CFW Preseason 2025 - The Hot Seat Coaches

 CFW Preseason 2025 – The Hot Seat Coaches

Would Alabama fire DeBoer

after only two seasons?

 

You bet your bippy they would. Especially if the Tide fail to make the College Football Playoff.

 

The SEC leads all conferences in hot seat coaches and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer is one of them. One thing Alabama fans expect every season is to make the playoff. Last year, DeBoer’s first, Alabama failed to make the 12-team playoff.

 

DeBoer is one of six SEC coaches entering the 2025 season on the hot seat. A seventh SEC coach is on a seat that is getting warm.

 

Together, the SEC (6) and the ACC (5) have half of the 22 coaches who begin 2025 on the hot seat.

 

Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2025

 

In Kalen DeBoer’s first season at Alabama, the Tide finished with a 9-4 record. That would be an outstanding first-year record at almost all other schools. But not at Alabama. Especially not when you lose to Vanderbilt, lose to a weak Oklahoma team and lose a bowl game against a so-so Michigan squad. Add to the fact that Alabama failed to make the 12-team playoff. This year, DeBoer needs to improve on the 9-4 record and, more importantly, he needs to make the playoff.

 

DeBoer may be in some trouble, but his seat is not as hot as that of Arkansas coach Sam Pittman (30-31 in five years; 7-6 last year). Pittman barely survived getting the pink slip last season. If things do not improve in Fayetteville, he will not survive this season. Believe it or not, Hugh Freeze (11-14 in two years; 5-7 last year) is a fairly popular coach at Auburn. The fans seem to generally like him. However, if Auburn does not have a winning season in 2025, Freeze will not be around in 2026 for the fans to generally like him.

 

Well into the 2024 season, it sure looked like Florida coach Billy Napier (19-19 in three years; 8-5 last year) was coaching his last season in Gainesville. The Gators were 4-5. Then Florida won its last four games, including wins over LSU and Ole Miss. Those four wis saved Napier’s job. But the outcome has to remain on the positive side this season for Napier to hold onto his job.

 

Mike Stoops (77-73 in 12 years; 4-8 last year) has been coaching Kentucky for a long time. That long time will be coming to an end this year if he has another losing season. At Oklahoma, the fans are running out of patience with Brent Venables (22-17 in three years; 6-7 last year). Following a late season win over Alabama, things were looking up for Venables. Then Oklahoma lost its next two games, including an embarrassing loss to Navy in the Armed Forces bowl. Venables has one more season to make the Sooners look good or it is curtains for the coach.

 

And finally, in the SEC, LSU coach Brian Kelly (29-11 in three years; 9-4 last year) is not on the hot seat, but his seat is getting warm. In the first three years under Kelly, LSU lost its opening game each year. The Tigers have lost the last two years to Alabama. And like Alabama fans, LSU fans expect to make the playoff. LSU has not made the playoff under Kelly. The temperature is rising.

 

When it comes to coaches on the hot seat, the ACC is almost as bad as the SEC. Five ACC coaches are feeling the heat. The hottest seat may well be in Tallahassee. Florida State coach Mike Norvell (33-27 in five years; 2-10 last year) has gone from one extreme to the other at FSU. His first two years were rough. Then the Noles had an undefeated regular season during Norvell’s third year. However, last season, Florida State only won two games. Norvell better quadruple those two wins in 2025.

 

The heat is also on for California coach Justin Wilcox (42-50 in eight years; 6-7 last year). Wilcox has been a survivor for the past two seasons. He will not survive this year if he does not finish the regular season with a winning record. Like Mike stoops at Kentucky, NC State coach Dave Doeren (67-65 in 12 years; 6-7 last year) has been hanging around for a while. He has had some fairly good years, some bad years, but mostly mediocre years. Doeren needs to get rid of the mediocrity. I would think Wolfpack fans are getting tired of it.

 

The two Virginia coaches in the ACC are on the hot seat – Virginia’s Tony Elliott (11-23 in three years; 5-7 last year) and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry (16-21 in three years; 6-7 last year). Both coaches need to win this year to save their jobs.

 

The hottest seat in the Big Ten is in Los Angeles. No, not at UCLA, but at USC. Trojans coach Lincoln Riley (26-14 in three years; 7-6 last year) has not exactly ignited the spark at USC. Riley has one more year to get the fire going.

 

In six seasons at Maryland, Mike Locksley (33-41 in six years; 4-8 last year) has been less than impressive – much less. Locksley has one more season to impress Terps fans. So far, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell (13-13 in two years; 5-7 last year) has been a disappointment in Madison. One more year of disappointment and its good-bye Luke.

 

The Big 12 has two coaches who are in trouble – Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy (169-88 in 20 years; 3-9 last year) and Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield (8-16 in two years; 5-7 last year). For years, Gundy was Mr. Cowboy in Stillwater. But Oklahoma State has fallen on hard times and last year was a downright disaster. Gundy cannot afford another disaster. In Cincinnati, Satterfield has not exactly set the world on fire. Bearcat fans are about to set Satterfield on fire.

 

The Group of Five coaches are in pretty good shape this season. Of the 68 Group of Five schools, only six have coaches on the hot seat. The only Group of Five conference with more than one coach on the hot seat is the Mid-American Conference. Two MAC coaches are feeling the heat – Akron’s Joe Morehead (8-28 in three years; 4-8 last year) and Eastern Michigan’s Chris Creighton (57-75 in 11 years; 5-7 last year). Both coaches are on thin ice in 2025.

 

The hottest seat among the Group of Five coaches is in the American Conference – UAB coach Trent Dilfer (7-17 in two years; 3-9 last year). Dilfer was not a popular hiring at UAB to begin with, and he has done very little to improve his situation. In fact, he has done nothing.

 

In Conference USA, Louisiana Tech’s Sonny Cumbie (11-26 in three years; 5-8 last year) is up a creek without a paddle. To say the least, Cumbie has been a disappointment at Louisiana Tech. If this season is not a good one in Ruston, Cumbie will not get the chance to disappoint any longer.

 

Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne (20-30 in four seasons; 5-7 last year) may be in his final season with the Monarchs. The Sun Belt Conference coach has failed to impress ODU fans.

 

And finally, in the Mountain West Conference this season may be the last for Hawaii coach Timmy Chang (13-25 in three years; 5-7 last year). A former Rainbow Warrior quarterback, Chang is a favorite son at Hawaii. But favorites can become unpopular. Hawaii fans could be saying “aloha” to Chang if things do not get better this year.

 

So, the bulk of this year’s hot seat coaches reside in the Power Four conferences. Of the 22 hot seat coaches, 16 are Power Four coaches, while only six are Group of Five coaches.

 

The next posting of College Football Week – CFW Preseason 2025: The Top Quarterbacks – will be released tomorrow morning, August 14. See you then.

 

Touchdown Tom

August 13, 2025

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