Five CFB Coaches Under The Most Pressure

Another cycle of the coaching carousel has come and gone, and there have been an abundant amount of changes within the college football landscape. In conference changes such as Lane Kiffin to LSU, promotions from coordinator roles like Morgan Scalley or Pete Golding, or those group of five coaches that make the jump up like Jon Sumrall, Eric Morris, or Alec Golesh. Every year there are a countless amount of coaching changes and firings that take place which either sets up the program for good success, or sets them back for years to come. There is a balance of figuring out whether to fire a coach or not, and in the new age of College Football, leashes tend to become a little shorter over time, which forces Athletic Directors and Donor's hands in making a move to change the direction of their insitution. This is truly the toughest time to be a Head Coach in College Football, and is starting to become a job that a lot of coaches find a hard time connecting with.

As we wrap our heads around all the transactions that took place over the course of the offseason, the lookahead to 2026 might not be one that some coaches are looking forward to; but rather, one that coaches are putting their last ditch effort to save their job. I look ahead at the five coaches that are under the most pressure for the upcoming 2026 season, and who's seat might be getting a little too hot.

Coach Dave Aranda became Head Coach for Baylor University in 2020 after being a part of that 2019 LSU National Championship team as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. His first season at Baylor -- during the COVID-19 pandemic -- resulted in a 2-7 finish, but found his footing the next year, leading Baylor to their best season in school history at 12-2 and winning the BIG 12 Championship and the Peach Bowl. Since then, Baylor has yet to win a Bowl Game and has maxed out at 8 wins in a season, while struggling to retain talent at the school. 

This year seems to be the potential "make or break" season for Aranda. Getting former Five-Star Quarterback recruit, DJ Lagway, to transfer over from Florida is a massive win and swing to take on someone with a ton of untapped potential. He was also able to retain key pieces to his defense such as Kyler Gordan on the defensive-line, with LeVar Thornton, Jacob Redding, and Devyn Bobby in the secondary. 

Not only will it be tough to win in conference, but they kick off their season against Auburn under new Head Coach, Alec Golesh, who is looking to have his team ready and start his coaching record 1-0 at his new school. Unfortunately for Baylor, their in-conference schedule has a rough patch playing BYU, Texas Tech, and Houston three straight weeks in a row to close the season. With other teams that are expected to have a turnaround season just like Baylor, they could find themselves stuck in mud come the second-half of their season, which might force new Athletic Director, Doug McNamee to make his first big firing after taking over prior to the new-year.

A school that in the 2010's were penciled in to at least make a Bowl Game every season, might be in a rough spot when it comes to overall success under Dave Aranda. He doesn't have the hottest seat in College Football, nor is he under the highest amount of pressure, but it is certainly one to note as the season kicks off in a few weeks.

Who was once the hottest name in coaching cycles, Luke Fickell has not found much overall success going into his fifth year now at Wisconsin. Fickell was the Head Coach of the first non-Power 5 conference team to make the College Football Playoff with Cincinnati in 2021. He was hired on to be the HC at Wisconsin at the end of 2022 and actually coached in their Bowl Game that season which resulted in a victory. His next year he squeaked in a Bowl Game appearance with 7-wins in the ReliaQuest Bowl, but ended up losing. But his previous two have been extremely disappointing winning less than 6-games in both of those seasons.

This feels like the best shot since his first full season in Madison that Luke Fickell can find a good enough team to put out better results than previous years. With new Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes, Colton Joseph starts under center for the Badgers after transferring in from Old Dominion, and Darrion Dupree returns in the backfield with a slew of transfers for targets. Defensively is lead behind All-BIG10 Third-Teamer Mason Posa at linebacker and breakout candidate Marvin Burks Jr comes over from Missouri in the Transfer Portal. The idea of Wisconsin being a competitor in the BIG10 this year isn't on the radar of most, especially as they open up against Notre Dame basically on home turf at Lambeau Field. However, their schedule in-conference is favorable if the roster takes a step up, and the projected teams they play are who we think they are.

It seems crazy to be where we are today, thinking back on how Fickell's name was circulating around his Alma Mater, Ohio State, if Ryan Day would've gotten let go after failing to win the "big game." Well, fast forward five-years later and Ryan Day has won a National Championship, and his once projected successor is currently on the hot seat for the upcoming season. I think Fickell has the favorable schedule to find his Badgers squad back into Bowl Season, but things could spiral quick into BIG10 play which would not surprise me if they make a quick decision on top of it.

Is "Prime Time" coming to the final hours of his time in Boulder? The clock is ticking and somehow starting to move a little faster now that we are in essentially a new era of Colorado football. Deion Sanders took over the College Football world when he made the jump from Jackson State to Colorado just three-years ago, and all eyes were set on him, his son Shadeur, and Heisman Winner, Travis Hunter. Now that we are two-years removed from his son and his best friend leaving the university for the NFL, Coach Prime has had to adapt to the new era of College Football with the Transfer Portal, and has done well acquiring talent to supplement the guys he had on his roster. Now, without the flashy names of Sheduer and Travis Hunter, he must find a way to build a program with young athletes that want to work. Deion is 16-21 as Head Coach at Colorado University, and despite the name value and money he brings to the program, he will have to find success on the field soon in order to stay in Boulder.

