Several college football coaches will be under pressure in 2022 for a variety of reasons. The root of these pressures can range from job security, the need to win a national championship, or orchestrating turnarounds for programs that require excellence on an annual basis.
Auburn’s Bryan Harsin finds himself in one of the hottest spots in the country after an attempted coup nearly cost him his Tigers job in early February. However, he’s not the only coach who needs to make it in 2022. Lincoln Riley has taken over USC in hopes of returning the Trojans to national prominence, while Texas coach Steve Sarkisian needs to show significant improvements to avoid a pink slip.
So which coaches are under the most pressure as we start looking ahead to the 2022 season? We’ll break that down then, but first a reminder: this isn’t necessarily a list of coaches in the hot seat. “Pressure is a privilege,” says Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
Lincoln Riley, USC
Many have tried, but few have succeeded in taking USC back to the glory days of Pete Carroll in the 2000s. Rising to the plate after further establishing Oklahoma as a national power, Riley has hit the transfer portal in big style by luring several players — including former Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams — to Los Angeles. His fast-paced, spread-based, run-focused offense will be a big selling point for Southern California recruits, which means college football playoff appearances — yes, plural — should be happening in the not-too-distant future. Also, it’s not like the Trojans have to run the gauntlet in the Pac-12.
Bryan Harsin, Auburn
An attempted coup by influential members of the Auburn program almost ousted Harsin during the offseason, but the Tigers’ sophomore coach needs to succeed to survive 2022. A 6-7 season should never happen at Auburn, even during the Rebuild years. That’s exactly what Harsin did in his freshman year, which also included massive managerial turnover, a mass flight of players to the transfer portal, a 25-point slump against Mississippi State and an overtime escape from FCS Georgia State’s clutches.
Harsin has to deal with a three-man quarterback battle between TJ Finley, Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada and Robby Ashford this offseason, and will do so with longtime confidante Eric Kiseau leading the offense. Better make the right decision. The Tigers have road games in Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama this year, in addition to a home game against Penn State in Week 3.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas
It’s safe to say that after a great run as offensive coordinator at Alabama, Sarkisian should at least be competent in 2021. Instead, Sark put up a 5-7 record on his debut that included a six-game losing streak and an embarrassing home loss to Kansas. As if that wasn’t enough to unnerve Natives in a success-hungry program, Sark tumbled into the nation’s No. 5 recruiting bracket during the most recent recruiting cycle, luring former hot-shot quarterback candidate Quinn Ewers away from Ohio State after a season. A little improvement will go a long way for Sark, but his tenure is a bit tenuous at the moment.
Mike Norvell deserves a mulligan for 2020’s 3-6 record after inheriting a broken program during the COVID-19 pandemic, but last season’s 5-7 record and loss to Jacksonville State did weight of the Seminole fan base placed on his shoulders. Norvell is touted as an offense specialist, but his offenses have ranked ninth in the ACC each in his first two seasons. Additionally, he has not posted a top 20 recruiting class in any of the three recruiting cycles he has led at Tallahassee. Norvell doesn’t need to be fighting for the ACC Atlantic title to relieve some pressure, but a middle league bowl game and lack of blowout losses will remove potentially serious consequences.
Whenever a sporting director has to sign a head coach again, one can assume that the coach is in a difficult position. That’s exactly what happened to Nebraska coach Scott Frost after a 3-9 season in 2021. The son-in-law and legendary quarterback returned to Lincoln with much fanfare after a successful run at UCF and should restore the Cornhuskers to national prominence, but a 15-29 record and Big Ten West anonymity have made Frost one of the hottest pitches of the country banned.
The fan base is concerned in the Flats after Collins, a relentless recruiter with a strong coaching pedigree and connections throughout the Southeast, set three winning records in all three of his seasons as leader of the Yellow Jackets. Turning a triple-option team into a new-age offensive force is a unique challenge, but Collins hasn’t shown much progress in that department. Also, the loss of their best player — running back Jahmyr Gibbs — to Alabama makes Georgia Tech look a lot more like a farm team than an ACC threat.
Babers was hired by the Orange to guide them to ACC prominence but has instead guided them to ineptness. He is having a successful season in six years, finishing bottom or second-bottom in the division four times and ranked 14th in the ACC in 2020, when the league had no divisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once considered an offensive magician, Syracuse hasn’t averaged more than 400 yards per game since 2018 and ranked 11th in the ACC last year with 366.5 yards per game. Syracuse is a tough sell for non-region prospects, but it shouldn’t be an ACC basement dweller either.