In a world where coaches jump from job to job frequently, finding someone to stick around is a rarity in college football. So, who are the guys that buck that trend and find themselves as the longest-tenured college football head coaches? We dive into that below.
Longest Tenured College Football Head Coaches
1) Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (1999)
What’s turned into a model of consistency didn’t start that way. When Ferentz took over as the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ head coach, it was a rocky start. After going 4-19 in the first two seasons, it would have been easy for fans to be worried. Fortunately, he’s gone on to compile a 198-120 record as of Week 4 of the college football season.
2) Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (2005)
From his “I’m a man. I’m 40,” rant to some of the most explosive offenses in college football, Mike Gundy has provided stability to the Oklahoma State Cowboys‘ program. The “Pokes” have trailed off recently, but their head coach still boasts a career 169-79 record in Stillwater.
3) Kyle Whittingham, Utah (2005)
The Utah Utes haven’t gone more than two seasons without winning eight or more games under Kyle Whittingham, and recently, they won back-to-back Pac-12 titles in 2021 and 2022.
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His Utes continue bucking trends while producing some of the best defenses in the country. In his 19 years with Utah, Whittingham has gone 165-79.
4) Troy Calhoun, Air Force (2007)
Due to the allure of the Army-Navy rivalry, Air Force is often the forgotten service academy. All Troy Calhoun has done is crank out 131 wins in his time with the Falcons. He has five double-digit win seasons to his name.
5) Dabo Swinney, Clemson (2009)
There was plenty of skepticism when Dabo Swinney was hired as head coach, and that didn’t go away for a few years. In his first three seasons, he went 19-15. Since then, he rattled off 12 double-digit win seasons and brought two national championships to the Clemson Tigers. Overall, he’s 172-44 with the program after beating NC State in Week 4.
6) Dave Doeren, NC State (2013)
Dave Doeren has a winning formula, and he keeps deploying it every single year. In his 11 years with the NC State Wolfpack, he’s only produced two losing seasons on his way to an 83-60 record. Take away the 3-9 and 4-8 campaigns from 2013 and 2019 respectively and you have an even more impressive resume.
7) Mark Stoops, Kentucky (2013)
Mark Stoops owes his agent a lot for the incredible contract he holds, but he also deserves a ton of credit for creating a consistent winner with the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky has gone to seven straight bowl games prior to 2023, and Stoops has a 75-67 record since coming to Lexington in 2013.
8) Dave Clawson, Wake Forest (2014)
Finding ways to win at Wake Forest presents plenty of challenges, but it appears that Dave Clawson has found his answer with his unique offense. Despite being unable to recruit the same talent as others in the ACC, the Demon Deacons have thrived under Clawson.
He’s led them to a 64-63 record since arriving. They even made it to the ACC Championship Game in 2021.
9) James Franklin, Penn State (2014)
While his work at Vanderbilt was exponentially more impressive, James Franklin has done a good job of keeping the Penn State Nittany Lions competitive in one of the toughest divisions in college football. He’s currently 90-39 in Happy Valley, and he’s proven that he can recruit and compete with the likes of Michigan and Ohio State since coming to campus.
10) K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston (2014)
Sam Houston entered the FBS ranks in 2023, but K.C. Keeler has been running the program since 2014. He led the Bearkats to an FCS national championship in 2021 and an 85-27 record before making the jump to Conference USA.
11) Jeff Monken, Army (2014)
Long drives and stout defense have been a staple of Jeff Monken’s time with the Army Black Knights. The Black Knights know their strengths and limitations well, and Monken’s staff continues to churn out winners. Thanks to a 72-55 record with Army, he continues to be a name that pops up when coaching searches begin, thanks to his consistent success.
12) Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan (2014)
It’s safe to say the Eastern Michigan Eagles‘ program was a disaster before Chris Creighton took over the program. Before his arrival, EMU hadn’t finished with a winning record since 1995. He’s produced four winning seasons since 2014 and led the Eagles to the second-most wins in school history with a 9-4 record during the 2022 season.
13) Chuck Martin, Miami (OH) (2014)
While his career record of 56-64 with the program isn’t super impressive, Chuck Martin has made his Miami (OH) RedHawks team tough to beat and delivered a MAC title to the program at the end of the 2023 college football campaign, the second of his tenure.
14) Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh (2015)
Pat Narduzzi’s work as defensive coordinator with Michigan State landed him this job, and he’s done well to elevate the Pittsburgh Panthers in the ACC. They won the ACC in 2021, thanks to Kenny Pickett, and they’ve only finished with a losing record twice since he arrived.
15) Kalani Sitake, BYU (2016)
Taking over for Bronco Mendenhall wasn’t going to be easy, but Kalani Sitake embraced the challenge head-on without hesitation. He’s produced six winning seasons, including double-digit wins in 2020 and 2021.
His success continues making him one of the most underrated college football head coaches in the country. Sitake currently sits at 64-41 with the BYU Cougars.
16) Matt Campbell, Iowa State (2016)
One of the best coaches in Toledo football history got his shot at the Power Five level when Iowa State came calling. Matt Campbell’s led the Cyclones to a 56-48 record, which already puts him second in program history for career wins. He also won Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018, and 2020.
17) Mike Neu, Ball State (2016)
It took a few years for Mike Neu and the Ball State Cardinals to get their footing, but they’ve got the right formula to win games in place now. He produced the second-highest single-season winning percentage in program history when the Cardinals finished 7-1 in 2020.
18) Jason Candle, Toledo (2016)
Taking over for Matt Campbell wasn’t going to be easy, but Jason Candle’s done a solid job of keeping the Toledo Rockets relevant in the MAC. He’s gone 68-35 since taking over as head coach, and they won their second MAC championship under Candle in 2022. His 68th win came with the Week 3 slaying of Mississippi State in 2024.
19) Kirby Smart, Georgia (2016)
The Georgia Bulldogs had always been right there in the SEC in terms of competing for titles, but Kirby Smart found a way to take them to another level. He’s currently 97-16 with two national championship wins during his tenure in Athens and is one of the best coaches in the sport.
20) Justin Wilcox, Cal (2017)
A former defensive back for Oregon, Justin Wilcox impressed as a defensive coordinator at multiple Power Five teams before being named the Cal Golden Bears head coach ahead of the 2017 season. While there have been some distinct lows to offset some of the highs, and he has a 39-43 losing record, Wilcox has remained in post to guide Cal into the ACC.
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