9 College Football Coaches with the Most Pressure to Win Moving Forward
Around this time each season, the evaluations of teams and coaches start to solidify. All preseason notions are put to bed, and the actual results start to tabulate.
More specifically, the heat on certain coaches starts to turn up. And sometimes, all it takes are a few bad weeks for the unrest to grow. Although it's still early in the season, the pressure on certain head coaches is starting to mount.
Some are likely coaching for their jobs over the next six weeks. Some are far more decorated and are simply trying to deliver for demanding fanbases. And some have had so much success at their current stops that the barrier to please has grown to an almost unreasonable state.
But where is the pressure building most? Here is a list of coaches facing uphill climbs over the coming months.
Jimbo Fisher
1 of 9
There is no other place to begin.
Jimbo Fisher, the head coach at Texas A&M, has simply failed to take that next step with the Aggies thus far.
And although he's still owed a whopping $77 million on his contract—all of which is fully guaranteed—Fox Sports insider Bruce Feldman reported this weekend that A&M could still explore ways to buy him out after this season.
The Aggies' Week 2 loss at Miami certainly set off the siren. They allowed 48 points and more than 450 yards of offense in that matchup.
Simply put, it can't be happening this deep in the Fisher era.
The roster is loaded with talent, but the results just haven't come. With demanding, deep-pocketed boosters growing impatient, one could argue that no coach needs to win bigger over the next two months than this one.
Matt Rhule
2 of 9
Oh, he'll have time to make things right. Let's make that abundantly clear.
Matt Rhule inherited a program that has fallen off in recent years, and the program made a long-term commitment to its new coach with an eye set on much more than 2023.
But that doesn't change the enormity of each week moving forward. Nebraska fans have grown impatient, having endured an avalanche of close losses and blown leads in recent years.
Rhule has been tasked to change that, although a 1-2 start doesn't exactly jump off the page. A matchup against Louisiana Tech should move that to 2-2 this week, although a game against Michigan comes next. And the Big Ten slate won't be easy to manage.
Again, there's a lot more at stake than this year. But the fanbase is hungry for some success, and the demands on the new head coach will be significant every step of the way.
Tom Allen
3 of 9
While this list isn't exclusively dedicated to college football's hot seat, Tom Allen's presence is certainly related to immediate performance and job security.
As a program, Indiana has struggled mightily over the past few seasons, winning only four games in 2022 and two in 2021. In the shortened 2020 season, of course, the Hoosiers won six of eight games, and the trajectory looked upward.
Allen's buyout is $20 million if he's fired after the season, which makes this one a bit sticky. With a difficult Big 10 slate to follow—including games at Michigan and Penn State—it seems unlikely this program will go to a bowl game once again.
Winning enough games along the way to keep the pressure off will be crucial, although it won't be easy.
This has a strong "TBD" vibe about it.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Nick Saban
4 of 9
Any notion that Nick Saban's future at Alabama is somehow rocky after a un-Alabama-like start to the season is blasphemy. The greatest head coach in the history of CFB—and one of the greatest to ever grace a sideline—is in rarified air.
As a result of his prolonged brilliance, however, he has made life difficult for himself. Expectations are, well, unreasonable at all times.
With Alabama having already lost to Texas—and with an ugly win over South Florida directly in the rearview—the vibe in Tuscaloosa feels off. As such, we are left questioning if Alabama's best is behind it.
What does it mean for Saban? Not a great deal, at least right now.
But given his age, one can't help but wonder how much of this the 71-year-old will be willing and able to stomach if it continues. When you're the GOAT, more is expected. Then again, it's not like he's not used to the pressure. It's been that way for quite some time.
Ryan Day
5 of 9
As a head coach, Ryan Day currently sports a record of 48-6. His record against Big Ten teams is a staggering 32-2.
By the numbers, he has done a fabulous job at Ohio State. But the losses—including back-to-back defeats against Michigan and a heartbreaking defeat to Georgia in last year's College Football Playoff—carry a bit more weight given their high-profile nature.
Perhaps no fanbase expects more from its coach and team than Ohio State, and the rumblings surrounding Day's losses in key spots have grown louder as the list, no matter how small, has grown.
Even a slow offensive start in the 2023 season prompted some restlessness, although the offense looked much improved in Week 3. A massive game against Notre Dame in Week 4 will create a strong reaction either way, and the careful dissection of Day's performance will only continue.
Dana Holgorsen
6 of 9
Houston's first-ever Big 12 game took place on Saturday, but it was never truly much of a game. TCU beat Houston 36-13, giving the Cougars their second loss in three tries.
A transition to a Power Five conference will undoubtedly come with some growing pains, although Dana Holgorsen didn't exactly enter the 2023 season on stable ground.
Since a blistering 12-2 2021 campaign, Houston is 9-7 overall since. A loss to Rice as a massive favorite in Week 2 of this season didn't help matters, but the concern stretches beyond one week.
Holgorsen agreed to a contract extension in 2022, so there are still years left on the deal. With Big 12 play set to pick up, though, there aren't a lot of easy wins on tap outside of a matchup against Sam Houston on Saturday.
This is one to watch.
Dabo Swinney
7 of 9
Given all of the accolades Dabo Swinney has brought Clemson, this one requires nuance.
During his tenure, he has won two national titles and eight ACC Championships. He's delivered in a way few coaches in the history of the sport have, and the program will be forever changed because of it.
And yet, the conversation surrounding his standing has shifted in recent years. Clemson still won 11 games in 2022, although the issues on offense kept this program largely out of the playoff conversation.
A shocking loss to Duke in this year's season opener only amplified the concerns surrounding the program, which has seen Swinney build a roster largely without the transfer portal.
Like Saban, Swinney's being graded on a different scale. And like Saban, previous success is only making the present more challenging.
A massive game against Florida State on Saturday will swing this conversation one way or another for at least a little while.
Sam Pittman
8 of 9
In terms of charm, Sam Pittman has it.
One of the most liked and relatable coaches in the country, he has delivered a handful of meaningful moments during his tenure at Arkansas. And when he has, he's delivered with flair.
But flair can only take you so far, and losing to BYU before the SEC season begins, which is precisely what happened last week, is the kind of outcome that can really alter standing.
Pittman is 21-18 in three-plus seasons with the Hogs. It's worth noting, however, that few teams have had to deal with the kind of scheduling this one has. There simply aren't many easy games.
As for the next four games, well, it's quite the journey. The Razorbacks play at LSU, Texas A&M, at Ole Miss and at Alabama. Woof.
Unless Arkansas really finds its footing, the pressure will only continue to build.
Dave Aranda
9 of 9
In 2021, Dave Aranda helped guide Baylor to a 12-win season and a Sugar Bowl victory. Two seasons later, and the outlook for the Bears and the coach's standing have taken a tumble.
A 6-7 season in 2022 was a shocking turn, and a loss to Texas State as a massive favorite earlier this season only carried the theme forward. This team felt destined to compete for conference titles for the foreseeable future.
At the moment, that no longer feels like the case.
Baylor is 1-2, and every game the rest of the way can be lost. While Aranda's job feels relatively secure, it's safe to say the intensity over each performance will only ratchet upward from this point on.
A win against Texas in Week 4 would go a long way. Although with the Longhorns heading to town and a road trip to UCF to follow, a 1-4 start seems like a real possibility.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
