Top 5 College Football Coaches On The Hot Seat After 1st Month of 2026 Season

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Week 4 brought several high-profile losses, increasing pressure on head coaches nationwide. While some programs still have plenty of time to turn their seasons around, others are already facing questions about whether their current coaches can get their teams back on track.

Here are five coaches in the Power 4 conferences whose job security deserves attention after the first month of the 2026 college football season.

5. Brent Venables (Oklahoma)

NCAA Football: Oklahoma at Georgia — Sep 26, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables walks to the field before a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Brent Venables’ seat cooled considerably after Oklahoma reached the College Football Playoff last season, but the Sooners’ 41-13 loss to Georgia in Week 4 creates another pressure cooker. Oklahoma entered the season with higher expectations after a 10-3 campaign, and the Sooners now have to show they can compete with the SEC’s top programs. Venables was already viewed as a coach under scrutiny entering 2026, as his 32-20 record in Norman entering this season is not up to Sooners standard. After a 2-2 start to the 2026 season, Venables’ seat is heating back up.

4. Lincoln Riley (USC)

NCAA Football: Oregon at Southern California — Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks off the field after the game against the Oregon Ducks at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Lincoln Riley’s situation is complicated by the fact that USC is 4-1, but the Trojans’ 41-27 loss to Oregon raises legitimate questions about the program’s ceiling. USC has now gone 5-15 against ranked opponents during Riley’s tenure and has yet to reach the College Football Playoff under him. With Washington, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana still on the schedule, the pressure could increase quickly if USC struggles against the Big Ten’s top teams. Riley’s reported buyout of roughly $72 million also makes any decision involving his future extremely complicated.

3. Shane Beamer (South Carolina)

NCAA Football: South Carolina at Alabama — Sep 26, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer reacts to a play during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images

South Carolina’s 49-18 loss to Alabama pushed Shane Beamer further into the spotlight. The Gamecocks are 2-2 and 0-2 in SEC play after also blowing a 16-point lead against Mississippi State in Week 3. Beamer is 35-32 at South Carolina, including a 4-8 record last season. With a new athletic director and mounting pressure after another poor start, the upcoming schedule becomes increasingly important for Beamer. If the Gamecocks lose to Kentucky at home on Saturday, it might be the end of Beamer Ball in Columbia.

2. Mike Locksley (Maryland)

NCAA Football: Maryland at Connecticut — Sep 12, 2026; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Few Week 4 results were worse than Maryland’s 54-3 home loss to UCLA. The Terrapins fell to 2-2, while quarterback Malik Washington threw four interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns. The loss was Maryland’s second straight at home to a first-year head coach, and fans were heard chanting for Locksley’s firing during the game. After consecutive 4-8 seasons, the eighth-year coach will need a miracle to return in 2027.

1. Mike Norvell (Florida State)

NCAA Football: Central Arkansas at Florida State — Sep 26, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before a game against the Central Arkansas Bears at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Mike Norvell remains one of the most closely watched coaches in the country after Florida State’s dramatic decline from its 13-1 ACC championship season in 2023. The Seminoles entered 2026 under pressure after winning just seven games combined over the previous two seasons. Florida State is 2-2 after Week 4, including a loss to Alabama, and Norvell’s future remains one of the biggest coaching storylines in the nation. He entered the season on the hottest seat in the country and wins over New Mexico State and Central Arkansas haven’t cooled it.

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