Athlon Sports ranks all 130 FBS head coaches; Matt Rhule top 50
Last Monday, Steven Lassan of AthlonSports.com ranked the entire group of 130 FBS coaches from 1-130 and gave a significant explanation on each as to why they received their ranking.
Coming off of a 1-11 in his first season with the Bears, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule could have easily landed among the bottom half of the list, but Lassan gave him some credit for his time at Temple and explained his understanding for his first season in Waco.
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48. Matt Rhule, Baylor
As expected, Rhule's first season at Baylor was clearly a rebuilding year. The Bears finished 1-11 but lost five games by 10 points or less. However, the future outlook in Waco is promising for the New York native. Baylor has added back-to-back top-40 signing classes and a handful of talented young players are back (with added experience) for 2018. Prior to taking over at Baylor, Rhule had a successful 28-23 stint at Temple, which included back-to-back 10-win seasons. He also has stints in his coaching career as an assistant at Temple, Western Carolina, UCLA and in the NFL with the Giants.
Related: Denzel Mims named a top 10 WR nationally | Jalen Hurd one of the best athletes in CFB
The ranking of 48 could be seen as generous, but Rhule ranks ahead of just 25 Power Five coaches and behind 39 of them. In the Big 12, Rhule falls at No. 8 on the list.
125. David Beaty - Kansas
83. Kliff Kingsbury - Texas Tech
48. Matt Rhule - Baylor
37. Dana Holgerson - West Virgina
32. Matt Campbell - Iowa State
28. Tom Herman - Texas
26. Lincoln Riley - Oklahoma
15. Bill Snyder - Kansas State
14. Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State
5. Gary Patterson - TCU
Other notable head coaches:
6. Jimbo Fisher - Texas A&M
25. David Cutcliffe - Duke
33. Jeff Brohm - Purdue
47. PJ Fleck - Minnesota
50. Will Muschamp - South Carolina
51. Larry Fedora - North Carolina
56. Dino Babers - Syracuse
57. Mike MacIntyre - Colorado
71. Chad Morris - Arkansas
76. Philip Montgomery - Tulsa
80. Mario Cristobal - Oregon
81. Ed Orgeron - LSU
90. Barry Odom - Missouri