College Football: 10 coaches on the hottest seats entering 2018
7. Bob Davie
Davie’s situation is unlike any other coaches on this list. His placement on the hot seat isn’t entirely because of on the field performance, though his struggles in 2017 certainly didn’t help. Davie’s biggest issue, and it’s a huge one, is the misconduct reports that implicate him. Sports Illustrated did a great job on summarizing it concisely:
"“The University of New Mexico’s decision on Thursday to suspend head football coach Bob Davie for 30 days over allegations that he physically assaulted players, obstructed a rape investigation and frequently engaged in racist comments is poised to spark yet another college football scandal that intersects with the law.”"
Those allegations, if you couldn’t tell, are not good news for Davie. It’s a very serious situation, and similar issues have led to the firings of other coaches, like Art Briles at Baylor. This is less major than the Baylor scandal, but it’s still a huge deal, and has caused quite a few conversations about Davie’s contract being terminated.
The 63-year-old Davie was suspended for 30 days earlier this summer, and his future still hangs in the balance. On top of this investigation, Davie hasn’t exactly been lighting it up on the field either. The Lobos, after an impressive 9-4 campaign in 2016, regressed greatly last season to just 3-9. Another bad season like that, or anymore scandal would likely send Davie packing.
What does Davie need?
Bob Davie needs the allegations to be less serious than they seem. If it’s found that he was complacent in this misconduct, or directing it, he’ll almost certainly be fired. If he can get over that hurdle, and be proven mostly innocent, he’ll still have to step up his team’s performance in 2018.
That’s probably not going to happen. His on-and-off quarterback Lamar Jordan is gone, and Tevaki Tuioti will likely take over. If he’s great, and the defense is able to keep opponents from turning games into track meets, the Lobos will have a chance at a bowl game. If not, they’ll have a new coach by December. That seems likely.