Where are Mark Richt and Butch Davis in the National Coaching Rankings?
Athlon Sports continued its summer of rankings with their list of Football Bowl Subdivision Coaches from one to 130. Where do current Miami Hurricanes coach Mark Richt and former Head Coach Butch Davis rank on their list?
Mark Richt is ranked 15th in Athlon’s ranking of all of the 130th coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision. That comes in at fourth in the ACC. The Miami Hurricanes boss is ranked behind Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Louisville’s Bobby Petrino.
Athlon went into an extensive list of explanation about how they determined the order. Some of these included recruiting, the coach’s involvement in X and O’s and what were they build in advantages. The Athlon article goes into far deeper detail about how they came to the rankings they did.
Former Miami Hurricanes head coach Butch Davis was hired this offseason to take over at Florida International. He was a part of a pair of duel hirings with the Golden Panthers biggest rival Florida Atlantic hiring former USC, Tennessee and Oakland Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin.
In six years at Miami from 1995-2000, Davis was 51-20. He led the Miami rebuild after the Hurricanes lost 31 scholarships after the Pell Grant Scandal of the early 1990s.
Athlon said of Davis:
“87. Butch Davis, FIU
"“After a six-year absence, Davis is back on the sidelines and in familiar territory. The Oklahoma native has extensive experience and connections to the state of Florida, including a stint as Miami’s head coach (1995-00) and a previous four-year run as an assistant with the Hurricanes from 1984-88. Despite dealing with NCAA scholarship sanctions and a bowl ban in 1995, Davis guided the program to a 51-20 mark over six seasons. He was hired away from Coral Gables to coach the Browns in 2001 but lasted only four years, compiling a 24-35 record. Davis resurfaced at North Carolina in 2007 and inherited a program coming off back-to-back losing records. However, the Tar Heels quickly showed improvement under Davis, finishing 8-5 in three consecutive years. His tenure in Chapel Hill ended due to a NCAA investigation following the 2010 campaign. Davis is a proven winner and regarded for his past work on the recruiting trail. This should be a good hire for FIU"
Richt is in his second season at Miami. The Hurricanes had an up and down year during his first season. Miami began Richt’s first year with four straight wins to open the season. The Hurricanes then lost four in a row, before winning their last five to finish 9-4.
Richt led UM to its first bowl win in ten seasons and has the nation’s number two recruiting class for 2018. The Miami program is in the best place it has been since the beginning of Larry Coker’s tenure with the Hurricanes.
Athlon said of Richt:
14. Mark Richt, Miami
"“Richt’s debut season at his alma mater was a successful one, as the Hurricanes finished 9-4 and No. 20 in the Associated Press poll. A nine-win year is certainly a good start for Richt, but the next goal is something that has eluded Miami since joining the ACC: The Coastal Division title. Even though quarterback Brad Kaaya left early for the NFL, the Hurricanes should be picked near the top of the Coastal for 2017. Can Richt deliver a Coastal title in just his second year at the helm? Prior to taking over in Coral Gables, Richt had a 15-year stint at Georgia. The Bulldogs went 145-51 under Richt’s direction and claimed five SEC East titles. Expect Richt to help Miami’s program return to the top 25 and compete for the ACC title on a consistent basis.”"
Richt is ranked just ahead of Utah’s Kyle Willingham and behind Michigan State Mark D’Antonio. Being ranked behind D’Antonio was interesting after the Spartans’ leader was left off the list of top ten Head Coaches that have not won a national championship.
Next: Mark Richt Ranked Fifth Best Coach to Not Win National Championship
This shows how subjective any list ranking Head Coaches can be. Richt has accomplished a lot in his career. Arguably more than several of the coaches ranked ahead of him on Athlon’s list.