It's been a long time since Will's World has appeared on this site, but after a hiatus, it has returned. Today, I'm going to rank the football coaches in the ACC. You will be surprised by some, and not so surprised by others.
1. Jim Grobe, Wake Forest. In terms of getting the most out his players, Grobe is the winner in this debate. He doesn't have the high profile players that some schools have, but he undoubtedly gets the most out of his players. His teams have five win talent, but he always gets eight or nine wins out of his team every year. His teams tend to be underrated every year, and he always exceeds the expectations. Give him Virginia Tech's talent, and he's probably a national title contender. They were picked fourth at ACC Media Day last weekend, but it wouldn't surprise if they ended up second before the season's out.
2. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech. The man knows how to recruit, and he can coach them up, especially on defense. He does get a lot of help from Bud Foster, but Beamer also has a lot to do with that. He has won three ACC titles in five years, and won the Orange Bowl last season. He's been to a national title game as well. His team will be in the mix for the ACC title again this year.
3. Bobby Bowden, Florida State. He is the most decorated and storied coach in ACC history, and is still a top tier coach at his advanced age. He can still bring in the recruits, and they are still coached very well. Bowden's teams are always in contention, and this year will be no exception. The Atlantic Division is a little weak this year compared to the Coastal Division.
4. Tom O'Brien, NC State. They keyword here is consistency. They guy can get you eight wins a year and a pretty solid bowl game. He hasn't had a lot of success in his two years at NC State, but that was because the cupboard was extremely bare when he got there. In year two, he got the Wolfpack to a bowl game. He returns one of the best QB's in the conference in Russell Wilson, and I don't see why he can't make it to another bowl game this season.
5. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech. It's only one year, but what he did in that one year proves that his offense works. His unique triple option offense came in a steamrolled the ACC to the tune of nearly 400 yards rushing per game on average. Johnson had a lot of success at Navy with this offense, and the questions arose when he came to Georgia Tech whether the offense would work. This year, he will again heavily rely on preseason ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer and quarterback Josh Nesbitt. This team will be a contender in the Coastal Division this season.
6. Butch Davis, North Carolina. Davis has had a lot of coaching success dating back to his days in pre-ACC Miami. He took over at UNC in 2007, and has won 12 games in two years, including a solid eight win season last season, which doubled the previous season's win total. He's starting to bring the talent in to Chapel Hill, and his teams will compete week in and week out. You can never count out a Butch Davis coached team.
7. David Cutcliffe, Duke. This guy is a good coach. He got screwed at Ole Miss (fired because he had one losing season), and took over Duke last season. He won four games, which is successful by Duke football standards. Another four win season could garner a contract extension. Cutcliffe will get Duke to a bowl game in the very near future. He is bringing in some good recruits, and is doing a great job of selling the program.
8. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland. Friedgen got off to a hot start in his first three years, winning 10 games in each of his first three years, the latter coming in 2003. But he hasn't gotten to that plateau since then, and has been pretty up and down after that 2003 season. He won nine game in 2006, and eight games last year, but has been under .500 the other three years. It might be another down year for the man known as "The Fridge," but he has won on a level that hadn't been achieved at Maryland in decades.
9. Al Groh, Virginia. Groh has had an up and down tenure in his time at Virginia. He'll win nine game one year, then win five the next. Inconsistency like that will not make your fan base happy. He has produced a lot of NFL talent, but that doesn't necessarily win games at the college level. This very well could be Groh's last year unless Virginia wins the Coastal Division.
10. Randy Shannon, Miami. This is not going to be a popular spot for Shannon, but I have not seen much from him to make me think he is a head coach. He is a great defensive coordinator and a great recuiter, but when it comes to coaching, I just haven't seen enough out of him. He is in a football talent rich state, and he has been able to get players to play for Miami, but they haven't achieved the success that has been expected out of him. This is going to be a make or break year for Shannon, and he needs to win eight or nine game to save his job.
11. Dabo Swinney, Clemson. This is more because I need to see more out of Swinney as a coach. He did right a sinking ship last season after Tommy Bowden was dismissed midway through the season. Swinney led theam the final seven game, and the Tigers went 4-3 and wound up in a bowl game after everything looked bleak after a top 10 preseason ranking. He still has a very talented running back in C.J. Spiller, who is 921 all purpose yards away from an ACC record. And in my opinion, he will surpass that. Swinney could make a bowl game in his first full season as coach.
12. Frank Spaziani, Boston College. I have no idea what to expect from Spaziani as a coach. He's basically been a career defensive coordinator, and after Jeff Jagodzinski was fired for basically trying to improve his life, Spaziani took over as coach. He won't have much talent on the team, as a lot has graduated, or, in the case of Make Herzlich, battling cancer. He has a lot of work ahead of him, and he probably won't make a bowl game this season. For now, he's last until he can prove his mettle in the coaching ranks.
