9/28/2026

We are now a third of the way through the season, and have seen all these squads compete a few times. Many new coaches have their teams rolling, Bob Chesney is 4-0 at UCLA, Jon Sumrall is 4-0 at Florida, Billy Napier is 4-0 at James Madison. And there are many teams that may be looking for new head coaches very soon. Some of these coaches have been at the school forever, most of them just have not risen to the level the school needs them to, and one may be looking for a new coach after a historic run in the sport. Below is my current Top 10 hot seat. 

Mike Locksley – Maryland

Locksley is entering his 7th season at Maryland, they have gone 4-8 the last two seasons, so he was already on the hot seat, and they are 2-2 through four games this season. They started 2-0, but lost to Virginia Tech, and just got demolished by UCLA at home. Locksley is a fantastic recruiter, but he is not cutting it leading a program here. They have maybe 2 winnable games the rest of the year, and they are not getting better. I expect Maryland to be looking for a new head coach by the end of the season. 

Mike Norvell – Florida State

I thought Norvell was going to be fired last year, but the university stood by him and he got another year. I believe they held off due to the buyout of his contract. Florida State is one of the most historic programs in the country, and after leading them to a 13-1 season in 2023, they have followed that up with going 9-19 since. Florida State fans have even started a campaign to raise money to get Norvell fired. You can read more at https://savefsufootball.com/. They want that guy out of there so bad, and I expect him to be gone by the end of this season.  

Shane Beamer – South Carolina

Things were looking good for Beamer in Columbia a few short years ago, but that time has come to an end for him. He has 6-7, and 4-8 the previous two years, and they are not off to a good start this year. They have lost seven straight SEC, and have lost 11 of the last 13 against P4 competition. Beamer is signed through 2030, but has roughly a $28 million buyout if he departs before the end of the season. They still have to face Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia this season along with Oklahoma and Texas A&M who have not lived up to expectations, but nonetheless tough opponents. Beamer will need a miracle to save his job this year. 

Lincoln Riley – USC

Looking at the record alone, Lincoln has done pretty well. He is 39-19 overall which for most schools would be outstanding, but not for USC. He is 5-15 against ranked teams during his time. USC is a school where eight wins a year is not going to cut it. Many people entering the season have called it a playoff or bust year for him. He has all the resources in the world, he had the #1 recruiting class this cycle, and he needs to win this season or he is in jeopardy. After losing to Oregon this previous week, he will continue to play a tough stretch and will need to produce. 

Jeff Choate – Nevada

Choate entered 2026 with a 6-19 record, and is 1-3 this season, including a loss to FCS Montana State. The team has not improved under him, and frankly Nevada has no need to continue with him. A lot of teams in the G6 take shots on assistants for other programs because they know they will almost never get a big name. This hire was a miss, and I doubt he survives the year.

Dave Aranda – Baylor

This is a weird one, he is 39-38 at Baylor, and even has a Big 12 championship in his tenure. However Baylor has been very inconsistent over the years, going from 12 wins to 6, 3, 8, and 5 since then. They are 3-1 this season, but unless they start to see great improvement, I do not see him here much longer. Baylor needs a coach that will provide consistent results, not have one good year every five years. Things are heating up in Waco, and if he survives this season, next season may be his last. 

Greg Schiano – Rutgers

Schiano has been at Rutgers for 18 years and has done a lot of good for them, but things are slowly coming to an end. They have not been ranked in the AP Top 25 since 2012. They opened the season this year losing to the worst team in the FBS last year at home. That was not a good sign for things to come. If Rutgers gets rid of him, I believe they would let him finish out the season. 

Derek Mason – Middle Tennessee

Mason started off his first two seasons going 3-9, and this year he is 2-2. Similar to Choate as I said earlier, G6 programs are not incentivised to hold onto a losing coach long when they can take a chance on hiring another promising assistant. Frustration is starting to boil over Murfreesboro with Mason’s recent comments about officiating, he will need more help than that to get through the season. 

Dabo Swinney – Clemson

This is the toughest one to look at. Swinney has won multiple titles in the sport, and is one of the best pure coaches in the history of college football. However pretty famously he has not adapted with the times. Excluding service academies, Swinney has used the transfer portal the least. He had an extremely talented roster last year who did not live up to expectations, and I believe that was his last shot to compete for a title without using the transfer portal. Part of me finds it hard to part with a coach of his legendary tenure, but if he will not adapt, what else can you do if he does not continue to win.  

Brent Venables – Oklahoma

This one may be a little shocking after going 10-3 last year with a CFP appearance, and after he got a six year extension, but the issues that were their pitfall last year are even worse this year. Last year their biggest problem was not being able to run the ball, and they cannot do that at all this season. Their offense has completely stalled. They could not move the ball against Michigan, they only put up 14 against New Mexico, and just got run over by Georgia. If that is not tough enough, they still have Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Missouri. I do not think he will be fired this year due to just signing an extension, but things are not looking good in Norman.