The new season of college football kicked off in a big way this past weekend. We had an upset across the pond and a few competitive efforts stateside. We will look at the job security of head coaches in the FBS this year. I will also note of any changes to their previous rank from the year prior. 

Before I begin, I would like to remember the head coaches that were fired, resigned, and retired this past year. This list won’t have names of coaches that ended up getting another coaching job (ex: Clay Helton).

In Memoriam:

1. Tom Arth – Akron

2. Steve Addazio – Colorado State

3. David Cutcliffe – Duke

4. Dan Mullen – Florida

5. Butch Davis – Florida International

6. Chad Lunsford – Georgia Southern

7. Todd Graham – Hawaii

8. Skip Holtz – Louisiana Tech

9. Ed Orgeron – LSU

10. Manny Diaz – Miami (FL)

11. Doug Martin – New Mexico State

12. Gary Patterson – TCU

13. Rod Carey – Temple

14. Matt Wells – Texas Tech

15. Chip Lindsey – Troy

16. Bill Clark – UAB

17. Randy Edsall – UConn

18. Walt Bell – UMass

19. Bronco Mendenhall – Virginia

20. Justin Fuente – Virginia Tech

21. Jimmy Lake – Washington

22. Nick Rolovich – Washington State

Firing most of these coaches was a formality. We have three scandals to cover. First, we have the Todd Graham scandal. In this one, he called Hawaii a “third world country” for not having Dr. Pepper in vending machines. Graham was also verbally abusive to players and staff. 

Now we have the Nick Rolovich scandal. This isn’t really a scandal, rather a coach being an idiot. Rolovich did not follow the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and therefore he and four coaches were fired. Washington State is better for it and the results showed right away, as the Cougs won the Apple Cup in Seattle for the first time since 2007. 

Finally, we go from one part of Washington to another. Jimmy Lake was fired after a history of player altercations dating back to 2019. While Lake himself was a bad head coach, these altercations sped up the timeline and he was rightfully terminated. 

Special shoutout to Dan Mullen, who completely cratered his goodwill into a firing. 

As for the other coaches, they flat out were not good enough outside of Bill Clark (retired) and Bronco Mendenhall (resigned against the wishes of the university). As a caveat, I will also say that Skip Holtz got fired unfairly, as Louisiana Tech had its first losing season since 2013. He deserved more time.

Now that I covered the coaches that were let go, let’s talk about the coaches that are with us for 2022 and onward.

Coaches That Will Never Get Fired Unless a Scandal Happens (Champions Edition):

1. Nick Saban – Alabama

2. Dabo Swinney – Clemson

3. Kirby Smart – Georgia

Kirby Smart helped Georgia win the national championship this past year. Kirby finally had a win against his mentor Nick Saban after going 0-4 in their previous matchups. That win has moved Kirby up to this tier list. As for Saban and Dabo Swinney, they don’t need any explanation.

Coaches That Will Never Get Fired Unless a Scandal Happens (New Year’s Six Edition):

4. Ryan Day – Ohio State

5. Paul Chryst – Wisconsin

6. James Franklin – Penn State

7. Kyle Whittingham – Utah

8. Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State

9. Luke Fickell – Cincinnati

We have the next tier of elite coaches. Kyle Whittingham, Ryan Day, Luke Fickell, and Mike Gundy made the NY6, with Fickell even making the College Football Playoff this past year. We have usual stalwarts in James Franklin and Paul Chryst in this tier as well despite both coaches having a disappointing season to their standards.

New Coaches:

10. Mike Elko – Duke

11. Jerry Kill – New Mexico State

12. Mario Cristobal – Miami (FL)

13. Stan Drayton – Temple

14. Jeff Tedford – Fresno State

15. Tony Elliott – Virginia

16. Rhett Lashlee – SMU

17. Mike MacIntyre – Florida International

18. Brent Venables – Oklahoma

19. Ken Wilson – Nevada

20. Sonny Dykes – TCU

21. Jay Norvell – Colorado State

22. Joey McGuire – Texas Tech

23. John Sumrall – Troy

24. Lincoln Riley – USC

25. Joe Moorhead – Akron

26. Clay Helton – Georgia Southern

27. Jim Mora – UConn

28. Kalen DeBoer – Washington

29. Jake Dickert – Washington State

30. Billy Napier – Florida

31. Brian Kelly – LSU

32. Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame

33. Don Brown – UMass

34. Brent Pry – Virginia Tech

35. Sonny Cumbie – Louisiana Tech

36. Bryant Vincent – UAB

37. Dan Lanning – Oregon

38. Michael Desormeaux – Louisiana

39. Timmy Chang – Hawai’i

This has to be the most random group of coaches in recent memory. We have a few that decided to leave their cushy Power Five job for easier pastures (Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley). We have a coach that left an easier job just so he can go home (Mario Cristobal). We have a few coaches returning for their second stint at a previous job (Don Brown, Jeff Tedford). We have a coach succeeding an idiot (Jake Dickert). We also have successful Power Five coaches deciding to take on jobs that nobody should take on (Jim Mora, Jerry Kill). The rest are either hot prospects (Marcus Freeman, Kalen DeBoer), retreads (Joe Moorhead, Mike MacIntyre), and guys that really aren’t interesting on their own (the rest). 

