{"id":36798,"date":"2026-08-10T16:48:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T11:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36798"},"modified":"2026-08-10T16:48:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T11:48:53","slug":"6-college-football-coaches-under-the-most-pressure-entering-the-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36798","title":{"rendered":"6 college football coaches under the most pressure entering the 2026 season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">Patience for poor performance is a rarity in college football and that&#8217;s only become more clear in recent years. Eight power four coaches were jobless by November in 2025, and fifteen Bowl Subdivision coaches were fired throughout the season, totaling a record $270 million in <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/college-football-coaching-carousel-c56187b3ea41056c3e44166ee372c6c2\">buyout packages<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">As the 2026 season arrives, here are six coaches entering the fall under the most pressure for instant results:<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Florida State peaked too early last season with a 31-17 Week 1 upset of Alabama and two blowouts against East Texas A<!-- -->&amp;<!-- -->M and Kent State, cruising to a 3-0 start. And then things got shaky for the Seminoles, winning just two of their final nine games. Coach Mike Norvell is just above .500 in his six years at FSU (38-34). Thirteen of those wins came during the Noles\u2019 playoff run in 2023. Since then, FSU has landed in the win column just seven times and finished bottom five in the ACC in back-to-back years \u2014 leaving Norvell in the win now bucket.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Bill Belichick arrived at UNC as a first-time college coach who had won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-carolina-bill-belichick-5723583458fa61ab6a295103169d935a\">but the hyped hiring fell flat in Year 1.<\/a> The Tar Heels had 70 new players while ending up with more double-digit losses (five) than total wins (four) and missing a bowl for the first time since 2018, and there were <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/bill-belichick-unc-north-carolina-football-b1ec4637060d074cd8c58e2a1067a83f\">multiple helpings of unwanted off-field headlines, too<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/acc-unc-bill-belichick-f3d6813cb177fcd7f69cc8baca0c1be5\">Belichick enters this year with 60 new players<\/a> in another roster overhaul. The Tar Heels are picked to finish 15th in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference and have a tougher schedule in Year 2, including home games against Notre Dame and preseason ACC favorite Miami. Another off-field issue hit before camp: <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/unc-football-belichick-lombardi-8923ab388080d0bd86868b0ff7d65518\">General manager Michael Lombardi is on leave as the subject of a school investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Belichick originally signed a <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/bill-belichick-unc-contract-767473c7fabc4f44b7648c353e3d21e7\">five-year, $50 million contract<\/a> paying him $10 million in base and supplemental pay each year, though only the first three years were guaranteed. That means the school would owe the 74-year-old Belichick roughly one year&#8217;s pay if it decided to move on after the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/virginia-tech-south-carolina-score-a43d09b466594bbe77e65a760d1ebebc\">Shane Beamer<\/a> \u2019s first year at South Carolina didn\u2019t quite go to plan, with the Gamecocks finishing 4-8 and 15th (1-7) in the SEC. South Carolina\u2019s stint in the AP Top 25 was short-lived, entering the season at No. 13 in the preseason poll and falling out of the rankings entirely after a Week 3 loss to Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks lost six of their final eight games.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Beamer returns with something to prove and he has quarterback LaNorris Sellers, standout edge rusher Dylan Stewart and receiver Nyck Harbor to help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It\u2019s no secret Wisconsin\u2019s Luke Fickell is back on the hot seat \u2014 he acknowledged it himself at Big Ten media days. A 4-8 record in 2025 was Wisconsin\u2019s second straight losing season for the first time since the early 1990s. The Badgers reached lows they hadn\u2019t seen since the 70\u2019s this past season with shutout losses against Iowa and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks. Fickell hasn\u2019t been able to replicate the level of success he had in Cincinnati yet, with a 17-21 record. Wisconsin opens against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">After leading Boston College to a 7-6 record and Pinstripe Bowl appearance his first season, the Eagles regressed in 2025, finishing with a 2-10 record and ahead of only Syracuse in the ACC. Boston College\u2019s two wins came in the first and last weeks of the season against Fordham and Syracuse, sandwiching 10 straight losses. The sharp decline after an encouraging first season has left little margin for error heading into Year 3.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Maryland\u2019s Mike Locksley remains squarely on the hot seat after nearly identical seasons in 2024 and 2025, finishing 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play. In eight seasons, Locksley is 37-49 for the Terps and the best years in the stretch were back to back 8-5 seasons in 2022 and again in 2023, where Maryland won its third bowl game in as many years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Locksley said the tough days are behind the program at <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/big-ten-scheduling-dd6fdca6f1bf41371b548385cbf1d856\">Big Ten media days<\/a>, looking forward to ramping up this season with what he described as one of the most talented rosters during his time at Maryland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard in North Carolina contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apnews.com\/newsletters\">here<\/a> and <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/ap-newsletters\">here<\/a> (AP News mobile app). AP college football: <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll\">https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll<\/a> and <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football\">https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patience for poor performance is a rarity in college football and that&#8217;s only become more clear in recent years. Eight power four coaches were jobless by November in 2025, and fifteen Bowl Subdivision coaches were fired throughout the season, totaling a record $270 million in buyout packages. As the 2026 season arrives, here are six&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/96f53f5a-5e7a-46e2-8aab-7b3961c13f60\/wirestory_654a44d59b92b6c5df6784ebeb8142ec_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}