Longest-tenured college football coaches in 2025: Kirk Ferentz, Kyle Whittingham lead list
College football Week 12 straight-up picks
Before The Snap’s Week 12 picks include Clemson-Louisville, Oklahoma-Alabama, Iowa-USC, Utah-Baylor and Texas-Georgia.
If nothing else, the 2025 college football season has reminded fans that coaching is a very volatile job.
As of Nov. 12, 11 head coaches across FBS have been shown their walking papers, potentially setting up one of the craziest offseason coaching carousels in recent memory. Penn State, LSU, Florida and Auburn are four of the biggest openings right now.
With Nick Saban retiring two offseasons ago, the list of longest-tenured coaches at one school is beginning to dwindle. Here’s a look at the longest-tenured college football coaches:
1. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (27 seasons)
- Record: 210-126 (62.3%)
- First season: 1999
- Age: 70
Ferentz was hired as the Iowa football head coach on Dec. 2, 1998, following a stint in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (now the Baltimore Ravens). He was hired as the replacement for long-time coach Hayden Frye.
In his first two seasons, Ferentz led the Hawkeyes to a 4-19 record, but he has only missed bowl eligibility with the team twice since. That same year, Tommy Tuberville left the Ole Miss job for Auburn, while Oklahoma hired Bob Stoops. Bobby Bowden led FSU football to a national title that year.
2. Kyle Whittingham, Utah (22 seasons)
- Record: 174-88 (66.4%)
- First season: 2005
- Age: 65
Whittingham picked the Utah job over an offer from his alma mater BYU, as he had been on the Utes coaching staff for nearly a decade, including the final two years under Urban Meyer. When Meyer took the Florida Gators coaching job, Whittingham took the head coaching role. His first game as a head coach was actually as co-coach in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl with Meyer.
Since taking over, Whittingham has had just three losing seasons with the Utes. He has amassed 174 career wins, which makes him the winningest coach of all time at Utah.
3. Troy Calhoun, Air Force (20 seasons)
- Record: 138-95 (59.2%)
- First season: 2007
- Age: 59
Calhoun played quarterback for Air Force from 1985 to 1988 before joining the team’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1989. Following his military commitment, he served as the recruiting coordinator for Air Force.
After one season as the Houston Texans offensive coordinator in the NFL in 2006, Calhoun was hired as the Air Force head coach on Dec. 22, 2006. He led his alma mater to a 9-3 record in his first season, winning Mountain West Coach of the Year honors. He has led the Falcons to at least eight wins in 11 seasons.
4. Dabo Swinney, Clemson (18 seasons)
- Record: 184-52 (79.9%)
- First season: 2009
- Age: 55
Swinney has been a catalyst for major change at Clemson since taking over as head coach in 2009. He was initially named the interim coach after Tommy Bowden resigned six games into the 2008 season. He was hired as the full-time coach in 2009.
He introduced the Tiger Walk and turned Clemson into an annual national championship contender during his 13 seasons with the program, despite a down year in 2025. Under Swinney, the Tigers have two national championships (2016 and 2018) and have had just one losing season since 2009.
T-5. Dave Doeren, North Carolina State (13 seasons)
- Record: 92-69 (57.1%)
- First season: 2013
- Age: 53
After leading Northern Illinois to a 23-4 record in 2011 and 2012, Doeren was hired by NC State on Dec. 1, 2012. In his first season, the Wolf Pack went 3-9 and failed to win an ACC game. However, the team had a major turnaround and went 8-5 in Year 2.
Doeren has had nine winning seasons and been invited to 10 bowl games in his 12 seasons as the head coach for NC State. At 5-4 in 2025, he is headed for another winning season and bowl appearance.
T-5. Mark Stoops, Kentucky (13 seasons)
- Record: 81-78 (50.9%)
- First season: 2013
- Age: 58
On Nov. 27, 2012, Kentucky hired Stoops as its head coach to replace Joker Phillips, who had gone 2-10 in his final season. Stoops led the Wildcats to just 12 wins in his first three seasons, but then led the program to eight straight bowl appearances between 2016 and 2023.
Over the last two years, Stoops and Kentucky have gone just 8-13, leading to speculation about Stoops’ future. But he is under contract through the 2030 season and has the most wins in Kentucky football history.
T-7. Jeff Monken, Army (12 seasons)
- Record: 87-61 (58.8%)
- First season: 2014
- Age: 58
Following a 38-16 stint with Georgia Southern, Monken landed a head coaching gig with Army on Dec. 30, 2013. The Black Knights went just 6-18 in his first two seasons, but have posted at least a .500 record in all but one season since.
Army had its best season under Monken in 2024, going 12-2, undefeated in American Conference play and beating Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl.
T-7. Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan (12 seasons)
- Record: 60-82 (42.3%)
- First season: 2014
- Age: 56
After successful stints at Wabash College and Drake, Creighton landed the Eastern Michigan head coaching role on Dec. 11, 2013. His first two seasons leading the Eagles yielded just a 3-21 record. Despite a record that is 22 games below .500 with Eastern Michigan, Creighton has received consideration for openings as a head coach by other schools, as the Eagles’ job is widely considered one of the toughest places to win in Division I football.
Before his arrival, the program had not had a winning season in 18 years and one bowl game appearance in 121 years. He has led the Eagles to six bowl games in 12 seasons.
T-7. Chuck Martin, Miami (Ohio) (12 seasons)
- Record: 70-71 (49.6%)
- First season: 2014
- Age: 57
After helping lead Notre Dame to the 2012 national championship game as the offensive coordinator, Martin was hired by Miami (Ohio) as its head coach on Dec. 3, 2013. He helped lead the RedHawks to a MAC championship in 2019.
Martin is one of two coaches with a losing career record on this list, but much of that can be attributed to his first two seasons, where the RedHawks went 5-19. Miami has gone 25-11 over the last three seasons, including a 5-4 record this season.
10. Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh (11 seasons)
- Record: 79-58 (57.7%)
- First season: 2015
- Age: 59
After spending eight seasons as the defensive coordinator for Michigan State, Narduzzi was hired as the Pitt head coach on Dec. 23, 2014. Since his hiring, he has led the Panthers to eight winning seasons in 11 years.
Narduzzi is the second-winningest coach in program history, behind Jock Sutherland. His best season came in 2021, when Pitt went 11-3 and lost in the Peach Bowl after winning the ACC Championship.
