One can presume that these heads coaches getting fired is inevitable. And with the warp speed year-round cycle that has become the world of college football, it is no longer necessarily in a teams’ best interest to hang onto a head coach until the end of the season that they are planning on firing anyways.
Why teams need to consider firing coaches earlier in the season
With the early signing period beginning on December 20th, having your new head coach in place on November first for example can help with solidifying a better recruiting class, instead of waiting until the end of November when the season concludes. It also allows you to get first choice on your next head coach instead of them being swept up by another team before you get a chance to sign yours.
The downside of firing coaches before the end of the season is typically a lot more money is owed to them depending on their contract and buyout than waiting until the last game of the season is played.
Which power four college football head coaches should be fired in 2024?
California (Justin Wilcox)
Wilcox is 4-4 so far this year, which may not seem horrible. However, the Golden Bears have taken a nosedive since hitting ACC play. Not only that, but Wilcox has had his time to turn around the program to better than 4-4 considering this is his eighth season as head coach.
Wilcox is 40-47 so far with only two winning seasons to his credit in 2018 and 2019. Firing him now could help them get ahead, and with an appealing area of northern California and now being in the ACC, this could set their program up for a greater amount of success in the future.
Wake Forest (Dave Clawson)
I hate that I’m calling this one out. Clausen only a few years ago led the Demon Deacons to an 11-3 record and an ACC Championship. Quarterback threw for over 4,000 yards and 39 touchdowns that season and the Demon Deacons looked on top of the world. Every year since however, the program has regressed under Clawson, which is surprising considering he progressed a Bowling Green program throughout his tenure which propelled him to the Wake Forest job.
NIL seems to have played a part in the demise of the program on Clawson’s watch with the team regressing to 8-5 in 2022 and 4-8 in 2023. Although the team is 4-4 this season and has already matched last year’s win total, they do not look overly impressive and stale at times. It is time for a changing of the guard at Wake Forest.
Baylor (Dave Aranda)
The former LSU assistant had the Bears riding high in only his second season with an 11-2 regular season record and a victory of Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels in the 2021 Sugar Bowl that year. Since then, however, the program has gone 13-20 since. Aranda seems to have taken over a program that was somewhat intact, and not ready for the long haul as is now showing.
UCF (Guz Malzahn)
Malzahn just is not it. No matter where he goes, Malzahn’s teams never seem to be awful, but never seem to be amongst the elite either. Since hitting Big 12 conference play this year, the Knights are another team that has struggled and sit at 3-5 currently in Malzahn’s fourth season after taking over for Josh Heupel.
This year, the Knights brought in former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson who departed Fayetteville after offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino took the job and brought in his quarterback of choice, Taylen Green. Jefferson who was though to take a leap pre-season with the Razorbacks heading into 2023 underdelivered, and has done so again under Malzahn further contributing to the program’s demise.
At the end of the day however, it all falls on Malzahn for the recruits and transfers he brings in. Recently, Malzahn fired his defensive coordinator, Ted Roof. This is a sign that Malzahn is grasping at straws and his job could be in jeopardy.
The Knights are a newer member of the Big 12 and power four, so firing Malzahn and hiring a big name with more funds now available to them could be key for the future.
West Virginia (Neal Brown)
It has been six years of patiently waiting for Neal Brown to turn the Mountaineers into a national contender in Morgantown, and he has yet to deliver beyond one nine-win season in 2023. Aside from that season, Brown has gone a combined Brown has gone 26-29 as head coach.
Brown has had a difficult time against top 25 opponents with his most recent loss against top 25 Kansas State at home 45-18 causing billboards to be posted throughout Morgantown calling for his firing.
@PeteThamel @firenealbrown_ is tired of the mediocrity in Morgantown it’s time for a change pic.twitter.com/JmmaCILQd8
— No Huddle WVU (@NoHuddle_WVU) October 28, 2024
A factor at play here however is Brown’s massive buyout that may prevent athletic director, Wren Baker from letting go of Brown until at least 2025.
Purdue (Ryan Walters)
This one is tricky because Walters is only in his second season with the Boilermakers after taking over for Jeff Brohm who let for the head coaching position with the Louisville Cardinal. Brohm did however leave the program in a better place than he found it, and all Walters has done is go 5-14 since taking over. Currently in 2024, the Boilermakers are 1-6 and fired their offensive coordinator, Graham Harrell.
Needless to say, things are abysmal in West Lafayette, and the Boilermakers could see themselves finishing dead last in the Big 10 if they are not careful. It would be hard to swallow bringing a head coach back that just did so little if that proves to be the case.
Kentucky (Mark Stoops)
Mark Stoops seems to constantly be making headlines insinuating that he no longer wants to be in Lexington. Given that the past two years the Wildcats have gone 7-6 and are off to a 3-5 start in 2024, why keep him any longer?
Considering the 12th year head coach makes nine million dollars annually and is producing so little on the field, it would only make sense to part ways. And being an SEC school with money to spend, firing Stoops sooner rather than later could put them in the eyes of many as the prime head coaching gig for 2024.
These teams will have to wait on firing their head coach
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, teams like the Florida Gators with Billy Napier and the Arkansas Razorbacks with Sam Pittman are in quite the pickle with their teams seemingly improving some despite their coaches being on the hot seat heading into the season. This leaves them with a “to be determined” mindset and having no choice to hang onto their coach until the end of the season before assessing.