We have arrived. We’ve reached the top 15 jobs in Power 5 coaching, the destinations that myriad candidates would covet if they suddenly came open.

Today, 247Sports breaks down the top tier and what separates the very best from the best.



15. Texas A&M

With perhaps a top-5 level of internal support and commitment — as evidenced by the $450 million Kyle Field redo — coaching candidates would form a healthy queue for this job.

But upon arrival they just might discover what Kevin Sumlin and his staff have: The spending creates a ridiculously high standard in what everyone considers the deepest division in college football.

That wouldn’t be a deterrent, necessarily; coaches would still want to try their hand, with those facilities and immediate access to high-level recruiting talent. But it’s fair warning to note that the Aggies had been a middling Big 12 program and a move to the SEC West wasn’t going to create a better path to conference titles or the playoff.



14. Penn State

This job is on the way back up, with evidence last season that someone not named Joe Paterno can deliver a conference title. James Franklin getting Penn State back into the Rose Bowl was a statement that dark days associated with the Sandusky-NCAA fallout are in the rear-view.

So any candidate leery of the job until it was propped back up would be more inclined to give it a look.

The somewhat surprising level of success in 2016 does not change the fact that duking it out every year with Ohio State and Michigan is one daunting task. Not everyone would want to sign up for that assignment, especially with consistently high expectations. However, Franklin’s story is encouraging; he has now paired on-field success with consistently strong recruiting classes.



13. UCLA

We heeded an agent’s counsel who suggested bumping UCLA up a few notches from where we initially pegged it. Upon further review, he’s right: The program is making strides, linked in particular to the incredible 15-year, $280 million deal the school signed last May with Under Armour. Industry sources paint the picture of a notoriously tight department that suddenly can afford to look at things differently.

One of those items is Jim Mora’s buyout, something that could come up this fall if the Bruins again are not factors in the Pac-12 race. Mora and his staffs have fared very well on the recruiting trail, but it has not translated; they’ve become the Pac-12’s version of Texas A&M, which is apropos considering the two schools again face one another in Week 1.

Coaches and agents say that if Chip Kelly were Mora’s replacement, UCLA would chisel into the perceived prestige gap between the Bruins and their crosstown rival. Others coaches would likewise feel that they could achieve more than Mora’s demonstrated ceiling.



12. Notre Dame

At times, Brian Kelly has vented about the specific challenge of the academic standard relative to other major programs. And yet the Irish have locked down a top-15 recruiting class in each of the past four years, including the No. 10 in 2017, and a hot, early start in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings for 2018.

So the hurdles aren’t especially reflective in recruiting and admissions. But as we’ve seen with various academic suspensions, Kelly’s gripes are more associated with keeping those players eligible amid heavy class workloads.

Agents say that power of the brand and a national following offsets the academic concerns, as well as hindrances such as schedule difficulty and high expectations. As those agents say, “It’s still Notre Dame.” Even with recruits’ priorities generally gravitating away from tradition, Notre Dame still uniquely resonates.



11. Florida

This job is beginning to fall in line with a long-held outside perception of it. Recently retired AD Jeremy Foley is widely revered in the profession for the job that he did — but those in the sport know how famously tight he was with his budgets.

Only on the way out the door did Foley begin opening the door for much-needed projects such as the new indoor structure and a standalone football complex. And now Scott Stricklin, the new AD, ushers in a different-feeling era of Florida football in terms of resources and facilities.

Pair a changing support philosophy with access to high-end recruits, and UF could inch toward the top of these rankings.

That’s all great news for Jim McElwain, though we continue to run into coaches and industry sources wondering about his long-term viability there. It’s a big “prove-it” year for his offense. Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer continue to cast quite the shadow in terms of offensive production.



10. Georgia

The story at Georgia is very similar to the one at Florida: It’s an administration waking up to the fact that the SEC West schools were running away in terms of support and resources. The top Eastern Division schools are in a position of playing a perpetual game of catch-up. But at least they’re trying.

Like UF, UGA just completed a long-awaited indoor facility. The Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall complex has also seen incremental improvements.

Coaches often talk about how over-recruited the state, and particularly Atlanta, is. But it’s richly blessed with talent — the best in the country, per capita — and Georgia remains a strong flagship. Kirby Smart certainly has figured out the formula that prospective coaches would follow: The Bulldogs just signed the No. 3-rated class in 2017, including a whopping 13 of 247Sports’ top 20 players in the state. That’s not a level Mark Richt ever reached; it’ll be intriguing to see what he does with it.



9. LSU

Put another way, Georgia locked down its state borders in a way that LSU has for years. As long as the Tigers are interested, it’s still rare to see a talented Louisiana kid leave the state, though Alabama is beginning to frequently raid the Bayou State with success. It’s as inherent of an in-state recruiting advantage as there is in college football, coaches and industry sources all agree.

LSU enjoys one of the more passionate fan bases in America, and there’s a unique sense of family in the Baton Rouge community. The energy for LSU football makes it feel every bit as big as the nearby New Orleans Saints. As Les Miles learned, expectations run high along with that zeal.

And AD Joe Alleva’s handling of Miles’ denouement was clunky, at best; that would set off alarms for coaches considering the job. But they’d still line up to call Death Valley home base.



8. Texas

Like LSU, administrative instability is what prevents the jobs from being in the top 5. Industry sources indicate that AD Mike Perrin is not going to be a long-term solution at the position, and the poorly kept secret is that Texas bigwigs are working to convince Oliver Luck to leave the NCAA and take the job.

