Tag: College Football Head Coaches

Scott Frost Fired: College Football Coaches Hot Seat Top 10 Ranking Week 2

Which college football coaches are on the hot seat? Which ones have to win now, or else, after Week 2?

Now that Scott Frost is out at Nebraska, who are ten other coaches on the hot seat after Week 2 of the college football season?

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Scott Frost Fired: College Football Coaches Hot Seat Top 10

College Football Week 2 Roundup
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Week 2 Scoreboard | Week 3 Early Lines
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
AP Rankings | Coaches Poll

It was hardly surprising after a 16-31 including an ugly 1-2 start.

Nebraska collapsed against Northwestern to kickoff what was supposed to be a breakthrough season, the team struggled against North Dakota, and on Saturday it lost to Georgia Southern 45-42.

That was enough for the Huskers to fire head coach Scott Frost. Assistant Mickey Joseph will take over, and now the search is on to restore the glory – Iowa State’s Matt Campbell is reportedly one of the main targets, but this is a big gig that will attract other star prospects.

Which coaches will now get all of the hot seat attention? Which ones are under pressure to come up with something big to show that they’re going to give the respective fan bases and schools the fun they’re looking for?

The coaching hot seat top ten rankings are done in two ways. First, the five who aren’t going to get fired anytime soon unless something crazy happens,  but could really use a big run of wins to relieve the stress. Then, the five who had better come up with a string of victories and a positive direction, or else.

Five coaches who have almost no chance of getting canned, but could desperately use a win …

– 5 college football coaches who had better win now, or else

5. Paul Chryst, Wisconsin

Up Next: New Mexico State

He’s great for the program, he has three Big Ten West titles in his seven years before this season, and he was one final stalled 2017 Big Ten Championship drive away from going to the College Football Playoff, but this remains the Power Five program that has won the most in the CFP era without getting into the tournament.

Three turnovers and a 17-14 loss to Washington State later, Wisconsin went from looking like a potential lock to win the West to needing to reestablish its dominance. There’s a big trip to Ohio State coming up in two weeks that could reset the narrative.

4. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

Up Next: Miami

We all know what’s coming.

We all know that Texas A&M just cranked up one of the greatest recruiting classes in the history of college football – at least according to the people who get into those things – and we all know that the program is just this close to being the next big thing. It’s not crazy to see Texas A&M coming up with a 2019 LSU or 2021 Georgia very, very soon. However …

Losing at home to Appalachian State 17-14 with 186 yards of total offense isn’t a sign that things are going well. Worst of all, last week is as light as it gets until UMass on November 19th.

3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Up Next: Nevada

He’s the longest-tenured head coach at one school in major college football – he started at Iowa in 1999 – the next closest are Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State and Kyle Whittingham at Utah, who have been there since 2005 – and it’s impossible to argue with the results after getting to the Big Ten Championship last year, but …

316 yards of total offense and one touchdown in two games, a 10-7 loss to rival Iowa State, and a passing game that’s just plain sad isn’t how 2022 was supposed to start.

We all know how this works, and we all know the glitch will be fixed. Scoring more than seven points in a game would be nice, though.

2. Brian Kelly, LSU

Up Next: Mississippi State

The problem is there there’s no honeymoon period whatsoever, and the start to his tenure has been, let’s just say, weird.

The brutal fact is that LSU needs a little while to get back to a national title level, but that’s not where the expectations are. LSU isn’t supposed to struggle against Florida State, it’s supposed to win the SEC Championship, and Kelly is supposed to step in and win a national title like Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Ed Orgeron did.

LSU fans aren’t insane – of course they know this is going to take a little bit – but … beat Mississippi State. And then beat Auburn, and then Tennessee, and then Florida, and then Ole Miss, and then Alabama, and then Arkansas …

1. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

Up Next: Cal

Yes, Freeman is the first Notre Dame head coach to lose his first three games. Yes, the team collapsed in the bowl loss to Oklahoma State, didn’t open it up in the season-opener against Ohio State, and couldn’t handle a home game at Marshall.

Call it all a step back to possibly take a massive step forward.

