re: Was talking with a Michigan fan tonight....

I think Tressell is an exceptional coach, especially good at developing talent IMO

I think Carroll is a good coach and the best in the country at recruiting and working as the face of the organization (I draw a Joe Torre at the Yankees analogy - managing the media zoo)

It's hard to fairly evaluate guys like Spurrier, Bowden, and Jo Pa IMO when they are past their prime but are exceptional

It's perhaps even fairly difficult to fairly evaluate young coaches objectively... in the SEC for example Miles and Meyer have benefitted considerably from the recruits they inherited but both have done as well as or better than any other coach could have done in their position IMO

Young coaches like Richt have to come to mind IMO. Proven commodities like Ericson have to be considered (perhaps Saban falls into the Ericson category assuming he builds a program at Bama)

Blah, Blah, Blah but I'd say for recruiting it's

1) Pete Carroll
2) Urban Meyer
3) Nick Saban

For building a program near ground up I'd say

1) Denis Ericson
2) Nick Saban
3) Mark Richt

And yeah these lists are pretty silly - too many good coaches (like one Les Miles) who aren't mentioned in those top three lists and maybe couldn't have done any better in the jobs they've had

quote:

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I think to say top coach you have to put a team on equal footing, which is in itself impossible to do. If you could make 20 clones of the 2007 LSU team, which coach would do the most with it? Just because a coach wins a NCG doesn't mean he's the best coach, it also means he could have the best athletes.

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Agree. And perhaps because of this you have to consider who the best recruiters are as well as who the best developers of talent and play callers

RR of WVU/Mich
BS of OU
MB of Texas
FB of Va Tech

are all good coaches but clearly IMO they all have different strengths.