8. Kevin Sumlin, Arizona
It’s never easy coming into a situation after a scandal. It’s even more difficult when you come in after that recruiting cycle. Kevin Sumlin did both.
Sumlin, hired January 14, 2019, came in after the first National Signing Day. He didn’t have an opportunity to do any kind of recruiting this cycle and is going to have to play with Rodriguez’s players. His $10 million buyout keeps him off the hot seat for maybe a year, but you saw a lot of what cost him his job at A&M rear its ugly head in Tucson — the Wildcats were wildly inconsistent.
They had great wins like a 44-15 drubbing of Oregon, but also gave up 69 points to Washington State. Defensively, they gave up 32.6 points per game. Khalil Tate showed improvement as a passer (26 touchdowns and eight INTs), but only ran for 3.0 yards per carry.
Sumlin should have time to build and work with Tate (personally, I expect Tate to have a big year next season), but we exist in an era where people want results quickly.
Marcel Yates and the defensive staff must improve the defense next season. They can’t be as inconsistent on that side of the ball. This might seem premature to be on this list, but the Wildcats need to show more consistency next year, or Sumlin’s seat might get warm as his without cause buyout decreases.