It’s hard to sell a fan base on recruiting cycles when it’s expecting a College Football Playoff appearance – and that was exactly the right bar to set with a not-that-bad-other-than-Clemson schedule after going to Columbus.

Everyone loves the hire, no one has a negative word to say about him, and it’s acknowledged that there will be a learning curve of sorts in his first head coaching gig. That’s fine. Now the O needs to work on a nice-long, winning streak.

By the way, the BYU game in Vegas is in two weeks.

– 5 college football coaches who had better win now, or else

NEXT: 5 College Football Hot Seat Coaches Who Need To Win Now, Or Else

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New College Football Head Coach Expectations 2022: Meet The First Year Coaches

College Football New Head Coaches: What are the expectations for all 29 going into 2022?

What are the reasonable expectations for all 29 new college football head coaches for 2022? What’s the goal for the next five seasons?

New College Football Head Coach Expectations 2022

Last season there were 17 head coaches taking over new jobs. This year there are a whopping 29.

To do this right, no, coaches like Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley aren’t new, but they’re new to their respective schools. And then there’s Don Brown at UMass and Jeff Teford at Fresno State, who coached at their schools, left, and are now coming back.

What’s the expectation for each new college football coach this year? How about for five years from now?

CFN Predictions of Every Game
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
AAC | C-USA | Ind | MAC | M-West | Sun Belt
CFN Preview 2021: All 131 Teams
2022 Bowl Projections | Preseason Rankings 1-131
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Don Brown, UMass

UMass Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule

Before This … The former UMass head coach from 2004 to 2008 became a top defensive coordinator at five difference schools, most notably Michigan.

Top Line of the Resumé: Led UMass to a 23-5 run over 2006 and 2007 with two Atlantic 10 championships and long runs in the D-IAA playoffs.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: Improve the D that gave up 517 points and get to three wins – UMass one one game last year..

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Come up with two winning records and at least one trip to a bowl game.

Timmy Chang, Hawaii

Hawaii Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule

Before This … The former star Hawaii quarterback was a good assistant at Nevada since 2017 before getting his first job as a head coach.

Top Line of the Resumé: The NCAA’s all-time leading passer with 17,072 yards and 117 scores.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: Get Hawaii – 6-7 last season to a bowl game in a big rebuilding job.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Make the Rainbow Warrior offense amazing as he takes them to five bowl games and at least one Mountain West Championship appearance.

Mario Cristobal, Miami

Miami Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

Before This … The former Miami offensive lineman was the head coach at FIU and later at Oregon, getting a reputation as an elite recruiter.

Top Line of the Resumé: Two Pac-12 Championships and a third appearance in four years at Oregon.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: At least eight wins and a solid bowl game – all while at least flirting with a spot in the ACC Championship.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Crank up the talent level, at least two ACC Championship appearances, one ACC title, and a College Football Playoff appearance.

Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech

La Tech  Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule

Before This … A high-powered passer at Texas Tech, he went on to become a top offensive assistant at TCU and Texas Tech. He became the Red Raider interim head coach last season.

Top Line of the Resumé: Besides his 4,742-yard, 32 touchdown season for Texas Tech in 2004, he helped turn TCU into a Big 12 contender with the Air Raid offense taking over in the mid-2010s.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: Get Louisiana Tech past the three-win 2021 with a big-time passing game on the way to a bowl game.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: At least four bowl games with one Conference USA championship and another appearance.

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Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana

Louisiana Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule

Before This … The former Ragin’ Cajun star quarterback was a key assistant for the program over the last six years, serving as the offensive coordinator last season.

Top Line of the Resumé: The all-star quarterback for Louisiana threw for close to 3,300 yards with 23 touchdowns and ran for almost 2,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2007 and 2008.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: In a bit of a rebuilding year, win the Sun Belt championship anyway – or at least get there.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Five bowl appearances, two Sun Belt championships, be a yearly conference contender.

Stan Drayton, Temple

Temple Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule

Before This … A career assistant coach – mostly for the running backs – at 13 different schools/teams, he was part of the Texas staff over five years after coaching for two seasons with the Chicago Bears.

