College Football's Top 5 Coaches on the Hot Seat After Week 3

College football’s coaching carousel has yet to produce a change in the 2026 season. However, after three weeks, it’s clear the pressure is building on several coaches as conference play begins in earnest. And with the added pressure as the calendar moves into October, in-season moves and firings seem likely.

Florida State’s Mike Norvell tops the list of coaches on the hot seat after Week 3. The Seminoles opened ‘26 by defeating New Mexico State but have dropped back-to-back games against SMU and Alabama. Norvell entered the season atop most hot-seat lists, and his team hasn’t played well enough to ease the pressure in Tallahassee. Maryland’s Mike Locksley and Rutgers’ Greg Schiano follow at No. 2 and No. 3.

Which five coaches are on the hottest seats in college football, and which ones are getting warm? Athlon Sports breaks down the hot seat entering Week 4:

College Football’s Top 5 Coaches on the Hot Seat After Week 3

1. Mike Norvell, Florida State
The Seminoles opened 2026 with a win over New Mexico State but lost back-to-back games against SMU and Alabama to drop Norvell’s overall record to 39-36 in Tallahassee. After nearly making the College Football Playoff in ‘23, Florida State has gone 8-19 with just three ACC victories over the last three years. A hefty buyout likely saved Norvell last season. That might not be the case in ‘26, as the program is clearly looking to make changes, as evidenced by the firing of athletic director Michael Alford.

2. Mike Locksley, Maryland
The Terrapins appeared to be on track with three consecutive winning seasons from 2021-23, but the program is just 10-17 since ‘24 and has just two Big Ten victories in that span. Overall, Locksley is 39-50 in charge at College Park. Recruiting talent has never been an issue for Locksley, but the program is still looking to take the next step under his watch. After an offseason of increased investment and growing pressure, last week’s loss to Virginia Tech will only ramp up the hot seat on Locksley.

3. Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Rutgers opened the season with a shocking 37-21 loss to UMass and has dropped back-to-back games against Boston College and USC to sit at 0-3. Schiano has 99 career victories with the Scarlet Knights and was instrumental in guiding the program to respectability with five straight winning seasons from 2005-09. However, since returning to lead the program in ‘20, Schiano has gone 31-44 and has yet to post a winning record in Big Ten play.

4. Dave Aranda, Baylor
Baylor dropped its season opener in dramatic fashion (17-16 to Auburn) but rebounded with back-to-back wins over Prairie View A&M and Louisiana Tech to open Big 12 play with a 2-1 record. Aranda is 38-38 overall in Waco but has only one winning season over his last four full years in charge. With a new athletic director in place, Aranda needs to deliver a winning record to ease the pressure on his seat this fall.

5. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
The pressure on Fickell has cooled a bit with a 2-1 start, which included a competitive showing in the Week 1 defeat to Notre Dame. However, despite the early signs of improvement, Fickell still needs to guide this program to a bowl to likely ensure another year in ‘27. Since taking over prior to a bowl appearance in ‘22, Fickell is 19-22 in charge and has just one winning record (7-6 in ‘23).

Getting Warm

Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Beamer is 35-31 since taking over in 2021 and nearly guided the Gamecocks to a College Football Playoff trip in ‘24. However, last year’s 4-8 record increased the temperature on his seat in Columbia, and Saturday’s loss to Mississippi State added to the heat.

Bill Belichick, North Carolina
After a 4-8 finish last season, the Tar Heels have made small gains with a 2-1 record under Belichick in ‘26. However, in addition to the off-field drama and recent departures of general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, plenty of doubt remains about whether this pairing will work in Chapel Hill.

Jeff Choate, Nevada
After a dominant 49-14 victory over Western Kentucky in Week 1, Nevada has dropped back-to-back games to Montana State and Middle Tennessee. Those losses left Choate’s overall record in Reno at just 7-21.

Dave Doeren, NC State
Doeren has consistently delivered winning seasons and bowl trips during his tenure at NC State. Since taking over in 2013, the Wolfpack are 96-72. However, a slow 1-2 start that included a disastrous ending against Vanderbilt on Saturday will only add to the pressure.

Jay Sawvel, Wyoming
Wyoming is off to a 1-2 start, with its only victory coming in a sluggish 21-13 showing over FCS opponent Northern Colorado. Sawvel is 8-19 since taking over in 2024.

Scotty Walden, UTEP
Walden has gone 6-21 since taking over before the 2024 season. The Miners moved from Conference USA to the Mountain West this offseason, which raises the stakes for Walden to show signs of progress this fall.

Cooling Off for Now?

Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders have nearly matched last year’s win total (three) with two victories in their first three games. If Middle Tennessee picks up a couple of victories in CUSA play, Mason could return for another season in 2027.

Dell McGee, Georgia State
McGee entered 2026 with a 4-20 mark at Georgia State. However, the Panthers are 2-1 so far and gave UCF all it could handle last Saturday.

Bill O’Brien, Boston College
The upcoming slate is challenging, but Boston College has already matched its win total (two) from 2025 (2-10).

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
Cincinnati is off to a solid 3-0 start thanks to victories over Boston College, Western Carolina and Miami (Ohio). However, the schedule gets significantly tougher the rest of the way with Big 12 contests filling out the remaining nine games on the slate.

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