Hot Seat: CBS Sports ranks ACC Football head coaches' seats from hottest to coolest

As Power Four media day events kick off throughout the month of July, signaling the unofficial beginning of the college football season, Ranking season is coming to a close. But not before CBS Sports unveiled its annual preseason Hot Seat Rankings for all 136 FBS head football coaches.

CBS Sports broke down its annual Hot Seat Rankings by utilizing a rating scale from 0-5, with 0-1.99 signifying “untouchable” or “safe and secure” while 4-5 represents a need to “start improving now” or “win or be fired.” Of course, a majority of the 136 FBS coaches sit in the middle, with 99 of them earning a numerical ranking between “safe and secure” and “pressure is mounting.”

That includes 13 of the ACC’s 17 head football coaches, who are mostly in the clear outside of Virginia Tech‘s Brent Pry — who is on the low-end of the “start improving now” metric — and the trio of Louisville‘s Jeff Brohm, SMU‘s Rhett Lashlee and Clemson stalwart Dabo Swinney — all of whom are considered “untouchable” after the latter two made the 2024 College Football Playoff field.

Check out how CBS Sports ranks ACC head football coaches on their 2025 Hot Seat Rankings:

1. Brent Pry, Virginia Tech (4.11)

Pry enters 2025 with the ACC’s hottest seat after going 16-21 overall and 10-13 in league play through his first three seasons in Blacksburg.

Despite back-to-back bowl seasons, Virginia Tech hasn’t finished higher than tied for fourth in the ACC and hasn’t necessarily been competitive. It’s a far cry from when legendary Hokies coach Frank Beamer had Virginia Tech reaching double-digit wins 11 times between 1995-2011.

2. Justin Wilcox, Cal (3.44)

The longtime Golden Bears coach hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, when Cal went 8-5 and won the Redbox Bowl game to end the season.

Despite being a popular name during coaching carousel season, Wilcox has a career 42-50 record overall, and is a miserable 23-43 in conference play, including 2-6 last season in Cal’s first in the ACC. If the Golden Bears can’t get over the hump soon, Wilcox could be looking for work elsewhere.

3. Tony Elliott, Virginia (3.33)

Much like Pry at rival Virginia Tech, Elliott’s seat is getting quite toasty given his combined 11-23 record overall and 6-17 in league play through his first three years in Charlottesville.

The Cavs’ last winning season came in 2019, when Bronco Mendenhall led Virginia to a 9-5 mark. It’s been downhill since then, though UVA showed progress in 2024 with its first five-win campaign under Elliott. Whether he keeps progressing or backtracks in 2025 will factor into the UVA administration’s thinking.

4. Mike Norvell, Florida State (3.33)

What a difference a year makes. After entering last year with an “untouchable” designation after winning the ACC with an undefeated regular season in 2023, Norvell is starting to feel the heat entering 2025.

The 43-year-old Norvell made sweeping changes after 2024’s disappointing 2-10 campaign, overhauling both his coaching staff and roster, but still holds a 33-27 record in five years in Tallahassee. Norvell desperately needs FSU to get back to double-digit wins in 2025 if he’s going to avoid future hot seat talk.

5. Frank Reich, Stanford (3.22)

Reich, a longtime NFL coach who last led both the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers between 2018-23, has yet to even coach a collegiate game. But that only amplifies his current hot seat status.

The 63-year-old Reich was hired in late March after the surprise firing of former coach Troy Taylor following accusations of alleged bullying. And while the circumstances around his hiring provide a cushion in 2025, Reich may be a stopgap while Stanford GM Andrew Luck finds a long-term option throughout the season.

6. Dave Doeren, NC State (3)

The ACC’s longest-tenured head coach appears on low end of the “pressure is mounting” metric after NC State suffered its first losing season since 2019 with a 6-7 mark in 2024.

And while another .500 season isn’t likely to lead to a change, the 53-year-old Doeren knows the pressure will certainly ramp up entering 2026 if the Wolfpack can’t get back to winning 8-9 games per season like it has in seven of Doeren’s 12 seasons in Raleigh.

ACC Hot Seat Ranking, Nos. 11-17, per CBS Sports

7. Mario Cristobal, Miami (2.56)
8. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt (2.56)
9. Bill Belichick, North Carolina (2.11)
10. Bill O’Brien, Boston College (1.56)
11. Manny Diaz, Duke (1.22)
12. Brent Key, Georgia Tech (1)
13. Fran Brown, Syracuse (1)
14. Jake Dickert, Wake Forest (1)
15. Rhett Lashlee, SMU (0.78)
16. Jeff Brohm, Louisville (0.78)
17. Dabo Swinney, Clemson (0.22)