Preseason Hot Seat Rankings Of All 133 College Football Coaches
2023 Preseason Hot Seat College Football Coach Rankings
© Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
30. Thats how many of the 133 college football head coaches have been with their current schools for more than five seasons.
You weren't promised there would be no math - or English, apparently - but that means 103 current head football coaches were hired in 2017 or after, and 98 have only been around over the last four years.
So while the concept of the college football coaching hot seat might seem a tad mean - granted, several of the newer coaches left from other head coaching gigs - it's important. Why?
Take a look at how big your head coach's contract extension is the next time he wins two games in a row as athletic directors get suckered into the illusion of stability.
Below is the get-it-close-to-the-pin ranking of all 133 coaches and where they sit on all sit on the proverbial hot seat.
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Ice Cold Seat Coaches
A college football head coach's status is only as solid as a three-game losing streak allows, but barring a major scandal or something totally catastrophic, there's almost no chance any of these coaches get fired in 2023.
That doesn't mean there isn't pressure to win and win big, but either they're made men/Hall of Fame coaches, or they're locked into long-haul commitment contracts, or they're still getting started, or they've earned enough stripes to be able to withstand one bad year, maybe two.
133 Kirby Smart, Georgia
Coaching Record At Current School: 81-15
132 Nick Saban, Alabama
Coaching Record At Current School: 187-27
131 Brian Kelly, LSU
Coaching Record At Current School: 10-4
130 Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Coaching Record At Current School: 30-19
129 Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Coaching Record At Current School: 74-25
128 Lincoln Riley, USC
Coaching Record At Current School: 11-3
127 Ryan Day, Ohio State
Coaching Record At Current School: 45-6
126 James Franklin, Penn State
Coaching Record At Current School: 78-36
125 Curt Cignetti, James Madison
Coaching Record At Current School: 41-8
124 Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Coaching Record At Current School: 143-38
123 KC Keeler, Sam Houston
Coaching Record At Current School: 85-27
122 Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Coaching Record At Current School: 154-74
121 Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Coaching Record At Current School: 23-13
120 Jonathan Smith, Oregon State
Coaching Record At Current School: 26-30
119 Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
Coaching Record At Current School: 59-53
118 Sonny Dykes, TCU
Coaching Record At Current School: 13-2
117 Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Coaching Record At Current School: 18-8
116 Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Coaching Record At Current School: 30-9
115 Kalen DeBoer, Washington
Coaching Record At Current School: 11-2
114 Dan Lanning, Oregon
Coaching Record At Current School: 10-3
113 Bret Bielema, Illinois
Coaching Record At Current School: 13-12
112 Jon Sumrall, Troy
Coaching Record At Current School: 12-2
111 Kane Wommack, South Alabama
Coaching Record At Current School: 15-10
110 Mike Norvell, Florida State
Coaching Record At Current School: 18-16
109 Mario Cristobal, Miami
Coaching Record At Current School: 5-7
108 Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Coaching Record At Current School: 156-75
107 P. J. Fleck, Minnesota
Coaching Record At Current School: 44-27
106 Jim Mora, UConn
Coaching Record At Current School: 6-7
105 Troy Calhoun, Air Force
Coaching Record At Current School: 121-78
104 Jerry Kill, New Mexico State
Coaching Record At Current School: 7-6
103 Dave Aranda, Baylor
Coaching Record At Current School: 20-16
102 Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
Coaching Record At Current School: 62-41
101 Jeff Monken, Army
Coaching Record At Current School: 64-49
The New Head Coaches - Nothing Hot, Just A Regular Seat
Everyone gets a free pass the first season. Luke Fickell and Hugh Freeze are expected to rock right out of the gate at their respective schools, Wisconsin and Auburn, but for all of them, when in doubt, blame the last guy if something goes wrong.
