CBS Sports activities’ 2025 launched its College Football Hot Seat Rankings this week, assessing the job safety of all 136 FBS coaches. Atop that checklist, our knowledgeable panel of voters recognized nine coaches with their jobs on the line coming into the season.
Whereas these coaches actually face stress, it is necessary to keep in mind that job safety is fluid in school soccer. A number of large wins can cool a coach’s seat in a rush, whereas a tumble down the standings can warmth issues up for an additional. To place issues into perspective, we regarded again at last year’s list of coaches with jobs on the line to see how every fared, and the outcomes have been all around the map.
Three of the coaches CBS rated within the “4” and “5” ranges on the recent seat meter — “begin bettering now” and “win or be fired,” respectively — noticed their tenures finish within the last weeks of the season. All three, coincidentally, got here from Group of 5 packages.
These in energy conferences fared considerably higher than their Group of 5 counterparts. In reality, BYU coach Kalani Sitake is not the one one who moved into the “protected and safe” class.
In the meantime, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Louisiana Tech’s Sonny Cumbie survived the axe final yr, however discover themselves proper again underneath the gun this yr.
Here is a take a look at the coaches who entered 2024 on the most popular seats, how they carried out of their pivotal campaigns and the place they stand coming into 2025.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 5 | 2025 Scorching Seat ranking: 4.22
What we stated: For those who simply need to sit round, shoot the bull and have a beer, Pittman’s your man. This salt-of-the-earth coach is without doubt one of the most beloved figures within the career. However profitable proportion guidelines all, and within the hyper-competitive SEC, 2023’s 4-8 mark does not reduce it. That tied for this system’s worst document since 2013. It is past coincidental that the final coach to win large at Arkansas, Bobby Petrino, was employed as offensive coordinator. If athletic director Hunter Yurachek makes a transfer, he is bought a built-in interim coach … perhaps greater than that.
The way it went: Pittman did what he wanted to do with a purpose to save his job, albeit with out instilling an immense quantity of confidence that there are terrific days forward. In profitable all of the video games Arkansas ought to win, he earned a bowl berth — and with that got here a victory and an computerized one-year extension. Pull off one other upset like final yr’s win over Tennessee, and maybe Pittman will stick round even longer. However this nonetheless feels very very like a year-by-year state of affairs.
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | 2025 Scorching Seat ranking: 3.67
What we stated: It simply hasn’t labored for Napier so far. The Gators went 6-7 in 2022 with Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 total decide, at QB. After a 5-7 season in 2023, the grumbling grew louder. Napier gave the impression to be precisely what Florida wanted when he joined from Louisiana in 2022, however he is strolling a tightrope now. The Gators’ schedule — the nation’s hardest in 2024 and some of the tough of all time — gives a tough street with 11 Energy 4 opponents (eight possible ranked). And so they’ll need to play an virtually an identical slate in 2025. A top-five switch class ought to assist, however Napier has to win now. He begins the season on a five-game shedding streak. If he does not flip it round, AD Scott Stricklin could not get to make the subsequent rent.
The way it went: Contemplating the Gators have been a mediocre 4-4 on the time, Stricklin raised some eyebrows when he confirmed Napier would return for an additional yr in November 2024. Napier and the Gators responded to the vote of confidence with a profitable late-season run. Former five-star quarterback prospect DJ Lagway entered the lineup, profitable every of his 4 begins and defeating a few ranked opponents alongside the best way. The entire sudden, the Napier-Lagway tandem has momentum and enters 2025 as a dark-horse playoff contender.
Dave Aranda, Baylor
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | 2025 Scorching Seat ranking: 2.22
What we stated: Lower than two seasons in the past, Aranda was scorching and Baylor was hotter. In his second season, Aranda received the Massive 12 because the Bears received 12 video games total, together with the Sugar Bowl. Since then, Baylor is 9-16. One other sub.-500 season in all probability will not be tolerated. Aranda was compelled to reshape the workers within the offseason. For the third time in 5 years, he has a brand new set of coordinators. Aranda is again to calling the protection. Former Texas State coach Jake Spavital is operating the offense, however his items have not completed above eighty fifth nationally since 2018.
The way it went: Aranda inserted Sawyer Robertson into the beginning quarterback position after a 1-1 begin. Whereas it didn’t instantly repay, the transfer away from Dequan Finn could have saved his job. Robertson flourished as one of many Massive 12’s prime quarterbacks and catalyzed a six-game profitable streak. It was the highest-scoring unit of Aranda’s tenure, and the breakout makes Baylor one of many many fashionable picks to contend for a convention title in 2025.
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | 2025 Scorching Seat ranking: 1.78
What we stated: Lea has all of it — class, expertise, vitality, management qualities. Little of it has translated onto the sector. A part of his 9-27 document in three seasons is Vandy being Vandy. A legacy of shedding is difficult to dig out from. Lea isn’t solely pressured by his document however the services improve. Vanderbilt is not spending all that cash to go 2-10, which was final yr’s document. In three seasons, Lea has received three SEC video games.
