Early List of Hot-Seat Head Coaches for 2015 College Football Season
The 2015 season doesn't officially begin for another eight-plus months, but some head coaches around college football are already feeling the heat.
A few schools have been mired in multiseason slumps, and the leader of the respective team needs to show collective development next year. Or else, he could be handed a pink slip.
Seven coaches appear most in danger of losing head-coaching status, and they are organized alphabetically by school. Plus, other program leaders must be wary of a leadership change if their team doesn't progress in 2015.
Please do not mistake the rankings as a list of coaches who should be fired. Instead, consider them a starting point in studying what college football teams need to show serious improvement in 2015, lest a coaching change be made.
Tim Beckman, Illinois
1 of 8
While Tim Beckman has improved Illinois' win total from two to four to six since accepting the job, his title isn't safe.
Former coach Ron Zook was fired after consecutive six-win regular seasons, so Beckman must realize his target next year is likely eight wins—and it seems he knows a few changes need to happen.
Per Vinnie Duber of CSN Chicago, special teams coordinator Tim Salem and defensive line coach Greg Colby will not return.
Beckman will be coaching Illinois next year, but he'll assuredly be under the watchful eye of athletic director Mike Thomas.
Kevin Wilson, Indiana
2 of 8
No, Indiana has never flirted with the idea of evolving into a football powerhouse. However, Kevin Wilson's Hoosiers have compiled a 14-34 overall mark and limped to a 6-26 record in Big Ten play during his four years.
Wilson had a game-changing back in Tevin Coleman, but the first-team All-American is skipping his senior season and heading to the NFL.
Indiana will face a relatively favorable nonconference slate in 2015, squaring off with Southern Illinois, Florida International, Western Kentucky and Wake Forest. Plus, the Hoosiers get Iowa and Purdue in the conference crossover matchups.
Long story short, it is imperative Wilson reaches a bowl game next season because the schedule falls in his favor.
Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
3 of 8
From 2009 to 2012, things appeared to be looking up at Iowa State with Paul Rhoads leading the program—until three- and two-win seasons in 2013 and 2014.
With the benefit of hindsight, the Cyclones now appear like a team that simply can't eclipse being average. Iowa State has suffered five straight losing seasons, falling in a pair of bowl games during that time.
D'Vario Montgomery, Allen Lazard and Kamari Cotton-Moya are exciting talents, but the Cyclones haven't finished in the top half of the Big 12 standings under Rhoads.
Iowa State is 14-38 in conference play over the last six years, and another subpar finish in the Big 12 may doom Rhoads' tenure in Ames.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Al Golden, Miami
4 of 8
Al Golden didn't know he was walking into an NCAA investigation at Miami. Consequently, 6-6 and 7-5 campaigns in 2011 and 2012, respectively, were not demoralizing by any means.
Then, a 9-4 season, while it ended in a disappointing manner, showed the Hurricanes were ready to assert themselves in the lackluster ACC Coastal Division.
Well, maybe not. Miami collapsed in three conference games and was overpowered by Georgia Tech, Virginia and Pittsburgh. The 'Canes trudged to a 6-7 record, and Golden is on the hottest of hot seats in sunny South Florida.
Miami returns quarterback Brad Kaaya but lose 12 starters, so the 2015 edition of the Hurricanes must replace a heavy dose of their key players while fighting for their coach's job at the same time.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
5 of 8
Though Bob Stoops and Oklahoma didn't cap a mini-dynasty with a national title, a nine-season stretch of eight BCS bowl selections cannot be simply dismissed. Yet the Sooners only won a championship in 2000.
Maybe that's the problem with Stoops: He's been at Oklahoma for 16 years and has amassed 168 wins and eight bowl victories, yet the Sooners have stagnated.
Perhaps Stoops recognized this and fired co-offensive coordinators Jay Norvell and Josh Heupel, but there's no guarantee Oklahoma can reach elite status again.
While the Sooners are regularly dubbed a "high-potential" team, a sleeper or under-the-radar squad, they've never completely fulfilled the hype. If Stoops can't do it again after season No. 17, the slowly growing angst surrounding the program might bloom into complete unhappiness after 2015.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
6 of 8
After guiding Johnny Manziel to a Heisman Trophy as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury was a hot commodity in the head coaching realm.
The former Texas Tech quarterback immediately inspired his alma mater, leading a team with a freshman quarterback and mediocre defense to an 8-5 mark and winning the program's fourth straight bowl game.
But 2014 was not kind to Kingsbury. The Red Raiders finished a highly disappointing 4-8 campaign that included an 82-27 beatdown at the hands of TCU. Then, a 247Sports 5-star quarterback in Jarrett Stidham decommitted from Texas Tech and signed with Baylor.
Kingsbury added two new defensive coaches this offseason, but more importantly, he must overcome the widespread struggles from 2014 and add a few more victories next season.
Mike London, Virginia
7 of 8
Mike London was surprisingly retained following a stunning 2-10 season in 2013. However, a 1-5 finish to a once-promising 2014 slate would surely mark the end of his tenure.
Right? Right?! Wrong. Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage announced London would return for a fifth year.
Though London survived his third straight losing record, it's hard to imagine he can miss a bowl game in 2015 and still come back for another go-round.
After all, the Cavaliers haven't earned a bowl victory since 2005, only appearing in two since then. Perhaps Virginia improves and London earns another season, but another sub-.500 result would probably signal the end of an era.
Other Coaches to Watch
8 of 8
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: How long can Ferentz continue holding down the fort? The Hawkeyes have managed a single 10-win season over the last decade, and Ferentz's record during that time is a meager 73-54. Iowa has neither won a bowl game nor been ranked in the AP poll since 2010.
Larry Fedora, North Carolina: A member of the "promising young coach" clique, Fedora gained control of the Tar Heels in 2012 and started a stout 8-4. Since then, UNC dropped to 7-6 and 6-7 over the last two years, respectively, and is headed in the wrong direction.
Darrell Hazell, Purdue: Hazell took over the Boilermakers in 2013, looking to lift a program with two consecutive bowl appearances to the next level. Now 24 games into his tenure, Hazell has compiled a 4-20 overall mark, going 1-15 in conference play.
Willie Taggart, South Florida: He resurrected Western Kentucky within two years, so Taggart was supposed to do the same at South Florida. However, the Bulls followed up a 2-10 campaign with a 4-8 finish, and Taggart fired both coordinators in order to shake things up for next season.
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: Following eight consecutive 10-win outputs that contained six BCS bowl appearances, Beamer's teams have dropped off significantly. The Hokies have tallied a 22-17 record since 2012, and the veteran coach's proverbial seat is definitely toasty.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