Top Line of the Resumé: A three-time Division III All-America running back for Allegheny, he led the way to a national championship in 1990.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: At least four wins as the Owls build for the future, especially with the running game.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Three winning records and bowl appearances with one season as a conference contender.

Sonny Dykes, TCU

TCU Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

Before This … Head coach at SMU going 30-18 in just over four seasons.

Top Line of the Resumé: Won the 2011 WAC championship at Louisiana Tech.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: At least seven wins and a bowl game as the offense shows signs of potential greatness.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Five bowl games and two Big 12 championship appearances thanks to a high-powered attack.

Mike Elko, Duke

Duke Preview | Top 10 Players | Schedule Analysis

Before This … Defensive coordinator at Texas A&M for the last three seasons.

Top Line of the Resumé: Helped turn the Bowling Green defense into the sixth best in college football in 2012 and made the 2020 Texas A&M D the ninth best in the country.

Realistic Expectations In Year One: Instantly improve the Duke defense that allowed 477 points last year. Win four games.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Three winning seasons with bowl appearances, and a vastly improved defense.

NEXT: Tony Elliott, Marcus Freeman, Clay Helton, Brian Kelly, Jerry Kill, Dan Lanning, Rhett Lashlee

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College football coaches facing the most pressure in 2022

College football is a pressure-packed industry.

College football is a pressure-packed industry. Nowadays, schools are becoming less and less patient with coaches trying to turn around a program. If a head coach does not start seeing significant results in two or three years, their job is likely in jeopardy.

The 2021 season proved to be make-or-break years for many coaches around the sport.

Kirby Smart got Georgia over the hump to bring home the first national title in 40 years. Jim Harbaugh finally took down rival Ohio State en route to a conference championship. Mike Gundy got the last laugh against Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners as the Pokes had an impressive 11-2 season.

Unfortunately, not everyone had the success those programs did in 2021. Clay Helton and Ed Orgeron were fired after losing seasons at blue blood programs. TCU moved on from longtime head coach Gary Patterson after another down season in Fort Worth.

Here is a list of college football coaches under the most pressure in 2022.

Steve Sarkisian among ESPN’s head coaches with the most to prove in 2022

After how last season went, of course he has a lot to prove.

There’s no doubt that Steve Sarkisian’s first year at Texas was underwhelming. Continue reading “Steve Sarkisian among ESPN’s head coaches with the most to prove in 2022”

2021 college football tracker: All FBS head coaching hires

College football FBS head coaching hires tracker during and following the 2021 season.

The regular season has concluded ahead of conference championship weekend.

Two regular season matchups will be contested ahead of bowl season as California (4-7) will host USC (4-7) in a makeup game and Army (8-3) will play Navy (3-8) on Dec. 11.

A look at all bowl eligible teams by conference

During the regular season and at the conclusion of team’s 2021 campaign, head coaches have been relieved of their duties and also taking other jobs.

Below is a tracker of all FBS hires and current vacant positions. The tracker will be updated following each hire.

Lincoln Riley to USC, Billy Napier to Florida. GAME … ON …

USC hired Lincoln Riley and Florida hired Billy Napier, filling two of the big head coaching openings.

Lincoln Riley to take the open Oklahoma job, and Billy Napier will go to Florida. Now for both programs it’s Game On.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Lincoln Riley takes USC head coaching job, Billy Napier to take the Florida job

Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings

Two of the biggest college football head coaching questions were answered, but that just opens up more big jobs.

Forget Fight On at USC. It’s Game On with Lincoln Riley now about to be the highest-profile – and by a mile, the highest paid – head football coach in the city of Los Angeles.

The fan base wanted an A-lister of A-lister, and it just got it.

Here’s the guy who’s about to bring the high-octane offense, the resumé with four Big 12 championships in five seasons, four top six finishes, two Heisman Trophy winners and a finalist in Jalen Hurts, and three College Football Playoff appearances.

Now USC is a thing again. Not just because it’s USC, and not just because it’s supposed to be a Power Five conference. Now this ups the game in a huge way for recruiting, the overall profile of the football program, the conference, and what the Pac-12 is about to be.

It also says one very important thing – the prime SEC jobs aren’t quite what everyone thinks they are.

