Which Notable Big 12 Coaches Were Left Off Top 25 Rankings?

247Sports recognized five Big 12 coaches on Sunday as some of the nation’s best head coaches, including Kenny Dillingham, Matt Campbell, Chris Klieman, Kalani Sitake, and Deion Sanders.

Each coach was awarded a spot inside the Top 25, but with only 25 spots up for grabs, several Big 12 names were left out of the elite company.

Notable coaches left outside the Top 25 list from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford include Baylor’s Dave Aranda, Kansas’ Lance Leipold, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, and more.

While each coach has a good argument to join the Top 25, three coaches checked in on the list from the previous season, including Lance Leipold, Mike Gundy, and Kyle Whittingham. The difference, however, was a brutal 2024 season for each, which pushed them out of contention. The trio posted a combined record of 13-23 after all three teams were picked to finish top five in the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll.

Dykes, McGuire, and Aranda are all coming off solid seasons this fall, with the Horned Frogs finishing 9-4 and the Red Raiders and Bears one game back at 8-5. Dykes entered the 2024 season after two vastly different seasons, one that ended in a trip to the National Championship Game and another that resulted in missing out on bowl eligibility. In his three seasons in Ft. Worth, he holds an overall record of 27-13. McGuire, on the other hand, has remained extremely consistent with an overall record of 23-16 and three straight seasons of seven or more wins. Aranda followed suit, similar to that of Dykes, bouncing back from a brutal 2023 season (3-9) to finish 8-5 this fall.

With another exciting season of Big 12 football on the horizon, the list could shake up drastically yet again with some fresh new Big 12 coaches and some veterans that are no stranger to receiving national praise.