Who are college football’s top young coaches and staffers entering the 2026 season? It’s a question that 247Sports attempts to answer annually with its 30Under30 list, which is in its 10th iteration. The initial 2017 list included several future head coaches (Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State; Collin Klein, Kansas State; Scotty Walden, UTEP; Jeff Faris, Austin Peay), a few powerhouse coordinators (Glenn Schumann, Georgia; Tino Sunseri, Indiana; Drew Mehringer, Oregon; Nick Sheridan, Michigan State; Clint Trickett, Maryland) and even a Power Four athletic director (Fernando Lovo, Colorado).
Those are the type of future stars 247Sports aims to identify annually.
The list has changed considerably over the years. For example, one of the list’s originators, Barton Simmons, is now well into his tenure as the general manager at Vanderbilt. But the process is the same: Surveying dozens and dozens of contacts across the industry to find the best sub-age-30 coaches and staffers in college football.
Given that the sport continues to trend younger and younger — there are nearly 100 on-field FBS coaches under the age of 30 this season — the list is harder than it’s ever been to narrow down. So, for the fourth season in a row, 247Sports is identifying 30 new names while also highlighting every returning 30Under30 class member who remains under 30 at the end of the story.
Additionally, given the volume of high-quality coaches and staffers across the country, 247Sports is also spotlighting some sub-30 analysts, graduate assistants and personnel staffers who have garnered strong feedback and bear watching moving forward.
Got it? Let’s get started.
Note: All names are listed in alphabetical order.