Of course the LSU job is huge, and of course the pressure is going to be National Title or Bust at USC, but the expectations are at a whole other level of insane in the SEC – you can never, ever, ever lose.

Who wants to beat their head against the SEC West wall when you can live life in the Pac-12 South?

Billy Napier wants to give it a try in the SEC East.

The Louisiana head coach was on every Next Coach Up list as the rising offensive coordinator coaching star at Arizona State before the head coaching job went to Herm Edwards.

Napier needed a head coaching job first, he guided Louisiana into a steadily-winning power in the Sun Belt with a national profile, and it became a question of just how big the jump up would be.

But now he has to win right away.

There’s not going to be any sort of a grace period at Florida.

Maybe a 9-3ish season is okay in Year One as long as the team looks like it’s about to be built up into a super-power again, but then it’s SEC Championship or Bust.

Dan Mullen got the team to the SEC title game. Jim McElwain got Florida there a few times. Napier now goes from battling with Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina for the Sun Belt title to needing to beat Georgia. Now.

Louisiana is a solid job at a program that’s a great stepping-stone gig. It’s going to attract a high-profile riser like Napier was. And now the Oklahoma gig is an A-list job opening, too.

It’s Oklahoma. It’s going to be in the SEC. It’s now as big of an opening – if not even stronger – than anything else that’s currently available.

It’ll have its pick of top coaches who’ll want to step into a turn-key situation and keep it all going.

But for now, Florida and USC have two of the best and hottest coaches in the game at two of the best and hottest programs when it comes to powerhouse potential.

Again, Game On.

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Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings

College Football Coaches Hot Seat Top 10 Ranking After Week 11

Which college football coaches are on the hot seat? Which ones have to win now, or else, after Week 11?

Which coaches are on the hottest seats and under the most pressure after Week 11 of the college football season?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Week 11 Roundup
Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Week 12 Early Line Predictions | Heisman Race
College Football Playoff Chase, Who’s Alive?
Bowl Projections | Week 11 Scoreboard, Predictions
Big Game Reactions: Baylor, Mich, Ole Miss, more
Coach Hot Seat Top 10 | Bowl Bubble: Who’s In, Out

Washington head coach Jimmy Lake was just sacked.

Washington State’s Nick Rolovich was fired a few weeks ago under far different circumstances, Texas Tech was done with Matt Wells, USC’s Clay Helton has already been hired by Georgia Southern, TCU’s Gary Patterson was unceremoniously let go after a brilliant run, and Ed Orgeron went from owning the college football universe two years ago to playing out the string at LSU.

UConn, UMass, and Akron are starting over, too.

There’s zero patience at this point for college football head coaches who are struggling – heaven forbid if you lose a big November game if you’re already on a hot seat.

Here are ten that might not necessarily be fired with a loss or two, but the alumni and base won’t be pleased.

College Football Coaches Hot Seat Top 10

5. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech

It seems like he hasn’t left the hot seat over the last four seasons, and then, all of a sudden, he’s fine. This might be different.

After a losing season in 2020, the 3-1 start seemed promising with a strong defense and an offense that could just get by. A close loss to Notre Dame didn’t seem like that big a deal, but is was the start of a 2-3 run.

Now at 5-5, losing at Miami would put the pressure on to another level, and look out if Virginia Tech does the unthinkable and loses to Virginia for the second time in three seasons.

4. David Shaw, Stanford

The five-game losing streak has been beyond brutal. Stanford had a nice-looking team coming into the season, it was 3-2 following a shocking win over Oregon, and then it all fell apart to lock in a second losing season in three years. Losing to Cal this weekend would be a big problem.

3. David Cutcliffe, Duke

The guy’s an offensive coaching legend who’s been at Duke since 2008. He took the team to an ACC Championship appearance – yeah, Duke – in 2013, and everything was going fine through 2018.

Since starting out 4-2 in 2019, Duke has gone 6-21 and is now on a six-game losing streak following a 3-1 start. The Blue Devils haven’t been closer than 25 points five of their last six games

2. Rod Carey, Temple

He’s a good guy head coach who can’t get this thing going. After a great run at Illinois and a good start at Temple going 8-5, the Owls have gone 4-13 since then.

