Where ESPN ranks Dabo Swinney among college football's top coaches

Dabo Swinney ranks third in ESPN's poll for the top coaches in college football.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Friday, May 16 2025

Another college football coach ranking is in, and this time it's a poll of ESPN's analysts who see Dabo Swinney toward the top.

Swinney was voted third behind Georgia's Kirby Smart and Ohio State's Ryan Day, with a clear gap in votes to the next coach (87 points for Swinney; 64 for Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman) and just 10 points between Day and Swinney.

"No shade here. There's not a clear line of delineation between No. 3 and No. 6, and there are logical arguments that could be used to advocate for Swinney as high as No. 1," said ESPN's Kyle Bonagura, who voted Swinney sixth. "So when splitting hairs, I think I dropped Swinney below the consensus because his recent success hasn't matched his peak success. But, again, this shouldn't be misconstrued."

Swinney is the lone ACC coach on the list, which also includes three from the SEC (Georgia, Texas, Alabama), three from the Big Ten (Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State), two from the Big 12 (Utah, Iowa State), and one independent (Notre Dame).

ACC debutant Bill Belichick at UNC received the 12th-most votes, with Louisville's Jeff Brohm (16th-most) and SMU's Rhett Lashlee (21st-most) also garnering some recognition.

Joined by Smart as the sport's active coaches with multiple national titles, Swinney enters the 2025 campaign as the winningest coach in ACC history. His 180 victories surpassed the 173 wins College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden accrued after Florida State joined the conference prior to the 1992 season.

Clemson produced its 13th 10-win season in 14 years and its eighth ACC title in a 10-year span in 2024.