Three-Point Stance: Hot seat coaches, five-star questions, 2025 QB dominoes

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at the hot-seat coaches, some debates that could be coming around potential five-stars in the next round of rankings and the jockeying atop the 2025 quarterback rankings in today’s Three-Point Stance.

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Jimbo Fisher: Texas A&M cannot win on the road, Fisher has a worse record than Kevin Sumlin at the same stage and, after winning 78 percent of his games at Florida State, Fisher hasn’t won 10 games once in College Station since 2018. He’s stopped calling plays but it hasn’t changed the stats much. The real question is: When will this thing turn? It probably won’t. Many five- and four-star pieces are in place and a big-time hire could convince many of them not to hit the portal but it’s the same ol' with Texas A&M again.

Justin Wilcox: Cal is 10-18 in its last 28 games under Wilcox, the Golden Bears are 3-6 this season and just lost 63-19 to Oregon. In some years, the offense can’t get going. This season, Cal cannot stop anybody throwing the football. Recruiting is tough there because of the academics and the apathy toward the football program so maybe nobody in the administration will notice Cal’s football team is not good, but maybe someone will.

Jim Harbaugh: Depending on the findings by the Big Ten and the NCAA around this sign-stealing operation, Harbaugh might be ushered out. He and the athletics director have had a tense relationship and Harbaugh has never lasted this long at any of his other jobs because he will do things his own way. Michigan’s coach can win, no doubt about it, but at what cost might be the question.

Dave Aranda: Since a storybook 12-2 season in 2021 which included a Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl victory, Baylor does not even look like the same program. The Bears are 9-13 since the glory days and Aranda put a lot of that blame on himself last season, but it’s carried over to this year. Baylor lost at home to Houston last week and goes to Kansas State on Saturday.

Tom Allen: You feel bad for Allen because Indiana football has had one winning season since 2007 so it’s never going to come easy to the Hoosiers. Plus, the Big Ten East is just butt-kicking central every week. But the conference is going to look drastically different with the influx of West Coast talent next season and one wonders if the administration looks to start anew.

Zach Arnett: Arnett got the head coaching job after Mike Leach’s sudden passing as the school didn’t have an athletic director and needed a stop-gap measure so everyone didn’t flee to the portal and recruits flipped elsewhere. To fire Arnett so soon seems sudden but Mississippi State is struggling at 1-5 in the conference and the Bulldogs are having real problems scoring.

Sam Pittman: There is some funky buyout language in Pittman’s contract that might have his detractors cheering for Auburn, FIU and Missouri in the closing weeks. Pittman fired OC Dan Enos after an egregious performance against Mississippi State a few weeks ago and then the Razorbacks go to Florida and win. No excuses here because Pittman is paid handsomely to win but five of Arkansas’ six losses this season are by a touchdown or less.

Dino Babers: In 2018, Babers delivered Syracuse’s first 10-win season since the Paul Pasqualoni days but other than that it’s been average-to-below-average for his time there. Things looked promising as the Orange started 4-0 but they’ve now lost five straight including last week against Boston College and four other blowouts.

Rankings meetings are coming up the week of Thanksgiving and there will be plenty to talk about heading into our next update, as players get moved around following their senior seasons. Here are five things I’ll be watching:

1. Does Cam Coleman move up? His senior tape is phenomenal, maybe the best out of any receiver in the country including Jeremiah Smith. The Texas A&M commit has the size, ranginess, length and hands to be ranked even higher.

2. Did Jordan Seaton do enough for five-stars? Seaton is already the top-ranked offensive lineman in the class and he’s had a phenomenal season at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. But it’s a weaker year along the offensive line so does anyone deserve a five-star ranking?

3. Who’s No. 1 at linebacker? Florida commit Myles Graham and Georgia pledge Justin Williams are the five-star linebackers in this class but arguments could be made for Auburn commit Demarcus Riddick, Clemson commit Sammy Brown and Notre Dame pledge Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. How does that shake out at a position that has lesser value in the NFL Draft?

4. Does DJ Lagway move to a five-star? His stats have been astronomically good – 78 percent completion percentage, 3,218 yards with 45 touchdowns and five interceptions, 609 rushing yards and nine more scores. But rankings are about more than just stats. Is he a first-rounder in the NFL Draft? It will be discussed.

5. Does anyone drop from five-star status? They’re all good players but we’re not ranking good players – we’re trying to predict who’s elite in college football over the next few years and who will be a first-round draft pick. There are definitely some names on the five-star list right now who might be moved down a little bit as others jump ahead.

Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, LSU, Oregon, Penn State and Florida State made the final cut for 2025 five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood but many feel his decision could come down to LSU or Michigan with some others still having a real shot.

The more interesting storyline here is watching the decisions of George MacIntyre and KJ Lacey play out.

Lacey is committed to Texas so it should seem like no storyline at all but he keeps visiting Alabama. The Crimson Tide coaches keep telling him they’re going to recruit the Saraland, Ala., standout until the end, especially with five-star teammate Ryan Williams committed there.

But Alabama might also be the big frontrunner for MacIntyre, a high four-star from Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy. He is also looking at LSU, Tennessee and UCLA.

The management of these two recruitments will be interesting. Alabama wants to keep Lacey close, but at the expense of MacIntyre, the uncommitted one? This will be fun to watch.