In a recent list from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, five coaches from the Big 12 Conference were included among the nation’s top 25.
Those five coaches included four new faces making their Top 25 debut in 2025, alongside one ageless veteran who remained in the upper echelon of coaches.
The four new coaches making their debut on the list are Colorado’s Deion Sanders, BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham. Alongside the four new faces, Kansas State’s Chris Klieman returns to the list after being named No. 16 in 2024.
Kicking off the list at No. 25 is Deion Sanders, who led the Buffaloes to a drastic turnaround in just two seasons. His career in Boulder started off poorly, with a 4-8 overall record and a last-place finish in the Pac-12 Conference. In 2024, however, it became clear that things were different as the Buffaloes earned a Top 25 ranking for multiple weeks at a time and finished 9-4 overall.
One spot ahead of Sanders is BYU’s Kalani Sitake, who made an impressive statement this season.
“Sitake was on the hot seat entering the 2024 campaign prior to winning 11 games and having BYU on the verge of a playoff appearance,” Crawford wrote. “With a strong nucleus returning, is another run at a playoff berth in store for next season?”
The lone returner from the list, Chris Klieman, checked in at No. 23, seven spots lower than the previous season. The Wildcats had an up-and-down season in 2024, largely due to the development process of star quarterback Avery Johnson. The Wildcats finished off the 2024 season with a 9-4 overall record, capped off by a victory over Rutgers in the Rate Bowl.
Next up was Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, who experienced the winningest season in Iowa State history this fall with an 11-3 finish.
“For the second time in five seasons, the Cyclones reached the Big 12 Championship Game but could not finish the deal to get the league’s automatic playoff bid,” Crawford noted.
While the Cyclones may have not gotten the job done in the post-season, it’s impossible to overlook the impressive nature of what Matt Campbell’s done in Ames.
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The fifth and final Big 12 coach listed among the nation’s Top 25 was Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, who checked in at No. 12. The Sun Devils put on an incredible show this season, winning a Big 12 Championship in Year One as well as taking Texas to overtime in a CFP game. Dillingham sits atop the Big 12 coaching throne and will enter the upcoming season as such.
