Life as a college football coach seems pretty great, but one of the biggest downsides is the lack of job security. When a team fails to meet expectations, the coach is usually the first one to go.
Some programs become a revolving door of head coaches, with new hires every few years. Other schools are more patient and give their leaders time to build a culture. Then, there are certain instances where a coach experiences so much success that they become virtually untouchable and the only way they're leaving is on their own terms.
Today, let's take a look at the longest-tenured Division I FBS head coaches in college football, with a focus on the individuals who have held their job for at least a decade.
15. Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh, 9 years
After serving as a defensive coordinator at Michigan State, Cincinnati, Miami (OH) and Rhode Island, Narduzzi was hired as Pittsburgh's head coach on Dec. 23, 2014. After nearly a decade with the Panthers, he has the second-most wins in program history, and he led the school to the ACC championship in 2021. In 2022, his contract was extended through 2030. It's worth noting that Jim Harbaugh has also been with Michigan for nine years, but Narduzzi started at Pittsburgh seven days before Harbaugh was hired, so his tenure is slightly longer.
14. Chuck Martin, Miami (OH), 10 years
Martin was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame prior to taking the RedHawks' head coaching job on Dec. 3, 2013. He's had a lot of success at Miami University, upsetting Central Michigan in the 2019 MAC championship and Toledo in the 2023 MAC championship.
13. Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan, 10 years
After head coaching stints at Ottawa University, Wabash College and Drake, Creighton joined Eastern Michigan on Dec. 11, 2013. While he's rumored to have received interest from other schools (such as Temple and Rutgers) in recent years, he remains with the Eagles. Creighton's current contract runs through the 2025 season.
12. Jeff Monken, Army, 10 years
Monken became Army's 37th head coach on Dec. 30, 2013. He became the first coach in school history to lead the team to three straight bowl games. In 2018, Army won a school record 11 games under Monken, earning him the Vince Lombardi College Football Coach of the Year award. In 2021, he was named ECAC Division I FBS Football Coach of the Year.
11. K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston State, 10 years
Keeler is the all-time winningest coach in FCS playoff history, and he led Sam Houston State to a national championship in 2020 and Delaware to a national title in 2003. This year, the Bearkats made the leap to the FBS by joining Conference USA. While much of Keeler's tenure was spent in the FCS, he's technically one of the longest-tenured FBS coaches now.
10. James Franklin, Penn State, 10 years
After a three-year stint at Vanderbilt, Franklin took over as Penn State's head coach on Jan. 11, 2014. He's been with the Nittany Lions for a decade, and he's not leaving anytime soon. In 2021, Franklin inked a new 10-year contract that will keep him in Penn State through the 2031 season.
9. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest, 10 years
After head-coaching stints at Fordham, Richmond and Bowling Green, Clawson became Wake Forest's coach on Dec. 10, 2013. In 2016, he helped the Demon Deacons end their eight-year bowl drought. Clawson is the only head coach in NCAA history to have 10-win seasons at four different Division I programs. In 2021, he was named the ACC's Coach of the Year.
8. Mark Stoops, Kentucky, 11 years
Stoops has been Kentucky's head coach since Nov. 27, 2012. He is the all-time winningest (73 victories) and longest-tenured (11 years) head coach in the program's history. From 2019 to 2022, the Wildcats won four straight bowl games. Stoops won't have to look over his shoulder anytime soon, as he recently signed an extension that will keep him with Kentucky through the 2030 season.
7. Dave Doeren, NC State, 11 years
Doeren was hired by NC State on Dec. 1, 2012, and he led the school to a bowl game in his second season as head coach. The Wolfpack have had a winning record in nine of his 11 seasons. In February, NC State gave Doeren a contract extension that will keep him in town through the 2027 season.
6. Dabo Swinney, Clemson, 15 years
In 2008, Swinney was named Clemson's interim head coach after Tommy Bowden resigned. This was a big opportunity for Swinney, who had no head coaching experience. Fifteen years later, he's widely regarded as one of the best coaches in college football after leading the Tigers to national championships in 2016 and 2018. Swinney is a three-time winner of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award (in 2015, 2016 and 2018), and he was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018. Swinney is the winningest coach in Clemson's history. Swinney's current contract runs through the 2031 season.
5. Nick Saban, Alabama, 17 years
After winning a national championship at LSU and briefly coaching the Miami Dolphins, Saban took the Alabama job on Jan. 3, 2007. Saban turned the Crimson Tide into a juggernaut, leading the program to six national championships (in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020). Each year, the Crimson Tide have a loaded roster that features future NFL stars. Saban's seven titles is an NCAA record, and he became the first coach in college football history to lead two different FBS schools to national championships since the poll era began in 1936. In January 2024, Saban announced his retirement.
4. Troy Calhoun, Air Force, 17 years
Calhoun played quarterback for Air Force from 1985 through 1988, then transitioned to a coaching role with the Falcons (starting as a graduate assistant before working his way up to recruiting coordinator and junior varsity offensive coordinator). After leaving to gain some experience at various college and NFL stops, he returned to the Air Force on Dec. 22, 2006, when they offered him their head-coaching job. The Falcons like to stick with coaches for a long time; Calhoun's predecessor, Fisher DeBerry, was Air Force's coach for 23 years before he retired. Calhoun, who won the Mountain West Coach of the Year award in 2007 and led the team to Mountain West division titles in 2015 and 2021, is under contract through 2025.
3. Kyle Whittingham, Utah, 19 years
Like Swinney, Whittingham is another example of someone who made the most of his first head-coaching gig and never looked back. In 2004, Urban Meyer left Utah to accept the head-coaching job at Florida, and Whittingham was named his successor. Just five years later, Whittingham led the Utes to an undefeated season and a 31-17 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, with many feeling that Utah should've been selected for the BCS national championship game. Whittingham won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award in 2008, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award in 2019 and Pac-12 Coach of the Year award in 2019 and 2021. Whittingham's current contract runs through the 2027 season.
2. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State, 19 years
Gundy's journey is similar to Calhoun's, as he played quarterback at Oklahoma State from 1986 through 1989, and then spent the next five years filling various roles on the coaching staff (from quarterbacks coach to wide receivers coach to offensive coordinator). After stints at Baylor and Maryland, Gundy would return to Oklahoma State in 2001 as offensive coordinator under Les Miles. When Miles departed for LSU in 2004, Gundy was named the new head coach. In 2011, Gundy led the Cowboys to their first Big 12 championship since 1976 and a Fiesta Bowl win over Stanford. He won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award in 2011 and he was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010, 2021 and 2023. Oklahoma State has had a winning record every season since Gundy's first year as head coach. In 2021, Gundy signed a "perpetual contract" with Oklahoma State that automatically renews at the end of each year.
1. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa, 24 years
Ferentz took over as Iowa's head coach on Dec. 2, 1998. He succeeded Hayden Fry, who had been the Hawkeyes' head coach for 20 years. When Ferentz accepted the job, Billboard's No. 1 song was "Smooth" by Santana and Rob Thomas, and the No. 1 movie was "Toy Story 2." Ferentz is the winningest head coach in Iowa's history, and he led the Hawkeyes to two Big Ten championships (in 2002 and 2004). He won the AP and Walter Camp Coach of the Year awards in 2002, and he earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2002, 2004, 2009 and 2015. Ferentz signed a contract extension last year that will keep him with Iowa through the end of the 2030 season (when he'll be 75 years old).
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