Things seemed promising with a 3-2 start and a win over Memphis, but since then the Owls have gone 0-5 by a combined score of 217-35. The O hasn’t scored more than one touchdown in four of the last five games.

1. Butch Davis, FIU

After a terrific start going 23-16 in his first three seasons with three bowl appearances, everything got ugly in a hurry in a winless 2020. Fine, 2020 was 2020 – free passes all around – but this year’s team can’t get off the ground going 1-9 with the lone win coming against LIU.

The Golden Panthers lost 50-10 to a Middle Tennessee team without its starting quarterback, extending the streak to games without a win over an FBS team to 16. The last win over an FBS team was to Miami back in late November of 2019.

NEXT: 5 Coaches Who Won’t Get Fired, But Need A Win

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Hot Seat Coach Rankings For Every Power Five Team: 21 For 2021 College Football Topics, No. 14

20 for 2021 College Football Topics, No. 14: The coaching hot seat rankings for all of the Power Five teams.

20 for 2021 College Football Topics, No. 14: The coaching hot seat rankings for all of the Power Five teams.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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What’s the hot seat status of all the Power Five head coaches?

Being on a hot seat isn’t just about whether or not a head coach needs to win a football game or have a big season to keep the job. That’s obviously the biggest part of staying hired, but it’s about pressure, too.

Some of the biggest-name head coaches have no real shot of getting fired, but they have to deal with through-the-roof unfair expectations. Really, though, these rankings are about who needs to win … NOW.

The hot seat rankings go from who’s on the coolest of seats in each Power Five conference to who desperately needs a massive campaign.

21 for 2021 Preview Topics (so far)  
21. Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes for 2021
20. Best Teams To Not Make CFP
19: Teams That Will Rebound Big
18. Teams That Will Fall Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches
15. Expectations For 2nd Year Head Coaches

– CFN 2021 Preview: All 130 Team Previews

ACC Preseason Hot Seat Coach Rankings 2021

14. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

The pressure is now at a whole other level – not winning the ACC Championship and going to the College Football Playoff would be a failure – but he’s obviously in the high-rent district of elite coaches.
Record With Team: 140-33
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 14, 2019: 14, 2018: 14
Clemson Preview | Schedule

13. Mack Brown, North Carolina

No, he’s not on any hot seat when it comes to potentially being fired, buuuuuuuut … is Mack Brown going Mack Brown? He recruited well enough to have a team worthy of playing for the ACC Championship – UNC isn’t in Clemson’s division – and this year the results have to match the talent.
Record With Team: 15-10
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 9, 2019: 3, 2018: NA
UNC Preview | Schedule

– 2021 CFN Preseason ACC Rankings

12 . Dave Clawson, Wake Forest

If you want to make a list of who’s doing the most with the least, Clawson might be at the top. Five straight bowls at Wake Forest is amazing – he can have a dud of a year and be more than fine.
Record With Team: 40-45
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 10, 2019: 8, 2018: 10
WF Preview | Schedule

11. Jeff Hafley, Boston College

The passing game is great, Boston College is looking dangerous, and there’s a shot Hafley becomes one of the hot rising coaches with a big year. As long as BC goes to a bowl, all is fine.
Record With Team: 6-5
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 12, 2019: NA, 2018: NA
BC Preview | Schedule

10. Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia

He can still live another year off the Orange Bowl appearance of 2019. Virginia is never going to be the pressure cooker of jobs that others are, and even if the results aren’t always perfect, Mendenhall is still among the best coaches in the league.
Record With Team: 30-32
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 13, 2019: 12, 2018: 8
Virginia Preview | Schedule

9. Scott Satterfield, Louisville

It’s not like the buzz wore off after a huge 2019, but going 4-7 last season was a huge disappointment. He’s a good guy, he brings a great attitude and tone for the program, and he’s fine to 2022 no matter what, but there’s still rebuilding to do.
Record With Team: 12-13
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 11, 2019: 13, 2018: NA
Louisville Preview | Schedule

