Ranking the American Athletic Conference's College Football Coaches for 2025

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Ranking the American Athletic Conference's College Football Coaches for 2025

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Wed, May 14, 2025 ·

9 min read

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The American Athletic Conference is home to some of college football's top coaches in the Group of 5 ranks. Tulane's Jon Sumrall, Army's Jeff Monken, and UTSA's Jeff Traylor each have a case as the best overall coach outside of a power conference entering the '25 season. Sumrall takes the top spot in Athlon's rankings for the American Athletic Conference, but it's a small gap to Monken and Traylor.

The depth in the AAC continues outside of the top three with Temple's KC Keeler, Memphis' Ryan Silverfield, Charlotte's Tim Albin, South Florida's Alex Golesh, and Navy's Brian Newberry. The AAC features six new coaches for '24, including rising stars in Florida Atlantic's Zach Kittley.

How did we compile the rankings for coaches by conference? For starters, it's an impossible task. However, we tried to weigh every possible factor. This is not simply a list of coaches ranked by accomplishment or wins. While those aspects are important, it doesn't provide a complete picture of how successful coaches are. Also, every program has a different amount of resources available. Hierarchy in college football also plays a vital role in how successful programs are. It's always easier for programs with more built-in advantages to contend for a national title on a more consistent basis.

The above factors, along with career biography/resume, success in developing talent and landing prospects on the recruiting trail factored into the ranking. Additionally, how well programs value staff (is the head coach better as a CEO or hands-on approach) and the facilities or program resources matter into forming an outlook of how coaches have performed at different stops throughout their career.

Again, wins and the career biography to this point are important. But our rankings also take into account a blank slate and subjectivity. If you start a program from scratch, which coach would you hire knowing what they accomplished so far and their career trajectory? Remember, you don't get the assistants - only the head coach. And head-to-head wins do not matter for this ranking.

Here are the results for the American Athletic Conference:

Ranking the American Athletic Conference's Football Coaches for 2025

Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

1. Jon Sumrall, Tulane

Sumrall was considered one of the top hires in last year's coaching carousel and didn't disappoint in a strong first season with the Green Wave. Tulane gave two power conference teams (Kansas State and Oklahoma) trouble and finished 9-5 with a trip to the AAC Championship Game. Sumrall went 23-4 with two Sun Belt titles prior to coming to Tulane and ranks as one of the top rising stars in the FBS coaching ranks entering the '25 season.

2. Jeff Monken, Army

Army's debut in the American Athletic Conference in '24 was a massive success. Monken guided the Black Knights to a 12-2 mark and defeated Tulane in the AAC Championship to win the school's first conference title. Also, Army finished No. 21 nationally in the final Associated Press Top 25 and won the Independence Bowl over Louisiana Tech. Under Monken, the Black Knights are 82-57 and have posted only one losing record over the last nine years. The program also has three double-digit victory totals since '17.

3. Jeff Traylor, UTSA

UTSA Roadrunners coach Jeff TraylorMike Watters-Imagn Images

After a 2-4 start and navigating some key roster turnover from 2023, the Roadrunners caught fire down the stretch with a 5-2 finish in the team's final seven games. That finish ensured Traylor's program earned its fifth consecutive bowl trip. UTSA is 46-20 under Traylor, including two years (2021-22) of double-digit victories. Also, the Roadrunners are 31-8 in league play counting stints in Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference since Traylor's debut in '20.

4. KC Keeler, Temple

Keeler's decision to take the top spot at Temple this offseason is a homecoming for the 65-year-old coach. The Pennsylvania native has coached mostly on the East Coast, including stints at Rowan (88-28-1 from 1993-01) and Delaware (86-52 from 2002-12). Keeler took over the top spot at Sam Houston in 2014 and guided the program to a 97-39 record. Included in that run was a FCS Championship in 2020 and a 9-3 mark last season in the Bearkats' second year at the FBS level.

5. Ryan Silverfield, Memphis

With 21 victories since 2023, Memphis is coming off its best two-year stretch in program history . After going 21-16 through his first three full seasons in charge, Silverfield brought the Tigers back into contention for a conference title and finished '24 ranked No. 24 in the final Associated Press poll. After the successful two-year stretch and getting the program back into the mix at the top, winning a conference title is the missing piece of Silverfield's tenure. However, getting back to the top of the American Athletic Conference in '25 won't be easy with a revamped roster.

