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College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

On Their 9th Life: Five Coaches Who Somehow Didn’t Get Fired

Mike Huesmann looks at five coaches who surprisingly kept their jobs, including Sam Pittman and Dave Aranda.

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Nov 24
Nov 24

By Mike Huesmann

Most of my articles are focused on firings that have already happened and the subsequent coaching search. This will be a departure from that. Today we look at coaches who I thought might or should get fired but kept their job. These guys will all go into 2024 on the hot seat. Several of them have fired assistant coaches, the universal sign that one knows trouble is imminent.

Criteria- for this list, I did not include a coach in their first or second year at the school. I believe in nearly all cases a coach should get three years to implement true change. A second-year guy, for example, Billy Napier and Stan Drayton have struggled but deserve year 3. Here are five guys who were touch and go but kept their job.

Dave Aranda, Baylor

Aranda came to Baylor as the hottest DC in the country from LSU. He won 12 games in year two but won a total of 11 in the other three years, including 3-9 in 2023. Aranda did well initially with Matt Rhule’s guys, but his teams have steadily gotten worse as his recruits have come to dominate the roster. 

We heard Aranda rumors of Aranda being fired last month. Clearly, that didn’t happen, but if he doesn’t find a QB and go to a bowl game next year, he won’t see Thanksgiving as the Bears head coach.

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Will Hall, Southern Miss

Hall is 13-24 in three years as the Southern Miss head coach. They won three games this past season and I was surprised he was not given his walking papers. 

The biggest condemnation of Hall is his inability to find a QB and any semblance of a passing game in his time in Hattiesburg. Anyone who watches their games will know they’ve been inept at QB, to the point of lining up in an excessive amount of Wildcat with Frank Gore Jr. taking the snaps. Hall needs to figure something out to keep his job.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas

A year or two ago the Hogs looked to be surging and primed to take that next step. Things have stalled mightily. Rocket Sanders being hurt and K.J. Jefferson playing wildly mediocre became common themes. Dan Enos, the first-year offensive coordinator, was fired mid-season. 

Bobby Petrino was brought back in to take the reins and Taylen Green has been added at QB via the portal. Everyone, including Pittman, knows he’s on the hottest of seats entering the season.

Mike Neu, Ball State

Neu is 37-56 in eight seasons with the Cardinals. They were 4-8 in 2023, including winning 3 of their last 5, which probably saved his job. Ball State hasn’t had a winning season since the 7-1 season in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, his only winning season as head coach. The entire MAC was ravaged by the portal in 2023, Neu will need to stop this and improve if he wants to make it past 2024 at his alma mater.

https://twitter.com/ojhodgkinson/status/1733139578326818906

Kalani Sitake, BYU

Sitake is an interesting scenario in this topic. He has a good overall record in eight seasons, 61-41, though he’s steadily declined the last two seasons and he inherited a quality situation in 2016 when Bronco Mendenhall left for Virginia. 

In year 1 of the Big XII, Sitake went 5-7 including losing his last 5. Being new to the conference may be what saved his job. Another losing season could be the end for Sitake. 

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