10 Power Four college football coaches on the hot seat in 2024

1. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

We wrap up with Clark Lea.

What can I say that hasn't been said about Vanderbilt already? The Commodores have been the worst team in the SEC for over a decade and it appears as if Lea will be another casualty in a long line of coaching hopefuls that failed to resurrect this dormant program. It's amazing how Vanderbilt has so many resources to be a great program, but yet they can't get this football thing going.

Since 2000, Vanderbilt has only had three winning seasons. As for Lea, anybody would have to think that 2024 is his last chance to prove he's taking Nashville's college football representative in the right direction. He arrived in Nashville in 2021 after Derek Mason's forgettable seven-year stint ended. His first year was terrible but not unexpected as Vandy went 2-10.

In 2021, the Commodores improved by three wins and finished 5-7. Now, ending a year at 5-7 is seen as pathetic in the SEC. But for this school, that record raised eyebrows, and Commodore fans were brewing excitement. Then last season came and went. The same story took place, as Vanderbilt once again dropped to another 2-10 mark. In 2023, the team lost every SEC game by double-digits and had their seventh winless season in SEC play since 2000.

You can get a sense that this is a "make or break" year for Lea. It's obvious with the activity that took place in the transfer portal for Vanderbilt. They did bring in a collection of talented players to help both sides of the ball. Starting with the offense, the unit put up averages of 319 yards and 23 points per game. Those numbers are horrendous but they are even misleading. Most of that production came against Hawaii, UNLV, and Alabama A&M.

Lea has implemented a New Mexico State blueprint in Nashville. He picked up Tim Beck to be the new offensive coordinator. Beck who was the offensive coordinator at New Mexico State, brought in his quarterback, Diego Pavia. He will play a major factor because of his ability to run and throw the football. He has a strong arm and threw for 26 touchdowns last year.

Pavia's running ability will add to a ground game that returns one bright spot in lead tailback Sedrick Alexander. However, just in case Pavia isn't the answer, Vandy also brought in Nate Johnson from Utah. The receiving core was wrecked in the offseason. The Commodores lost their top three receivers. Will Sheppard left for Colorado. Jayden McGowan transferred to Boston College. London Humphreys departed for Georgia.

To patch the losses, Vanderbilt snagged a few of their transfers. Another piece of the New Mexico State offense came over in tight end Eli Stowers. Loic Fouonji from Texas Tech should become an instant starter alongside veterans Junior Sherrill and Quincy Skinner. The offensive line is similar from the standpoint of a group of transfers joining a few veterans, hoping to build a formidable group.

The defense is the biggest question mark for this team. Lea being a defensive coach has not helped the Commodore defense. Last season, Vandy was almost last in the country in total defense and gave up nearly 40 points per game. The pressure towards the opposing backfield was nonexistent.

Middle linebacker Langston Patterson is the face of the unit after leading the squad in tackles last year. The defensive line has the potential to be a problem for opponents and the team added Purdue transfer Khordae Sydnor. He'll be expected to help stalwarts such as Yilann Outtara and Devin Lee in adding more much-needed pressure.

The secondary also received some promising additions from the transfer portal such as TCU's Randon Fontenette and Eastern Washington's Marlon Jones. They both will join CJ Taylor and De’Rickey Wright to make a unit that has tons of talent and potential. The defense should be better this year.

Although this is Vanderbilt, Lea needs to get probably at least five wins to keep his job. Another season of two wins or less will boot him out. There needs to be some improvement shown. Everyone knows that Vanderbilt has been the worst team in the prestigious SEC for a long time. However, there's always some form of expectations and Clark Lea will not have excuses. If he does get fired, it wouldn't be a shock at all.