The importance of a great head coach cannot be understated, especially in these changing times in college basketball with the transfer portal. With that being said, we’re continuing our rankings of all 365 D1 head coaches, though these national rankings are a bit different this time around. We’re still ranking everyone in the nation, but presenting the information one conference at a time.
That brings us to the SoCon, a league that has actually produced some really notable head coaches in recent memory. The league keeps having their great coaches snatched away by the power conferences, though a few of the new faces this year have already tasted the big-time at other programs. With a new program added to this now 11-team conference, it’s only a matter of time before the next great coach emerges from the SoCon.
337. Andrew Wilson (VMI) (Last year: 322)
Overall record: 32-98
A former disciple of Mark Byington, Wilson played at Florida State in the early 2000’s and then spent a majority of his coaching career alongside Byington. They were on staff together at Charleston before Wilson was his assistant at Georgia Southern and James Madison for many years. Wilson’s own head coaching start came in 2022, though his work at VMI has been quite uneven. His Keydets won 15 games and took a big step before falling back to just 6 wins and last place in the SoCon last year.
281. Ed Conroy (The Citadel) (Last year: 280)
Overall record: 178-269
The record may not stand out, but Conroy has been a solid leader at a pair of underperforming D1 programs. After bouncing around at several D1 schools, his first shot at The Citadel saw a few great seasons, leading him to a 6-year run at Tulane. He’s never made the Big Dance but did decent work and has been back with The Citadel again since 2022, though the Bulldogs are just 37-90 in these four seasons.
249. Kevin Giltner (Wofford) (Last year: 347)
Overall record: 19-13
It was an unusual path that got Giltner into the head coaching track, but the former Wofford guard isn’t complaining. After that great work under Mike Young, he joined his alma mater’s coaching staff and spent over a decade as his assistant both there and with Virginia Tech. After a sudden head coaching change at Wofford this past offseason, Giltner jumped into the new role and his Terriers tied for 2nd place in the SoCon right off the bat.
204. Ryan Ridder (Mercer) (Last year: 218)
Overall record: 129-124
Each stop of Ridder’s coaching career has seen success and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. A former player at Wooster and Embry-Riddle, he was great leading Daytona State at the junior college level before jumping to D1 with Bethune-Cookman. Ridder won regular season titles both there and at UT Martin before jumping to Mercer in 2024. After a slow first season, Ridder led the Bears to 19 wins and a tie for 2nd in the SoCon last season.
190. Dan Earl (Chattanooga) (Last year: 168)
Overall record: 154-196
An impressive player at Penn State back in the 90’s, Earl has certainly made his mark just as well in the coaching ranks. He actually began his career at his alma mater before following Ed DeChellis to Navy as associate head coach. His head coaching shot started with VMI, and while the record wasn’t great he did turn things around with the Keydets. Earl jumped to Chattanooga in 2022 and won the NIT championship in his third year, though his Mocs really fell off with last year’s 13-19 record.
171. Brooks Savage (East Tennessee State) (Last year: 221)
Overall record: 61-40
We’re still in the early years of Savage’s head coaching career but it’s been a solid enough start to this point. A former assistant at schools like Tulane and Presbyterian, he originally joined ETSU under Steve Forbes and was his assistant for 8 years both there and at Wake Forest. After those three years in the ACC, Savage became the Buccaneer’s new head coach in 2023. Each year has been better than the last, culminating in a 23-win campaign and regular season SoCon title in year three.
158. Tim Craft (Western Carolina) (Last year: 170)
Overall record: 211-204
An alum of Florida, Craft got early experience at the high school and junior college levels and began his D1 career on staff at Gardner-Webb. He assisted Jeff Lebo at Auburn and East Carolina for several years before heading back to Gardner-Webb as head coach. Over 11 years, he won 188 games and took the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the Big Dance in 2019. Craft just moved to Western Carolina in 2024 and is just getting started with the Catamounts, fresh off a 5th place finish in the league last year.
152. Tobin Anderson (Tennessee Tech) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 54-50
A new venture begins for Anderson as he takes over at Tennessee Tech, though he’s already had quite the career. He had several years at the D3 level as head coach at Clarkson and Hamilton before a great run at D2 St. Thomas Aquinas. Anderson most famously led Fairleigh Dickinson to that historic upset over top-seeded Purdue in 2023 before hopping to Iona. After he was unceremoniously fired by the Gaels with 33 wins in two years, Anderson gets another shot with the Golden Eagles.
149. Lennie Acuff (Samford) (Last year: 154)
Overall record: 128-96
While there have been some occasional bumps in the road, but Acuff has been a collegiate head coach for the last 36 years. That journey started at the NAIA level with short stints at Belhaven and Berry before a nice run at the D2 level with Alabama-Huntsville. Acuff found his way to the D1 level at Lipscomb and took the Bisons to the Big Dance in 2025 before jumping again, this time arriving at Samford. Year one with the Bulldogs was a solid effort with 18 wins and a tie for 2nd in the conference.
134. Jerod Haase (UNC Greensboro) (Last year: N/A)
Overall record: 206-180
Many brilliant years were spent for Haase playing, coaching, and learning under Roy Williams. He transferred to Kansas to play for him and was on his staffs both there and at North Carolina. His head coaching jump came at UAB in 2012 and he took the Blazers to a win in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. One year later he jumped to Stanford but never made the Big Dance with the Cardinal. Haase is putting that behind him and taking over a UNC Greensboro program looking for new momentum.
74. Bob Richey (Furman) (Last year: 77)
Overall record: 203-93
While several notable SoCon coaches have gotten bigger jobs in recent years, Richey has stayed put. The New Orleans native was an assistant elsewhere before originally joining the Paladins as an assistant in 2011. Since his ascension to the head coaching job in 2017, he’s taken Furman to a Tourney upset in the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and led the Paladins back to the Big Dance again this past March, his seventh 20-win campaign.
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