National Signing Day 2011: 10 Coaches Whose Jobs Are Riding on This Class
College football coaches, much like their counterparts in the NFL, endure extreme scrutiny every single day.
Win or lose, coaches across the nation have the hopes and dreams of hundreds of thousands or millions of fans, who live and die by the wins and losses put forth by the team on the field.
As National Signing Day approaches in less than two weeks, a handful of Division I football coaches can make up for down years or off the field issues with stellar recruiting classes. The acquisition of a solid recruiting class can change the feeling of a program around in a hurry.
As such, here are the 10 coaches who's jobs are riding on their 2011 recruiting class as National Signing Day approaches.
Houston Nutt of Ole Miss
1 of 10
After solid improvement in his first two years at Ole Miss, Nutt and the Rebels dropped all the way down to a dismal 4-8 record in 2010—a mark that will hardly cut it in the SEC.
While Nutt has been the type of coach to bounce back after a tough season, he and the Rebels haven't done nearly enough on the recruiting trail to make up for lost time. The losses of Louisville-bound Gerod Holliman and Eli Rogers have the Rebels' recruiting class depleted.
UCLA's Rick Neuheisal
2 of 10
Neuheisal will be entering his fourth season at the helm for the Bruins and simply hasn't gotten the job done at UCLA.
After entering with much fanfare and, of course, the pledge to knock USC and Pete Carroll off the Pac-10 pedestal, Neuheisal has managed just eight conference victories in three seasons. It's clearly put up, or shut up time for Neuheisal at UCLA.
Neuheisal pins his hopes on 4-star quarterback Brett Hundley, who has signed with the Bruins. He tops a solid, but not spectacular, class that hopes to add Florida linebacker Tony Steward on National Signing Day.
Jeff Tedford of Cal
3 of 10
Bears head coach Jeff Tedford just endured the first losing season he's had at Cal, but did so in a way that left a sour taste in the mouths of Cal fans heading into the offseason. The Bears lost seven of their final 10 games.
Given Cal's propensity for a short leash and status as a low-spending program, he'll need to jump back on the victory train and do it quickly to justify his large contract.
Cal recently acquired commitments from highly-touted defensive tackle Viliami Moala and running back Brendon Bigelow. Defensive tackle Todd Barr and safety Avery Walls, both 4-star recruits, lead the head of the Bear's 2011 class.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Rutgers' Greg Schiano
4 of 10
Schiao has won 11 games at Rutgers and was once the toast of the college and pro football world, but hasn't been able to keep up that level of play, recruiting or coaching.
That trend continued in 2010 when the Scarlet Knights went 4-8 and finished at the bottom of the Big East. He'll hope top running back recruit Savon Huggins decides to remain close to home and chooses Rutgers over Notre Dame, North Carolina and Auburn.
Paul Wulff of Washington State
5 of 10
In his three years at Washington State, Wulff has won just five games and has gone an abysmal 2-25 against Pac-10 opponents.
Despite showing signs of improvement this past season, time is running out for Wulff, who remains on one of the hottest coaching hot seats in the country.
Mack Brown of Texas
6 of 10
While Brown certainly isn't in any danger of being let go at Texas, he'll certainly be held accountable if the Longhorns endure another down season.
Texas went just 5-7 this past season, which is far off from the mark Longhorns fans and boosters are used to.
With the nation's top-ranked recruiting class and a host of returning players, look for Mack and Co. to bounce back well in 2011.
North Carolina's Butch Davis
7 of 10
Butch Davis has done a great all around job with the Tarheels, but he hasn't pushed them into that elite level other teams in the ACC can get to.
Under Davis' guide, UNC has yet to assert itself as the ultimate power in the conference and become a legitimate BCS bowl contender.
Davis has put together a spectacular class that could improve by National Signing Day. He'll have the chance to push the Tarheels even further forward this fall.
Clemson's Dabo Swinney
8 of 10
Since Clemson gave Swinney the keys to the castle, so to speak, in 2008, the Tigers have fallen off the trails a bit.
He and his crew have worked tirelessly recruiting this offseason, but regardless of whether or not he lands the trio of prized recruits currently also considering UCLA, it's now or never for Swinney.
Among 24 commitments, including five ESPN150 players, the Tigers have verbal commitments from 5-star wide receiver Charone Peake, 4-star defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, and Lateek Townsend, one of the nation's top linebackers.
Mark Richt of Georgia
9 of 10
Georgia seems to be steadily on the incline when looking at the entire picture of the program but the only thing that seems to matter in Athens, Georgia is wins and losses.
Last year, Georgia stumbled to a 6-7 record despite going 8-5 in 2009 and seeming well on its way to re-asserting itself as an SEC power.
After a flurry of verbal commitments this week, Georgia and Richt seem poised to push forward in 2011.
New Mexico's Mike Locksley
10 of 10
Since Locksley took over in 2008, the Lobos are just 2-22. The issues haven't remained on the field, either, as internal coaching issues and lawsuits have taken the focus off the football field. Last season, Locksley was suspended for 10 days after punching an assistant coach.
Needless to say, things need to improve for Mike Locksley, and they need to improve quickly.
Oddly enough, the Lobos can make a big splash with the commitment of top-ranked offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, who is calling New Mexico a finalist among schools like Alabama, Iowa and Auburn.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
