Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports designThe college football offseason once again saw significant turnover atop the FBS with 29 programs -- 22% of the subdivision (now at 134 teams with the addition of Kennesaw State) -- changing coaches. That means major college football features a large swath of coaches entering honeymoon years with their new schools. Couple that with a number of programs finding their footing amid conference realignment, and there are more unknowns than knowns entering the 2024 college football season.
The Hot Seat Rankings have long been an accurate predictor in terms of job security, however. Over the last six years, 34 of the 50 coaches rated 4 or hotter in the preseason eventually lost their jobs that season (68%). That includes four of seven in 2023 with West Virginia's Neal Brown, Arkansas State's Butch Jones and Rice's Mike Bloomgren not only surviving but feeling their seats cool down.
Entering the 2024 season, there are nine coaches firmly on the proverbial hot seat (rated 4 or higher). However, as is the case every offseason, you can be sure there will be far more than nine job changes given the coaching carousel is always spinning no matter the expectations entering a given year.
In addition to the full set of rankings below, we have detailed those nine coaches sitting on the hottest seats ahead of the 2024 campaign. There is also a group "Notable 3s" to keep an eye on throughout the season. Featured among them are Arkansas' Sam Pittman -- on the hottest seat of any coach this season -- as one of three SEC bosses on the eight-man list. Florida's Billy Napier and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea are the others.
Below you can find where all 134 FBS coaches stand before the season begins. Check out the ratings key first and see where every coach in college football ranks with kickoff scheduled in less than two months.
| Rating | What it means | Coaches |
|---|---|---|
5 | Win or be fired | 1 |
4 | Start improving now | 8 |
3 | Pressure is mounting | 19 |
2 | All good ... for now | 49 |
1 | Safe and secure | 44 |
0 | Untouchable | 13 |
The table below is arranged in alphabetical order by school. Listed is each coach's win-loss record at his current program and the number of years he's led that team prior to 2024. If the coach's rating has changed from the 2023 season, the old rating is listed in parenthesis. Asterisks (*) indicate that games won/lost as an interim coach immediately preceding a full-time hiring are included.
2024 Hot Seat Rankings| Team | Coach | Years | Record | 2024 Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Calhoun | 17 | 130-82 | 1 | |
| Joe Moorhead | 2 | 4-20 | 3 (2) | |
| Kalen DeBoer | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Shawn Clark | 4 | 35-18* | 1 | |
| Brent Brennan | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Kenny Dillingham | 1 | 3-9 | 2 (1) | |
| Sam Pittman | 4 | 23-25 | 5 (1) | |
| Butch Jones | 3 | 11-26 | 3 (4) | |
| Jeff Monken | 10 | 70-55 | 1 | |
| Hugh Freeze | 1 | 6-7 | 2 (1) | |
| Mike Neu | 8 | 37-56 | 4 (3) | |
| Dave Aranda | 4 | 23-25 | 4 (1) | |
| Spencer Danielson | -- | 3-1* | 2 | |
| Bill O'Brien | -- | -- | 1 (3) | |
| Scot Loeffler | 5 | 20-35 | 3 | |
| Pete Lembo | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Kalani Sitake | 8 | 61-41 | 4 (1) | |
| Justin Wilcox | 7 | 36-43 | 3 | |
| Jim McElwain | 5 | 29-28 | 2 | |
| Biff Poggi | 1 | 3-9 | 2 | |
| Scott Satterfield | 1 | 3-9 | 3 (2) | |
| Dabo Swinney | 15 | 170-43 | 2 (0) | |
| Tim Beck | 1 | 8-5 | 1 | |
| Deion Sanders | 1 | 4-8 | 2 (0) | |
| Jay Norvell | 2 | 8-16 | 2 | |
| Manny Diaz | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Mike Houston | 5 | 24-34 | 3 (2) | |
| Chris Creighton | 10 | 52-68 | 1 (2) | |
| Mike MacIntyre | 2 | 8-16 | 2 | |
| Billy Napier | 2 | 11-14 | 4 (2) | |
| Tom Herman | 1 | 4-8 | 2 (1) | |
| Mike Norvell | 4 | 31-17 | 0 (2) | |
| Jeff Tedford | 2 (5) | 19-8 (45-22) | 1 | |
| Kirby Smart | 8 | 94-16 | 0 | |
| Clay Helton | 2 | 12-14 | 2 | |
| Dell McGee | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Brent Key | 1 | 7-6 | 2 | |