100 Kenni Burns, Kent State
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
99 Biff Poggi, Charlotte
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
98 G. J. Kinne, Texas State
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
97 Lance Taylor, Western Michigan
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
96 Alex Golesh, USF
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
95 Barry Odom, UNLV
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
94 Kevin Wilson, Tulsa
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
93 Eric Morris, North Texas
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
92 Troy Taylor, Stanford
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
91 Jamey Chadwell, Liberty
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
90 Tom Herman, Florida Atlantic
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
89 Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
88 Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
87 Brian Newberry, Navy
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
86 David Braun, Northwestern
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
85 Zach Arnett, Mississippi State
Coaching Record At Current School: 1-0
84 Ryan Walters, Purdue
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
83 Trent Dilfer, UAB
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
82 Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
81 Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
80 Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
79 Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
78 Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
77 Deion Sanders, Colorado
Coaching Record At Current School: 0-0
Warm Massage Chair-Like Hot Seats
There's no stability in the college football coaching business, but barring something totally disastrous, this group should be safe for 2023 and even 2024.
76 Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Coaching Record At Current School: 46-40
75 Dave Doeren, NC State
Coaching Record At Current School: 72-54
74 Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Coaching Record At Current School: 186-115
73 Willie Fritz, Tulane
Coaching Record At Current School: 43-45
72 Kalani Sitake, BYU
Coaching Record At Current School: 56-34
71 Clay Helton, Georgia Southern
Coaching Record At Current School: 6-7
70 Jay Norvell, Colorado State
Coaching Record At Current School: 3-9
69 Ricky Rahne, Old Dominion
Coaching Record At Current School: 9-16
68 Chip Kelly, UCLA
Coaching Record At Current School: 27-29
67 Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Coaching Record At Current School: 9-5
66 Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Coaching Record At Current School: 15-11
65 Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
Coaching Record At Current School: 3-8
64 Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan
Coaching Record At Current School: 46-61
63 Jim McElwain, Central Michigan
Coaching Record At Current School: 24-21
62 Mack Brown, North Carolina
Coaching Record At Current School: 30-22
61 Rhett Lashlee, SMU
Coaching Record At Current School: 7-6
60 Tyson Helton, WKU
Coaching Record At Current School: 32-21
59 Gus Malzahn, UCF
Coaching Record At Current School: 18-9
58 Mike Elko, Duke
Coaching Record At Current School: 9-4
57 Tony Elliott, Virginia
Coaching Record At Current School: 3-7
56 Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Coaching Record At Current School: 8-5
55 Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Coaching Record At Current School: 19-17
54 Jason Candle, Toledo
Coaching Record At Current School: 54-32
53 Mike Locksley, Maryland
Coaching Record At Current School: 21-28
52 Lance Leipold, Kansas
Coaching Record At Current School: 8-17
51 Brent Brennan, San Jose State
Coaching Record At Current School: 27-42
Tepid Seat Head Coaches
There isn't a deep concern about job security with this bunch - several are more likely to get raises and contract extensions than end up whacked - but a wildly disappointing season or a total meltdown will set off panic alarms.
50 Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Coaching Record At Current School: 66-59
49 Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State
Coaching Record At Current School: 9-2
48 Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Coaching Record At Current School: 13-12
47 Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Coaching Record At Current School: 18-14
46 Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Coaching Record At Current School: 6-7
45 Billy Napier, Florida
Coaching Record At Current School: 6-7
44 Shawn Clark, Appalachian State
Coaching Record At Current School: 26-13
43 Craig Bohl, Wyoming
Coaching Record At Current School: 52-56
42 Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Coaching Record At Current School: 4-4
41 Timmy Chang, Hawaii
Coaching Record At Current School: 3-10
40 Jeff Tedford, Fresno State
Coaching Record At Current School: 36-18
39 Jake Dickert, Washington State
Coaching Record At Current School: 10-9
38 Shawn Elliott, Georgia State
Coaching Record At Current School: 34-38
37 Ryan Silverfield, Memphis
Coaching Record At Current School: 21-16
36 Jedd Fisch, Arizona
Coaching Record At Current School: 6-18
35 Blake Anderson, Utah State
Coaching Record At Current School: 17-10
34 Tim Albin, Ohio
Coaching Record At Current School: 13-13
33 Andy Avalos, Boise State
Coaching Record At Current School: 17-9
32 Will Hall, Southern Miss
Coaching Record At Current School: 10-15
31 Stan Drayton, Temple
Coaching Record At Current School: 3-9
30 Chuck Martin, Miami University
Coaching Record At Current School: 45-59
29 Joe Moorhead, Akron
Coaching Record At Current School: 2-10
28 Mike MacIntyre, FIU
Coaching Record At Current School: 4-8
27 Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Coaching Record At Current School: 7-17
26 Brady Hoke, San Diego State
Coaching Record At Current School: 23-12
25 Charles Huff, Marshall
Coaching Record At Current School: 16-10
24 Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech
Coaching Record At Current School: 3-9
23 Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
Coaching Record At Current School: 109-103
22 Mike Houston, East Carolina
Coaching Record At Current School: 22-24
21 Maurice Linguist, Buffalo
Coaching Record At Current School: 11-14
Coaches In the Hot Seat Waiting Room
It's about 50/50 on all of these coaches. Most of them should be okay even if there's another mediocre year, but 2024 will be really, really testy if there isn't a big improvement in 2023.
