5 big-name college football programs with coaches on the hot seat in 2026

The 2025 coaching carousel was a wild one, particularly in the SEC.

We’ll see 6 different SEC programs with new head coaches in 2026. That’s more than a third of the league.

The highest-profile change, of course, was Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss to take over at LSU. The Rebels promoted Pete Golding to the full-time job. Other schools with new head coaches for next season include:

• Florida (Jon Sumrall)
• Auburn (Alex Golesh)
• Arkansas (Ryan Silverfield)
• Kentucky (Will Stein)

As far as the 4 non-LSU and non-Ole Miss hires, Auburn and Arkansas have a leg up, as their new coaches aren’t currently preparing for the Playoff.

This breakdown of the 2025 carousel hasn’t even mentioned Penn State yet, who struck out with just about everyone until Matt Campbell finally took the job.

Could the 2026 carousel be even crazier? It’ll be tough, but there are 5 big-name programs that could have coaches on the hot seat in 2026. Let’s break them down:

1. Florida State

Duh.

Florida State, as my colleague David Wasson recently wrote, seems not to have learned anything from its in-state rival, Florida. The Gators gave Billy Napier an ill-fated final year that ended in disaster. Now, Florida State seems to be doing the same thing with Mike Norvell.

I was honestly surprised the Seminoles didn’t part ways with him after this season. He’ll enter the season on perhaps the hottest seat in the entire Power 4.

2. Clemson

Dabo Swinney might be wearing out his welcome at Clemson. Of course, he’ll always be a legend there for guiding the Tigers to 2 national championships and 4 total national title game appearances.

But 2025 got away from him. Going 7-5 with a Pinstripe Bowl berth isn’t what Clemson fans are accustomed to (again, thanks to the standard Swinney has set). His press conferences are getting increasingly contentious. He’s already threatened to leave for the NFL.

I’m not saying it’s definitely going to happen, but if the Tigers get off to a slow start in 2026, tensions could quickly mount at Clemson. Reminder that Clemson has to make the return trip to LSU (to face a new-look Tigers team with Lane Kiffin at the helm) in Week 1 next year.

3. Michigan

Sherrone Moore has done a fine job since taking over a program shrouded by the mess that Jim Harbaugh left behind. But the Wolverines got used to Playoff berths and competing for national championships. Moore has yet to deliver a Playoff berth in his first 2 years.

Does he deserve more time to dig this program out from under some hefty sanctions? Sure. But the 2026 schedule is brutal. The Wolverines host Oklahoma in nonconference play and have to face Indiana and Penn State in Ann Arbor in 2026. They also must visit Oregon and Ohio State.

Like I said, brutal.

Lose to Ohio State and any 3 of the 4 other teams and I think there will be some frustrations with Moore.

4. USC

It’s probably Playoff or bust for Lincoln Riley at USC in 2026. The Trojans came up short of a CFP berth this year, with only themselves to blame after dropping a road game at Illinois at the buzzer.

The Trojans have the No. 1 recruiting class coming in for 2026, and boosters will expect to see an immediate return on their investment. Much like Michigan above, though, USC has a brutal schedule. The Trojans have to face Ohio State, Indiana, Penn State, Oregon and Notre Dame next season. Penn State is perhaps the “easiest” game in that bunch, but it’s at Beaver Stadium.

If Riley can’t get to the Playoff in 2026, it’ll probably spell the end of his tenure in Los Angeles.

5. Texas

As my colleague Connor O’Gara wrote back before Thanksgiving, Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns gave off weird vibes all season long. For a team that just missed out on its third-straight Playoff berth, things were a bit tumultuous in Austin.

Sarkisian had multiple awkward exchanges with reporters. There was a report about him potentially being interested in NFL jobs (like the Tennessee Titans). He vociferously denied those reports, but like Connor wrote… weird vibes.

Arch Manning should take a step forward in 2026. The defense figures to still have plenty of talent. The offensive line should improve.

The Longhorns avoid Alabama and Georgia next year, so the schedule should be manageable. Get to the Playoff and all is forgiven. Struggle again and come up short and it might increase the hot seat chatter surrounding Sark.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.