With Luck, this job would vault back toward the top. Until then, the gig is dinged for its complicated political landscape. Those close to the program are often frustrated by the number of voices who feel the need to be heard on decisions.

New coach Tom Herman has a strong enough personality to overcome some of that, but agents still feel as if some elements at Texas are a “political minefield.”

That aside, major facilities improvements are on the way and you’re the biggest brand in the nation’s premier high school football state. And you’re in Austin, a pure paradise for BBQ and tacos.



7. Michigan

Jim Harbaugh’s arrival is reminiscent in ways to Nick Saban’s at Alabama. A wobbling brand turned to a savior, with the schools’ leaders essentially acting as genies. Whatever you need at Michigan or Alabama, you get it. Just ask, and it’s yours. Price tags, be damned.

The question, of course, is whether that sort of freedom and flexibility would continue if it weren’t Harbaugh (or Saban) sitting on the throne. A prospective coach would certainly like to think so, but only certain coaches get deity-level grace in spending and support. And if you don’t win, the benevolence dries up rather quickly.

Between satellite camps and spring trips to Florida and Rome, Harbaugh has figured out the buttons that again make Michigan great, irking rivals and strangers along the way. He’s a natural at it, which makes him a near-impossible act to follow when that day comes.

The fact that it’s a national recruiting job, geographically removed from elite talent, is the primary facet keeping Michigan from being higher ranked.



6. Florida State

Jimbo Fisher fought myriad battles with administrators to up their commitment level. A few years back, they finally arrived on the same page. Numerous projects in and around Doak Campbell Stadium have kept FSU zipping along from a continuity standpoint. Fisher does not get enough credit for what he’s built in the wake of the school’s awkward final chapter with Bobby Bowden. He would theoretically leave a far better program than the one he found.

With last year’s national title as emphatic punctuation, Clemson is proving to be a more-than-formidable foe in the Atlantic Division. The bright side for FSU: Clemson still has to come into your state for high-end recruits; you still get first cracks at keeping talent at home.



5. Oklahoma

This might be higher than you’d expect, but OU has a special dynamic in terms of leadership continuity. Bob Stoops often says that the support and counsel from school president David Boren and AD Joe Castiglione is one of the things that has kept him from taking other jobs. Stoops understands both the importance and rarity of the arrangement, and he’s going to ride it as long as possible.

The relationships allow for a steady flow of resources. A $370 million stadium renovation is the pinnacle of that internal commitment, taking Oklahoma from decent to dazzling in the facility category.

Recruiting has intermittently proven to be a challenge, but proximity to Texas — and the second strongest brand in the Big 12 — has regularly overcome any obstacles. The Sooners just reeled in the No. 8 class in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings.



4. USC

As with Penn State, USC reaching the Rose Bowl showed that it has moved past the NCAA scholarship reduction aftermath. This is as hot as the USC job has been since Pete Carroll left.

Industry sources agree that there’s no other gig like the one under the L.A. skyline. It’s not for everyone, the major metro lifestyle and sharing a spotlight with the entertainment industry and a growing roster of professional teams.

The upside, though, is quite clear: You’re a magnet for area high school talent. Even with a number of recent coaching changes — and NCAA restrictions — USC’s recruiting efforts never really wavered. It’s the closest there is to a program that recruits itself, coaches say.

A byproduct of the NFL invasion and the 2024 Olympics, the Coliseum is going to see major changes that will benefit the Trojans. And they’re already enjoying the relatively new day-to-day hub, the McKay Center.



3. Clemson

A handful of coaches say that you can make an argument that Clemson is the best job in the country, factoring in the school’s deep pockets, the passionate fan base, a beautiful location and fairly reasonable expectations.

That last part might be changing, though, now that Dabo Swinney has taken the program to the mountaintop. In large part, Swinney was able to get Clemson there because of a commitment that was ahead of the curve relative to other regional rivals. The school shelled out a million-plus for a coordinator when only Alabama was paying at that level.

It’s not going to get complacent, either: The new football complex, with an almost absurd number of bells and whistles (a slide, laser tag, a nap room, etc.), demonstrates that internal support train is not slowing down.



2. Ohio State

Urban Meyer has done at Ohio State precisely what those in the sport presumed Urban Meyer would do at Ohio State: He’s returned it to juggernaut status, thanks in large part to an administration that has supported the program’s needs and mostly stayed out of the way.

And if Meyer and the Buckeyes needed any inspiration to keep the pedal down, Harbaugh has had a way of providing consistent motivation.

The thing about that: Headlines might make you believe otherwise, but OSU hasn’t lost any ground to Michigan since Harbaugh arrived. The Buckeyes are still out-recruiting the Wolverines every February, and they’re 2-0 head-to-head on the field.

The downside for a prospective staff would be the task of replacing Meyer. But who wouldn’t want to try?



1. Alabama

And it’s the same principle at Alabama: God help the coach following Saban, who just missed winning the program’s fifth national title in eight seasons.

Whether it’s a honey bun buffet or another offensive analyst, the budget is at Saban’s full disposal — and it’s highly unlikely that new AD Greg Byrne rocks that boat.

And why would you, given the level of success? Regardless of the fourth quarter effort against Clemson, the machine is still humming.

Alabama just landed the No. 1 recruiting class for the seventh consecutive season. There’s almost constant maintenance and improvement to facilities.

Capping it off, the stealthy hire of Byrne — who is highly respected among his peers — only assures Alabama of continuity.