The 2017 college football season is rapidly approaching but, at the moment, it feels far away. Much of the offseason is spent dissecting every little thing with various programs and that inevitably leads to questioning of overall direction, beginning with head coaches across the country.
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With that in mind, Phil Steele of ESPN Insider put forth a 13-coach list of those who are "on the hot seat" as the 2017 season nears. This is a familiar sentiment given that there is always coaching turnover in the sport but, in the same breath, this is a (very) large selection of coaches and some of the most intriguing programs in the country are represented.
Coaches like Butch Jones of Tennessee and Brian Kelly of Notre Dame have been firmly on the hot seat for a while and it isn't a surprise to see them included. Beyond that, though, there are some surprises. Michigan State's Mark Dantonio was firmly in the discussion as one of the best coaches in the country just a short time ago but there has been unrest on and off the field in East Lansing, prompting Steele to write that fans should not "be surprised if there's a change at the end of the year."
There are even coaches at the non-Power 5 level represented, as Paul Haynes of Kent State makes the cut. Obviously, the full context is important but, in short, the hot seat is jam-packed right now and the pressure is on.
