By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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Ranking the top five coordinators in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No. 5: Seth Littrell Offensive Coordinator, North Carolina

Littrell only has four seasons of experience as the lone full-time offensive coordinator for an FBS program, but his track record is extremely impressive during that short duration of time. In his first season as the lone offensive coordinator at Arizona State, he led the Sun Devils to a top 25 finish nationally in total offense. The following season, he guided an Indiana offense which had finished 83rd nationally the year prior to an increase of over 80 additional yards per contest. The Hoosiers offense was even more dominant in 2013, as Indiana finished ninth in the country in total offense averaging over 508 yards per game. Littrell is widely respected for his up-tempo scheme which is known for putting extreme amounts of pressure on opposing defenses. In his first season at North Carolina in 2014, he proved that his offense could be successful both running and passing the football, as the Tar Heels finished in the top half of the conference in both statistical categories. As he continues to mature as a play-caller, it is scary to think about how dynamic and explosive his offense could become.

No. 4: Todd Grantham Defensive Coordinator, Louisville

Grantham spent over a decade as an assistant coach in the NFL, including three seasons as the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator, before coming to the college ranks. He enjoyed a very successful four-year stint under Mark Richt at the University of Georgia before accepting a year-year guaranteed contract with Louisville prior to the 2014 season. Implementing his aggressive 3-4 scheme upon his arrival, Grantham was able to have immediate success with the Cardinals. Despite it being the programs first year in the ACC, Louisville finished the 2014 campaign ranked second in the conference and sixth nationally in total defense, allowing an average of less than 309 yards per game. Grantham has tweaked and altered his scheme slightly over the years as he has had the fortune of working under some of the brightest minds in football. His players absolutely love playing for him, and certainly seem to feed off of his passion and intensity.

No. 3: Brent Venables Defensive Coordinator, Clemson

It hasnt gotten as much attention as it probably deserves, but the turnaround job that Venables has done with the Clemson defense has been nothing short of remarkable. The year before Venables came to Death Valley, the Tigers finished the season ranked 71st in the FBS in total defense. As many fans will assuredly remember, the Tigers also concluded the 2011 campaign by giving up an astonishing 70 points to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. But coming off of a lengthy stint at Oklahoma which solidified his status as one of the best defensive coaches in college football, Venables began to slowly implement his changes to the Tigers scheme. Those changes would ultimately result in Clemson finishing the 2014 season with the nations top defensive unit. Venables is now, with good reason, one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the country. In a matter of just three seasons, he took Clemson from a below-average defensive team to one of the nations top defensive programs.

No. 2: Paul Johnson Offensive Coordinator, Georgia Tech

Technically speaking, Johnsons job title is head coach, but he does call the plays for Georgia Techs offense. Many experts questioned how his spread option attack would work when run in a conference such as the ACC. Even if it were able to work initially, they asked, would it be able to find success over a span of many years? Seven full seasons later, it is safe to say that the answer to that question is an emphatic x9cyesx9d. Since he came to Atlanta in 2008, Johnsons offense has never finished worse than fourth in the conference in total offense, and has led the ACC in total offense four different times. Though his unique system is often criticized because it is a schematic abnormality in todays culture of football, there has not been a more consistently successful offensive coach in the country than Johnson. What makes his success even more impressive is the fact that he calls his plays from the sidelines without the use of a call-sheet. This guy is an offensive genius who doesnt get nearly the amount of credit that he deserves on a national level.

No. 1: Bud Foster Defensive Coordinator, Virginia Tech

For as much as people have come to associate Frank Beamer with Virginia Tech football, Bud Foster is just as much of a staple in Blacksburg. Now coming up on his 21st season as the Hokies defensive coordinator, Foster and his trademark x9clunch pailx9d defenses have accomplished feats which are downright staggering. Since the 1999 season, Virginia Tech has finished ranked in the top ten nationally in total defense an amazing nine times. During that span of 16 seasons, the most points one of his defenses ever allowed over the course of a year was an average of 23 points per contest. Foster has consistently been able to perform at a ridiculously high level in spite of the fact that he generally is working with recruiting classes that are not considered to be filled with elite talent. His mind for the game has proven to be as good as any defensive coordinator in the country, and coaches flock from all over to try to pick his brain for ideas on his they can improve their own defensive schemes. No matter the personnel he has to work with, he just always seems to find a way to stymy opposing offenses in a dominant manner.