Looking ahead to the 2016 hot seat
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2016 class: With only nine commits, Purdue is No. 96 nationally and last in the
Big Ten. It has received only two pledges since the summer.
2017 class: The Boilermakers have no commits in this class.
Overview: Purdue had only two wins this season -- Indiana State and Nebraska
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and Hazell is now 6-30 in three seasons in West Lafayette. Under Hazell, the
Boilermakers have won only two Big Ten games.
Farrell's take: "The Big Ten West isn't very strong so he
needs to get to a bowl game. If they can't go from 2-10 to the 6-6 range they
could be looking for a new guy."
2016 class: West Virginia is No. 32 overall and third in the Big 12 with
four-star commitments athlete Steven Smothers and defensive back Kyzir White leading the way.
2017 class: The first pledge in this class is three-star linebacker
Maverick Wolfley from Morgantown, W.Va.
Overview: Holgorsen is 35-28 at West Virginia, but the Mountaineers have won only
seven games in three of those seasons and haven't emerged as a major contender
yet in the Big 12. The Mountaineers lost to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State,
Baylor and
TCU during a brutal October stretch.
Farrell's take: "Everybody is waiting for the breakthrough
year. They need that year. Recruiting-wise, he's doing OK for West
Virginia without a home base. It's about taking that next step and competing for
the Big 12 next year."
2016 class: The Yellow Jackets are No. 86 overall and last in the ACC with only
eight commits. Seven are three-star prospects.
2017 class: Georgia Tech has no commits in this class.
Overview: Johnson has had tremendous success taking Georgia Tech to two Orange
Bowls since arriving there, including one in 2014, but a 3-9 season left a lot of
people scratching their heads. The Yellow Jackets beat Alcorn State and Tulane
to start the season and their only other win came on a last-second shocker
against Florida State.
Farrell's take: "They were in a bad division and they should have competed but
they didn't. He needs to start getting more of these Georgia kids. Mark Richt
is gone, Kirby Smart is a new guy and Johnson needs to keep some of
these top kids home."
2016 class: Auburn is No. 11 overall and sixth in the SEC led by five-star
defensive end Marlon Davidson from Greenville, Ala.
2017 class: The Tigers have jumped out to a great start recruiting in this class,
led by five-star offensive tackle Calvin Ashley from Orlando (Fla.) Dr.
Phillips.
Overview: After taking Auburn to the national title game in his first season,
Malzahn's Tigers finished 8-5 last season and 6-6 (worst in the SEC West) this
year. He is 2-9 in his last 11 SEC games. In the cutthroat SEC, that is not good news and another bad season could be
worrisome. Auburn's only conference wins came against Kentucky and
Farrell's take: "The last place team in the SEC West, the
coach is always going to be on the hot seat. Recruiting is not off the charts as
it was last year but they're still doing well. Even though they have a good
rating it doesn't seem like they have as much momentum. Recruiting isn't the
problem at all. It's the offensive system that is so reliant on a quarterback
who can run it and they don't have one right now."
2016 class: The Commodores are No. 68 overall and last in the SEC. Vanderbilt is
the only conference team without a four-star commit but 10 of 13 pledges are
three-stars.
2017 class: The lone commit in this class is three-star running
back Lamont Atkins from
Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock.
Overview: Vanderbilt showed marginal improvement in Mason's second season. After
going winless in the SEC last season, the Commodores beat Kentucky and Missouri
and were in other games as well. Mason's club averages just about 15 points per
game, so a complete overhaul might be in order.
Farrell's take: "They improved quite a bit defensively but
the offense is one of the ugliest things I've seen. That is really where the
turnaround needs to occur. The record wasn't embarrassingly horrible (4-8, 2-6), but the
offense needs to change and the recruiting needs to step up because next year is
a really good year in Tennessee."
2016 class: The Tigers have the top-rated recruiting class in the SEC and
second-best overall behind Ohio State. Ten of 17 commits are high four-stars and
six others are in the three-star category.
2017 class: LSU's lone commit in this class comes from four-star defensive
tackle Tyler Shelvin from Lafayette (La.) Northside.
Overview: Let's be honest -- if the LSU brass had its way, Miles would have been
fired after the Texas A&M game. Miles' firing looked unavoidable leading up to
that contest, but the fans rallied behind Miles and he kept his job. How much
leeway could he possibly have moving forward despite his success in Baton Rouge?
Farrell's take: "He would've been fired this year if they came to an agreement
with Jimbo Fisher. They're going to be looking for a replacement if
they aren't already. Every loss will be scrutinized. He really needs to win the
SEC West next year to keep his job and recruiting is affected because recruits
have no idea how long he will be there."
2016 class: The Longhorns are No. 53 overall and seventh in the Big 12 with just
12 commits, three of those being four-star prospects.
2017 class: Texas is off to a nice start with four pledges in this class led by
four-star defensive end LaGaryonn Carson and four-star wide receiver
Overview: Strong is 11-14 and 9-9 in the Big 12 after two seasons with eight losses of at least 21 points. There's no question he will be closely
monitored heading into next season. Texas could be reshuffling its staff, at
least on offense, but Strong will need to show immediate improvement and show
signs that the program is becoming a national contender again.
Farrell's take: "They had two huge wins against Oklahoma
and Baylor, but in a year where losing teams are going to a bowl and Texas
doesn't go, that's a problem. Texas has to at least get to a bowl game next year
or they will make a move. Strong really needs to really step it up with the
number of kids in-state who want to stay."
2016 class: With 10 pledges and just five three-stars, the Hoosiers are No. 91
nationally and No. 13 in the Big Ten ahead of only Purdue.
2017 class: Indiana has two pledges in this class led by North Little Rock
(Ark.) Central Arkansas Christian three-star running back Joshua Johnson.
Overview: Wilson is 20-40 in five seasons, but his 2015 record of 6-6 was his best to date. The Hoosiers battled Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan in close losses.
Still, lots of coaches lose their jobs because of close losses so Wilson has to
find a way to win those games next season.
Farrell's take: "He should be the coach for a long time.
You can't expect much more. They're competitive, their offense was fun to watch,
they took some teams down to the wire. Recruiting has been OK under him. In the
Big Ten East, a winning season is hard to come by."
Adam Gorney
National Recruiting Analyst