8. Dave Doeren, NC State

Doeren got it back after a 4-8 2019 season with is typical 8-4-like campaign, and now he has to keep it all going with one of his better teams. He’s always going to be on a tepid seat – that’s sort of the nature with the NC State gig – but he’s good through next year even with a disappointing run.
Record With Team: 55-46
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 2, 2019: 7, 2018: 5
NC State Preview | Schedule

7. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt Panthers

The pressure has chilled out a little bit as Pitt has found a bit of a groove with its style. However, he can’t afford one really bad year. As long as the Panthers are going bowling, he’s fine.
Record With Team: 42-34
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 4, 2019: 2, 2018: 1
Pitt Preview | Schedule

– 2021 CFN Preseason All-ACC Team

6. Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech

So how much longer does the “he has to totally restyle the offense” thing work? It’s Year Three, and now the production has to come and the wins have to be there, but that’s going to be a problem with a nasty schedule.
Record With Team: 6-16
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 6, 2019: 11, 2018: NA
GT Preview | Schedule

5. Manny Diaz, Miami

It’s amazing what happens when you have a great quarterback and an offense that works. It’s Miami so the pressure is always going to be high and the seat will always be hot, but things have chilled a bit after going 8-3.
Record With Team: 14-10
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 1, 2019: 6, 2018: NA
Miami Preview | Schedule

4. Mike Norvell, Florida State

Yeah, one year in a pandemic shouldn’t mean much, but considering how quickly Willie Taggart was run out of town, the same standards need to apply here, too. Start winning or else.
Record With Team: 3-6
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 8, 2019: NA, 2018: NA
FSU Preview | Schedule

3. David Cutcliffe, Duke

Yeah, he might be one of the best teachers in the game, and the pressure is never there for football at Duke, but he’s 4-15 in his last 19 games with three losing seasons in the last five. This is his 13th year – there has to be something positive this season.
Record With Team: 74-88
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 7, 2019: 10, 2018: 7
Duke Preview | Schedule

– 2021 CFN ACC Predictions For Every Game

2. Dino Babers, Syracuse

He’ll get one more shot to prove that the ten-win 2018 season wasn’t a total fluke. Syracuse doesn’t have to win the ACC title – and it might not have to even go bowling – but this can’t be among the worst teams in the conference again. Just pull up out of the nosedive and show hope for 2022 and things might be okay.
Record With Team: 24-36
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 3, 2019: 9, 2018: 2
Syracuse Preview | Schedule

1. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech

It’s about as make-or-break as a year gets. The Hokies haven’t totally underachieved over the last few seasons, but they’re not in the ACC title mix like they need to be. At the very least, they have to make some noise in the Coastal.
Record With Team: 38-26
ACC Preseason Hot Seat Rankings
2020: 5, 2019: 4, 2018: 13
VT Preview | Schedule

2021 Preseason Hot Seat Coach Rankings 
Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC

NEXT: 2021 Preseason Hot Seat Coach Rankings: Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC

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Expectations For The 2nd Year Head Coaches: 21 For 2021 College Football Topics, No. 15

21 for 2021 College Football Topics: What are the reasonable expectations for the second year college football head coaches this season?

21 for 2021 College Football Topics, No. 15: What are the reasonable expectations for the second year college football head coaches this season?

2nd Year Head College Football Coach Expectations For 2021

If you were a new head coach last season, there’s not much else that can be thrown at you after 2020.

Even the longtime veterans had to completely change up everything as they tried to navigate their way through the craziness and changes. Teams didn’t have a real offseason to get up and going, no one had the proper time to prepare, and just about everyone had to deal with the prospect of a cancelled season.

Combine the global pandemic with a revitalized era of social consciousness, and last year was anything but routine for the new head coaches. But now they all have a year to try getting their programs going.

21 for 2021 College Football Topics 
21: 21 Thoughts, Wishes, Hopes
20: 5 Best Programs To Not Make CFP
19: 5 Teams That Will Rebound
18: 5 Teams That Will Take A Step Back
17: Every Power 5 Team’s Letdown Game
16. Expectations For New Head Coaches

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What can fans hope for out of each second year head coach, and what can they look forward to over the next five seasons? Here’s the breakdown of all them in four categories.

