3 college football coaches at risk of being fired before season’s end
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We’re about halfway through the college football season, and some programs have about seen enough.
Each of these three coaches entered 2026 on the hot seat, needing a bounce-back year to keep their jobs. Six weeks in, none of them have delivered, and their athletic directors have every reason to make a move before November is over.
3. Bill O’Brien, Boston College
Bill O’Brien arrived at Boston College with one of the better resumes in college football. He rebuilt Penn State in the wake of the Sandusky scandal and spent years as an NFL head coach. Before accepting the role at Boston College, he was coveted by the Ohio State Buckeyes to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator. None of that has translated at Boston College, where he’s 11-19 in Year 3.
Last season’s 2-10 finish, with just one ACC win, was supposed to be the low point. But it hasn’t gotten much better.
Boston College is just 2-3, and neither win inspires confidence. The Eagles beat Rutgers by seven despite intercepting four passes, then needed everything they had to get past FCS Maine, 22-16. Against Maine, they scored just six points over the final three quarters.
The losses tell the rest of the story. Cincinnati threw for just 85 yards and still won by 19 because BC couldn’t stop the run. Then the Eagles dropped a home game to Virginia Tech in front of 22,624 fans, roughly half the crowd that showed up for Rutgers two weeks earlier.
It’s pretty clear that O’Brien has lost the fan support, and it’s likely he’ll lose the admin support before long.
2. Mike Locksley, Maryland
While Mike Locksley probably deserves real credit for the way he’s transformed Maryland’s recruiting efforts over the years, the Terps have gone 4-8 in each of the last two seasons, and things are looking even worse this year.
This year’s collapse has come on defense. Over a three-game stretch, Maryland allowed 35 points to Virginia Tech, 54 to UCLA and 48 at Nebraska. The UCLA game ended 54-3 at home, one of the worst losses of Locksley’s tenure. Quarterback Malik Washington threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns against Virginia Tech, and it still wasn’t enough. Saturday’s 45-16 loss at Ohio State dropped Maryland to 2-4 and 0-3 in the Big Ten, marking its fourth straight loss.
The team’s only wins so far this year have come against FCS Hampton and UConn. There’s already a lot of speculation about Locksley’s future, and there aren’t a lot of wins left on the schedule, with USC and Penn State still awaiting.
1. Mike Norvell, Florida State
It wasn’t long ago that Mike Norvell was the hottest name in coaching. He went 13-1 and won the ACC in 2023, then signed a massive extension to stay in Tallahassee. Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill from there. Norvell had back-to-back losing seasons in 2024 and 2025, but Florida State brought him back for 2026 anyway, with a pledge of changes in recruiting and player development.
Six games in, the Seminoles are 3-3 and 1-2 in the ACC, but two of the wins came against New Mexico State and FCS Central Arkansas. They lost to SMU on a late field goal and gave up 50 points at Alabama. A 38-7 rout of Virginia briefly offered some hope, but then came Friday night in Louisville.
In the game against the Cardinals, Florida State led 14-0 after the first quarter, then gave up 44 straight points and 397 rushing yards to lose 44-20. The Seminoles have now lost 13 straight road games dating back to 2023.
To make matters worse, the schedule doesn’t get much easier. Florida State takes on No. 3 Miami on Saturday and then still has games against Clemson, Pitt, NC State, and Florida – and there’s a strong chance they’ll be underdogs in all of them.
Norvell has a massive $51 million buyout if he’s fired after the season. But the way things have been going, there’s a good chance that the Seminoles
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