Coming out of an unusually busy coaching carousel that included more than two dozen changes across the FBS, several head coaches enter the 2026 season under heightened pressure and will be judged strictly on results.
The revenue-sharing era has accelerated expectations for quick improvement as College Football Playoff expansion and Indiana-like parity have created win-now demands across Power Four athletic departments.
There has rarely been more urgency for coaches to generate momentum, and the window to do so continues to shrink. LSU recently dismissed a coach who won 71% of his games and produced multiple top-15 finishes in three seasons, but that résumé was not enough.
These 10 coaches face mounting pressure this offseason.
1. Mike Norvell, Florida State
Buyout after 2026 season: $48.5 million (estimated)
Mike Norvell took control of his fate following offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s retirement, opting to call plays himself next season.
Florida State reportedly closed fiscal year 2025 with $437 million in athletics-related debt, the highest total among publicly revealed FBS athletic departments. Much of that burden is tied to football, including renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium and construction of a new facility.
After a five-win campaign, Norvell can help stabilize the program by restoring momentum. The Seminoles have dropped 17 games over the past two seasons since being left out of the College Football Playoff as ACC champions in 2023, a downturn that has intensified scrutiny entering 2026.
2. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Buyout after 2026 season: $19.2 million
Is it too little, too late for Fickell? Like others facing pressure in 2026, he received public backing from his athletic director toward the tail end of last season after Wisconsin chose not to absorb a sizable buyout and move on from the third-year coach after his second consecutive lackluster campaign. Since taking over at Wisconsin, Fickell is 10-17 against Big Ten opponents, has struggled against ranked competition (2-11) and failed to move the needle in recruiting.
3. Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Buyout after 2026 season: $19 million (estimated)
Last January, South Carolina awarded Shane Beamer a contract extension through 2030, but the Gamecocks regressed to a 4-8 in 2025 — the program’s worst record since 2020.
After narrowly missing the College Football Playoff in 2024, South Carolina struggled offensively, prompting multiple assistant coach changes and placing Beamer squarely on the hot seat entering 2026. He has all but guaranteed a CFP appearance in 2026, and with the program retaining LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart, expectations are elevated.
If that prediction falls short, athletic director Jeremiah Donati may face a significant decision.
4. Bill O’Brien, Boston College
Buyout after 2026 season: $18 million (estimated)
Marginal improvement is essential for Bill O’Brien entering Year 3 after a 2-10 season that included several lopsided losses. He signed 35 players in the 2026 cycle, including 27 transfers, in an effort to accelerate the rebuild. O’Brien reported last month that Boston College is “participating in revenue sharing” at a higher level than in the past, though he deferred detailed questions about roster construction and talent acquisition to the athletic director. Frustration surfaced at times last fall, an understandable reaction given the results. The challenge intensifies in 2026, when the Eagles face one of the ACC’s most difficult schedules, highlighted by a road trip to Notre Dame.
5. Mike Locksley, Maryland
Buyout after 2026 season: $7 million (estimated)
Maryland pledged increased fundraising support and a renewed commitment to football in November amid last season’s downturn, but a signing class that ranked outside the national top 50 and a modest transfer haul create roster concerns entering 2026. The Terrapins closed the 2025 season with eight consecutive losses and finished 4-8 the year prior, erasing momentum built from three straight bowl victories. Entering its eighth season, Mike Locksley’s Maryland tenure has grown stagnant. Maryland has won just two of its past 18 games against Big Ten opponents.
6. Dave Aranda, Baylor
Buyout after 2026 season: $9 million (estimated)
There’s a new sheriff comning to Waco in the form of athletic director Doug McNamee, who has spent the first couple months on the job assessing what needs to change within the football program. Aranda led the Bears to a Big 12 title in 2021, but three losing recrods in the last four years has him on the league’s hottest seat. With important early matchups against Auburn (in Atlanta), Colorado and Arizona State, getting off to a positive start is vital.
7. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Buyout after 2026 season: $57 million (estimated)
Swinney dismissed offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and replaced him with former protégé Chad Morris in an effort to revive a stagnant offense. Swinney has remained committed to his long-standing approach, but in the NIL and transfer portal era, that model has produced uneven results. Clemson has not won a College Football Playoff game since the 2019 season, one year after Trevor Lawrence led the program to a national championship — a drought that has intensified scrutiny entering 2026. Still, it would be a bold — and costly — for Clemson to part ways with the man who led the program to two national titles.
8. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Buyout after 2026 season: $50 million (estimated)
Alabama players love Kalen DeBoer. The administration wants greater buy-in. Fans remain divided. Next season will be pivotal for the Tide’s third-year coach, who has yet to generate the momentum many anticipated after succeeding one of the sport’s all-time greats. Nick Saban lost eight games combined over his final five seasons in Tuscaloosa — the same total DeBoer has accumulated in two years. Lopsided losses to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and to Indiana in the CFP at the Rose Bowl served as measuring-stick moments, and the Crimson Tide fell short in both. DeBoer’s finesse-oriented offense thrived at previous stops, but Alabama’s identity has long been rooted in physicality. How the Crimson Tide perform at the line of scrimmage and in the run game next season will significantly influence the national perception of his tenure.
9. Bill Belichick, North Carolina
Buyout after 2026 season: $10 million
The Tar Heels were 4-5 after an early November win over Stanford. Then they collapsed down the stretch, losing to in-state opponents Wake Forest, Duke and NC State. The late-season slide was one of several blemishes during a turbulent first year for Bill Belichick, whose portal-assembled roster never gained traction. Only the first three years of Belichick’s five-year, $50 million contract are fully guaranteed. If North Carolina struggles again in 2026, the university would owe roughly $10 million to move on. On the other side, if an NFL opportunity arises next cycle, Belichick would owe the Tar Heels $1 million to depart early.
10. Deion Sanders, Colorado
Buyout after 2026 season: $26.6 million
Coach Prime has instituted new team-wide rules ahead of the 2026 season in hopes of cleaning up his program a bit. His first year without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter was ugly and many of his best players jumped into the transfer portal after the season, including former five-star offensive tackle signee Jordan Seaton. Colorado faces a budget deficit and new athletic director Fernando Lovo aims to fix it over the next several years. Sanders could do his part by putting together a competitive team.