20 Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana
Coaching Record At Current School: 7-7
He’s okay after just one year, but UL got used to winning big under Billy Napier. Being in the Sun Belt title chase is a must.
19 Don Brown, UMass
Coaching Record At Current School: 1-11
The 68-year-old will get several chances to make this work, but the program needs a major 2022 UConn-like shot in the arm.
18 Ken Wilson, Nevada
Coaching Record At Current School: 2-10
Put in an impossible situation in 2022, he’s not getting fired. But there has to be improvement.
17 Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Coaching Record At Current School: 27-20
The move to the Big 12 is why he’s at Houston. Now he has to make the program a factor in the new league.
16 Mike Neu, Ball State
Coaching Record At Current School: 33-48
One winning campaign in seven years, a third bowl appearance in four seasons would be a big deal.
15 Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Coaching Record At Current School: 12-22
It's a really, really hard place to win, but in Year 4 there has to be something to build on.
14 Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Coaching Record At Current School: 17-19
Mizzou canned Barry Odom after going 25-25 in 4 seasons. Drinkwitz has a losing record after 3.
13 Neal Brown, West Virginia
Coaching Record At Current School: 22-25
He has yet to win more than 6 games in a season at WVU. He has to show he’s the man who can carry the program in the new-look Big 12.
12 Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois
Coaching Record At Current School: 17-27
Take out the 2021 MAC Championship season and he’s 8-21. Another clunker like 2022 would be a problem.
11 Tom Allen, Indiana
Coaching Record At Current School: 30-40
IU is 6-18 after a great 2020. Flirting with bowl eligibility - and beating Purdue - would be enough.
10 Dana Dimel, UTEP
Coaching Record At Current School: 17-40
The guy took UTEP to a bowl in 2021 - that’s amazing. He has 10 wins over the other 4 seasons.
9 Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green
Coaching Record At Current School: 12-29
There was finally a bowl appearance breakthrough in 2022, but he still doesn’t have a winning season in 4 years.
8 Dino Babers, Syracuse
Coaching Record At Current School: 36-49
As long as he keeps the team going to bowls he'll be fine. Going 5-7 would be a concern.
7 Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Coaching Record At Current School: 39-21
Not winning the SEC title would be okay, but another losing season - or anything less than eight wins - would be a big, big problem even with a big, big payout.
6 Danny Gonzales, New Mexico
Coaching Record At Current School: 7-24
Any step forward would do the trick. It’s a tough gig, but 7 wins in 3 seasons is rough.
Top 5 Hot Seat College Football Coaches
Every season somewhere between 15ish and 20ish percent of all schools welcome in a new head football coach. In this cruel business, these five could REALLY use a terrific 2023.
5 Mike Bloomgren, Rice
Coaching Record At Current School: 16-39
Rice went bowling last year, but Bloomgren has 5 losing seasons in 5 years.
4 Jeff Hafley, Boston College
Coaching Record At Current School: 14-20
Another 3-9 would be devastating. It’s Year 4. There has to be hope for BC going forward.
3 Terry Bowden, ULM
Coaching Record At Current School: 8-16
It’s only his third year at a tough place to win, but he has to break out of the 4-8 rut.
2 Butch Jones, Arkansas State
Coaching Record At Current School: 5-19
The program is used to competing for championships - and it's not unreasonable. There must be a sign of life in Year 3 of the Jones era.
1 Justin Wilcox, Cal
Coaching Record At Current School: 30-36
It’s a tough situation overall, but his first winning season in four years would do wonders as the program tries to figure out what it's doing with the rest of its life.
- CFN Preview 2023
- 2023 Preseason Bowl Projections
- CFN Rankings 1 to 133
- New Head Coach Expectations For 2023