– The rebuild continues
– Mild expectations … but go bowling
– Go bowling, and maybe do more
– 2020 is over … WIN NOW

Coaches in each category listed in alphabetical order

2021 2nd Year College Football Head Coach Expectations: Keep The Rebuild Going

These coaches took over impossible situations even if 2020 was normal. They get the equivalent of a redshirt year as they now try to build things back up.

Marcus Arroyo, UNLV

2020: It didn’t go well. UNLV is a much, much tougher gig than it seems, and Arroyo’s team struggled with the program’s first winless season since 1998. The Rebels went 0-6 losing all six game by double-digits.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: Just start looking more dangerous. There should be a few wins coming, but UNLV will be the underdog in just about every game. Even so, there has to be a sign of life – especially defensively.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Build the program up. UNLV has been a perennial doormat with just one winning season since 2000. Arroyo will get plenty of time, but there has to be incremental improvement starting with a bowl game in 2021.
– 2021 UNLV Preview

Danny Gonzales, New Mexico

2020: As 2-5 seasons go, it wasn’t all that bad. New Mexico was in total redo mode, but it was competitive in losses to Hawaii and Nevada and won its final two games at Wyoming and Fresno State. Gonzales did what all first year head coaches in tough situations need to do – he showed the potential for positive things to happen going forward.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: Make a push for a bowl game. It’s still going to be a work in progress, but the Lobos have a few nice parts – getting Kentucky QB Terry Wilson helps – and there should be a built-in four wins as a base.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Four bowl appearances over the next five years with one big push of a season at some point to get into Mountain West title contention.
– 2021 New Mexico Preview

Ricky Rahne, Old Dominion

2020: Everything was about to get going and then … nope. Old Dominion chose to opt out on the season.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: It’s really Rahne’s first season at the helm. On the plus side, he had a full season to get settled in, and he’s got a salty bunch of players ready to go. At least four wins is a reasonable goal, but ODU is a true X factor team as it gets up and going again.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Three bowl appearances and at least one push for the Conference USA East title. Overall, it’s going to be a heavy lift in the tougher of the two C-USA divisions.
– 2021 Old Dominion Preview

Jeff Scott, USF

2020: The Bulls went 1-8 with that lone victory coming over The Citadel from the FCS world. The offense perked up at times, but not enough to overcome a woeful defense.

Realistic Expectations In Year Two: It’s still going to be an uphill climb. USF might have even more offensive punch, but the D has to go from miserable to just mediocre. It’ll be ugly at times, but getting to four wins would be a step forward.

Realistic Expectations Over Next Five Years: Make the offense unstoppable. The Bulls need to quickly grow into a regular on the bowl circuit, be in the American Athletic title chase within three years, and come up with at least two wins over UCF.
– 2021 USF Preview

– Mild expectations … but go bowling
– Go bowling, and maybe do more
– 2020 is over … WIN NOW

NEXT: 2021 2nd Year College Football Head Coach Expectations: Mild Expectations, But Go Bowling

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Where Steve Sarkisian lands on Athlon Sports’ new head coach rankings

Steve Sarkisian is considered one of the top head coaching hires of the offseason.

Texas was in the market for a new head coach after the Tom Herman era came to abrupt end after four years of mediocrity. You could only stomach the phrase “winning is hard” for so long.

The Longhorns did not lack the talent as they signed multiple top three recruiting classes in the nation under Herman. It was the player development aspect that was severely lacking over the last several seasons. On top of that, Texas looked extremely undisciplined on the field at times.

First-year head coach Steve Sarkisian is looking to bring a winning culture to Austin after stints with the Atlanta Falcons and Alabama Crimson Tide. On January 2, 2021 the Longhorns hired Sarkisian and he’s been “All Gas No Brakes” since arriving to the Forty Acres.

Where does Sarkisian land in terms of each new head coach that was hired throughout the offseason? Athlon Sports recently ranked all of college football’s newest coaches and Sarkisian is very high on the list. One other Big 12 hire was included as well.

Take a look at Athlon Sports’ top 10 head coaching hires this year: