Job Security in College Football

In the world of coaching football its always a matter of  "what have you done for me lately?". You could win the division of your conference one year, go .500 the next year and find your self on the hot seat or fired. Its a tough business but its just that..a business. Sometimes we forget that coaches are people too and that they have families and personal lives outside of football. As fans we put a lot of pressure on them to win. However, they have a big responsibility and have to produce results. When that doesn't happen...or happen often enough, you can very easily find yourself packing up the ole office and looking for new employment. With that topic in mind, today's post looks at job security and will briefly examine coaches on both ends of the spectrum...those that are on the rise, on the hot seat, coaches taking over at new schools this season, and coordinators whose stock is rising and could soon have a team of their own.

Coaches on the rise

David Shaw (Stanford) , the Stanford Alum has been on the coaching staff since 2007 and became head coach in 2011 and is 34-7 as the head coach with two Pac-12 Championships and one Rose Bowl Championship. He is one of three coaches to lead their team to a BCS bowl in each of their first three years as head coach. He was the 2013 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. Jimbo Fisher (Florida State), Fisher took over for the legendary Bobby Bowden in 2010 after serving as offensive coordinator since 2007. The Salem College Alum has brought FSU back to the top of the college football world after a few down years. Fisher is 45-10 as head coach in Tallahassee and appears to be in position to lead the Seminoles for years to come. Great recruiter and teacher and is definitely a coach whose stock is rising. Gus Malzhan (Auburn) Malzhan was the offensive coordinator at Auburn from 2009-2011 before leaving for Arkansas State in 2012. In 2013, he returned to Auburn as head coach and led the Tigers to a 12-2 season and SEC Championship and an appearance in the BCS Title game after an ugly, ugly, 3-9 season the year before. Expectations are flying high at Auburn.

Coaches on the Hot Seat

Will Muschamp (Florida) enters his fourth year as coach of the Gators and it has been a bumpy road. In his first year, Florida was 7-6 and 3-5 in conference..its first losing season in SEC play since 1979. 2012 was much nicer to the Gators as they rebounded with an 11-2 season. But 2013 sent Muschamp back in reverse with a 4-8 season highlighted by home losses to Vanderbilt and FCS Georgia Southern who didn't even complete a pass in route to a 26-20 in the swamp. Driskel is back after last years season ending injury and that should help but if the Gators struggle again this year, Muschamp better have some boxes ready to pack up his office in Gainesville. Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia) Holgorsen has been at WVU since 2011 with an overall record of 21-17. He does have an Orange Bowl championship to his credit but since then he's been 11-14 including 4-8 last year. Times have changed since the high flying offense when Steve Slaton and Pat White were running the show. WVU is one of those teams that doesn't really have an identity right now, in my opinion. Mike London (Virginia) London has been in Charlottesville since 2010 but only has one winning season with the Cavs. He's 18-31 overall and despite being on the weak(er) side of the ACC in the coastal division, has had very little success. Expectations aren't as high in these parts but you gotta wonder how many more losing seasons he can survive. With the addition of Louisville, the resurgence of Florida State, Cutcliffe's recent success at Duke and the belief (by some) that Miami is inching its way back into national relevance...the competition isn't getting any easier for the Cavs in the near future.

New Kids on the Block

James Franklin (Penn St) Franklin served as head coach in Nashville from 2011-2013 compiling a 24-15 record and earning the respect of other coaches in the SEC and across the nation. If you follow the SEC you knew it was only a matter of time before a big time offer came calling for Mr. Franklin. He inherits an unfavorable situation in the aftermath of the Sandusky situation but I think the Penn State family will rally around him and he will have a successful tenure in Happy Valley. Charlie Strong (Texas) I've like this guy since I first saw him at South Carolina from 1999-2001.From there he moved on to Florida where he severed in various roles from Defensive Coordinator, Interim Head Coach (for 2004 Peach Bowl) and Assistant Head Coach from 2002-2009. Most recently, he was 37-14 in four years at Louisville including a Sugar Bowl victory in 2012. Like Franklin you knew it was only a matter of time before he would land that big time head coaching job. He means business and had already kicked off five players this off season and plans on bringing excitement and respect back to the Texas football program. Chris Peterson (Washington) is responsible for putting Boise State on the map in college football. Peterson coached the Broncos from 2006-2013 racking up a 92-13 record. While Boise State had two perfect seasons under Peterson, they were criticized for having a weak schedule and had to settle both times for a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, which they won in 2006 and 2009. It'll be interesting to see how Peterson does at Washington when he'll have to face the likes of Oregon, Stanford, California and Oregon State. We shall see if he can run with the big boys consistently and not just one game per season.

Coordinators to watch

Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris (Clemson) Morris is entering his 4th year as the play caller in Tigertown and he has turned Clemson into one of the most explosive and productive offenses in all of college football. He is of the best in the business and only has four years of experience at the college level while he dominated the high school level in Texas for years. Last year, Clemson averaged just over 500 yards and 40 points per game. Morris has no reason to leave Clemson just yet with all the weapons he has in his arsenal but when the right job comes calling, he will definitely answer the call and leave the Tigers behind. That could be happening as soon as at  the conclusion of this season.

Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart  (Alabama)  Smart is entering his 7th year in Tuscaloosa as defensive coordinator. The Georgia alum is a heck of a recruiter and coach and his defense consistently ranks at the top. Despite losing 6 players to the NFL last season, Smart's defense in 2013 ranked 4th nationally in scoring defense allowing only 13.9 points per game. In 2011, his squad was even stiffer allowing just 8.9 points per game and leading the nation in every major defensive category. Smart comes with a hefty price tag as a coordinator and I don't foresee him leaving for anything other than a head coaching position at a major Big 5 program. Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi (Michigan State)  Narduzzi is entering his 8th year at Michigan State. His defense ranked #1 in the Big Ten for the 3rd straight year in 2013.The Spartans allowed only 13.2 points per game (3rd in nation), 86.6 rushing yards per game (2nd nation) and allowed about 4 yards per play (1st in the nation). As with these first two coaches, I would imagine that it won't be much longer before someone steers Narduzzi away from the Spartans.