10 college football coaches who could be out of a job after the 2020 season

Phillip Montgomery, Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Record: 25-37 in 5 seasons

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane were a consistent postseason contender from their time in the C-USA to their first two seasons in the American Athletic. In a span of 14 seasons from 2003-16, the Golden Hurricane went to 10 bowl games, winning six of them. During that time, the Golden Hurricane had five seasons where they won 10 or more games.

When former Baylor offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery took the head coaching position of the Golden Hurricane in 2015, things were heading towards the right track.

Tulsa went 6-7 in Montgomery’s first year with an appearance in the Independence Bowl. The following season, they finished with a 10-3 record and the two losses came against No. 4 Ohio State and No. 13 Houston. The Golden Hurricane went on to beat Central Michigan with a 55-10 score in the 2016 Miami Beach Bowl.

Since then, Tulsa has accounted for a 9-27 record. This was due to the heavy competition from their fellow American Athletic teams both on and off the field through recruiting. In the 2020 class, the Golden Hurricane finished ranked 10th out of the 11 teams in the conference, only ahead of Navy.

The Golden Hurricane could become a more productive offense with nine offensive starters returning including senior quarterback and former Baylor Bear Zach Smith. The offense scored more efficiently later in the season. If Montgomery wants to survive the hot seat, he will need to boost the productivity of his offense and win close games.