Welcome to CBS Sports' annual Hot Seat Rankings where buyouts meet speculation, job security meets job openings and normal everyday furniture gets torched -- all landing with the subtlety of a jackhammer. Hey, the process ain't pretty, but it is all a part of the game.
This offseason, 29 programs changed coaches. That makes 83 coaching changes in the last there years and 125 in the last five seasons.
The Hot Seat does not wish ill will on anyone, but it has shown a bit of success in this endeavor. Last year, only three of the seven coaches on this list survived into 2024. Over the last six years, 50 coaches found their way onto this list rated 4 or hotter in the preseason. Thirty-four of those coaches (68%) have either been fired or resigned under pressure. (The hit rate for Power Four coaches is nearly identical at 70%.)
Whether there will be any openings at big-time programs next offseason -- after a massive sea change following the 2023 campaign -- remains to be seen. Arkansas' Sam Pittman holds the only 5 rating (win or be fired), though Florida's Billy Napier is the highest-profile coach at the most notable program on the list.
Like Napier, Baylor's Dave Aranda has shuffled his staff; the Bears will feature a fresh set of coordinators for the third time in five years. Then there's Clark Lea, who is 9-27 at Vanderbilt entering Year 4; he must show improvement immediately. The school is investing $300 million in facilities upgrades with a focus on sprucing up the SEC's smallest football venue (FirstBank Stadium).
Beyond those firmly on the hot seat are a pair of "Notable 3s" in special situations. No one this season features more unique circumstances than Ohio State's Ryan Day. He is the winningest FBS coach (56-8) but absolutely must beat Michigan after three straight losses or face dire consequences. Miami's Mario Cristobal only holds a 3 rating due to his contract and the love for him in Coral Gables, Florida; otherwise, looking at his 12-13 record, he's only one victory past Napier despite generally facing less-difficult opponents.
Check out our ratings key showing how the 134 FBS coaches sort out. There are nine on the proverbial Hot Seat entering the season with another 19 starting to feel the heat (both figures slightly up from 2023).
| Rating | What it means | Coaches |
|---|---|---|
5 | Win or be fired | 1 |
4 | Start improving now | 8 |
3 | Pressure is mounting | 19 |
2 | All good ... for now | 49 |
1 | Safe and secure | 44 |
0 | Untouchable | 13 |
That leads us to the annual Hot Seat Rankings and the nine coaches that need to figure out a way to cool things down before 2024 comes to a close. Check out our complete set of 2024 Hot Seat Rankings for ratings of all 134 FBS coaches entering the season.
2024 Hot Seat: Now or never
| Team | Coach | Rating | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Sam Pittman | 5 | If you just want to sit around, shoot the bull and have a beer, Pittman's your guy. This salt-of-the-earth coach is one of the most beloved figures in the profession. But winning percentage rules all, and in the hyper-competitive SEC, 2023's 4-8 mark doesn't cut it. That tied for the program's worst record since 2013. It's beyond coincidental that the last coach to win big at Arkansas, Bobby Petrino, was hired as offensive coordinator. If athletic director Hunter Yurachek makes a move, he's got a built-in interim coach ... maybe more than that. 2023 rating: 1 |
 | Billy Napier | 4 | It just hasn't worked for Napier to this point. The Gators went 6-7 in 2022 with Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick, at QB. After a 5-7 season in 2023, the grumbling grew louder. Napier appeared to be exactly what Florida needed when he joined from Louisiana in 2022, but he's walking a tightrope now. The Gators' schedule -- the nation's toughest in 2024 and one of the most difficult of all time -- offers a rough road with 11 Power Four opponents (eight likely ranked). And they'll have to play an almost identical slate in 2025. A top-five transfer class should help, but Napier has to win now. He starts the season on a five-game losing streak. If he doesn't turn it around, AD Scott Stricklin may not get to make the next hire. 2023 rating: 2 |
 | Dave Aranda | 4 | Less than two seasons ago, Aranda was hot and Baylor was hotter. In his second season, Aranda won the Big 12 as the Bears won 12 games overall, including the Sugar Bowl. Since then, Baylor is 9-16. Another sub.-500 season probably won't be tolerated. Aranda was forced to reshape the staff in the offseason. For the third time in five years, he has a new set of coordinators. Aranda is back to calling the defense. Former Texas State coach Jake Spavital is running the offense, but his units haven't finished above 85th nationally since 2018. 2023 rating: 1 |
