Every Friday, the Friday Five will rank something in the world of college football -- anything and everything from the logical to the illogical. This week, we rank coaches on the hot seat.
National Signing Day is approaching and just about every coach is feeling some pressure to put together the best recruiting class possible. After all, recruiting is the lifeblood of any program, as it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are, you aren't going to win games without the right players.
But not all coaches are feeling the same kind of pressure. There are some who know that their jobs are on the line this season, and if things don't break right, this could be the last class they put together at their current school.
So this Friday, the Friday Five breaks down the five coaches who enter 2015 on the hottest of seats.
5. Tim Beckman, Illinois
In mid-November, the Illini were 4-6 and most people were assuming that the ax was hovering over Beckman's head, waiting to drop. But then the Illini went and won their final two regular-season games against Penn State and Northwestern to attain bowl eligibility and possibly save Beckman's job. That doesn't mean he's safe long-term, however. While the team has improved each season since his first, Beckman is still only 12-25 at Illinois with a record of 4-20 in Big Ten play. Also, we're approaching signing day and Beckman has yet to receive an extension on his contract, which expires after the 2015 season. The message is pretty clear for him this season.
4. Willie Taggart, South Florida
The third season at a school tends to be a make-or-break campaign for a lot of coaches. That's the situation Taggart finds himself in right now and there's no bigger sign of a coach feeling some heat than shake-ups on the coaching staff. Taggart is overhauling his staff at USF, and for good reason, as the Bulls are 6-18 overall and 5-11 in the American under his watch. The good news for Taggart is that the Bulls improved to 4-8 in 2014 after going 2-10 in 2013, but you have to think it's bowl game or bust for Taggart's Bulls in 2015.
3. Larry Fedora, North Carolina
Things started out well enough for Fedora in Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels went 8-4 in his first season there. The problem is that the team has regressed each season since, finishing 7-6 in 2013 and 6-7 this year. The biggest issue for the Tar Heels has been defense, as they were one of the worst in the country this season. And that's why Fedora went out and hired Gene Chizik to take over the unit. Fedora knows that if his team doesn't improve drastically on that side of the ball and win more games in a seemingly always open Coastal Division, he'll be on his way out the door.
2. Mike London, Virginia
There's been a theme during Mike London's tenure at Virginia. He's routinely managed to finish in the top half of the ACC as far as recruiting classes are concerned, but those successes off the field haven't translated to wins on it. London's had one winning season at Virginia, going 8-5 in 2011. In his other four seasons, the Cavs are 15-33 overall and 6-26 in conference play. And this year's recruiting class is currently ranked 10th in the conference behind schools like Duke and Georgia Tech. Many thought London would be fired after Virginia just missed out on a bowl berth in 2014, but he was given another year. Whether he makes it through 2015 will depend on whether the Cavs can make a marked improvement.
1. Al Golden, Miami
That's right, the three hottest seats in the country all reside in the ACC. Golden received a lot of patience from administration and fans at the beginning of his tenure at Miami, considering everything he had to deal with thanks to Nevin Shapiro and the NCAA. And, honestly, he did about as well as could be expected, going 22-15 his first three seasons. The problem is that he just went 6-7 in 2014, and the patience the Miami fan base -- yes, it does exist! -- showed has really started to wane because of it. Golden has had more success at Miami than the other four coaches on this list have at their current schools, but he's also in a different situation. Miami has won five national titles since 1983, and it's located in one of the most talent-rich areas of the United States. Simply winning six or seven games a season and going to middle-tier bowl games isn't going to be enough. If the Canes don't pose a legitimate threat to the Coastal Division and Florida State in 2015, Golden just might be canned.
Honorable Mention: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa; Paul Rhoads, Iowa State; Kevin Wilson, Indiana; Darrell Hazell, Purdue; Mike Leach, Washington State; Scott Schafer, Syracuse
