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College Football: 10 coaches on the hottest seats entering 2018

By Patrick Mayhorn

LAWRENCE, KS - NOVEMBER 28: Head coach David Beaty of the Kansas Jayhawks watches from the sidelines during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS - NOVEMBER 28: Head coach David Beaty of the Kansas Jayhawks watches from the sidelines during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Memorial Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images /

10. Larry Fedora

Just a few short years ago, this would be unthinkable. Fedora, once considered to be the brightest offensive mind in the country after great tenures at Oklahoma State (offensive coordinator) and Southern Miss (head coach), has fallen off extremely quickly. He struggled early on at North Carolina, winning 21 games in his first three years.

He seemed to finally live up to expectations in 2015, winning 11 games, and reaching as high as eighth in the country. That season may have been his peak. With one of the best quarterbacks in the country (Mitchell Trubisky) in 2016, the Tar Heels stumbled, going 8-5 and looking lost on offense in big games.

If that 2016 season was the first match that helped heat his seat, the 2017 season was a forest fire. The Tar Heels sputtered on both sides of the ball, and struggled to find any spark at quarterback. They won just two games against FBS teams, and went 3-9 overall. We expected a down year, but this was a massive fall from grace.

2018 may be a similar story for Fedora, and if it is, North Carolina will have a new head coach next season. They’re still without a standout quarterback, as they failed to land a grad transfer or an immediate impact freshman. Chazz Surratt is back, as is Nathan Elliott, though that doesn’t really mean much.

Surratt was replaced last season late in the year by Elliott, though neither was good by any means. Elliott will probably get the first shot at the starting job. No matter who it is, they’ll be surrounded by a roster without many playmakers, and behind a pretty awful offensive line. It’s hard to find much optimism about this team.

What does Fedora need?

The answer isn’t as difficult as it is for some other coaches. Fedora needs a bounce back season, improvement on both sides of the ball, some playmakers to step up, and probably a bowl appearance. If the Tar Heels win six games, and have a decent (top 40) recruiting class by the end of the season, Fedora is safe. If not, he’ll be selling his house come December.

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