 | Clark Lea | 4 | Lea has it all -- class, experience, energy, leadership qualities. Little of it has translated onto the field. Part of his 9-27 record in three seasons is Vandy being Vandy. A legacy of losing is hard to dig out from. Lea is not only pressured by his record but the facilities upgrade. Vanderbilt isn't spending all that money to go 2-10, which was last year's record. In three seasons, Lea has won three SEC games. 2023 rating: 2 |
 | Kalani Sitake | 4 | Did the Big 12 expose BYU, or was 2023 a dip in the Cougars' fortunes? This season will go a long way toward answering that question. BYU gave Sitake a contract extension in 2021 (through 2027) after a 29-9 run from 2018-20. The Cougars promptly went 5-7 in their first season in the Big 12, beating only three FBS teams. Without Texas and Oklahoma, the league is wide open. BYU is being mentioned nowhere near the top of contention. Since going 11-1 in 2020, the Cougars have declined each of the next three seasons. Beating Arizona and Oklahoma State at home in back-to-back October weeks seems like a must. 2023 rating: 1 |
 | Sonny Cumbie | 4 | A successful interim run at Texas Tech in 2021 did not translate. Cumbie has led consecutive 3-9 seasons at Louisiana Tech. Worse, his offenses have finished no higher than fifth in Conference USA. It's hard to remember Cumbie, part of Mike Leach's Air Raid tree, was once the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the country at TCU. 2023 rating: 2 |
 | Stan Drayton | 4 | Drayton was an uninspiring hire from the start. He had never been a coordinator and was most famous for being a running backs coach at Mississippi State, Florida, Ohio State, Texas, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas and the Chicago Bears. Temple is a city school in a pro town that has to have everything go right to win. The Owls have been 3-9 in each of Drayton's two seasons. He has beaten only four FBS programs during that time. 2023 rating: 3 |
 | Mike Neu | 4 | Sometimes it's hard to believe Neu has lasted this long. He has one winning season in his eight at his alma mater, including the last three in a row. AD Jeff Mitchell said it would have cost the school $2 million to part ways. SEC ADs find that much in between the couch cushions. Neu's record calls into question how much Ball State wants to win in a wide-open MAC. 2023 rating: 3 |
 | Will Hall | 4 | An uneven start to Hall's head coaching career can be viewed a couple of ways. In three seasons, he has gone 3-9 twice with a 7-6 sandwiched in the middle. That included a seven-game losing streak in 2023. There are holes all over the field, particularly at wide receiver and quarterback. Departed running back Frank Gore Jr. lined up in the Wildcat to mitigate the QB play last season. Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker will battle incumbent Ethan Crawford. One of them has to be a difference maker or this could be Hall's last season. 2023 rating: 2 |
Check out the full set of 2024 Hot Seat Rankings for all 134 FBS coaches.
2024 Hot Seat: Getting warmer
| Team | Coach | Rating | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ryan Day | 3 | Day and outgoing AD Gene Smith decided to go all-in, an effort to "rebuild" the program in one offseason. Day landed six of the best transfers in the portal. He lured Chip Kelly from being UCLA's head coach to serve as offensive coordinator. One estimated price of the overhaul -- including fundraising for NIL -- was $11 million. The Buckeyes are favored to win the reconfigured Big Ten, but as one staffer reminded, there is a mind-blowing possibility out there in the new 18-team Big Ten: Ohio State could lose to Michigan for a fourth straight time and still win the league. If that happens, we'll find out real quick Buckeye Nation's priorities. 2023 rating: 2 |
 | Mario Cristobal | 3 | Cristobal's honeymoon at Miami may be over. When you pay a coach $80 million over 10 years, you don't expect 12-13 after two seasons. Like Day, Cristobal hit it big in the transfer portal. Miami will have to pay a fortune in a buyout if things go south this season, but remember, booster John Ruiz ponied up to win the ACC and contend for the playoff ... not be below .500. So far, the Canes have just been ... meh. There is additional pressure within the state as Florida State won the ACC and UCF is improving under Gus Malzahn in the Big 12. Someone is going to be on the hot seat the night of Aug. 31 when Miami visits to Florida. 2023 rating: 2 |