As always, these coaches will have the time to put their own imprint on their respective programs.

Coaches That Will Never Get Fired Unless a Scandal Happens (Power Five Edition):

40. Pat Fitzgerald – Northwestern

41. Matt Campbell – Iowa State

42. Kirk Ferentz – Iowa

43. David Shaw – Stanford

44. Mark Stoops – Kentucky

45. Dave Clawson – Wake Forest

46. Mack Brown – North Carolina

Mark Stoops, Dave Clawson, Pat Fitzgerald, and Matt Campbell have their lowly programs at optimum performance in this era of college football. They will not be fired unless a scandal happens. Stoops has two 10-win seasons, including last year. Both Clawson and Fitzgerald have made conference title games fairly recently. Campbell led Iowa State to a NY6 game two seasons ago. All these schools are overachieving. 

Kirk Ferentz and Mack Brown are at their retirement gigs. They will not coach at another school. 

David Shaw is a tricky one. I do think that he should be moved down a tier, as Stanford has regressed a lot lately. I do see improvement for the team this year, so he will stay in this tier for now.

Coaches With a Recent Contract Extension:

47. Jeff Scott – South Florida

48. Mike Houston – East Carolina

49. Jonathan Smith – Oregon State

50. PJ Fleck – Minnesota

51. Jeff Hafley – Boston College

52. Jeff Traylor – UTSA

53. Mike Locksley – Maryland

54. Pat Narduzzi – Pittsburgh

55. Sam Pittman – Arkansas

56. Dave Aranda – Baylor

57. Jim Harbaugh – Michigan

58. Justin Wilcox – California

59. Tim Lester – Western Michigan

60. Chip Kelly – UCLA

61. Dana Holgorsen – Houston

62. Jeff Brohm – Purdue

63. Mel Tucker – Michigan State

64. Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss

These coaches have signed extensions fairly recently. A lot of the extensions were due to finally meeting expectations (Jim Harbaugh, Mike Locksley, Chip Kelly), to exceeding expectations (Jeff Brohm, Mel Tucker, Sam Pittman, Pat Narduzzi, Jonathan Smith, Dave Aranda), keeping the status quo (Justin Wilcox, Jeff Scott, Mike Houston). As such, they are not on the hot seat.

FCS to FBS Transition:

65. Curt Cignetti – James Madison

James Madison is the only transitional team to the FBS this year. Transitions are not always easy, so Curt Cignetti will have a long leash until James Madison is accustomed to how to play in the FBS.

Military School Coaches:

66. Jeff Monken – Army

67. Troy Calhoun – Air Force

Coaches That Will Never Get Fired Unless a Scandal Happens (Group of Five Edition):

68. Kalani Sitake – BYU

69. Chris Creighton – Eastern Michigan

70. Jamey Chadwell – Coastal Carolina

Eastern Michigan has been to a bowl game six times in its history. Four of those were under Chris Creighton. Granted, the Eagles haven’t won a bowl game under Creighton, but it’s Eastern Michigan.

As for Kalani Sitake and Jamey Chadwell, both are coming off of consecutive 10-win seasons. Chadwell even won the conference recently. Both will have jobs as long as they want it.

Coaches That Will Never Get Fired Until a Scandal Happens (Liberty Edition):

71. Hugh Freeze – Liberty

Once again, this tier is self-explanatory on various levels.

Jimbo Fisher’s Buyout:

72. Jimbo Fisher – Texas A&M

Once again, Jimbo Fisher is safe due to his buyout. Jimbo is essentially oil money Dave Doeren — 8-4 every year.

