Is Ohio State head coach Ryan Day truly on the hot seat entering the 2024 season? We evaluate how much heat he’s feeling, along with all the other Big Ten coaches.
On Sunday, we gave out our admittedly very subjective preseason rankings for every Big Ten head coach. However, how we rank them as coaches doesn’t correlate to how hot each coach’s seat is at their respective schools. A great coach can be on the hot seat due to performance in rivalry games, while a younger coach who has a good rapport with his athletic director could be in a great spot.
Today, we’ll be ranking the Big Ten coaches solely by how hot their seat is. We broke them out into buckets as some are in similar positions.
Ice Cold: Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Sherrone Moore (Michigan), Jonathan Smith (Michigan State), David Braun (Northwestern), DeShaun Foster (UCLA), Jedd Fisch (Washington)
Let’s start with the easiest group. First-year head coaches are always given some grace. Despite Foster’s abysmal Big Ten Media Day appearance, he won’t be going anywhere no matter how rough UCLA’s season is. The same goes for Cignetti, Smith, Braun and Fisch. Moore has already proved his worth but is just starting a new regime.
Ferentz is included in this group because if Iowa hasn’t fired him yet, it’s safe to say it never will. Ferentz isn’t going anywhere.
Cool: Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Ryan Walters (Purdue), Greg Schiano (Rutgers), Luke Fickell (Wisconsin)
I highly, highly doubt any of the coaches listed here get into any sort of trouble this season. However, a below-expectations season could lead to some offseason questions heading into 2025.
Rhule has said all the right things and has recruited well, but you need to see the results on the field eventually. Lanning’s reputation is sterling and he’s viewed as a rising star in the coaching profession, but he’ll need to start winning the big games soon. Oregon fans can rightly expect national title contention as soon this year; Lanning aims to deliver, but a disappointing season could lead to trouble down the line.
Walters is still new to Purdue — it’s just year two for him — but he’s not trending in the right direction. Schiano is viewed as a legend at Rutgers , but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his squad take a step back this season.
Lastly, Fickell is undergoing an intense scheme change at Wisconsin. The luster of his College Football Playoff appearance at Cincinnati is starting to diminish a bit. This may be the year he breaks, through, but in the possibility he doesn’t, Wisconsin fans would be right to feel uneasy.
Lukewarm: Bret Bielema (Illinois), P.J. Fleck (Minnesota), James Franklin (Penn State), Lincoln Riley (USC)
Now we are in the category of coaches who should be starting to feel the need to produce. Bielema had a good 2022 season, but last year was a big step back. Fleck is well-tenured in Minnesota, but he hasn’t won anything of consequence, so it is time to put up or shut up.
Franklin has been good, not great at Penn State. The kings of 10-2, the Nittany Lions will be searching for more in the expanded playoffs. While making the CFP should be easier now for them, if Franklin fails to make it he should start feeling some heat internally despite his massive contract.
Finally, Riley is very much in a similar spot as Bielema — his team had a nice 2022 season, but really fell apart last year despite having the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick. Moving to the Big Ten, it could be an adjustment period for the Trojans, but Riley should be starting to feel the heat a little bit should 2024 not go their way.
On the hot seat: Mike Locksley (Maryland), Ryan Day (Ohio State)
Locksley has had ample opportunities to pick up a signature win at Maryland, but he has repeatedly failed to do so. While it’s impressive to make Maryland football somewhat relevant, it’s gotten a little stale. Now without quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the job only gets harder. Don’t be surprised to hear chatter regarding his job security all season long.
Day has to appear here solely because of his record against Michigan. It’s not a stretch to say Ohio State could lose three games this year, but as long as the Buckeyes beat Michigan, fans won’t be clamoring for Day to be fired. However, on the flip side, I don’t think he can survive another loss to the Wolverines. If Michigan pulls out a fourth consecutive victory over Ohio State, it can and should be the end of Day’s tenure regardless of what else happens. It all boils down to The Game.