The way it went: The most important win in program historical past may need been sufficient to earn Lea one other look by itself. The stunning overcome No. 1 Alabama was simply the primary of three SEC wins (matching Lea’s aforementioned profession whole) in one of the best season of Commodores soccer because the James Franklin period of the early 2010s. With entertaining quarterback Diego Pavia and arguably college football’s prime tight finish in Eli Stowers again for an additional go, 2025 would be the most extremely anticipated Vanderbilt soccer marketing campaign in no less than a decade, if not for much longer.
Kalani Sitake, BYU
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | 2025 Scorching Seat ranking: 1.11
What we stated: Did the Massive 12 expose BYU, or was 2023 a dip within the Cougars’ fortunes? This season will go a good distance towards answering that query. BYU gave Sitake a contract extension in 2021 (by 2027) after a 29-9 run from 2018-20. The Cougars promptly went 5-7 of their first season within the Massive 12, beating solely three FBS groups. With out Texas and Oklahoma, the league is large open. BYU is being talked about nowhere close to the highest of competition. Since going 11-1 in 2020, the Cougars have declined every of the subsequent three seasons. Beating Arizona and Oklahoma State at residence in back-to-back October weeks looks as if a should.
The way it went: No person cooled their seat fairly like Sitake. Picked within the preseason to complete thirteenth within the Massive 12, he led the Cougars on a ferocious run to playoff competition and solely narrowly missed a spot within the convention championship sport after a few late-season heartbreakers. On-field success and recruiting victories make BYU a rising power on this wide-open convention, however quarterback Jake Retzlaff‘s unsure standing creates a darkish cloud over the 2025 season.
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | 2025 Scorching Seat ranking: 5
What we stated: A profitable interim run at Texas Tech in 2021 didn’t translate. Cumbie has led consecutive 3-9 seasons at Louisiana Tech. Worse, his offenses have completed no increased than fifth in Convention USA. It is laborious to recollect Cumbie, a part of Mike Leach’s Air Raid tree, was as soon as the highest-paid offensive coordinator within the nation at TCU.
The way it went: Cumbie sits on the most popular seat in America, this yr’s analysis concluded. All 9 voters assigned a ranking of “5” to his job safety after a third-straight season underneath the .500 mark. Louisiana Tech took a step ahead within the win column with 5 victories, however it was not the prettiest model of soccer. As soon as once more, the offense was abysmal, rating 118th nationally (and seventh out of 10 in CUSA). That overshadowed a protection that was truly fairly strong with simply 21 factors allowed per sport. It is bowl sport or bust in Ruston this fall.
Stan Drayton, Temple
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | Now not with program in 2025
What we stated: Drayton was an uninspiring rent from the beginning. He had by no means been a coordinator and was most well-known for being a operating backs coach at Mississippi State, Florida, Ohio State, Texas, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas and the Chicago Bears. Temple is a metropolis college in a professional city that has to have every part go proper to win. The Owls have been 3-9 in every of Drayton’s two seasons. He has crushed solely 4 FBS packages throughout that point.
The way it went: Temple went 3-9 for a 3rd straight season to conclude the Drayton experiment, although the embattled coach solely tallied seven of these losses earlier than his exit. Alternatives to construct much-needed momentum have been few and much between, and a troublesome early-season schedule (which opened with losses to Oklahoma, Navy and Coastal Carolina) solely put Drayton additional behind the eight ball. Completed Sam Houston coach Okay.C. Keeler is in as his alternative.
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | Now not with program in 2025
What we stated: Typically it is laborious to consider Neu has lasted this lengthy. He has one profitable season in his eight at his alma mater, together with the final three in a row. AD Jeff Mitchell stated it will have price the varsity $2 million to half methods. SEC ADs discover that a lot in between the sofa cushions. Neu’s document calls into query how a lot Ball State needs to win in a wide-open MAC.
The way it went: Neu’s buyout dropped to $550,000 when Ball State lastly pulled the plug. His three wins final yr have been this system’s fewest since 2017 and marked the fourth straight yr during which Ball State’s victory whole decreased. Simply 5 years in the past Neu led the Cardinals to the MAC title, however that was all the time an outlier in this system’s middling historical past as a perennial sub-.500 operation. Mike Uremovich jumped up from the FCS as Neu’s alternative.
2024 Scorching Seat ranking: 4 | Now not with program in 2025
What we stated: An uneven begin to Corridor’s head teaching profession could be seen a few methods. In three seasons, he has gone 3-9 twice with a 7-6 sandwiched within the center. That included a seven-game shedding streak in 2023. There are holes all around the area, notably at large receiver and quarterback. Departed operating again Frank Gore Jr. lined up within the Wildcat to mitigate the QB play final season. Florida State switch Tate Rodemaker will battle incumbent Ethan Crawford. One in every of them needs to be a distinction maker or this may very well be Corridor’s final season.
The way it went: Southern Miss was the second workforce to make a training change final season and was simply hours away from being the primary. The Eagles parted methods with Corridor after a horrid 1-6 begin, and the management change did nothing to forestall a 1-11 catastrophe of a season. A seven-win marketing campaign in 2022 proved to be a blip on the radar in what was in any other case a failure of a three-plus yr stint. Southern Miss employed reigning Solar Belt champion Charles Huff away from Marshall on the finish of the season.