By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
There were some new additions to the offseason and plenty of AD movement. That means it is time to update the CFSL coaching trees!
The Frosty Tree
Total Win Percentage: .579 (397-289)
National Championships: 7
Conference Championships: 13
The CFSL’s largest and most successful coaching tree has gotten larger and more successful since we last checked in. First, this tree grew with the addition of the new Alabama AD Stephen Keller. This is the first time this tree has grown in a few seasons.
The success enjoyed by this tree last season comes thanks to Daniel Gunn and his Tar Heels. North Carolina won a conference title and National Championship this past season. It is North Carolina’s second conference title, but its first National Championship. This tree has had more of both than any other tree.
The future of this tree looks good, but short of great. While there are many great names on the list, only four active branches (less than 29%) are active. And, one would assume that Ware will soon turn into an inactive branch. However, he only spent about three weeks enjoying retirement before hopping back in, so who knows. Gunn is a proven coach builder, and you have to imagine that it is only a matter of time before 850Cane produces his first branch. The heavy lifting of growth will be on them alone until Keller has more time to develop.
The Grin Tree
Total Win Percentage: .524 (289-263)
National Championships: 1
Conference Championships: 12
The Grin Tree seems to grow every season, and this season is no exception. RobJG2 and Nate Snare both took AD jobs and look to add to the fastest-growing tree in the league. However, this did come at the cost of two ADs stepping down (S14Gene and Mucci).
The race for Grin’s tree to catch Frosty’s in conference titles got a little closer. Both Auburn and Michigan brought conference titles home this past season. They are now only one behind Frosty’s Tree for the most of any tree.
The future of this tree looks great. They have proven coach builders (Grin, Ike, Beard, and Wetzel) who are active, along with promising younger coaches looking to develop their first. No tree comes close to this tree’s ten active branches, which is why this tree has by far the most potential for more growth.
The Clutch Tree
Total Win Percentage: .508 (283-274)
National Championships: 3
Conference Championships: 9
The Clutch Tree has a strong history, with the second most National Championships and third most conference titles of any tree. However, it has slipped into a bit of a funk lately. The new ADs they have developed have failed to stick around, putting a lot of pressure on the remaining active branches to develop more.
It isn’t all bad, though. This tree did pick up another conference title this season thanks to DTHall and his Sooners. The Sooners had a perfect regular season to clinch the team’s second-ever Big XII title.
The future of this tree is truly a mixed bag. The numbers are against them. They only have two active branches now, making roughly 78% of their branches inactive. However, the two remaining active ADs both have a proven track record of success. Wookie is also a proven coach developer, with an impressive tree all his own. If you have to have the fate of your tree in the hands of two coaches, it would be hard to find two better.
The Houston Tree
Total Win Percentage: .531 (129-114)
National Championships: 2
Conference Championships: 6
The Houston Tree had a bit of a bland season. Both the Gators and Longhorns struggled, and there were no new branches added. With that said, this tree still sports the second-best win percentage and the third most National Championships of any tree.
While neither active team from this tree made the playoffs last season, both did have promising recruiting cycles. Perhaps next season, there will be more to talk about in the middle paragraph for this tree.
This tree is in the same spot as the Clutch Tree. There are only two active branches, which means it will be up to them to develop more future ADs. However, ThatGuy has proven himself to be a solid developer of talent. The future of this tree will rely on him and Ryan if they want to grow.
The Mears Tree
Total Win Percentage: .422 (54-74)
National Championships: 0
Conference Championships: 1
The Mears Tree didn’t add any new branches or accolades, but it did see an uptick in hope after a promising season from the only active branch. Perhaps, the future has more in store for the Mears tree.
Penn State had a bounce-back season after a rough Season 22. Smitty led the Nittany Lions to four wins and a playoff berth. They will be looking to build on that success this season.
While the future of any tree with one active branch looks bleak, this one is in good hands. Smitty has been around the league for a long time and is a very respected AD. He has yet to develop a new AD, but that could change as soon as next season.
The Kovict Tree
Total Win Percentage: .395 (32-49)
National Championships: 0
Conference Championships: 2
The Konvict Tree didn’t see any new teams being added, but they did see a change back to something familiar. This tree was once jokingly referred to as the LSU tree thanks to how many branches came from the Tigers. Well, now the only active branch is back in Baton Rouge.
Triipz led Oregon to a solid season last year, in which they finished second in the Big10. He has now moved to LSU, hoping he can find the same type of success in the SEC. Time will tell if he can.
As with the Mears Tree, this tree has only one active branch. However, with each passing season, Triipz becomes a more experienced AD. Could we see him save this tree by adding some new branches in the next few seasons? We will have to wait and see.
The Murph Tree
Total Win Percentage: .418 (61-85)
National Championships: 2
Conference Championships: 1
The Murph Tree didn’t change at all from last season. While it is always exciting to grow and earn new accolades, sometimes that isn’t in the cards. However, no change is better than regression, so there is still something to celebrate.
Both West Virginia and USC struggled this past season. However, USC did still sneak into the playoffs. Both teams had promising offseasons, hinting at possible successes to come soon.
This tree only has two active branches; however, that means 100% of the tree is active. They are the only tree that can make that claim. Murph has proven he can develop coaches, and Jacob has been around long enough to be considered a veteran AD now. While this tree can’t make the claim of having the best growth potential, they are in a good spot.
The Cole Tree
Total Win Percentage: .300 (15-35)
National Championships: 0
Conference Championships: 0
The Cole Tree returns! This tree was once believed to be dead, but with Cole’s return to the AD ranks, it has been resurrected.
Cole hasn’t had the chance to get on the field yet in Season 24, but Oregon quietly snagged a few big names in recruiting. They will likely have some growing pains in their first season, but the future will be what they make of it. There could be a lot more to mention in this paragraph in the coming seasons.
The bad news is that this tree has only a single branch to grow from. The good news is that this branch has developed ADs in the past. Time will tell if Cole can produce another coach worthy of an AD nod. Until he can, it will be up to him alone to keep this tree from dying again.
