Week 11 Coaches Hot Seat Rankings

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Auburn parts ways with Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze, who posted a 15-19 (6-16 SEC) record in two-plus seasons with the Tigers. Freeze is owed $15.8M with no mitigation. Defensive Coordinator D.J. Durkin will serve as interim HC. Details Here.

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer announced Sunday that he has relieved offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Shula of his duties, effective immediately. Details Here.

UCLA just got sued for even thinking about leaving the Rose Bowl.

And this lawsuit isn't playing around. The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company are suing the Bruins for exploring the possibility of moving football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood - a move that would violate a lease running through 2044, which requires UCLA to play home games at the Rose Bowl. The complaint points to $150 million that Pasadena taxpayers invested in stadium upgrades, money they claim would never have been spent if they had known UCLA was planning to "abandon its partner." The lawsuit demands specific performance, meaning they want a court to block UCLA from leaving entirely - no buyout, no exit clause, just a judge forcing the Bruins to honor their contract through 2044. Translation: this isn't about damages. This is about making sure UCLA can't escape, no matter how much money they're willing to pay. UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond continues to make friends everywhere. The surprising part is that new UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk continues to tolerate an appalling lack of integrity from his athletic department. Details Here

WEEK 11 - COACHES HOT SEAT TOP 10

1. Jonathan Smith – Michigan State

Jonathan Smith is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

And everyone knows it.

Michigan State's head coach isn't just losing games.

He's losing the fanbase. He's losing recruits. He's losing the program's identity.

Here's the problem:

His buyout sits somewhere between $33M and $37M—spread across 62 monthly installments. That's not a number you casually write a check for. That's the kind of money that makes athletic directors break out in a cold sweat and donors suddenly become "unavailable for comment."

But here's what most people miss:

The cost of keeping him might be even higher.

Recent losses haven't just been defeats. They've been humiliated. The kind that empty stadiums and crater recruiting classes. And speaking of recruiting, it's already struggling. Badly. Donors are hesitant. The program is in decline. And every day Smith remains is another day elite recruits look elsewhere.

AD J Batt is stuck between two nightmare scenarios:

·       Pay the massive buyout and risk making the wrong hire

• Keep Smith and watch the program spiral further into irrelevance

The donors hold the cards here.

If they mobilize, Smith is gone. If they don't, Michigan State football continues its slow, painful descent into mediocrity.

The clock is ticking.

And everyone is watching.

2. Mike Locksley – Maryland

Mike Locksley is watching his empire crumble in real time.

And he knows it.

Maryland fans aren't just frustrated anymore. They're chanting for his firing. In the stadium. During games. That's not a "rough patch"—that's a full-blown revolt.

Here's what's killing him:

Fourth-quarter collapses. A disastrous October. And worst of all? He's lost the locker room. Players are checked out. And the reason is as modern as it gets: NIL chaos. When your own players feel like they're getting a raw deal while watching competitors cash in, good luck keeping them locked in when the game is on the line.

His seat? It's scorching.

We're talking #2 on the hot seat rankings. That's "one more loss away from a Sunday firing" territory.

But here's the only thing keeping him employed:

His 2025 recruiting class is legitimately strong. Strong enough that the administration is hesitating before pulling the trigger. And with high-profile openings everywhere, Maryland might be thinking: "Why jump into a bidding war when we could strike out?"

But make no mistake:

Donor support is evaporating. Administration confidence is gone.

Locksley isn't on thin ice.

The ice has already cracked.

He's just waiting to fall through.

3. Mike Norvell – Florida State

Mike Norvell just bought himself some breathing room.

But let's be clear: he's still on life support.

Last week? He was #1, the hottest seat in all of college football. The person everyone thought would be fired before Thanksgiving.

This week? He's #3.

What changed?

A win over Wake Forest. And crucially, enough player support after that game to give the administration cover to pump the brakes on that nuclear $55M+ buyout.

But here's what you need to understand:

Dropping from #1 to #3 isn't a victory lap. It's a reprieve. The kind you get when the executioner takes a lunch break.

Boosters are still in open revolt. Fan skepticism is at an all-time high. And behind closed doors, FSU is already having conversations about 2026—when that buyout becomes more manageable.

Norvell barely survived recent board meetings.

The kind where your job security is debated while you're sitting in your office, wondering if you'll make it to the weekend.

Questions about fit still linger. Questions about the contract still linger. Questions about whether this program can be salvaged under his leadership still linger.

He's not out of the fire.

He just stepped back from the edge for a moment.

One more ugly loss? He's right back at #1.

And everyone knows it.

4. Luke Fickell - Wisconsin

Luke Fickell is torching every ounce of goodwill he had.

And it's happening fast.

