The college football coaching carousel is one of the best things about the sport. The 2023 cycle delivered plenty of changes, with movement all across the country. Now, we’re looking ahead to future changes with the 2023 college football coaches hot seat and a look at what head coaches are in trouble.
Colleges across the United States spend millions of dollars each year on their football coaches. In a results-oriented business, coordinators and position coaches are hired and fired every year. For head coaches, not meeting expectations after just two years can end with them being fired.
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Here, we’re taking a look at the college football coaching hot seat entering the 2023 season. We’ll update this every month, taking a look at where coaches stand and who is in jeopardy of being fired.
College Football Coaches Hot Seat before Week 12
Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes determined quickly during the Manny Diaz era that the program’s standard wasn’t being met. While the days of being “The U” and dominating college football are long gone, the Hurricanes’ athletic department and boosters wanted to try and recreate the glory years. So, Miami spent heavily to bring Mario Cristobal home.
- Mario Cristobal buyout: $9 million
Miami won fewer games in Cristobal’s first season than it did when Diaz was in his first season as head coach. But, it’s always smart not to overreact to one season. Head coaches need time to create their program, so Cristobal avoided being put on the hot seat heading into 2023.
Everything looked great early with a 4-0 start, Cristobal’s plan seemed to be working. Then the Hurricanes were stunned by Georgia Tech, lost to North Carolina and were most recently taken out by NC State. Already at three losses, more are likely on the horizon with Florida State and Louisville looming. At this point, Miami is just barely maintaining bowl eligibility. The simple fact of the matter is the Hurricanes were better with Diaz and the Oregon Ducks have been better off without Cristobal. That’s why Miami has to consider a change.
Neal Brown, West Virginia Mountaineers
For marquee programs and those with a storied history of success, high expectations and donors with big pockets can lead to shorter timelines for new coaches to prove themselves. That isn’t the case with the West Virginia Mountaineers. They wanted to provide Neal Brown with time to build up the Mountaineers’ football program, find the right assistants and build a roster of his guys. He took them to two bowl games by the end of the 2021 season, inspiring some confidence even after a 6-7 campaign.
- Neal Brown buyout: b$13 million
Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, they’ve gone 11-10 since that time. Now, Brown has helped West Virginia achieve bowl eligibility and a two-game winning streak late in the year has provided some new life for the program. If WVU loses its next three games, however, a 6-6 record could get Brown fired.
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Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines
On the surface, firing a head coach who has been pivotal in the development of a Heisman Trophy candidate (J.J. McCarthy) and helped lead his team to a 9-0 record might seem preposterous. It would feel even more unlikely considering the Wolverines have only lost three total games since the 2021 season. Yet, it only takes a few dominoes before Harbaugh’s future at Michigan becomes uncertain.
- Jim Harbaugh buyout: $25+ million
The ongoing NCAA investigation might lead to a suspension, which would be Harbaugh’s second since the start of the 2023 campaign. Let’s also not forget that Michigan is 1-6 with bowl games under Harbaugh, becoming a perennial loser in the College Football Playoff. If the NCAA’s investigation finds anything to suggest Harbaugh helped orchestrate what the football program has been accused of and the Wolverines lose again in the CFP, Michigan will have strong cause to make a change.
Dana Holgorsen, Houston Cougars
After leaving West Virginia for the Houston Cougars, Dana Holgorsen had a new opportunity to build a football program his way. It wasn’t easy, with the Cougars going 7-13 in his first two seasons at the helm. However, Houston was confident that post-pandemic and with Holgorsen’s recruits now arriving on campus, the team would improve quickly.
- Dana Holgorsen buyout: $15 million
It did, for a year. Houston exploded in 2021, winning 12 games and climbing as high as No. 16 in the college football rankings then ending a season with a Birmingham Bowl victory. The Cougars rode a wave of confidence into the 2022 season, only to go 8-5 and just make it into the Independence Bowl. It put Holgorsen on the brink of the college football coaching hot seat.
Now, Houston faces long odds of even becoming bowl-eligible. Entering Week 10 at 4-5, the Cougars have suffered blowout losses to TCU, Texas Tech and Kansas State. It also barely escaped the season opener with a victory over UTSA. Simply put, the Cougars’ football program is regressing and the overall track record for Holgorsen in Houston suggests he just isn’t cut out for the gig.
Danny Gonzalez, New Mexico Lobos
New Mexico football coach Danny Gonzales grew up in the region and then became a two-way player for the Lobos as a punter and safety. He transitioned into coaching as a graduate assistant (1999-’02) followed by a stint working with the special teams unit (2006-’08). After serving as Arizona State’s defensive coordinator and head coach in 2019, Gonzales seemed like the ideal candidate to take over the Lobos’ football program.
It’s been a disaster. New Mexico hasn’t won more than three games in a single season since Gonzales took over the helm and there are no signs of progress from the football program in 2023. Gonzales entered the year on the college football coaches hot seat and with a 3-7 record through mid-November, he’s destined to be fired.
What college football coaches are on the hot seat?
Butch Jones (Arkansas State), Dino Babers (Syracuse), Mike Bloomgren (Rice), Tom Allen (Indiana) and Danny Gonzalez (New Mexico State) are on the college football coaches hot seat right now. We’re also keeping an eye on Boston College coach Jeff Hafley and Miami’s Mario Cristobal.