It's not easy being a head coach at a Group of 5 school. Limited budgets, body bag road games, transitioning from FCS to FBS, and dealing with alumni expectations are just the tip of this collegiate iceberg.
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Some of our Top 10 Group of 5 coaches have been winning games at an astounding rate for over a decade while others new to the scene are quickly establishing their roots.
One thing is for certain: Many of the men on this list will be coaching at Power 5 schools soon enough if they keep up their winning ways.
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Rocky Long – San Diego State
After a disappointing 65-69 record at New Mexico, Long has taken the Aztecs to new heights.
His 54-26 mark at SDSU includes a winning record and bowl appearance all six years, including Mountain West crowns in 2012, 2015, and 2016.
It's almost mind-boggling Long hasn't left for richer pastures.
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Mike Norvell – Memphis
Meet the potential next Tom Herman of the American Athletic Conference.
Herman parlayed his excellent showing in Houston into the top gig at Texas. Loaded at wide receiver and with stud quarterback Riley Furguson behind center, Norvell has a chance to lead one of the most lethal offenses in the country after going 8-5 in his debut last year.
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Ken Niumatalolo – Navy
He's flirted with both BYU and Cal. He's led the Midshipmen to 9 bowl games in 10 full seasons. His team beat Notre Dame in 2009, 2010, and 2016 after going winless against the Irish since the 1960s. He boasts a career 77-42 record at a military academy.
It's only a matter of time before Niumatalolo is coaching at a Power 5 school.
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Scott Satterfield – Appalachian State
The job Satterfield has done with the Mountaineers is nothing short of astounding.
One of the most difficult chores for an FCS head coach is making the transition to the FBS. Satterfield introduced his squad to the Sun Belt by immediately going 6-2 in conference play. He followed that up with an 11-2 mark and the program's first ever bowl win in 2015. For his 2016 encore, App State simply won the Sun Belt and yet another bowl game.
It's hard to see the 44-year old staying in Boone much longer if 2017 looks anything like the past three years.
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App State Athletics[/credit]
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Rod Carey – Northern Illinois
Despite a disappointing 5-7 mark last season, Carey led the Huskies to back-to-back 11-plus win in 2013 and 2014, including an AP-high ranking of #16 in 2013.
Bad luck has played into Carey's 8-6 mark two years ago and last year's sub-par campaign. Due to injuries, five different starting QBs have lined up behind center over the past 26 games, and that included a whopping four last year.
If the Huskies can find a way to sneak past Boston College in this year's opener, a return to the postseason is within reach and may send Carey's name into the Power 5 rumor mill.
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Bryan Harsin – Boise State
Here are Harsin's four predecessors and the schools they left for: Chris Petersen (2006-2013, Washington), Dan Hawkins (2001–2005, Colorado), Dirk Koetter (1998–2000, Arizona State), and Houston Nutt (1997, Arkansas).
With a 31-9 mark so far at Boise State, and New Year's Six aspirations in 2017, Harsin may be the next coach the flee the Broncos blue field.
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Blake Anderson – Arkansas State
While the Sun Belt hasn't seen as many coaches poached to the Power 5 as other Group of 5 teams, Anderson may end that trend.
He's 24-15 at ASU, including an impressive 20-4 in conference play to go along with bowl appearances in all 3 of his seasons.
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Troy Calhoun – Air Force
Other than a strange 2-10 campaign in 2013, Calhoun has led the Falcons to a bowl game in all 10 of his seasons. He's ridden the option attack to an impressive 77-53 career mark in Colorado Springs.
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Air Force Academy Athletics[/credit]
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Philip Montgomery – Tulsa
The mastermind behind the powerful Baylor offenses of this decade, Montgomery is at it again in Tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane were ranked 7 last season nationally at 42.5-points-per game and had the fourth best total offense at 527 yards.
If Montgomery can engineer an opening-season win at Oklahoma State, he may become the hottest name in the FBS.
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Chris Creighton – Eastern Michigan
When you take your team to its first bowl game since 1987, you deserve kudos — especially when your program had been one of the worst in the nation year after year.
Creighton performed the greatest magic trick in college football last year in leading the Eagle to a 7-5 regular season mark, which included a win over eventual Mountain West championship game participant Wyoming.
If Creighton can replicate his slight of hand in 2017, he could see himself coaching from a Power 5 sideline à la Turner Gill who parlayed his winning ways at Buffalo to the top spot at Kansas in 2009.
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Honorable Mention
Frank Solich – Ohio
Bob Davie – New Mexico
Skip Holtz – Louisiana Tech
Rick Stockstill – Middle Tennessee
Mark Hudspeth – Louisiana-Lafayette
