9 College Football Coaches On The Hot Seat After Week 9

The first two months of the 2024 college football season are officially in the books, and there are plenty of head coaches who are feeling the heat based on how their team has fared since the year kicked off.

There are a number of college football coaches with massive buyouts that throw a wrench into the discussion about the status of their jobs, but the schools they work for are going to have to make some tough decisions based on how their teams have looked this year.

There are also plenty of others who won’t have to think too hard based on what we’ve seen, and these nine guys comprise the coaches who are dealing with the most scorching hot seats.

Mike Norvell—Florida State

Florida State was officially eliminated from bowl game contention after dropping to 1-7 with a 36-14 loss to Miami, and while it seems like Mike Norvell will be allowed to finish the season, it’s also hard to believe he’ll be coming back for another one.

Norvell’s $64 million buyout has been a hot topic of discussion since the start of the season, but FSU may want to follow in the footsteps of Texas A&M based on how the team has managed to turn things around after opting to fork over $77 million to cut ties with Jimbo Fisher.

Brent Venables—Oklahoma

Oklahoma got off to a 3-0 start, but they’re currently sitting at 4-4 after getting a very rude welcome to the SEC.

The Sooners did go 10-3 last season, but based on what we’ve seen during Venables’ tenure, that performance seems like a bit of a fluke.

He may have tried to paint Seth Littrell as the scapegoat by kicking the offensive coordinator to the curb after losing to South Carolina, but there’s plenty of evidence that suggests the blame rests on the shoulders of the head coach.

Lincoln Riley—USC

USC got back to .500 with a win over Rutgers on Friday night, but the victory over a team they had no business losing to didn’t do much to cool off Lincoln Riley’s hot seat.

The Trojans expect to be contenders, but it’s been mostly downhill for Riley since he led them to an 11-3 record in his inaugural season in 2022.

His $90 million buyout may end up being his saving grace, but he’s going to be under a ton of pressure if he does end up returning for another campaign based on the current state of affairs.

Hugh Freeze—Auburn

Hugh Freeze also felt the hot seat cool off a little bit after Auburn improved to 3-5 with a win over Kentucky, but the Tigers will probably need a bit of a miracle to punch their ticket to a bowl based on the games remaining on their schedule.

All signs point to Auburn finishing at 5-7 at best when you consider they close out the year against Texas A&M and Alabama (that also assumes they’ll beat a Vanderbilt team in a game they’re favored to win), and if that ends up being the case, Freeze will have posted a 10-14 record over the course of this first two seasons.

The school would owe Freeze more than $20 million if they fired him after the current campaign comes to an end, and they’ll likely be facing a tough decision when it wraps up.

Dave Aranda—Baylor

Baylor has been able to rattle off a couple of wins following a three-game losing streak, and while a bowl isn’t out of the question for a team that’s sitting at 4-4, it may not be enough to save Dave Aranda’s job.

Aranda’s record over five seasons will likely be hovering around the .500 mark by the time the year comes to an end, and at this point, Baylor probably needs to acknowledge he doesn’t have what it takes to produce the results they expect.

Mack Brown—UNC

The Tar Heels were able to snap a four-game skid with a 41-14 win over Virginia to get to 4-4, and it does look like they have what it takes to beat the four ACC opponents remaining on their schedule.

Mack Brown’s situation is fairly unique, as there’s virtually no chance North Carolina doesn’t let the 73-year-old head coach end his second stint with the school on his own terms.

I think he’ll be coming back if he’s able to lead them to a bowl game, but if they end up succumbing to a collapse in the final month of the season, it’ll be time for him to do some serious self-reflection.

Trent Dilfer—UAB

UAB had a much-needed bye in Week 9, but that doesn’t mean Trent Dilfer is spared from his well-earned spot on this list.

The Blazers are in the midst of a six-game losing streak, and while they may be able to snag a win against Tulsa this weekend, that currently looks like the only game left on the schedule where they’ll be favored.

UAB knew it was taking a gamble when it hired Dilfer, and it has not paid off in the slightest.

Ryan Walters–Purdue

Purdue also got the week off in the wake of a predictable loss to Oregon, but Ryan Walters is still one of the top candidates to get kicked to the curb when the season wraps up.

The Boilermakers are currently 1-6, and while they’re listed as slight underdogs against Northwestern this weekend, that’s realistically the only winnable game left on a schedule that features showdowns with Top 25 teams in the form of Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana.

Walters does have the chance to make a statement with what would be a truly stunning upset in any of those contests, but he’d probably have to beat every single one to have a realistic shot to return for another year.

Billy Napier—Florida

Billy Napier’s hot seat is the coolest it’s been the entire season now that the Gators are sitting at 4-3, and while they got an extra week to prepare for Georgia with a bye, it’s probably not going to do much to increase their chances of beating them on Saturday.

All signs point to the Gators losing their next four games (they’ll be facing off against Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss after taking on the Bulldogs), and Napier will need a shocking upset and a (likely) victory over Florida State if he wants to lead Florida to a bowl.

Florida will also owe Napier $25 million if they decide to fire him, but they may want to get off to a fresh start as he seemingly heads for his third losing season in a row.