Ranking each ACC football team by the head coaches’ all-time records
By Sam Fariss
The ACC is going to look very different in 2024 than it has in a long time. As Stanford, California, and SMU join the conference, there will be a reshuffling of standings.
Not to mention, Fran Brown is freshly on the scene in Syracuse as the football team’s head coach.
Since three of the conference members have yet to play a game as a part of the ACC, take a look at how the head coaches stack up according to their career records:
fran brown. Fran Brown. 0-0. . player. 445. Fran Brown. . . 17
It is only up from here for Fran Brown as he heads into his first season with the Syracuse Orange and his first-ever season as a head coach.
. . 16. 517. Troy Taylor. 3-9. player. taylor. . Troy Taylor
In his first season as a head coach, Troy Taylor led the Stanford Cardinal to an abysmal 3-9 season.
Taylor and the Cardinal have won just 25 percent of their games together.
. 15. 6-16. . Tony Elliott. Elliott. player. 446. . Tony Elliott
Tony Elliott has been a head coach for two years now and has won just three games in each of those seasons.
Over a two-year head coaching career, Elliott has gone 6-16 overall, and winning percentage of just 27.3 percent.
pry. 14. player. . Brent Pry. Brent Pry. 10-14. 447. .
Similarly to Elliott, Brent Pry has been a head coach for just two seasons. However, unlike Elliott, Pry has won a total of 10 games.
Over two seasons, Pry has gone 10-14 for a win rate of 41.7 percent.
. Justin Wilcox. 2287. 36-43. Justin Wilcox. . . wilcox. 13. player
Justin Wilcox is heading into this eighth season as the head coach of the California Golden Bears, the only team he has ever been a head coach for.
Over seven years, Wilcox and Cal have won 45.65 percent of their games together for a 36-43 overall record.
. 12. Mario Cristobal. player. cristo. 74-73. . 834. . Mario Cristobal
The former Oregon Ducks head coach, Mario Cristobal has had an impressively lengthy head coaching career already.
However, Cristobal has barely managed to win more than 50 percent of his games with a 74-73 career head coaching record.
Dave Carson. 11. carson. . Dave Carson. player. . 95-93. 448.
Winning just 2 percentage points more than Cristobal, Wake Forest's Dave Carson has gone 95-93 as a head coach.
Carson's overall record equates to a minimal 50.5 percent winning rate.
key. player. 436. . 11-10. . . Brent Key. Brent Key. 10
In 2022, Brent Key replaced Geoff Collins as the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Over his year and a half-long career as a head coach, Key has won 11 out of 21 games or 52.4 percent.
. 65-50. Patt Narduzzi. player. . 9. narduzzi. . Patt Narduzzi. 444
Creeping past a 55 percent win rate, Pittsburgh's head coach Patt Narduzzi has won 56.5 percent of his career games.
Throughout his time as an NCAA head coach, Narduzzi has earned a 65-50 overall record.
21-15. Manny Diaz. . 434. diaz. . Manny Diaz. player. . 8
Manny Diaz has had a tumultuous career as a head coach in NCAA Division I football but he can at least lay claim to a 21-15 winning record.
Overall, Diaz has won 58.3 percent of his games as he heads into his new job as the Duke Blue Devils head coach.
76-48. player. 438. Jeff Brohm. Jeff Brohm. brohm. . . . 7
Pushing past the 60 percent mark, Jeff Brohm has earned a 61.3 percent career win rate with a 76-48 overall record.
Brohm led Western Kentucky and Purdue for a combined nine seasons before taking over the Louisville Cardinals in 2023.
Bill O'Brien. 6. player. 15-9. 431. . . obrien. . Bill O'Brien
Over just two seasons as a head coach, Bill O'Brien won 15 games with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Now the leader of Boston College, O'Brien is back as an NCAA head coach with a career win rate of 62.5 percent.
5. Dave Doeren. Dave Doeren. . 104-62. player. 2272. doeren. .
NC State never seems to go away despite struggling to be a top dog in the conference. Dave Doeren has bene the Wolfpack's head coach since 2013 and coached Northern Illinois for two years prior.
Throughout his career, Doeren has won 62.7 percent of his games as a head coach for a 104-62 overall record.
Rhett Lashlee. 4. Rhett Lashlee. 18-10. player. 453. . . . lashlee
Newcomer to the Power 4 (once, Power 5) conferences is SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee.
While he has had a relatively short career as a head coach, Lashlee has already won an impressive 18 games for a 64.3 percent winning rate.
441. . . . Mack Brown. Mack Brown. player. 276-144. brown. 3
By far and away the most experienced head coach in the ACC, former National Championship-winning head coach Mack Brown is the leader of the UNC Tar Heels.
Over his lengthy career, Brown has won 65.7 percent of his games for a 276-144 overall record as a head coach.
. Mike Norvell. 2. norvell. 69-32. . Mike Norvell. . player. 435
Florida State has returned to its place as a national powerhouse in college football and that is in large part due to head coach Mike Norvell.
With a winning rate of 68.3 percent, Norvell has a career record of 69-32 as a head coach.
Dabo Swinney. Dabo Swinney. player. 432. . 170-43. . . 1. swinney
One of the winningest coaches in the College Football Playoff era, Dabo Swinney has led the Clemson Tigers to four CFP berths and two national titles in his tenure.
With a 170-43 overall record, Swinney has won 79.8 percent of his games as a head coach.
Read more:
manual