College football Power-5 coaches who should have been gone before 2021 season
The college football season is underway, and so is the coaching “hot seat” machine, but these coaches probably should have been dismissed in the offseason to avoid a likely mid-season firing debacle.
It’s never a pleasant thing to fire someone, and as an athletic director, firing your head college football coach can be gut-wrenching. Many are the coach who has held on to a position far too long because of loyalty from the AD or fan sentiment.
However, there’s nothing more disheartening to a team or fanbase than having to fire a coach in the middle of a season, and unfortunately, it has to be done when schools fail to recognize that things aren’t getting any better between February and August.
USC fans had to endure this reality when head coach Clay Helton was dismissed after the second game of the 2021 college football season and had he not been fired he would have been at the top of this list.
These college football coaches should have been replaced before the 2021 season began
Years as current head coach: 2
Record with current school: 3-8
Conference record with current school: 2-6
In 2021: 0-2
It may seem early to call for Norvell to be replaced in just his second season, but truthfully, this was probably a bad hire from the start and was mired in controversy with his players before they even took the field for the first game in 2020.
Norvell had moderate success at Memphis, but he was hardly prepared for the rigors of taking over a high-profile program like FSU, especially given the downslide the Seminoles had taken since the departure of Jimbo Fisher.
This was a bad fit from the start, but it’s possible the powers at Florida State wanted to give Norvell a mulligan after the Covid-wrecked season of 2020.
That thought may have seemed valid after the Noles came close to beating Notre Dame in an opening week primetime matchup, but after a last-second loss to FCS Jacksonville State in Week 2 where the Seminoles only managed 17 points, it’s clear this team is far from where most probably hoped.
Prediction: Doubtful Norvell makes it to the end of the season