Life in the Big 12 isn’t for the weak.
If there’s any conference that’s the most chaotic, it’s certainly the Big 12. Every year, it seems like there’s surprises, teams that come from out of nowhere to contend while those expected to be good fall flat. That makes it tough to coach in the league, where the window of success can close rather quickly. Still, there are some that have shown they can stay afloat.
The Big 12 has coaches of all experience levels; those that are entering year 20 on the job and others that are still in the early stages of building their programs. The pecking order of coaches in the league reflect that, as you’ll see some veteran coaches have built continued success, while new ones have quickly found their footing and could be heading toward successful tenures.
In a league that seems to always be shifting in who’s in the hunt, here’s a breakdown of the the 16 head coaches in the Big 12:
1. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
This may be a case of recency bias, but Dillingham has orchestrated one of the great turnarounds in college football. Returning to his alma mater, he inherited a team reeling from the Herm Edwards era, and it showed with a 3-9 debut season. But after Arizona State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in 2024, it won the conference and made the College Football Playoff. Dillingham has brought fire back to the Sun Devils and at just 34-years-old, he’s setting the path for a long, successful career.
2. Kalani Sitake, Brigham Young
Sitake took over his alma mater when it was navigating its path as an independent. He was able to raise BYU’s profile with a pair of double-digit win seasons prior to joining the Big 12 for the 2023 season. After a uneventful debut, the Cougars went 11-2 last season and were just a few plays from being in the College Football Playoff. BYU is back to maintaining winning as it has seven bowl appearances in Sitake’s nine seasons, and he’s an impressive 45-18 since 2020.
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3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Think about where Iowa State was when it hired Campbell; it was coming off three consecutive seasons with at least nine losses. Since then, Campbell has turned the Cyclones from an afterthought to a team consistently punching above its weight. After nine seasons, he’s the winningest coach in school history with 64 wins, and last season, achieved the team’s first 11-win campaign. Campbell could have gone to program’s with more funding and resources, but he’s opted to stay and build a strong foundation at Iowa State.
4. Chris Klieman, Kansas State
All Klieman knows is success. He’s had winning seasons every year but one since he started at North Dakota State in 2014, including a 48-28 record in six seasons at Kansas State. The Wildcats are consistently in the conference title picture and won the league in 2022. Last season was considered a down year, and Kansas State still won nine games for the third season in row. Expect the Wildcats to continue to be contenders under Klieman’s watch.
5. Deion Sanders, Colorado
After bringing prime time to Colorado, Sanders finally delivered with success with nine wins last season – the school’s most since 2016 – and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Now the question is whether can Sanders can sustain success without his son, Shedeur, and Hunter. The allure of playing for Sanders is strong, giving the Buffaloes a chance to continue their with more positive results.
6. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Texas Tech has become a winning program in Big 12 play since McGuire took over the program, and he’s shown glimpses of success with three consecutive seasons of at least seven wins. Now the real challenge is whether McGuire can get the Red Raiders over the hump to contend for their first conference title. He’s been able to attract top transfers, so now is the time to match the potential.
7. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Whittingham has turned Utah into a perennial power backed by a tough defense. The Utes were picked to win the Big 12 in the 2024 preseason poll before offensive struggles resulted in a 5-7 finish – Whittingham’s worst record since 2013. The veteran coach has hinted his retirement could be coming soon, so he could be trying to find one solid season to be his swan song to ensure the program is headed in the right direction.
8. Sonny Dykes, TCU
Following the team’s College Football Playoff run in 2022, TCU struggled to build on them momentum and won just five games in 2023. However, Dykes got TCU back on the right track with a 9-4 mark last year. Dykes has won at least seven games in five of his last six seasons, going back to his time at SMU. Dykes and Dillingham are the only coaches in the conference to make the College Football Playoff, and one could argue Dykes’ run is the most impressive given he did it in the four-team playoff.
9. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
With the track record Gundy has at Oklahoma State − eight 10+ win seasons − he should be up higher on this list. However, last season was awful for the Cowboys, it’s created doubt about his future. Oklahoma State entered 2024 with its sights on the College Football Playoff, but failed to win a Big 12 game and finished 3-9, the worst record in the Gundy-era. Now the pressure is on to get back to rebound with the Cowboys seemingly poised to be one of the teams to benefit from the departure of Oklahoma and Texas from the league.
10. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
West Virginia hopes bringing back Rodriguez could revive the success the program had in the 2000s when it was playing in the BCS bowl games. Rodriguez revitalized his career by guiding Jacksonville State into the Bowl Subdivision success, capturing the Conference USA title in 2024. Now in a Power Four conference again, Rodriguez has to prove he can win at the level again after disappointing tenures at Michigan and Arizona.
11. Dave Aranda, Baylor
There was concern for Aranda’s job security after the 2021 Big 12 title got overshadowed by the horrid 2023 season when Baylor went 3-9. But Aranda went back to calling the defense and hired Jake Spavital to man the offense and it paved the way for an 8-5 season that included six wins in the final seven games. Now the key for Aranda is to maintain success. He has yet to finish over .500 in back-to-back seasons in Waco.
12. Lance Leipold, Kansas
Give Leipold credit for giving Kansas football life when it hadn’t existed in some time. He was able to generate enough investment with a stadium renovation after the Jayhawks won nine games in 2023. There was hype coming in 2024, but quickly ended with a 2-6 start to the season. However, Kansas showed glimpses of promise with a 3-1 finish to the season, including three consecutive wins over ranked opponents. With quarterback Jalon Daniels back, Leipold has a great chance to get Kansas back into a bowl game and revive the hype.
13. Willie Fritz, Houston
There wasn’t much for Fritz to work with in his first season at Houston as the Cougars went 4-8, but there were positive signs that should carry over to the upcoming season. Fritz has a track record of turning teams around − especially at Tulane − so a step in the right direction could be on the horizon for a team that’s 5-13 conference play since joining the Big 12.
14. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
It appeared Satterfield had things going in the right direction with the Bearcats starting last 5-2 before five losses to end the season. The Satterfield era has been mostly unimpressive with an 8-16 record in two seasons and he hasn’t been able to capture the same success he had at Appalachian State with a 33-40 mark going back to his Louisville days. A bowl game is at least needed to assure Satterfield some job security.
15. Brent Brennan, Arizona
Brennan inherited an Arizona team that won 10 games in 2023 and retained quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. The Wildcats were expected to contend for a Big 12 title, but instead lost seven of their last eight games to finish 4-8. Fumbling the keys to what was a good situation has hurt Brennan’s position with the fanbase and starts the season on the hot seat.
16. Scott Frost, Central Florida
Can Frost recapture magic in Orlando? Frost led UCF to its dream perfect season in 2017 before he had a failed stint at Nebraska, ending his tenure in Lincoln with a 16-31 record in four-plus seasons. Now back at the school he led to a 14-0 season eight years ago, Frost takes over a team that’s struggled in the Big 12 with a 5-13 conference record the past two seasons.