loeffler is an experienced coach who started coaching at Michigan in 1996. He went on to serve as offensive coordinator at Boston College from 2016 to 2017. He also worked as a quarterbacks coach at a number of professional teams before becoming a college head coach. While at BGSU, Loeffler has an 8-24 record.

Loeffler has experience coaching quarterbacks, and he’s worked with seven players who are currently in the NFL. He also has experience as a college football coach, where he directed a powerful rushing attack. His running back AJ Dillon ranked 12th in the nation in rushing yards per game and was named ACC Rookie of the Year last season. In addition, he mentored Tim Tebow at Florida.

Before becoming a college football coach, Loeffler played quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines for three seasons. He then suffered an injury to his shoulder that ended his playing career prematurely. He was a graduate assistant under Lloyd Carr’s leadership and was a part of the 1997 national championship team. In 2000, he was named quarterbacks coach at Central Michigan University. After a year at Central Michigan, he returned to Michigan to coach for six years.