| Timmy Chang | 2 | 8-18 | 2 | |
| Willie Fritz | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Bret Bielema | 3 | 18-19 | 2 (1) | |
| Curt Cignetti | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Kirk Ferentz | 25 | 196-119 | 2 | |
| Matt Campbell | 8 | 53-48 | 1 (2) | |
| Bob Chesney | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Rich Rodriguez | 2 | 18-6 (9-4 FBS) | 1 | |
| Lance Leipold | 3 | 17-21 | 0 (1) | |
| Chris Klieman | 5 | 39-24 | 0 | |
| Brian Bohannon | 9 | 71-30 FCS | 1 (n/a) | |
| Kenni Burns | 1 | 1-11 | 3 | |
| Mark Stoops | 11 | 73-65 | 1 (2) | |
| Jamey Chadwell | 1 | 13-1 | 0 | |
| Michael Desormeaux | 2 | 13-14* | 2 | |
| Sonny Cumbie | 2 | 6-18 | 4 (2) | |
| Jeff Brohm | 1 | 10-4 | 0 | |
| Brian Kelly | 2 | 20-7 | 0 | |
| Charles Huff | 3 | 22-17 | 1 | |
| Mike Locksley | 5 | 29-33 | 2 | |
| Ryan Silverfield | 4 | 31-29* | 1 (3) | |
| Mario Cristobal | 2 | 12-13 | 3 (2) | |
| Chuck Martin | 10 | 56-62 | 2 (3) | |
| Sherrone Moore | -- | 1-0* | 1 | |
| Jonathan Smith | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Derek Mason | -- | -- | 2 | |
| P.J. Fleck | 7 | 50-34 | 2 (1) | |
| Jeff Lebby | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Eliah Drinkwitz | 4 | 28-21 | 1 (3) | |
| Brian Newberry | 1 | 5-7 | 3 | |
| Dave Doeren | 11 | 81-58 | 2 | |
| Matt Rhule | 1 | 5-7 | 1 | |
| Jeff Choate | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Bronco Mendenhall | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Tony Sanchez | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Mack Brown | 5 (15) | 38-27 (107-73-1) | 2 (1) | |
| Eric Morris | 1 | 5-7 | 2 | |
| Thomas Hammock | 5 | 24-33 | 2 | |
| David Braun | 1 | 8-5* | 1 | |
| Marcus Freeman | 2 | 19-8* | 1 (2) | |
| Tim Albin | 3 | 23-17 | 1 | |
| Ryan Day | 5 | 59-8* | 3 (2) | |
| Brent Venables | 2 | 16-10 | 2 (3) | |
| Mike Gundy | 19 | 166-79 | 1 (2) | |
| Ricky Rahne | 4 | 15-23 | 2 | |
| Lane Kiffin | 4 | 34-15 | 0 (2) | |
| Dan Lanning | 2 | 22-5 | 0 (1) | |
| Trent Bray | -- | -- | 2 | |
| James Franklin | 10 | 88-39 | 1 | |
| Pat Narduzzi | 9 | 65-50 | 3 (1) | |
| Ryan Walters | 1 | 4-8 | 2 | |
| Mike Bloomgren | 6 | 22-46 | 3 (4) | |
| Greg Schiano | 4 (15) | 19-28 (87-95) | 2 | |
| K.C. Keeler | 10 | 88-36 (3-9 FBS) | 1 (0) | |
| Sean Lewis | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Ken Niumatalolo | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Rhett Lashlee | 2 | 18-9 | 1 (2) | |
| Major Applewhite | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Shane Beamer | 3 | 20-18 | 3 (1) | |
| Will Hall | 3 | 13-24 | 4 (2) | |
| Alex Golesh | 1 | 7-6 | 1 | |
| Troy Taylor | 1 | 3-9 | 2 | |
| Fran Brown | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Sonny Dykes | 2 | 18-9 | 1 (0) | |
| Stan Drayton | 2 | 6-18 | 4 (3) | |
| Josh Heupel | 3 | 27-12 | 1 | |
| Steve Sarkisian | 3 | 25-14 | 0 (2) | |
| Mike Elko | -- | -- | 1 | |
| G.J. Kinne | 2 | 8-5 | 1 (2) | |
| Joey McGuire | 2 | 15-11 | 2 (1) | |
| Jason Candle | 9 | 65-35 | 0 (1) | |
| Gerad Parker | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Jon Sumrall | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Kevin Wilson | 1 | 4-8 | 2 (1) | |
| Trent Dilfer | 1 | 4-8 | 2 | |
| Gus Malzahn | 3 | 24-26 | 1 | |
| Deshaun Foster | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Jim Mora Jr. | 2 | 9-16 | 2 (1) | |
| Bryant Vincent | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Don Brown | 2 | 4-20 | 3 | |
| Barry Odom | 1 | 9-5 | 1 (2) | |
| Lincoln Riley | 2 | 19-8 | 2 (0) | |
| Scotty Walden | -- | -- | 1 | |
| Jeff Traylor | 4 | 39-14 | 0 | |
| Kyle Whittingham | 19 | 162-79* | 0 | |
| Nate Dreiling (i) | -- | -- | 3 | |
| Clark Lea | 3 | 9-27 | 4 (2) | |
| Tony Elliott | 2 | 6-16 | 3 (2) | |
| Brent Pry | 2 | 10-14 | 2 | |
| Dave Clawson | 10 | 63-61 | 1 | |
| Jedd Fisch | -- | -- | 2 | |
| Jake Dickert | 2 | 15-16* | 2 | |
| Neal Brown | 5 | 31-29 | 3 (5) | |
| Tyson Helton | 5 | 40-26 | 1 | |
| Lance Taylor | 1 | 4-8 | 2 (1) | |
| Luke Fickell | 1 | 7-6 | 1 | |
| Jay Sawvel | -- | -- | 2 |
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