The Worst College Football Coaches Ever, Ranked In Order

These Are The Worst College Football Coaches Of All-Time - Brake For It
Classic
Modern Auto
Culture
Search for:
Classic
Modern Auto
Culture
About
Contact
Copyright
Privacy
Terms
These Are The Worst College Football Coaches Of All Time
Scott Croker | Classic | 27 Apr 2026
Before Jim Harbaugh showed up to Stanford, the Cardinal were mired in losing season after losing season. However, within two years under his coaching, they were considered National Championship contenders. Do you remember the name of the coach who nearly wrecked the program, though? His name was Walt Harris, and his tenure with Stanford was nothing short of a disaster. He's one of the worst college football coaches of all-time, and he's in "good company" on this list. To see where he falls among the worst of the worst, you'll have to stick around.
Bill Callahan Couldn't Transition From The NFL Back To College
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Bill Callahan brought a big pedigree with him to Nebraska. During his first season as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders the team went to the Super Bowl. Expectations by Cornhusker Nation were sky high with him in charge.
Sadly, like Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, Callahan failed to adjust his style of play and coaching to the college level. Under his leadership, the program suffered it's first losing season in four decades. He stayed with the program for four seasons, going 27-22 before getting fired.
Up next, you didn't think we forgot about Charlie Weis, did you?
ADVERTISEMENT
Dan Hawkins Softened The Edges Of The Colorado Buffs
ADVERTISEMENT
Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Dan Hawkins had Colorado fans cheering for him when he took over as the University of Colorado head coach in 2005. His resume included a winning run at Boise State and a tough guy attitude that lead everyone to believe his success would repeat at Boulder.
ADVERTISEMENT
All the tough talk was quickly silenced when the team went 2-10 in his first season at the helm. Things got worse when a parent complained that his athletes were working too hard and he responded, "this ain't intramurals!" He was fired in 2010 with a 19-39 record.
Do you remember what embarrassing feat wrecked Bill Callahan's time at Nebraska?
ADVERTISEMENT
Jon Embree Was In A No-Win Situation As Hawkins' Successor
ADVERTISEMENT
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Sticking with Colorado for our next coach, we present Dan Hawkins' successor in Colorado: Jon Embree. Retired from the NFL, Embree spent several seasons working with the Buffs' program. With Hawkins gone, he finally got his chance to be the big man in charge.
ADVERTISEMENT
In two seasons as the school's head coach, Embree won four games. Not an inspiring number for the school almuni. He was fired, but things haven't gotten better for Colorado. The school has only had one winning season in the last ten years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mike Locksley Couldn't Stay Out Of The Tabloids In New Mexico
ADVERTISEMENT
Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
From 2009 until 2011, Mike Locksley was the head coach of the University of New Mexico football program. During his tenure, the controversial coach couldn't stay out of trouble. He was even accused of punching one of his assistant coaches during a staff meeting.
ADVERTISEMENT
The school didn't fire him for either offense. They did fire him after going 2-26 in two seasons, however. In 2018 he was hired by Alabama as the program's offensive coordinator.
Coming up, do you remember what life was like for the Michigan Wolverines when Rich Rodriguez was in charge?
ADVERTISEMENT
Rich Rodriguez Failed To Turn Michigan Into A Powerhouse
ADVERTISEMENT
Leon Halip/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Rich Rodriguez spent three seasons as the head coach for the University of Michigan. The school hired him after he coached the West Virginia Mountaineers to six-straight winning seasons. Bringing a spread-style offense with him, Rodriguez never adjusted his coaching style to his new players. As a result, the Wolverines went 3-8 in his first season.
ADVERTISEMENT
In his second season, the team saw minor improvements and went 5-7. The next year they went 7-6, but the winning record wasn't enough to keep Rodriguez around, whose relationship with players and administrators had crumbled.
ADVERTISEMENT
Charlie Weis Cost Notre Dame $40 Million
ADVERTISEMENT
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Charlie Weis was viewed by millions as the savior of Notre Dame when the school signed him to a ten-year contract at the end of 2004. Coming off four successful seasons as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, spending $40 million for Weis’ services seemed like a no-brainer.
ADVERTISEMENT
Initially, Weis was a godsend, taking the fighting Irish to two Bowl games right away. Everything unraveled in his third season, when the school went 3-9. Weis struggled to stay afloat for two more years until the school finally cut ties with him.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ellis Johnson Never Won A Game At Southern Mississippi
ADVERTISEMENT
J. Meric/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
The University of Southern Mississippi was coming off 18 straight winning seasons when they hired Ellis Johnson as the head coach in 2012. He signed a four-year contract worth $700,000 a year. At his introductory press conference he proudly proclaimed, “I am convinced you can always be successful."
ADVERTISEMENT
However, some proclamations should never be made. Johnson went 0-12 in his only season with the program. For the next three seasons, the school paid him $2.1 million to stay as far away as he possibly could.
Coming up, Greg Robinson gets stripped of half the wins he gave Syracuse.
ADVERTISEMENT
Greg Robinson Won Five Games For Syracuse
ADVERTISEMENT
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Greg Robinson was part of a very dark time in Syracuse University's sports program's history. He only won ten games in four years, going 1-10 in his first season. The school fired him in 2008, two years after the NCAA came down hard on the school for violating several rules.
ADVERTISEMENT
As part of the football program's punishment, the team (and Robinson) were stripped of their five wins in 2005. Michigan hired Robinson as the school's defensive coordinator in 2009. In 2015, he retired after one season in the same position with San Jose State.
Next, we're going deep into the past to remind you about Jennings B. Whitworth.
ADVERTISEMENT
J.B. "Ears" Whitworth Never Found His Footing In Tuscaloosa
ADVERTISEMENT
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
The Crimson Tide were coming off a mediocre season in 1954 when they decided to make the move to hire J.B. "Ears" Whitworth as their head coach. The move immediately proved a mistake and Whitworth didn't win a single game his first year.
ADVERTISEMENT
The next two seasons, he managed to win four games, but lost the trust of the school. He was replaced by legendary coach Bear Bryant, who led Alabama from 1958 until 1982, winning 232 games and losing just 46.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lane Kiffin Quit Before He Could Be Fired
ADVERTISEMENT
Joe Murphy/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Lane Kiffin has done a lot of things well in his career. He is great at recruiting athletes, and he is one of the best play callers in college football (despite his firing from USC). During his brief stint as Tennessee's head coach, however, he was nothing more than a major disappointment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Unlike the rest of the coaches on this list, though, the university never got to fire him. Fourteen months after accepting the job and going 7-6, Kiffin jumped ship to become the head coach at USC. After three years there, he was fired on the tarmac. Today he coaches at Florida Atlantic University.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bobby Petrino Wasn't A Bad Coach, Just A Bad Person
ADVERTISEMENT
Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
There's no denying the promise Bobby Petrino showed as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. His 34-17 record on the field speaks for itself. His unbecoming behavior off…

Text scraped from the landing page for research purposes. © respective owners. This text is sourced from the advertiser's public landing page; for removal, contact dmca@luba.media.