Which 2013 Recruiting Classes May Have Cost a Coach's Job?

For a coach who may already be on the hot seat, coming up short on the recruiting trail will only serve to turn the heat up.

Simply put, recruiting can make or break coaches, and there are a few big-time coaching jobs that may be in jeopardy because of poor or disappointing results on national signing day.

These next three coaches are definitely on the proverbial hot seats at their respective schools, and they definitely didn't live up to the expectations on signing day.

They won't be fired today, tomorrow or anytime before the season, but if the results on the field are lackluster in 2013, look for their 2013 recruiting classes to come up as a huge reason why they got the boot.

 

Mack Brown, Texas

The Longhorns' coach is undoubtedly feeling the heat, if only from the fans (Believe me, I read the comments). Texas football has definitely lost its luster, to the point where the Texas A&M Aggies are undoubtedly the premier school in the state for now—and that's a huge indictment against Brown as a recruiter.

Texas should be one of the biggest recruiting draws in the country and it should garner an elite class on a yearly basis. In 2013, Brown's class ranked No. 23 by Rivals, No. 16 by 247Sports and No. 19 by us here at Bleacher Report.

That would be good for many schools, but it's not good for Texas.

The Longhorns still brought in some good talent, especially on the offensive line, but overall they did not meet their own expectations. Also adding to the disappointment is the fact that 5-star offensive/defensive lineman recruit A'Shawn Robinson decommited just days before national signing day and ended up signing with Alabama.

If Texas has a bad year on the field next season, Brown's mediocre 2013 class will surely come up.

 

Lane Kiffin, USC

To be fair to Kiffin, his 2013 class is still impressive. It still features five 5-star and seven 4-star recruits. 

That said, this class had the potential to be so much better.

At one point, USC"s 2013 class was ranked No. 1 in the nation. After losing multiple elite recruits though for various reasons, USC's class finished No. 13 according to Rivals, No. 14 according to 247Sports and No. 13 by yours truly.

It's a big drop from No. 1 to the teens, and failure on the recruiting trail started to become a trend for Kiffin. USC went from arguably the hottest program on the recruiting trail to one of the coldest.

USC struggled to finish strong on the field last season, and if those struggles continue in 2013, look for Kiffin's issues on the recruiting trail this past cycle to play a major role in him potentially getting fired.

 

Gary Pinkel, Missouri

The Tigers didn't necessarily knock down the door on their way into college football's toughest conference. Missouri went 5-7 in its first year in the SEC, including 2-6 in conference.

To make things worse, Pinkel's 2013 class was ranked No. 39 overall by both Rivals and 247Sports, and it featured only two players with a 4-star ranking, one if you look at Rivals.

As if that's not enough, Missouri finished last in SEC recruiting according to Rivals. Kentucky out-recruited the Tigers, and I'm pretty sure that's a school known for basketball more than anything.

This isn't a good look for Pinkel, and if the Tigers don't turn it around next season, Missouri would be smart to start looking for a coach that can at least compete on the recruiting trail with the likes of Nick Saban, Les Miles, Will Muschamp, Hugh Freeze, Mark Richt, Steve Spurrier, Bret Bielema and James Franklin.