Coaching Hot Seat: USA Today names 9 college football coaches whose seats are hottest

The college football season is finally here. There’s pressure on everyone to win, but for some coaches who find themselves already on the hot seat, they need to win early and often to turn around their tenures.

Ahead of the season, USA Today named the nine college coaches who have the hottest seats going into the season. The majority of their list focuses on coaches in the Power Four ranks. In particular, the SEC and Big 12 highlight the list of coaches in trouble this upcoming season. However, USA Today did dive into the Group of Five as well.

There is no set metric for defining a hot seat. At the same time, as USA Today pointed out, as many as 25 to 30 programs do change coaches at some point during the offseason. In the last two cycles, about 45 percent of FBS had a coaching change. So, it’s worth keeping an eye on these hot seats.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers brought in Hugh Freeze ahead of the 2023 season, looking to bounce back from a difficult couple of previous seasons. It’s been a slow process, though, and in his first two seasons, Freeze went just 11-14 and missed a bowl in 2024 completely. Now, going into year three, it’s time to take a leap forward.

This season, Hugh Freeze hit the transfer portal to bring in Jackson Arnold at quarterback. The hope is that now the offense will finally be able to take off. Otherwise, that hot seat under Freeze may get even warmer.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman has found himself on the hot seat frequently in recent seasons. Through his first five seasons with the Razorbacks, Pittman had found some success and even finished in the AP Top 25 back in 2021. Things have been rockier since then, though, and Arkansas is just 11-14 over the last two seasons.

The challenge this season for Pittman is a very difficult schedule. Besides playing an SEC schedule, highlighted by five conference opponents who are starting the season ranked in the AP Poll. On top of that, it’s a tough non-conference schedule with the likes of Notre Dame.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

In 2024, Brent Venables helped transition Oklahoma to the SEC. It didn’t go well, or at least up to the program’s expectations. The Sooners finished 6-7. It was the second time in three seasons he finished 6-7 at Oklahoma. Now, he’s found himself on the hot seat.

This offseason, Venables looked to address the offense in a major way. That included bringing in new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle as well as a bunch of transfers. That includes a new quarterback and running back. So, a lot for Venables is going to rely on how those moves worked out.

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies have been looking for a way to climb to the top of the ACC for some time now. Since 2022, Brent Pry has led the program. That includes back-to-back bowl appearances. However, it doesn’t include a finish better than tying for fourth in the ACC standings.

This upcoming season, Pry made several changes to the coaching staff. The hope is that it stabilizes the team and helps them improve from their previous seasons. At the same time, it would take a lot of success to get off the hot seat here.

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats lost Luke Fickell, who led the team to the College Football Playoff, following the 2022 season. They then made an intriguing hire, bringing in Scott Satterfield from Louisville to lead the program into the Big 12. It, largely, hasn’t worked, though, and now he’s on the hot seat.

Through just two seasons, Satterfield is 8-16 at Cincinnati overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play. They haven’t played for a bowl in that time, either. On top of that, the 2024 season ended on a down note, losing their final five games. So, Satterfield does need answers fast.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys

For the past two decades, Mike Gundy has led Oklahoma State. That makes him one of the longest tenured coaches in college football. For the most part, that’s been a good partnership with plenty of success, but 2024 went sideways quickly, and the Cowboys were winless in conference play. That season ended with a restructured contract for Gundy.

Now, the expectations are that Gundy turns things around. He’s got a new coaching staff in. However, questions persist about the roster. So, for now, questions will persist for Gundy as it relates to the hot seat.

Brent Brennan, Arizona Wildcats

When Brent Brennan got to Arizona, he inherited a good situation overall. Jedd Fisch left for Washington after going 10-3 at Arizona. Brennan would take that team and then lead them into the Big 12, but it was a disaster, going just 4-8 for the season.

Now, Arizona is expecting Brennan to turn things around quickly. That angst to be at the top of the Big 12 is only exacerbated by the success of rival Arizona State. So, it’s time to take a step forward in 2025.

Trent Dilfer, UAB Blazers

The UAB Blazers brought in Trent Dilfer ahead of the 2023 season. At the time, the program was coming out of the Bill Clark era, who was incredibly popular with the fanbase. It also came as UAB transitioned into the American, making for an important time in the program’s history.

It hasn’t gone well for Dilfer. In two seasons there, he’s just 7-17. The hope is that he can take a leap forward in his third season with the program. If that doesn’t happen, though, Dilfer will feel just how warm that hot seat really is.

Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have one of the proudest fan bases in the Group of Five. That’s despite not having much success in recent seasons, regardless of the coach. Still, the hope was that under Sonny Cumbie, they could take a step forward.

That hasn’t come, and, in fact, Louisiana Tech has been going the wrong way under Cumbie. Since he took over in 2022, the Bulldogs have gone just 11-26. They did make a bowl last season despite only winning five regular season games, but the fanbase wants to see better results than that.