This is the same coach Wisconsin lured away from Cincinnati with massive expectations and an even bigger contract, the guy who was supposed to restore the program to Big Ten contender status.

Instead? Blowout losses. A stagnant offense that makes fans want to throw their remotes through the TV. And recruiting momentum that's basically flatlined.

Here's the brutal reality:

Fickell sits at #1 on the hot seat rankings. Not #2. Not #3. Number one.

The administration isn't just disappointed—they're demanding foundational change. The kind of language that means "fix this NOW or we're moving on."

Recent staff decisions have also not helped.

When you're on the hot seat, every move gets scrutinized. Every hire gets questioned. And Fickell's recent choices have only accelerated the skepticism.

The only thing keeping him employed?

That buyout. The same golden handcuffs that make athletic directors break out in cold sweats and delay the inevitable.

But fan patience? Gone. Completely evaporated. Social media is ablaze with calls for a reset. Message boards are melting down. And donors are starting to ask the question every coach dreads:

"How much would it actually cost to start over?"

Fickell is on the brink.

One more embarrassing loss, and that buyout starts looking like a bargain compared to the alternative.

Welcome to college football, 2025.

5. Justin Wilcox – California

Justin Wilcox is running out of rope.

Fast.

Cal's head coach has mastered one thing this season: finding creative ways to lose games in the fourth quarter. And when you're consistently blowing leads and collapsing down the stretch, people stop calling it "bad luck" and start calling it a pattern.

Here's the problem:

Cal is navigating one of the most turbulent conference realignments in college football history. The Pac-12 as they knew it? Gone. The margin for error? Nonexistent.

And Wilcox's response has been... underwhelming.

Recruiting isn't elevating. It's stagnant. In an era where portal management and NIL are everything, Cal is falling further behind programs that are adapting faster.

The donors have checked out.

That's the death knell for any coach. When the money people stop believing in the vision, stop writing checks, and start asking pointed questions about ROI—you're living on borrowed time.

Doubts about future competitiveness aren't whispers anymore. They're loud conversations happening in boosters' meetings and on message boards.

The fanbase has moved past frustration.

They're at acceptance. The "we need to move on" phase. The most dangerous phase for any coach.

Wilcox isn't just on shaky ground.

He's standing on a fault line.

And everyone is waiting for the earthquake.

6. Bill Belichick – North Carolina

Bill Belichick at North Carolina was supposed to be a revolution.

Instead? It's looking like a costly mistake.

Let's talk about what everyone expected: The greatest coach in NFL history bringing his genius to college football. Six Super Bowl rings. The hoodie. The mystique. The "culture of winning" that would transform a program overnight.

Here's what actually happened:

One Power Four win. ONE.

Bowl eligibility? Hanging by a thread. And in college football, missing a bowl game isn't just disappointing—it's a recruiting death sentence.

The administration is losing patience.

And fast.

Because here's what nobody wants to say out loud: Belichick's NFL style doesn't translate to 18-year-olds who need to be recruited, not drafted. His approach worked with Tom Brady and veteran professionals who'd do anything to win.

College kids? They need more hand-holding. More relationship-building. More... everything Belichick famously doesn't do.

Recruiting hasn't improved either.

In fact, elite prospects are looking at UNC and seeing chaos, not a championship pedigree. They're seeing a coach who's never done this before struggling to adapt. And they're choosing programs with proven college coaches instead.

The contract details are murky.

But you can bet it's expensive. Very expensive. The kind of money that looked brilliant when everyone thought he'd win immediately—and catastrophic now that he's not.

Belichick is on one of the hottest seats in college football.

The experiment is failing.

And everyone is watching to see how quickly UNC pulls the plug.

7. Shane Beamer – South Carolina

Shane Beamer just made a desperate move.

And everyone knows it.

South Carolina's head coach fired his offensive coordinator and offensive line coach after a brutal string of losses. The kind of mid-season staff shake-up that screams "I'm fighting for my life."

But here's the thing:

Those firings might not be enough.

Insiders are saying it plainly: unless the team rallies and scrapes together bowl eligibility, Beamer is done. And when "insiders" start talking like that? The writing is on the wall.

Booster support is crumbling.

Fast.

The money people who once championed Beamer—who loved his energy, his passion, his "South Carolina guy" credentials—are now asking hard questions about results. And when boosters stop believing, the dominos fall quickly.

The pressure is coming from everywhere:

Internal. External. Fans demanding change. Administration demanding answers. Everyone pointing to the same conclusion: the current vision isn't working.

And recruiting?

It's getting massacred by staff instability.

Elite prospects don't commit to chaos. They don't sign with programs where coaches are getting fired mid-season and the head coach's future is a weekly debate on sports talk radio.

Beamer fired two assistants to buy himself time.

But time is the one thing he doesn't have much of.

Bowl eligibility isn't just a goal anymore.

