College Football and Watches

College Football Coaches

College football season is in full swing. Saturdays once spent studying or spending time with family are now filled with tailgating. While students and alumni are turning their attention to the latest NCAA standings, we’ve got our eye on a different lineup. Let’s check out what college football coaches are wearing on their wrists.

Some coaches are more modest, while others aren’t afraid to flaunt something a bit flashier. One thing’s certain – there’s a spectrum when it comes to college football coaches and their watch preferences. To give you a taste of what watches some of today’s top college football coaches are currently sporting, we’ve rounded up some of some of the ordinary, the extraordinary, and everything in between.

James Franklin, Head Coach at Penn State

James Franklin has made a career coaching at the college level. For sixteen years, he served numerous coaching staffs at schools like Maryland and Kansas State. Then, in 2011, he got first head coaching position at Vanderbilt. After three years with the Commodores, he terminated his contract early and accepted a new head coaching job with Penn State for a hefty pay increase. With that hard earned cash, Franklin rewarded himself with a solid new timepiece for his wrist. Keep an eye out for his Rolex Submariner next time you catch a Penn State game.

Kliff Kingsbury, Head Coach at Texas Tech

Kliff Kingsbury has devoted his life and career to the sport of football. He played quarterback for Texas Tech for four years and went on to play in the NFL, NFL Europe, and Canadian Football League for five years. Kingsbury made the shift to coaching in 2008. In 2012, he received his first head coaching position at none other than his alma mater, Texas Tech. At the conference Media Days back in 2014, there was a frenzy over Kingsbury’s watch, which closely resembled a Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon. As the photo of the timepiece circulated the Internet, Breitling Source quickly identified the watch as a replica. Turns out the $100,000-retail watch Kinsbury received as a gift during his time in the NFL Europe was ultimately a fake. As seen above, he has definitely updated his collection and put that Breitling in his rear-view.

Gus Malzahn, Head Coach at Auburn

Gus Malzahn began his college coaching career in 2005 at Arkansas. However, it wasn’t until he joined the coaching staff at Auburn in 2008 that the college football community started taking notice. Auburn won the National Championship in 2010, and Malzahn received the Broyles Award. This is for the most outstanding assistant coach in college football. In 2011, he left Auburn to accept his first head coaching position at Arkansas State. A year later, Auburn offered him a head coaching role for the 2013 season. In his first year, he garnered national recognition for coaching one of the biggest turnarounds in college football – Auburn had a 0-8 conference record in 2012 and went on to win the SEC Championship in 2013. As coincidence might have it, Malzahn made a major, and well-deserved, upgrade in his wristwatch game, from a basic Michael Kors chronograph to a timeless Rolex Submariner.

Nick Saban, Head Coach at Alabama

Nick Saban is a college football coaching veteran. He began his head coaching career all the way back in 1989 and has been with Alabama for the past ten years. In his time at Alabama, he’s led the team to five SEC Championships and four National Championships. During Saban’s tenure, Alabama has returned to the top of college football and dominated the NCAA standings year after year. Despite his powerful coaching style, Saban is more modest when it comes to the watch he wears on his wrist. Saban sports a simple Fossil Chronograph that’s withstood the test of many victorious Gatorade showers.

Butch Jones, Head Coach at Tennessee

Butch Jones began his coaching career in the pros, but his stint in the NFL was short-lived. After only two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he made the shift to college football as the head coach at Central Michigan and has been coaching at the college level ever since. Jones joined Tennessee as head coach in 2012. In addition to his passion for football, it seems Jones may also have a passion for fine wristwatches. Most often, you can catch him wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, but you can occasionally spot him wearing other chronographs models from Audemars and Hublot.