Ranking the Mountain West's College Football Coaches for 2025

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Ranking the Mountain West's College Football Coaches for 2025

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Thu, May 15, 2025 ·

8 min read

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The Mountain West boasts a strong collection of coaches entering the 2025 college football season. At the top of the league, long-time veterans in Air Force's Troy Calhoun and Utah State's Bronco Mendenhall are among the best in the Group of 5 ranks. New UNLV coach Dan Mullen also has a strong argument for the top spot, with Boise State's Spencer Danielson on the rise after guiding the Broncos to a playoff game last year. All four of these coaches garnered consideration in Athlon's rankings for the top spot in the Mountain West.

Outside of the top four coaches, Colorado State's Jay Norvell, San Jose State's Ken Niumatalolo, San Diego State's Sean Lewis, Fresno State's Matt Entz, and Nevada's Jeff Choate provide a strong second tier for '25. New Mexico's Jason Eck is a solid hire for a program in need of stability, while both Hawaii's Timmy Chang and Wyoming's Jay Sawvel have optimism after losing records last year.

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 Mountain West:

Ranking the Mountain West's College Football Coaches for 2025

UNLV head coach Dan Mullen© Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

1. Dan Mullen, UNLV

Coming off the best two-year stretch in school history, UNLV is aiming even higher going into '25. Mullen arrives from the broadcast booth to take over in Las Vegas following Barry Odom's departure to Purdue. In addition to being regarded for his work on offense, Mullen has been successful at two different SEC jobs. From 2009-17, Mullen went 69-46 at Mississippi State and guided the program to eight bowl trips. He left for Florida in '18 and led the Gators to 34 wins and a SEC East title over four years in charge. Mullen's hire at UNLV is easily one of the best in the '24-25 coaching carousel.

2. Troy Calhoun, Air Force

Calhoun is the longest-tenured coach in the Group of 5 ranks and enters the '25 season with a 135-89 career mark at his alma mater. Due to significant roster turnover off a team that won 29 games from 2021-23, the Falcons stumbled a bit with a 5-7 record last year. However, Air Force played better late in the season and should get back to a bowl in '25. Under Calhoun's watch, the Falcons have recorded five season of double-digit victories and appeared in 13 bowl games.

3. Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State

Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall© John Reed-Imagn Images

After one season at New Mexico, Mendenhall is back in familiar territory in his home state of Utah. Throughout his long coaching career, Mendenhall has been known to win at hard jobs and get the most out of a roster. That certainly was the case in '24, as the Lobos showed marked improvement with a 5-7 record. Prior to New Mexico, Mendenhall went 36-38 at Virginia with one appearance in the ACC Championship Game. He also guided BYU to a 99-43 record from 2005-15.

4. Spencer Danielson, Boise State

Danielson's success as Boise State's interim coach in 2023 landed him the full-time job. The 36-year-old coach picked up where he left off the previous year after a 3-1 stint with a Mountain West title. The Broncos went 12-2 and won the Mountain West Championship over UNLV. Additionally, Danielson's team earned a playoff spot as the highest ranked Group of 5 team and played Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl. Although the Broncos were defeated 31-14, Danielson's debut was a massive success. Despite having only 18 games of head-coaching experience, Danielson is already among the top Group of 5 coaches.

5. Ken Niumatalolo, San Jose State

San Jose State Spartans head coach Ken Niumatalolo© James Snook-Imagn Images

Despite significant roster turnover (just six returning starters), along with a scheme change on offense, the Spartans surprised in Niumatalolo's first season. San Jose State picked up quality wins against Air Force, Oregon State, and Stanford en route to a 7-6 record. After leading Navy to a 109-83 record, Niumatalolo was surprisingly dismissed at the end of the '22 season. However, Niumatalolo's second act on the West Coast is off to a strong start. And with a solid core returning for '25, along with a favorable schedule, San Jose State can compete for a trip to the Mountain West title game.

6. Jay Norvell, Colorado State

The Rams took a step forward in Norvell's third year, finishing 8-5 and earning the program's first bowl trip since '17. Colorado State was also in the mix to make the Mountain West title game with a 6-1 mark in conference play last season. Norvell is 16-21 since taking over in Fort Collins and is 49-47 overall counting a five-year run at Nevada.

7. Sean Lewis, San Diego State

San Diego State head coach Sean LewisOrlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

Lewis was one of the top hires in the 2024-25 coaching carousel but inherited a San Diego State program in transition. The Aztecs were usually strong on defense and with their ground game in previous years, but Lewis shifted the offense to more balance and an improved passing attack. That transition will take time, as the Aztecs went 3-9 in Lewis' debut last season. Prior to San Diego State, Lewis went 24-31 at one of the nation's hardest jobs at Kent State. During that run, he recorded two bowl trips and guided the Golden Flashes to a MAC East title in '21. Considering Lewis' prior success at Kent State, along with another offseason to transition the roster, confidence should be high for the Aztecs to be the most-improved team in the Mountain West in '25.

8. Matt Entz, Fresno State

Entz is back in charge of a program after a one-year stint as USC's linebackers coach. The Iowa native guided North Dakota State to a 60-11 record with two FCS titles from 2019-23. The bulk of Entz's coaching career took place in the Midwest, so transitioning to the West Coast and developing recruiting connections across the state of California may take time. However, as Entz's track record showed at North Dakota State, he's capable of winning at a high level and should get Fresno State back in the mix for a trip to the Mountain West title game.

9. Jeff Choate, Nevada

Although Nevada's final record in '24 was only 3-10, it was clear this was a much-improved team under Choate. The Wolf Pack lost six games by one score and gave Boise State (28-21) all it could handle in November. With a significant roster turnover for '25, it may take Choate another season before Nevada returns to a bowl. However, as his track record at Montana State showed (28-22 over four years), Choate should get this program on the winning path.

10. Timmy Chang, Hawaii

Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang© Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

The 2025 season is a crucial one for Chang. The former star Hawaii quarterback is 13-25 at his alma mater through three years and has yet to guide the program to the postseason. The Rainbow Warriors have shown signs of progress under Chang and have the pieces in place to go to a bowl in '25.

11. Jason Eck, New Mexico

New Mexico is one of the Mountain West's most challenging jobs, and Eck represents the program's third coach in three years after Bronco Mendenhall departed after one season to Utah State. Although Eck inherits a tough situation, the former Wisconsin offensive lineman seems like the right fit for the Lobos. After working as an assistant at Western Illinois, Minnesota State, Montana State, and South Dakota State, Eck landed the top spot at Idaho in '22. The Vandals posted three consecutive winning seasons under his watch and made the FCS Playoff every year. Overall, Eck went 26-13 at Idaho and recorded two top-10 finishes in the final FCS Top 25.

12. Jay Sawvel, Wyoming

Sawvel faced a tough assignment last season in replacing long-time (and successful) coach Craig Bohl in Laramie. The Cowboys went 3-9 in Sawvel's debut (also his first season overall as a head coach) but found momentum late in the year. Wyoming won two of its last four games and gave Boise State (17-13) a battle in late November. If Sawvel can build on that solid finish, the Cowboys could return to a bowl in '25.

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