Generally Safe:

73. Steve Sarkisian – Texas

74. Clark Lea – Vanderbilt

75. Lance Leipold – Kansas

76. Bryan Harsin – Auburn

77. Gus Malzahn – UCF

78. Bret Bielema – Illinois

79. Will Hall – Southern Miss

80. Andy Avalos – Boise State

81. Blake Anderson – Utah State

82. Josh Heupel – Tennessee

83. Butch Jones – Arkansas State

84. Maurice Linguist – Buffalo

85. Terry Bowden – Louisiana-Monroe

86. Tim Albin – Ohio

87. Kane Wommack – South Alabama

88. Shane Beamer – South Carolina

89. Jedd Fisch – Arizona

90. Charles Huff – Marshall

91. Ricky Rahne – Old Dominion

92. Greg Schiano – Rutgers

93. Eli Drinkwitz – Missouri

94. Mike Norvell – Florida State

95. Shawn Clark – Appalachian State

96. Mike Leach – Mississippi State

97. Ryan Silverfield – Memphis

98. Dave Doeren – NC State

99. Thomas Hammock – Northern Illinois

100. Tom Allen – Indiana

101. Sean Lewis – Kent State

102. Mike Neu – Ball State

103. Jason Candle – Toledo

104. Philip Montgomery – Tulsa

105. Jim McElwain – Central Michigan

106. Tyson Helton – Western Kentucky

107. Shawn Elliott – Georgia State

108. Chris Klieman – Kansas State

This section is full of coaches that are safe due to meeting expectations, exceeding expectations, or in the process of building their respective programs.

I do want to congratulate Thomas Hammock and Blake Anderson for winning their respective conferences. I also would like to congratulate Lance Leipold for beating Texas.

I Genuinely Have No Idea:

109. Mike Bloomgren – Rice

110. Rick Stockstill – Middle Tennessee State

111. Dana Dimel – UTEP

112. Chuck Martin – Miami (OH)

113. Brent Brennan – San Jose State

In the case of Rick Stockstill and Chuck Martin, both Middle Tennessee State and Miami (OH) go bowling, but both coaches are only good for sub-.500 performances every year. I am not sure whether the schools expect more or not. 

Dana Dimel had UTEP bowl eligible for the first time in seven years, but he was only awarded a two-year extension, so we don’t know how stable his job is. 

As for Rice, the less said, the better. 

The only year that San Jose State looked like an actual team is 2020, when it won the conference. Other than that, the Spartans have not looked good. We aren’t sure whether the 2020 season is a blip, or the potential for more.

Pending Various Investigations:

114. Herm Edwards – Arizona State

115. Brady Hoke – San Diego State

For the most part, Arizona State has been treading water under Herm Edwards. A 25-18 record in four years is nothing to write home about. A 25-18 record when you have an investigation into your program….is not a great look. Depending on the results of either the on-field product improving to make it worth keeping Herm, or the investigation, Herm is most likely gone after the season. 

As for Brady Hoke, this is a fairly recent development, and with the situation still playing out, we will refrain from commenting further.

Seat is Warming Up:

116. Craig Bohl – Wyoming

117. Scot Loeffler – Bowling Green

118. Marcus Arroyo – UNLV

119. Danny Gonzales – New Mexico

120. Willie Taggart – Florida Atlantic

121. Karl Dorrell – Colorado

122. Neal Brown – West Virginia

123. Ken Niumatalolo – Navy

124. Willie Fritz – Tulane

125. Geoff Collins – Georgia Tech

126. Seth Littrell – North Texas

127. Will Healy – Charlotte

128. Jake Spavital – Texas State

129. Scott Satterfield – Louisville

These coaches have either never really gelled with the program (Scott Satterfield), never showed any signs of momentum (Geoff Collins, Marcus Arroyo, Danny Gonzales, Jake Spavital, Scot Loeffler), regressed after promising starts (Ken Niumatalolo, Willie Fritz, Will Healy), and straight up bland (Neal Brown, Craig Bohl). These coaches won’t get fired, but they need to show progress, otherwise it is not ideal for their future prospects.

Bowling is Necessary or Else:

130. Dino Babers – Syracuse

29-43 will not cut it at any school. Taking away the outlier of the 10-3 2018 season, Syracuse has not made a bowl game. I said last year that Dino Babers should be fired if the Orange did not go bowling. I have higher standards than the Syracuse administration. Hopefully it will wake up and do the right thing.

Clay Helton/Jim Harbaugh Permanent Hot Seat Residency:

We actually have no candidates this year for this category because Helton got fired by USC and Harbaugh won the Big Ten with Michigan. It’s funny how this worked out.

Seat Is On FIRE:

131. Scott Frost – Nebraska

Nebraska’s 2022 is off to a rough start. Nebraska was a double-digit favorite against Northwestern, and despite having a double-digit lead multiple times, the Cornhuskers lost the game. The defense was gashed for over 500 yards. The offense, while moving the ball, was prone to turnovers. All in all, it was a rough performance. With a tough schedule featuring the likes of Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa, six wins looks bleak.