As the saying goes, defense wins championships. That’s why the names below are some of the most important in college football, as each and every one is key to the success of their program.
Defensive coordinators who narrowly missed out on the list were; Ted Roof, Georgia Tech; Jeff Casteel, West Virginia; Nick Aliotti, Oregon; Greg Mattison, Michigan, and Todd Grantham of Georgia.
5. John Chavis – LSU
John Chavis, or, ‘The Chief’, is an extremely aggressive coordinator, his defenses create pressure and force turnovers.
Tennessee won the first BCS National Championship in 1998 with a defense under Chavis’ tutelage. At the end of the 2008 season he was named defensive coordinator of the LSU Tigers, where he has helped solidify LSU as one of the best football teams in the nation.
Jerod Mayo, Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne are just a few names in a long list who Chavis has guided to the NFL.
4. Bob Diaco – Notre Dame
Bob Diaco is still a fairly inexperienced defensive coordinator with only four seasons under his belt, but if the 2012 Notre Dame defense is anything to go by, he will develop into one of the brightest young minds in the game. This was evident when Diaco was awarded the Frank Broyles Award in 2012, which recognizes the top assistant coach in college football.
The 2012 Notre Dame defense only surrendered 15 touchdowns throughout the season, which included a stingy four rushing touchdowns, the first not coming until week eight against Oklahoma.
3. Brent Venables – Clemson
Venables took the reigns as Clemson’s defensive coordinator in 2012 and made an immediate impact. His defense allowed 24.8 points per game compared to the same unit which conceded 29.3 a year previous.
Oklahoma lost three National Championship finals whilst Venables was in charge of the defense, but that isn’t a knock on 42 year old, who already has 13 years of coordinator experience under his belt. Venables could be the missing piece that allows Clemson push for a top-five finish.
2. Kirby Smart – Alabama
Kirby Smart is one of Nick Saban’s closest allies. The 2009 Frank Broyles award winner was Saban’s defensive backs coach at LSU, safeties coach at Miami and now defensive coordinator at Alabama.
The 37 year-old is the highest paid coordinator in college football, and rightly so. Alabama is consistently one of the best defenses in the league, which is recognised by three National Championships in the last four seasons.
The 2012 the Alabama defense gave up a measly 10.9 points per game, 2.43 yards per rushing attempt and 18 total touchdowns.
1. Bud Foster – Virginia Tech
Bud Foster takes the number one spot due to his abilities standing the test of time. The Virginia Tech defense is consistently among the best in the country. Since 1999 Foster has had eight units rank inside the top ten in total defense. In 2000, Foster took a defense that returned just three starters and turned it into a unit that led the Big East Conference in rushing defense, placed 16th nationally against the run and tied for third nationally in interceptions. Under Foster the Hokies defense has been a top-ten scoring unit nine times.
If Virginia Tech’s offense was anything like its defense, they would have more than just one BCS National Championship appearance to show for Foster’s incredible defensive mind.