Top Power 5 College Football coaches under the age of 45
1) Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech (44)
When Virginia Tech hired Buzz Williams back in 2014, it was universally hailed as a great move by the athletic department. Williams is the 5 star recruit that’s lived up to the hype. In 6 six seasons at Marquette playing in the rugged Big East, Williams had 5 NCAA tournament appearances with 2 Sweet 16s and an Elite 8.
When he arrived in Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech basketball program was in total shambles. It took Williams 3 short years to rebuild Virginia Tech as he reached the NCAA tournament in 2017. All the more impressive was Williams did it in the ACC as the ACC once again became the nation’s top basketball conference. Pay him whatever he wants Virginia Tech…
2) Mike White, Florida (40)
When Billy Donovan left Florida, you wondered if the Gator basketball would slip back into irrelevance. Mike White made sure that didn’t happen. White won 27, 29, and 27 games in his last 3 years at Louisiana Tech before heading to Florida.
At Florida following a 21-15 season in 2015-2016, he led the Gators to a 27 win season and an Elite 8.
3) Steve Prohm, Iowa State (42)
Iowa State found themselves a rock solid coach in 42 year old Steve Prohm. Prohm arrived in Ames, Iowa by way of Murray State where he won 104 games in 4 seasons 2 go along with 2 regular season OVC titles, and a OVC tournament title.
He’s continued his success at Iowa State where he made a Sweet 16 in 2015 while winning 23 games. In 2016 he again made the NCAA tournament with a 24 win season.
4) Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech (39)
Josh Pastner took over after Memphis after the departure of John Calipari. That’s a tall order for anyone. Pastner still averaged 26 wins his first 5 seasons at Memphis. Things waned his last 2 years there, and Pastner moved on to Georgia Tech.
Some questioned the hire, but Pastner proved he is still one of the best young coaches in the country. He took a Georgia Tech team, that some experts felt couldn’t win an ACC game with a roster that appeared low on talent. Pastner pushed the right buttons won 21 games, reached the NIT final, and was named ACC Coach of the Year.
5) Shaka Smart, Texas (40)
A few years ago Shaka Smart would have topped this list. He had an outstanding record at VCU winning 74% of his game in 6 seasons. He made the NCAA tournament his last 5 seasons there. That included a Final 4 in 2011.
Smart took over at Texas 2 years, and after a 20-13 season in his first year, he slipped to 11-22 in his second year. Shaka Smart did forget how to coach, and I believe his 2016-2017 season is going to be the exception not the rule. It does drop some in these rankings though.
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