A week from now, the 2021 college football season will be over, and the seemingly endless offseason will be upon us.
Before fully turning our attention toward coaching storylines for the 2022 campaign, it's time to look back at who stood out most in the coaching ranks. After a challenging 2020, the 2021 season brought out the best in many coaches. Four teams that had losing records in 2020 won their conferences this past season, including one that had gone winless (Northern Illinois) and another led by a first-year coach (Utah State's Blake Anderson).
The following list of coaching superlatives will contain some familiar names, but also names that college football fans will want to get familiar with for the future. Some selections were obvious, while others featured plenty of competition.
Here's a look at the coaches who stood out most around college football in 2021.