Ranking the top-five most powerful coaches in college football

When it comes to coaches in college football, there are a select group of household names that when they speak, everyone listens.

Whether that be because their comments are controversial or because their success has earned the respect of others, head coaches have a lot of power to change the landscape of the sport. Especially nowadays, with name, image and likeness (NIL), and transfer portal controversies, head coaches have become increasingly outspoken as to what they believe in.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is no stranger to having his name entangled in these recent controversies, as he has been very outspoken with his thoughts on NIL and the transfer portal.

As for the other coaches across the country, 247Sports’ Josh Pate recently broke down which have the most power. He based his rankings on a myriad of factors, including reputation, resume and how much the coaches’ comments move the needle.

With that being said, here are Pate’s top-five most powerful coaches across the country.

5. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Seasons as head coach: 12

All-time record: 117-37

Conference titles: 3

National Championships: 1

Pate’s reasoning: “I’ve got Jimbo Fisher as the fifth most powerful head coach in college football. There’s probably no name in the top 10, if I went that deep, that’s seen more of a shift in this category over the past six months than Jimbo Fisher, which is weird because he’s not new. He’s not young. He didn’t just get to College Station. But yet, a lot of things — I think, in terms of public perception — have changed about Jimbo as of late. I mean, that guy has really taken it to another level. Ultimately, that only matters if he backs it up and his team backs it up on the football field on Saturdays in the fall. I think we all understand that. But Texas A&M, the thing about them, it’s very appropriate they’re in the state of Texas because Texas A&M has always been…