6. Tim Albin, Charlotte

Charlotte is a job with significant potential, and the program hopes Albin is the right coach to get things moving in the right direction. The 49ers are 37-78 with just one winning season since joining the FBS ranks in '15. But Albin's arrival after a strong four-year run at Ohio provides optimism. The Oklahoma native went 33-19 with the Bobcats and won the '24 MAC title. Albin's ability to get the most out of the roster and quickly reload despite significant personnel losses is a huge plus as Charlotte aims to move up in the AAC in '25 and beyond.

7. Alex Golesh, South Florida

South Florida coach Alex GoleshDavid Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulls have posted back-to-back 7-6 records in Golesh's first two years in charge. But last year's seven-win campaign comes with an asterisk, as starting quarterback Byrum Brown was lost early due to injury and missed the bulk of the '24 season. With Brown healthy and back in the starting lineup, South Florida is poised to take a step forward in Golesh's third season and contend for a spot in the AAC title game.

8. Brian Newberry, Navy

The Midshipmen improved their win total by five games in '24 from Newberry's 5-7 debut the previous year. Navy went 10-3 last fall, capped by a victory over Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl. Additionally, Newberry's team beat both Air Force and Army to claim the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. With a strong foundation returning in '25, Navy should be one of the top contenders for the AAC title.

9. Eric Morris, North Texas

The Mean Green took a step forward in Morris' second season. After going 5-7 in '23, North Texas finished 6-7 and lost three games by one score last year. Additionally, Morris' background on offense helped this unit finish No. 3 nationally in total yards per game (488.8). The former Texas Tech receiver took over in Denton after a successful stint (24-18) at Incarnate Word (2018-21). He also garnered experience as an offensive coordinator at Washington State and Texas Tech.

10. Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic coach Zach KittleyMichael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Florida Atlantic made one of the top Group of 5 hires in the '24 cycle by landing Kittley as its next head coach. The Texas native arrives in Boca Raton after working for the last three years as Texas Tech's offensive coordinator. The Red Raiders finished No. 4 nationally in scoring in '24. And under Kittley's direction in '21, Western Kentucky ranked No. 2 in scoring offense. Kittley also worked for three years as the offensive coordinator at Houston Christian (2018-20). With Kittley's ability to build prolific offenses, Florida Atlantic seems poised to move forward in the AAC in the near future.

11. Scott Abell, Rice

Rice is one of the toughest jobs in the AAC, but Abell's track record of winning at lower levels (and difficult places to win) could be what the program needs to emerge as a consistent winner. He guided Washington & Lee (2012-17) to a 39-24 record and went 47-28 at Davidson from 2018-24. Abell has no experience in the state of Texas and will need time to reset the program with plans to shift the offense to an option-style attack.

12. Blake Harrell, East Carolina

Harrell's promotion to interim coach following Mike Houston's dismissal last season gave East Carolina a needed spark in the second half of '24. The Pirates went 5-1 after a 3-4 start and capped the year by beating NC State in the Military Bowl. Harrell joined East Carolina's staff as defensive coordinator in 2020 after stints as a defensive assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne (2007-13), The Citadel (2014-18), and Kennesaw State (2019).

13. Tre Lamb, Tulsa

Tulsa has recorded only two winning records over the last eight years and is one of the AAC's toughest jobs. Lamb will have his hands full in '25 and beyond, but the Georgia native comes from a football family and posted three winning seasons at the FCS level. After his playing career ended in 2012 at Tennessee Tech, Lamb went into coaching at the school in '13 and had stops at Mercer (2014-17) and Tennessee Tech again (2018-19) before taking over as the head coach at Gardner-Webb in '20. The Bulldogs finished 20-20 from 2020-23 and earned two FCS Playoff trips under Lamb's watch. He departed Gardner-Webb for East Tennessee State prior to '24 and delivered a 7-5 mark - a four-game jump from the previous year. The 35-year-old coach's background on offense should be a good fit for this program.

14. Trent Dilfer, UAB

The 2025 season is a make-or-break year for Dilfer's tenure in Birmingham. The former NFL quarterback was a puzzling hire for the Blazers in '23 and is only 7-17 over the last two seasons. Additionally, UAB's defense ranked among the worst in college football since Dilfer's arrival, giving up over 34 points a game in back-to-back years. Dilfer took steps to address this side of the ball with a major coaching staff overhaul. However, just three combined starters return on both sides of the ball in a crucial '25 campaign.

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