Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz. Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The top five head coaches on the hot seat have each experienced changes with their coordinator positions in recent years, either by the coordinators being fired or moving on to retirement or other opportunities.
When coordinators are fired, it’s a message from the head coach to the athletic director, school administration and fan base that he is making drastic changes to turn around the program.
Many view the firings as a desperate way to save the head coach’s job.
Texas coach Mack Brown fired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who is only 39, after the Longhorns allowed 550 rushing yards to BYU in a 40-21 loss to the Cougars last Saturday.
Time will tell if replacing Diaz with former Syracuse head coach and Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson will save his job.
Here is a ranking of coaches on the hot seat who have made controversial staff decisions yet have little or nothing to show for it:
1. Lane Kiffin, USC
His father Monte Kiffin resigned from his defensive coordinator position after last season and later was hired by the Dallas Cowboys in the same capacity. Reports out of Los Angeles suggest the younger Kiffin welcomed his father’s move. He hired former NFL assistant Clancy Pendergast to replace his dad. The more controversial move was Kiffin firing offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu, a popular former Trojan who is the uncle of USC great Troy Polamalu. Kiffin, USC’s offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll in 2005 and 2006, promoted quarterbacks coach Clay Helton to offensive coordinator. In reality, Kiffin is calling the plays and the passing offense continues to struggle.
2. Bobby Hauck, UNLV
Hauck fired offensive coordinator Brent Myers and defensive coordinator J.D. Williams last December, a year after promoting them to replace two other coordinators. Myers and Williams were elevated to their positions following the 2011 season when Hauck demoted the previous coordinators — Rob Phenicie on offense and Kraig Paulson on defense — rather than dismiss them. Hauck hired his brother Tim Hauck as the defensive coordinator, and former Washington State and NFL quarterback Timm Rosenbach as the offensive coordinator. The Rebels are 0-2 after allowing Arizona to rush for 397 yards in a 58-13 loss at home last Saturday. UNLV quarterback Nick Sherry was intercepted twice, both returned for touchdowns, and the Rebels offense only had 125 passing yards.
3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Ferentz lost both coordinators before last season when veteran defensive coordinator Norm Parker retired and offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe left to become the receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins. Parker and O’Keefe coached 13 years with Ferentz at Iowa. O’Keefe’s move was peculiar because he did not leave for another offensive coordinator spot. He had become a target of fan criticism late in his tenure because of Iowa’s conservative style of play on offense. Greg Davis, who resigned as Texas’ offensive coordinator in 2010, took over O’Keefe’s spot. Phil Parker, no relation to Norm Parker, was elevated from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator. Ferentz’s job has not become more secure with Davis and Parker calling the shots. In fact, the season-opening loss to Northern Illinois signaled a time of crisis.
4. Norm Chow, Hawaii
A day before fall camp started this season, Chow, who is feeling the heat in Honolulu, dismissed offensive coordinator Aaron Price. Reportedly a power struggle existed with Chow wanting to call the plays. Price joined Hawaii only six months prior to his dismissal from UTEP, where he coached nine years with his father Mike Price. Aaron Price had replaced Tommy Lee, a friend of Chow’s who retired. Lee had not coached since 2007 before joining Chow’s staff in 2012. He never offered resistance to Chow calling the plays. Chow did not hire a replacement for Price. He is calling the shots and Hawaii is 0-2. The lackluster Rainbow Warriors had six three-and-outs in a 33-14 loss at Oregon State last Saturday. Hawaii ranks 120th out of 123 FBS teams in total offense.
5. Charlie Weis, Kansas
Whether Weis is on the hot seat at a program that lacks a winning tradition in football is debatable. But there is no denying the fact that Weis is responsible for what happens with the Jayhawks’ offense. When he became Kansas’ head coach last year he did not hire an offensive coordinator. He became the pseudo offensive coordinator along with being the head coach. Can he handle both duties at once? Will he be a prominent figure among the defensive players? Good questions to ask especially after Kansas went 1-11 last year. The Jayhawks beat South Dakota 31-14 last Saturday in the opener, but Kansas led by only 10 with 7 minutes remaining. Kansas quarterback Jake Heaps, a BYU transfer, completed 10 of 20 passes for only 110 yards.
