We saw plenty of action on Saturday, some good and some not-so-good. The same can be said of the coaching over the last seven weeks of action. There could be quite a handful of coaches who could be on the unemployment line before the year comes to an end.
At the top of our list, we have Dave Aranda of the Baylor Bears who has not enjoyed much success this season. Currently, Baylor is 0-3 over their last three games. The Bears aren’t the only team struggling this season with their coach under scrutiny, look no further than out in the Sunshine State with the Florida Gators. Head coach Billy Napier has been a topic of conversation all season and it continued with some questionable decisions on Saturday night in Knoxville.
As we approach midseason, these five coaches have the hottest seats:
Dave Aranda, Baylor Bears
The further we get from the 2021 season the more it looks like an aberration. Under Aranda’s guidance, the Bears are 13-27 in the other three and half seasons compared to 12-2 in the Big 12 championship season of 2021. The Bears haven’t defeated a Power Four team since Oct. 21 of last season against the Cincinnati Bearcats. This coming Saturday they play the Texas Tech Red Raiders, who blasted them last year 39-14 in Waco.
Billy Napier, Florida Gators
There was a moment or two where I thought that there was a path for William Napier to survive the 2024 season. That completely went out the window when the Florida Gators head coach went ultra-conservative and played for overtime. Fortune favors the bold and when the Gators had a chance to bury the Tennessee Vols in Knoxville, the embattled head coach had second thoughts about going for two with just 29 seconds remaining.
After this week’s matchup against Kentucky, the Gators will face Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss before wrapping up against Florida State. This feels like a third-straight losing season for the Gators and an offseason filled with yet another head coach search.
Mack Brown, North Carolina Tar Heels
It is almost surprising that UNC head coach Mack Brown is roaming the sidelines given the fallout of the loss to James Madison on Sept. 21. On that day the Tar Heels scored 50 points and still lost by three touchdowns. That was followed up by UNC blowing a 20-0 lead against rival Duke, who scored 21 unanswered to steal the win in Durham. In each of the last three losses to ACC opposition, they had a chance to win but found ways to lose. While I understand letting a coaching legend go on his terms, it might be time to re-think that mentality in Chapel Hill.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers
The good news is that Auburn didn’t play this past weekend so quarterback Payton Thorne didn’t have to worry about being thrown under the bus again. Now for the bad news, the Tigers are still searching for the first SEC win of the year. The Missouri Tigers are up next for Freeze, who stated he is looking for guys who will fight for 60 minutes of football. Perhaps if you fell on the sword every once in a while instead of acting like a petulant child in your post-game pressers, they might be willing to play harder.
Trent Dilfer, UAB Blazers
When Bill Clark retired due to back issues, the Blazers went with Bryant Vincent as the interim head coach. The team looked promising during that 2022 season. However, the school opted to get former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as their next head coach. Dilfer was coaching at the high school level with some success but in just 18 games the team looked barely competitive. This season the Blazers have lost games by a combined 144 points. That breaks down to an average margin of victory of 28.8 points.
It might be time to start over in Birmingham.