CBS Sports releases 2023 College Football Hot Seat Rankings
As the 2023 college football season gets closer, some coaches could be fighting for their jobs. CBS Sports ranked which coaches are on the hot seat entering the year, and there are some big programs on the list.
There are notably four Power Five coaches who made Dennis Dodd’s list, including Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher. Last year was a down year for the Aggies, who missed out on a bowl game despite bringing in a highly touted recruiting class. Additionally, former Tennessee coach Butch Jones’ future could also be up in the air depending on how this season goes at Arkansas State.
Here are CBS Sports’ full 2023 Hot Seat Rankings.
CBS Sports’ 2023 Hot Seat Rankings
Tom Allen | Indiana
Allen first arrived at Indiana as defensive coordinator in 2016 and moved up to head coach in 2017 following Kevin Wilson’s resignation. Since taking over, Allen has amassed a 30-40 overall record and a 14-35 mark in Big Ten play.
The last two seasons have been rough, though. After IU made bowl games in 2019 and 2020, the Hoosiers went 2-10 in 2021 and 4-8 last year. This year is a big one for Allen, who has only two winning records in Big Ten action to his name.
Neal Brown | West Virginia
Brown engineered an impressive turnaround at Troy, taking the Trojans from a 4-8 record in 2015 to three straight 10-win seasons from 2016-18. He then took the head coach job at West Virginia in 2019 and has a 22-25 record since. The Mountaineers have only finished with a winning record once — doing so during the COVID-impacted 2020 season.
As the Big 12 expands, the pressure is building for Brown to win in Morgantown. However, the Mountaineers were picked to finish last in the conference preseason poll ahead of Big 12 Media Days.
Danny Gonzales | New Mexico
A former player at New Mexico, Gonzales took over as the Lobos’ head coach in 2020. Things haven’t gone well, though, as he totaled just a 7-24 record through his first three seasons at the helm. UNM also went winless in Mountain West play last season and hasn’t won more than two league games under Gonzales’ leadership.
The question, according to Dodd, is whether New Mexico can afford to fire him. Gonzales is in the fourth year of his five-year, $700,000 per year contract. It could be an interesting season for the Lobos and Gonzales.
Dino Babers | Syracuse
After nearly 30 years as an assistant coach, Babers rose up the head coaching ranks. He got his first shot at Eastern Illinois from 2013-14 and took over at Bowling Green from 2014-15. Then, he got his first Power Five chance at Syracuse.
Babers’ tenure with the Orange has been up and down. The highest of highs came in 2018 with a 10-3 record, but Syracuse finished just 1-10 two years later. All told, Babers has a 36-49 overall record as SU head coach and is coming off his second bowl game despite ranking eighth in the ACC in total offense.
Jimbo Fisher | Texas A&M
Texas A&M entered the 2022 season with high expectations after bringing in the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. However, the Aggies missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 2008 with a 5-7 record.
Although Fisher’s hefty buyout raises questions about whether Texas A&M would actually move on from him, improvement will be necessary to stop the calls for his job. He took a big step by bringing in Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, but eyes are on a rebound in College Station this year.
Butch Jones | Arkansas State
Jones’ tenure at Tennessee didn’t end particularly well. But after a stint as an analyst at Alabama, he became the head coach at Arkansas State. It’s been a rough two years, though, as the Red Wolves are just 5-19 since Jones took over. They also have just two conference victories in that span.
What bodes well for Jones is Arkansas State has the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in the Sun Belt coming in, and he just signed a contract extension through 2026. Dodd reported the Arkansas State AD Jeff Purinton remains confident in Jones, as well.
Mike Bloomgren | Rice
Bloomgren got his first head coaching opportunity when Rice hired him in 2018 from Stanford, where he went from running game coordinator to offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. The Owls snuck into a bowl game last year, but still haven’t finished over .500 under Bloomgren’s leadership.
This year, Rice is joining the American Athletic Conference with a new quarterback under center in transfer portal journeyman JT Daniels. It’s also worth noting the athletic director who hired Bloomgren is no longer with the university, which could make his job one to watch in 2023.
2023 Hot Seat: Getting Warm
Dodd also listed some coaches whose seats aren’t necessarily “hot,” but are starting to get a warmer entering the season. One of the most notable on the list is Mel Tucker, who signed a lucrative extension at Michigan State after an impressive 2021 season. The Spartans missed out on a bowl game last year, though, and lost two of their top playmakers to the portal this year.
Here’s the full list of coaches whose seats are “getting warmer,” according to CBS Sports.
- Jeff Hafley | Boston College
- Mel Tucker | Michigan State
- Eli Drinkwitz | Missouri
- Ryan Silverfield | Memphis
- Dana Dimel | UTEP
This year could prove to be a big one for the coaches on CBS Sports’ Hot Seat Rankings, and things unofficially get underway with conference media days this month. The 2023 season starts with Week 0 Aug. 26 and Week 1 will be Sept. 2.