Saturday Blitz
Fansided

12 coaches under the most pressure to make the 12-team playoff in 2024

Which FBS coaches are under the most pressure heading into the 2024 season with expectations that they will lead their programs to the new 12-team College Football Playoffs?

By Sam Fariss

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart.
Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
12 of 13
Next

2. Kalen DeBoer

Jan 13, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; The University of Alabama introduced new head football coach Kalen DeBoer.
Jan 13, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; The University of Alabama introduced new head football coach Kalen DeBoer. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA

Even though he’ll be at a new program, Kalen DeBoer needs to show up as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. It is still 'Bama after all.

While the entirety of the Tide’s success this century came under the guise of Nick Saban, the now perennial program can’t fall short of a top-12 ranking at the end of the season.

And DeBoer isn’t a bad coach by any means. His record as a head coach is 104-12! That’s insane!

One of those losses was against the Michigan Wolverines in the National Championship game at the end of the 2023 season. He was able to transform the Washington football program into a top-four team when it had been struggling to find success for decades.

His overall record as a head coach and knowledge of the game should give him a leg up at Alabama. While he has lost a lot of star players, he was also able to bring some along with him from the Huskies.

If we see Alabama ranked outside of the top 12 (the Tide’s lowest end-of-season ranking since 2008), DeBoer’s tenure in Tuscaloosa might not be much longer than a year.

Home/College Football Playoff