Soaring to Glory
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Hot seats and big buyouts collide for these struggling college football coaches

Will these coaches still have a job in 2026?

By Braulio Perez

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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We are inching closer to the 2025 college football season getting here and it truly can't arrive sooner for a lot of fans out there. The pressure is on across the country for some big-name coaches to step up and deliver. There will be no excuses for plenty of guys.

In this piece, we take a look at veteran coaches who have failed to live up to the hype and people are losing patience. So much in fact, calls for them to get fired continue to come up. The seats indeed are warm and it shouldn't come as a surprise that USC head man Lincoln Riley is on our list. With that said, could his buyout complicate things for the Trojans if things go south this fall?

4. USC head coach Lincoln Riley

Things simply haven't gone according to plan for Riley in sunny California. When he made the move from Oklahoma to USC, the expectation was that he'd get the Trojans back in the natty hunt. That's yet to be the case and while seeing Caleb Williams get taken No. 1 overall was nice, that's not enough to get people off his back.

Riley is in dire need of an impressive 2025 season. USC fans are sick of mediocre football being showcased. A problem for them, however, is that Riley reportedly has a buyout in the $90 million range. Unless he were to make the leap to the NFL or take another college job, it's going to be tough for the two sides to part ways in the future.

3. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables

Back in December of 2021, there was plenty of excitement in Norman when the Sooners brought in Brent Venables over from Clemson. However, expectations are not being met. Thus far in his three seasons running the show, Venables has posted a 22-17 record.

Not good enough. This campaign, though, there are going to be plenty of new playmakers ready to ball out for the Big 12 powerhouse - the list of course includes big-money QB John Mateer. Venables has a buyout of $34.9 million after the '25 season. Let's see what Oklahoma has in store for everyone, but countless eyes will be on Venables.

2. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell

It's wild to think that Mike Norvell is on the hot seat after going 13-1 and reaching the College Football Playoff in 2023. However, when your team goes 2-10 the year after, it's an embarrassing look. Such was the case for the Seminoles, with the Florida State faithful still ticked off over what happened in 2024.

Norvell has no excuses moving forward. He's on a huge contract and he's getting paid the big bucks to get this program to an elite level. His buyout is north of $60 million, but if this team struggles to win games again and finishes with 4-5 wins, you better believe that boosters and alums will be livid and keep screaming for him to get canned.

1. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer

Welcome to Tuscaloosa, Kalen DeBoer. Year 1 in the SEC was a trainwreck for DeBoer, who joined Alabama after leading Washington to the National Championship Game the season before. Alabama somehow lost four games last year, which no one saw coming.

The Tide missing out on the College Football Playoff was not only unreal, but also unacceptable. DeBoer is going to work overtime to get things back on the right track in '25 and he's certainly crushing things out on the recruiting trail. In terms of a buyout, he'd be owed around $70 million. Bama fans are hoping any hot seat talk will be wiped away early on for what will prove to be a memorable bounce-back season for the program.

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