College Football 2011: 10 Coaches Feeling the Pressure of the Hot Seat
A Division I college football coach is under constant pressure to win and win big. Gordon Gekko is similar to athletic directors and die-hard fans when he says in the movie Wall Street, "I hate losses, nothing ruins my day more than losses."
Coaches know that if they do not do enough winning, then they will quickly find themselves out the door at their respective programs.
I have listed 10 coaches who are feeling the flames of angry alumni and boosters. These men have one foot out the door, and they need to start winning or else they will be overtaken by the heat.
Ron Zook (Illinois)
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By the time Ron Zook’s stay in Gainesville was coming to its close, fireronzook.com had become an internet sensation.
Now after five seasons as head coach at Illinois, Fighting Illini fans are realizing how Florida fans could get so irritated with Ron Zook.
Ron’s shining moment with Illinois came in 2007 when he led the Fighting Illini to the Rose Bowl behind the rushing prowess of Rashard Mendenhall.
Zook has not had much success besides that 2007 season though, as the coach has only won 12 games throughout his four other seasons with the school.
Running back Mikel Leshoure has bolted for the NFL, and barring a monstrous season by upstart quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois once again feels destined to finish in the lower half of the Big Ten in 2011.
Is it boom or bust for Ron Zook this coming season or do the powers that be at Illinois still have an ample amount of confidence in the former Florida head coach?
Greg Schiano (Rutgers)
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Do you remember when Greg Schiano was once considered one of the hottest coaches in college football?
Rutgers is five years removed from its magical season in 2006 in which it won 11 games. Now going into 2011, the program appears to be stalling under the direction of Schiano.
Rutgers finished a disappointing 4-8 last season. The prospects for this season look bleak as well. Rutgers will try to build around young Chas Dodd at quarterback. Dodd will try to jump start an offense that only averaged 20.8 points per game last season.
It may be premature to say that Greg Schiano’s head is on the chopping block this season, but a young burgeoning Rutgers football program is now floundering. Schiano will have to find a way to right the ship soon or else.
Rick Neuheisel (UCLA)
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When Rick Neuheisel was hired as head football coach at UCLA in 2008, he famously said that “the football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over.”
Three years later into Neuheisel’s stay at the school, the Bruins have not come close to cracking USC’s dominance of the Los Angeles football scene.
Rick has only put together a modest record of 15-21 throughout his first three seasons at the school. His only achievement to speak of is an appearance in the 2009 Eaglebank Bowl.
Needless to say, the energy level surrounding the program is not at an all time. The once-mighty Bruins have fallen behind not only USC, but also Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona in the Pac-12 pecking order.
When Neuheisel was hired in 2008, I was confident that he would lead UCLA to greatness. My confidence in Rick has obviously been shaken. Will one more lousy season in Westwood shake the powers that be at UCLA enough to show Neuheisel the door?
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Mike Locksley (New Mexico)
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Mike Locksley has only won two games during his first two seasons at New Mexico. A coaching record that awful will put you on this list in itself.
Add in sexual harassment allegations, and an incident in which Locksley allegedly slapped wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald, and you will fully understand how precarious of a situation Locksley is in.
Locksley came to New Mexico with a reputation as a top-notch recruiter. He also was a successful assistant at Illinois and Florida. Regardless, Mike Locksley’s tenure at New Mexico has been a massive disappointment thus far.
Some thought that Locksley might have been relieved of his duties last season, but the school opted to give Mike a third year to right the ship. I cannot imagine that Locksley will get a fourth season at the school unless significant improvement is shown.
Mark Richt (Georgia)
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In Mark Richt’s 10 seasons as head coach at Georgia, Richt has amassed an impressive record of 96-34. Mark has also guided the Bulldogs to three Sugar Bowl appearances during his time at the school.
With that being said, when you are coaching in the SEC at a school like Georgia, it is all about, “What you have done for me lately?”
Richt has only gone 14-12 during his past two seasons at the school, and Georgia has settled for smaller appearances in the Liberty and Independence Bowls.
Georgia fans do not believe in cyclical winning. They will not settle for too many consecutive Liberty bowl appearances.
Yes, Mark Richt’s impressive past accomplishments will buy him some time in Athens, but Richt cannot afford another mediocre campaign or else he could be shown the door at Georgia.
Jeff Tedford (California)
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Jeff Tedford was once one of the hot young coaches in college football. Tedford’s Cal teams were finding their way into the top 10 rankings, and players such as Aaron Rodgers and Desean Jackson were wowing Golden Bear fans.
Unfortunately, that momentum has come to somewhat of a halt, and Tedford is feeling pressure to return to his winning ways. California endured its first losing season in 2010 under Tedford. This disappointing 2010 campaign came on the heels of a loss in the Poinsettia Bowl in 2009.
Running back Shane Vereen has departed, and the Pac-12 appears to be as tough as ever next season. Jeff Tedford’s seat is not burning, but it is surely a lot warmer than it was three years ago.
Paul Wulff (Washington State)
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I will be the first to admit that turning around the Washington State football program was not an easy situation for Paul Wulff to walk into.
With that being said, Wulff’s 3-22 record throughout his first two seasons in Pullman will not suffice. The Cougars are going to need to show improvement during Paul Wulff’s third season as head coach or the possibility of a change will only intensify.
Paul should start to see more and more of his recruits play expanded roles in these future seasons. This will become another area where the final product will now fall strictly on Wulff rather than the past coach or prior circumstances.
It is never easy working your way up from the bottom of a conference, but Washington State is going to need to see signs of improvement in Wulff’s teams that they can believe in.
Jim Grobe (Wake Forest)
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Jim Grobe reached the height of his success back in 2006 when he led Wake Forest to an ACC Championship and a bid in the Orange Bowl. Grobe became one of the hottest names in college football, and was receiving interest from high-profile programs all across the country.
While Jim Grobe may at one time have been riding high, he has not enjoyed nearly the same success over the past few seasons at Wake Forest.
Wake Forest has only gone 8-16 during the past two seasons, and this once-burgeoning Demon Deacon football program appears to be backsliding.
Jim will begin his 11th season as head coach of Wake Forest in 2011. He has had some success most notably during a two-year span in 2006-2007 when Wake Forest went 20-7, but he needs to return to his winning ways sooner rather than later. A poor campaign next season would really stoke the fires on this tenured coach’s seat.
David Cutcliffe (Duke)
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David Cutcliffe was the former quarterbacks coach for Peyton and Eli Manning. This is impressive, but you will have to do more with less talent if you intend to win at Duke.
Thus far, the offensive-minded Cutcliffe has not been able to mold the cellar-dweller Blue Devils into an ACC contender. Duke has only gone 12-24 throughout his three seasons at the school. Regardless of David’s offensive game plan, the coach might want to focus more on defense in 2011, where Duke surrendered 35.4 points per game last season.
Duke is similar to Washington State in that a coach will be given time to right the floundering program. The powers that be in Durham will only wait so long though, as it will be up to Cutcliffe to show tangible improvement next season, or else he may find himself out of a job.
Neil Callaway (UAB)
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You did not think you could slip by did you know Neil?
UAB certainly is not as high profile of a position compared to some of the other schools on this list. Regardless, going 15-33 throughout four years at a school will put you on this list regardless of what school you are coaching at. Callaway certainly had the resume to succeed at UAB, as he served as offensive coordinator for both Alabama and Georgia.
Thus far though, Neil Callaway has not been able to steer the Blazers to the top of the Conference USA standings or to a bowl game for that matter. UAB season ticket holders have to be getting restless, and Callaway will need to deliver in his fifth season with a school that has already shown an ample amount of patience.
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