Sports

Ranking the Mountain West's College Football Coaches for 2026

By Steven Lassan Athlon Sports

Updated April 22, 2026 6:21 AM

Realignment hit the Mountain West hard entering the 2026 college football season with five programs departing to join the revamped Pac-12. However, the Mountain West is still in great shape entering '26 with UTEP, North Dakota State, and Northern Illinois joining the league. The change in membership took away some of the conference's top programs but also provides an open path for new teams to emerge at the top.

The coaching talent in this league certainly adds intrigue to the new 10-team setup. UNLV's Dan Mullen takes the top spot in the '26 coach rankings, but New Mexico's Jason Eck and Air Force's Troy Calhoun aren't far behind. In the next tier, it's a close call between North Dakota State's Tim Polasek, San Jose State's Ken Niumatalolo, and Hawaii's Timmy Chang.

How did we compile the rankings for coaches by conference? For starters, it's an impossible task. However, we tried to weigh every possible factor. This is not simply a list of coaches ranked by accomplishment or wins. Career biography/resume, success in developing talent and landing prospects on the recruiting trail factored into the ranking. Additionally, Athlon's annual coach rankings also take into account a blank slate and subjectivity. If you start a program from scratch, which coach would you hire knowing what they accomplished so far and their career trajectory? Remember, you don't get the assistants - only the head coach. And head-to-head wins do not matter for this ranking.

Here are the results for the Mountain West:

Way-Too-Early 2026 Rankings: Top 25 | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC

Harley is set to work as the program's interim coach for ‘26 after Thomas Hammock departed in the spring for a job with the Seattle Seahawks. This is Harley's first chance to work as a head coach at the FBS level, but he has experience as an assistant from stops at Pitt, Arkansas State, and FIU. Harley joined the NIU staff in ‘25 as the program's defensive coordinator. He's tasked with guiding the Huskies through their transition to the Mountain West.

Walden was a promising hire for UTEP after going 26-14 at Austin Peay over four seasons. However, progress has been slow in El Paso. Under Walden's direction, the Miners are only 5-19 over the last two years. The ‘26 season looms large for Walden's tenure at UTEP, especially as the program makes a transition to the Mountain West.

Sawvel inherited big shoes to fill in Laramie after Craig Bohl's retirement. After working under Bohl since ‘20, Sawvel's promotion to the top spot ensured continuity. However, the ‘26 season is shaping up to be a crucial one for Sawvel. Since taking over the top spot, he's just 7-17 overall and has just four wins in Mountain West play.

Choate enters a critical third season at the helm in Reno. The Wolf Pack have made small progress under Choate, but the overall record is just 6-19 in that span. Prior to Nevada, Choate went 28-22 at Montana State and guided the Bobcats to two FCS Playoff appearances. Choate seemed like a strong hire at Nevada prior to the ‘24 campaign, but progress is needed this fall.

Chang - a former record-setting quarterback at Hawaii - guided the Rainbow Warriors to the program's best season since 2019 (10-5) with a 9-4 record last year. Hawaii has made steady progress since Chang took over the top spot at his alma mater. He's 22-29 overall with one bowl victory and is 8-7 in Mountain West play over the last two seasons.

After a 7-6 record in Niumatalolo's debut at San Jose State in ‘24, the Spartans had a disappointing 3-9 campaign last year. Despite the three-win season, Niumatalolo is still one of the top Group of 6 coaches entering ‘26. He previously went 109-83 at Navy, which included three double-digit win seasons.

Polasek continued North Dakota State's run of success at the FCS level with a 26-3 record and a national championship over the last two seasons. The Wisconsin native is tasked with guiding the Bison through a transition to the FBS level, but the program is already positioned to be a factor in its first season in the Mountain West in ‘26. Polasek already has experience in this conference from three years as Wyoming's offensive coordinator (2021-23).

Calhoun is one of the longest-tenured coaches at the FBS level. Since 2007, he's guided his alma mater to a 139-97 record with 13 bowl appearances. Included in that stint is five double-digit win seasons, including an 11-win campaign in ‘19. The Falcons will be looking to get back on track in ‘26 after back-to-back losing records for just the third time in Calhoun's tenure at the Academy.

Eck had one of the best seasons by a first-year head coach in ‘25. New Mexico made a four-jump in the win column, finished with a 9-4 mark and just missed an appearance in the Mountain West title game. Prior to his debut with the Lobos last year, Eck went 26-13 at Idaho from 2022-24. The Vandals also earned a FCS Playoff appearance in all three of Eck's seasons with the Vandals.

After three seasons away from the sidelines, Mullen took over the top spot at UNLV and guided the program to a 10-4 mark with an appearance in the Mountain West title game. Counting previous stints at Mississippi State and Florida to go with the ‘25 campaign with the Rebels, Mullen is 113-65 overall as a head coach at the FBS level. He's also regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the nation and should have UNLV as one of the top programs to beat on an annual basis in the revamped Mountain West.

This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 6:06 AM.

Way-Too-Early 2026 Rankings: Top 25 | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC

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