College Football: 10 coaches on the hottest seats entering 2018
3. Everett Withers
I think Everett Withers is honestly in a better position than just about any other coach on this list. That feels strange to say about a coach that has won just four games in two seasons at one of the hardest jobs in the country. However, the job difficulty might be what saves Withers after this season. That’s because, unlike some other schools on this list (ECU), Texas State knows how hard it is to win in San Marcos, and they’re willing to be patient.
That doesn’t mean Withers is in a good place by any means, however. His first two seasons, resulted in ten losses each, and the Bobcats struggled to inspire much hope on either side of the ball, allowing a 23 point differential on average in 2016, and an only slightly better 17 point differential in 2017.
To put it simply, under Withers, the Bobcats have stunk on offense and defense. While the defense was slightly better in 2017, the offense was slightly worse. That’s all bad, and even with the most patient athletic departments, struggles like that will cause some issues, and may lead to an early termination.
However, Withers is in a better spot than most of the other coaches on this list, because I think there’s actually a pretty good chance he takes a step forward this season. He’s been recruiting pretty well, landing the best class in the Sun Belt in 2017 and the fifth best in 2018.
That accumulation of talent can only be a good thing. Texas State is probably gonna be pretty young, and inconsistent again this season. However, unlike the past couple years, that young talent is actually, well, talented. At least relative to the competition.
What does Withers need?
Withers, like I said, just needs to show that his team is actually improving. This shouldn’t be too difficult, in theory. The team is better than they have been in his first two seasons. Now if they’ll actually play like it is yet to be seen, but this group has a way better chance of looking like they belong in the Sun Belt than they did last year.
If the Bobcats win four or five games, that should be enough. I don’t think they’re ready for a bowl game yet, but if they’re taking steps towards that, it should be enough for the fans and athletic department at Texas State.