Weekly Football Coaches Hot Seat Report: Seats Beginning to Smolder

Firings This Week

Karl Dorrell/Colorado

Last week, it was speculated that Karl Dorrell would be the next college football coach fired. Sure enough, he was relieved of his duties on Sunday morning following another blowout loss to Arizona 43-20. Under Dorrell’s leadership the team was 8-15 overall and has not allowed less than 38 points this season. The defensive coordinator was fired as well on Sunday. OC Mike Sanford (former WKU coach) will be taking over on an interim basis. Don’t expect Sanford to get any real consideration as the offense looks just as bad this season, if not worse. Look for the following names to get consideration for Colorado: Kansas City OC Eric Bienemy, Air Force HC Troy Calhoun, Kansas HC Lance Leipold, and Former BYU/Virginia HC Bronco Mendenhall.

Paul Chryst/Wisconsin

After their blowout loss this week to Illinois, the plan was to add Paul Chryst to the “Heating Up" list. But he was fired on Sunday evening. This was a bit of a surprise as the rumors were spinning about the AD wanting Jim Leonhard to take over at some point in the future and make him "coach in waiting" per say. But to fire a coach that was 67-26 in 7 seasons and is at his alma mater is very risky. It sets a precedent with the next hire of high aspirations from day one which will shrink the candidate field if there even is one. Yes, the team has struggled this year, but this feels like a "Frank Solich at Nebraska" firing.

We all know how that worked out for Nebraska as they began to dive into mediocrity after the AD fired Solich for believing that was the direction the team was heading into. Many believe this is Leonhard’s job to lose but if he is not named the new HC by seasons end then here are the names that will get mentioned: Kansas HC Lance Leipold, Panthers HC Matt Rhule, Former Florida HC Dan Mullen, and NC State HC Dave Doeren.

Coaches Fired

5 weeks into the season and already have had 5 coaches that moved from the football hot seat to the unemployment line.

Scott Frost/Nebraska- Replaced by Mickey Joseph (WR Coach)
Herm Edwards/Arizona State- Replaced by Shaun Aguano (RB Coach)
Geoff Collins/Georgia Tech- Replaced by Brent Key (AHC/OL/RGC Coach)
Karl Dorrell/Colorado- Replaced by Mike Sanford (Offensive Coordinator)
Paul Chryst/Wisconsin- Replaced by Jim Leonhard (AHC/Defensive Coordinator)

Coaches On The Hot Seat

Bryan Harsin/Auburn

After a great first half against LSU and maybe silencing some critics, his team imploded in the second half. With this loss, Auburn has now blown double digits leads in five consecutive SEC games. Harsin is 9-9 overall and 4-6 in conference play. Many believe he is a "lame duck" coach already as they await the hiring of a new athletic director. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as they travel to Georgia this coming weekend and then onto Ole Miss.

David Shaw/Stanford

Stanford gets blown out by Oregon this weekend 45-27. This brings the 2022 record to 1-3 with no wins over FBS opponents. Shaw’s time is running out in Stanford. The defense is inept right now and they must so show life against a re-invigorated Oregon State squad at home. Not sure where Stanford goes from here as this was the heir apparent when Jim Harbaugh left The Cardinal for the NFL.

Pat Fitzgerald/Northwestern

Wildcats lose to Penn State, at home, this weekend 17-7. While it was an overall better showing for Northwestern, one thing stood out to me. NW forced 5 turnovers against Penn State but got ZERO points off the turnovers. A missed opportunity for this squad to get a signature win for the season. Offense looks terrible but Wisconsin is next before the gauntlet of the schedule kicks in.

Ken Niumatalolo/Navy

Lets give Navy some credit this week, they didn’t get blown out against their rival Air Force. In fact, their defense was terrific against the high-powered Air Force offense. With three winnable games upcoming, a 2-1 result is needed, or Navy might be looking for a new coach for the first time in over a decade.

Scott Satterfield/Louisville

Satterfield returns to the Hot Seat again this week after losing on the road, to Boston College in tight 34-33 contest. Louisville moves to 2-3 on the season. In four seasons as the head coach Satterfield is 20-22. That won’t cut it in Louisville as he has been unable to recruit at a high level as of late.

Seats That Are Warming Up Or Staying Warm

Jeff Scott/South Florida, Jeff Hafley/Boston College, Neal Brown/West Virginia, Tom Allen/Indiana, Jimbo Fisher/Texas A&M

NFL Coaches Hot Seat Report

No firings in the National Football League…Yet however, the following seats are becoming very warm.

Frank Reich/Indianapolis Colts

My goodness, where to begin. Frank Reich returns to the top of the list after losing ANOTHER division game early in the season. Franks seat has never been hotter. Poor offensive line play, the inability to get off to a fast start and excessive turnovers have plagued Indianapolis once again. To make matters worse, Indy has a short week for a Thursday Night tilt in Denver. If they cannot win this game, it would not be surprising to see some serious consideration of new leadership in Indianapolis. Owner Jim Irsay is not one to fire a coach in season, but he may not have a choice this time around.

Matt Rhule/Carolina Panthers

The football coaches hot seat is becoming a regular list for Matt Rhule. As the Panthers moved to 1-3 on the season and it seems (reportedly) that Matt Rhule has lost the locker room in Carolina. The poor play from Baker Mayfield has continued and Rhule can"t seem to stop the bleeding on either side of the ball. With so many Power 5 college jobs opening already, expect the rumors and distractions to continue for the remainder of his tenure. But hey, maybe they can bring Cam Newton back…again.

Ron Rivera/Washington Commanders

Another weak performance by Carson Wentz keeps the Rivera on the football coaches hot seat for another week. Don’t think the expectations were ever raised this season with Washington but anytime a team appears to be regressing it becomes a concern. Someone will have to take the fall for this eventually, and that person will most likely be Ron Rivera.

Josh McDaniels/Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders get back on track this week with win over division rival Denver at home. Anytime you win a division game it’s a solid win. McDaniels should be given a longer leash with ownership but that’s not how the NFL works anymore. Tough matchup against Kansas City next week on Monday Night Football before hitting a patch of very winnable games. Take advantage of those winnable games and McDaniels will be off this list.

Mike McCarthy/Dallas Cowboys

Will use the same dialect as last week. This is very simple. If Sean Payton is available to coach, in any capacity, McCarthy will be on the hot seat in Dallas. It’s Super Bowl or bust for Dallas, even with Cooper Rush as the QB. The winning has continued for Dallas and with Dak’s potential return this coming week, all eyes will continue to be on McCarthys staff. Rams and Eagles games the next two weeks will be pivotal to keep the whispers at bay.

Seats That Are Warming Up

Pete Carroll/Seattle Seahawks, Kliff Kingsbury/Arizona Cardinals, Dennis Allen/New Orleans, Brandon Staley/LA Chargers

Who do you think should be added to the football coaches hot seat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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