It's a job requirement.

And the clock is ticking.

8. Tim Beck – Coastal Carolina

Tim Beck is living on borrowed time at Coastal Carolina.

And he might not even realize it yet.

Here's the situation: Beck still has backing from the administration. Recent bowl appearances bought him goodwill. The kind of institutional patience that comes from "well, at least we're not a dumpster fire."

But that patience has an expiration date.

And it's approaching fast.

The problems are piling up:

Competitive culture? Struggling. In the Sun Belt, where parity is real and upsets happen weekly, CCU isn't punching at the level they need to.

Roster retention? A nightmare. In the portal era, keeping your best players matters as much as recruiting new ones. And Beck is hemorrhaging talent.

Here's what nobody is saying out loud:

Donors are getting restless.

They're not panicking yet. They're not calling for his head... yet. But they're watching. And whispering. And starting to ask the question every coach dreads:

"What happens if we miss a bowl game this year?"

Because that's the line in the sand.

Miss the postseason? The conversation changes overnight. From "let's give him more time" to "maybe it's time for a new direction."

Beck has a lifeline.

But it's fraying.

One disappointing finish, and the donors stop being patient.

9. Dave Aranda – Baylor

Dave Aranda's shine has completely worn off at Baylor.

And the wolves are circling.

Remember 2021? Big 12 Championship. Sugar Bowl victory. Aranda was the next great defensive mind turned head coach. The guy who was going to keep Baylor relevant for a decade.

Fast forward to now: Mediocre record. Zero championship buzz. And a fanbase that's moved from "trust the process" to "what exactly IS the process?"

The administration and boosters are doing more than watching.

They're evaluating. Calculating. Running the numbers on what it would cost to move on.

That's not the kind of attention any coach wants. When people start openly discussing "buyout logistics," you're not on the hot seat—you're on death row waiting for the appeal to get denied.

The donor base is eroding.

These are the people who fund facilities. Who bankroll recruiting trips. Who make championship runs possible. And they're checking out. Disengaged. Wondering if their money is being invested wisely.

Recruiting momentum? Slowing to a crawl.

Elite prospects can smell uncertainty from a mile away. They see a coach on the hot seat and think "why would I commit to a program that might have a completely different staff in six months?"

Aranda needs a strong finish.

Not just bowl eligibility—a STRONG finish. The kind that reminds people why they hired him in the first place.

Because right now?

Nobody remembers.

And that's the most dangerous position any coach can be in.

10. Mark Stoops – Kentucky

Mark Stoops just dodged a bullet.

But the gun is still pointed at him.

Kentucky's head coach was this close to being fired. And we're not talking "hot seat speculation" - we're talking legitimate conversations about buyout numbers and replacement candidates.

Then Auburn happened.

A dramatic win that flipped the script overnight. The kind of victory that makes athletic directors pause, boosters reconsider, and fans remember why they once believed.

But here's what everyone needs to understand:

One win doesn't erase a multi-year SEC losing streak.

That's the reality Stoops is facing - years of getting demolished by conference opponents. Years of Kentucky football have felt more like a basketball school's side project than a legitimate SEC program.

The buyout is sizeable.

But not insurmountable. That's the key phrase. It's not the kind of astronomical number that makes firing impossible - it's the kind that makes you think twice, but not three times.

Translation: if things go south again, Kentucky can afford to move on.

Stoops needs two things immediately:

1. Roster confidence - players who believe they can compete in the SEC

2. Donor confidence - boosters who believe their money isn't being wasted

Both are shaky right now.

The remaining games aren't just about bowl eligibility.

They're about survival.

Stoops bought himself time with that Auburn win.

But time runs out fast in the SEC. And everyone is watching.

Where does your coach rank?

Check out the complete 136 Week 11 Coaches Hot Seat Rankings here.

THAT’S A WRAP

The hot seat rankings are fluid.

And they change fast.

One blowout loss? A coach jumps from #5 to #1. One dramatic comeback win? Suddenly, the buyout conversations go quiet, and the athletic director stops returning boosters' calls.

This week proved that in real-time.

Mike Norvell dropped from #1 to #3 after a single win. Mark Stoops bought himself a reprieve with a dramatic victory at Auburn. Luke Fickell is torching goodwill so fast at Wisconsin that he vaulted near the top of the rankings.

Every week, the picture changes.

What looked like job security on Saturday can evaporate by Sunday morning. What felt like a death sentence can turn into a lifeline with one dramatic fourth-quarter comeback.

Friday, we're previewing 3 games that could reshape everything.

Games that could save careers. Games that could end them. Games where the scoreboard matters less than what happens in the athletic director's office on Sunday morning.

The coaching carousel never stops spinning.

And Week 12 is about to shake things up even more.

Stay tuned.