This article will be my first in a series where I cover all 10 FBS conferences and rank the head coaches in order from the coldest to the hottest seat. I look at a multitude of stats, numbers and qualitative perceptions. Obviously, ranking new head coaches is always up for interpretation and differences and no two are exactly alike. Today I start with the Big 12 and up next will be the new look Pac-12.
16. Kalani Sitake, BYU
2025 Record: 12-2, Years at School: 10, Overall Record: 84-45
I don’t think this was a particularly difficult one. Sitake is a fantastic coach and a perfect fit for BYU. He’s the natural choice for safest coach in the Big 12.
In 10 seasons he’s made eight bowl games and has the Cougars trending upward. There might only be a handful of coaches in the country who have built up more grace than he has at his alma mater.
15. Willie Fritz, Houston
2025 Record: 10–3, Years at School: 2, Overall Record: 237–127
Fritz continues to be the ultimate program builder. After a predictably lean year one, he orchestrated the largest single-season turnaround in the country in 2025. Winning 10 games at Houston, including a statement win over LSU, proves that his “built to last” philosophy translates to the Power Four level. He’s already revitalized a fan base that was becoming apathetic, making him one of the most secure and respected hires in the conference’s new era.
14. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
2025 Record: 8–5, Years at School: 3, Overall Record: 22–17
The youngest coach in the Power Four has already become the face of ASU football. Dillingham’s “untouchable” status was cemented after leading the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title in 2024 and following it up with a solid eight-win campaign despite significant injury hurdles in 2025. His recent $7.5 million-a-year extension and massive boost to the assistant salary pool show that the administration is fully bought into his vision of making ASU a perennial contender.
13. Brent Brennan, Arizona
2025 Record: 9–4, Years at School: 2, Overall Record: 47–60
Many skeptics thought the momentum in Tucson would vanish with the coaching change, but Brennan has silenced the doubters.
A nine-win season in year two—highlighted by a dominant Territorial Cup victory and five straight wins to close the regular season—earned him a well-deserved extension through 2030. He has proven to be a master of roster retention and culture, maintaining Arizona’s status as a top-tier Big 12 threat while navigating the school’s unique financial landscape.
12. Lance Leipold, Kansas
2025 Record: 5–7, Years at School: 5, Overall Record: 173–74
Leipold’s seat remains relatively cool, but the “honeymoon phase” in Lawrence has officially transitioned into a “what have you done lately” period. After the breakthrough nine-win season in 2023, consecutive 5-7 campaigns have dampened the narrative that Kansas had permanently turned the corner. While he is still No. 12 because of the immense respect he commands for the initial rebuild, the pressure to find a consistent answer at quarterback post-Jalon Daniels is mounting. He has the administrative support to weather a lean year, but the Jayhawks need to be back in a bowl in 2026 to keep the temperature from rising.
11. Sonny Dykes, TCU
2025 Record: 9–4, Years at School: 4, Overall Record: 107–80
Dykes has done an admirable job of steadying the ship in Fort Worth after the 2023 season threatened to derail the momentum of their national title run. Back-to-back nine-win seasons, capped off by a gritty Alamo Bowl win over USC, have reinforced that he is the right man to lead TCU in the new Big 12. He sits just outside the top 10 because while his floor is high and his recruiting is elite, the donor base now views a nine-win season as the standard rather than the ceiling. He is secure, but in the NIL era at TCU, the expectations are strictly “playoff or bust.”
10. Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State
2025 Record: 6–6 (at WSU), Years at School: 1st, Overall Record: 33–9
The transition from the Matt Campbell era to Rogers was one of the swiftest and most strategic moves of the coaching cycle. Rogers is a “culture” hire in the truest sense—a defensive-minded, midwestern-rooted coach who mirrors the blue-collar identity Campbell spent a decade building in Ames…