Group of Five football: 3 coaches who’ve surpassed expectations in 2021

The 2021 college football regular season is beginning to wane and there are several Group of Five football coaches who deserve to be recognized for the incredible seasons they have been having.

The Group of Five often gets overlooked as inferior or not worth the time of casual college football fans — that’s increasingly turning moot. With television contracts and clever scheduling, teams in the Group of Five conferences are on national television and in prime time more than ever.

Teams like Coastal Carolina, SMU, San Diego State, Appalachian State and Air Force have proven year-in and year-out that these smaller teams outside the Power Five can cause some chaos and be a ton of fun to watch.

Who are the best Group of Five football coaches in 2021?

Often, the reason these Group of Five teams have success that carries over after each season is because of the head coach. We’re taking a look at some head football coaches that have stood out above all others this season.

It’s unfortunate that conference realignment will take away some teams from the Group of Five (looking at Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and Central Florida specifically) in a few seasons, but there are still going to be an ample number of teams that make headlines each week.

Let’s take a look at three head coaches who are quietly leading their teams to impressive seasons in 2021.