Failing to acquire a top-tier Quarterback for the 2025 campaign, Deion turns to his former Five-Star, Redshirt-Freshman Julian Lewis to takeover the position and lead this offense to success after just winning three games last year. They seem to have lost every impact player to the Transfer Portal besides Lewis and Junior Running Back, Micah Welch. They added some new weapons offensively, and defensively, they were terrible a year ago and now bring in some talent to change things up. Boo Carter had an interesting exit from Tennessee and now leads this defensive secondary with Notre Dame transfer Cree Thomas. Unfortunately for Colorado, their schedule in and out of conference is a nightmare waiting to happen. Opening at Georgia Tech sucks and Northwestern is no longer just a push-over game. Add that to some tough BIG12 games and it could get messy quick for the Buffaloes.

I think a ton of people wanted to see Deion succeed. There was so much hype around him and the potential talent he would bring in and change the culture at Colorado, only for it to result in a sub .500 record so far. This article might not be the "Top Coaches Who Could Be Fired" list, but it is rather coaches who need to change things around from at least the year prior to avoid any negative activities from athletic departments. Julian Lewis is going to be a stud, but can the talent around him be good enough? For Coach Prime, it might take a lot to make a Bowl Game this year -- and I think due to name value he won't be fired -- but he defintely has a ton of pressure on his radar for how his 2026 season turns out to be.

Despite all of the change within Head Coaches in the SEC, Shane Beamer finds a way to escape being part of the firings over the past few years. Three out of his five seasons with the Gamecocks have resulted in Bowl Game appearances, so you might be questioning why his name is up here for a coach under the most pressure. Well, it has been a bit streaky for Beamer after his first two seasons with the program, he has seen two losing seasons since, including last season going 4-8. Out of all the HCs in the SEC, Beamer is undoubtedly the coach with the most pressure due to the lack of consistency within the South Carolina program. Despite winning SEC Coach of the Year in 2024, he has the chance to decide his fate in a "make or break" year for their 2026 campaign.

Returning Quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, was supposed to be a breakout player last season but fell short of those high expectations. Defensively, Dylan Stewart was also a guy who was poised for superstardom as a former Five-Star recruit, has been solid but seems to be held back in his time at South Carolina. After now having a pretty solid transfer class and a top 15 recruiting class, it is time for Beamer to show his product on the field instead of showing his muscle transactionally. With how the SEC is evolving even more than before -- and seems to have the schools who are categorized as "mid-tier" all expecting to take a step up for the 2026 season -- South Carolina must find themselves in the fight come the second-half of the season rather than chasing from behind. Two buy-games to open up the season, they then have a stretch playing Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M five out of six games in a row. Now, that is just the SEC specialty playing all those teams, but for the Gamecocks, that is the stretch that could define their season and Beamer's future.

If you were to go down the list of teams that will contend in the SEC this year, it takes a while before you hit South Carolina and most will write them off fairly quick. There isn't a ton of faith in Beamer to finish the job he started here in Columbia, and it feels like the 2026 season is the one to watch for when it comes to the next cycle of coach firings. I think Beamer could excel in a different conference with his rapport in recruiting, and try to build up another program that doesn't have the gauntlet of a schedule like the SEC does. Therefore, this could be the end of the line for Beamer and another "November to remember" could turn into a "Nightmare Before Christmas" for the tenured Head Coach.

This is 100% the name you all expected to see on this list, and yes, it is very obvious that Dabo's job is on the line this upcoming season. You would think for a guy who is 187-53 in his time at Clemson with two National Championships and four appearances in that game, would not be viewed in this light as a coach who is under a ton of pressure. Well, despite high expectations, Clemson has only one appearance in the College Football Playoff since 2020, and for a ton of schools that is a great accomplishment. For the standard at this university, the expectation is to be coming out of the ACC almost every year, and if not, sneaking in through the back door into the CFP is almost mandatory. The combination of falling short of expectations in the past four seasons and Coach Swinney's unwillingness to use the Transfer Portal to his advantage has lead to this awkward tipping point between both him and Clemson University. 

This year is unlike any other recent season under Dabo Swinney, because instead of regrouping after a nine-win season to get better, the Tigers have to improve off of a seven-win campaign which is the worst under Swinney since 2010. Unfortunately for Clemson, their losses from a roster standpoint is not a positive sign for this group after losing their tenured starting Quarterback, and a few major impact players defensively. As mentioned previously, Dabo still isn't all-in on using the transfer portal, and rather opts to develop those he recruited to come play for his school. Prior to the 2025 season, only four incoming transfers were signed under Dabo. This year he jumps up to eleven. But no "blue-chip" prospects or transfers come to Clemson in the Transfer Portal, and Coach Swinney is banking on the guys he has developed to help take a step-up for 2026. Christopher Vizzina is expected to take over the starting Quarterback role this year who has been waiting his turn for three-years.

It doesn't look promising for Clemson this season, as they open with a road game versus LSU and their new Head Coach, Lane Kiffin. They also face off against Miami and Georgia Tech, a well as Virginia Tech and going on the road to Cal in a trap game. If the team with even more talent last year couldn't compete at a high-level, I don't expect this year's team to do much better. What is the final straw for Dabo and Clemson? His buyout is expected to be about $55 million if fired, which is a large pill to swallow and could set back the program for years as the next hire would be on the cheaper side. But Dabo's recent lack of success as well as his inability to adapt to the new-era of College Football could push it over the edge -- it is definitely going to be the most watched over team to see if he can save his job or not.