Hot Seat Rankings for Each Head Coach Georgia Tech Will Face In 2026

The 2026 college football season is getting closer.

ACC media days are set to take place this week, followed by SEC media days and Big Ten Media days, and then the arrival of fall camp. The dog days of summer are nearing their end and football will soon be back.

Georgia Tech is going to embark on a tough but interesting schedule. The Yellow Jackets are going to face 11 power-four teams this season, including two non-conference games against the SEC.

When looking at the coaches that Georgia Tech is going to face this season, which ones are on the hot seat?

The deep icy Arctic

Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, Jeff Brohm, and Manny Diaz

I won't spend too much time on Smart, it is obvioius why he is not on the hot seat and likely won't ever be on the hot seat.

It might seem silly to include Diaz on here, but he has won an ACC Championship (I know, they lost five games, but still), and was handed a tough situation this season when quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate left for Miami. Duke is going to hope Diaz is there for a long time to continue winning in Durham.

Brohm has had plenty of success in his first three season at Louisville, making the ACC Championship game in his first season, and nearly getting back there in the past two seasons. The Cardinals are seen as the top threat to Miami in the ACC this season and Brohm turned away other programs who wanted to hire him this offseason.

Swinney was the tough one. The Clemson program has dropped off from where it was from about 2015-2020 and they are no longer seen as real threats to win the national championship. Still, Swinney is the best coach in the history of the program and it is not like the Tigers have fallen out of ACC contention under his watch.

Would Clemson ever grow tired of not competing for national championships and put the heat on Swinney? Perhaps, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Brand new coaches

James Franklin, Tavita Pritchard, and Jake Dickert

This category is pretty self explanatory.

James Franklin (Virginia Tech) and Tavita Pritchard (Stanford) are entering their first seasons with their new programs and are not going to be on the hot seat any time soon. Franklin does enter with more expectation in Blacksburg than Pritchard does with the Cardinal, but year one is going to be about building the standard and culture.

I know Dickert is not a brand new coach, but after going 9-4 in year one at Wake (one of the most difficult programs to win at), he is not going to be under any pressure and it will be more about how the Demon Deacons can keep him long-term.

What is the standard?

Pat Narduzzi

Narduzzi was a tough one and I view him in a similar light to Dave Doeren at NC State, though Narduzzi does have an ACC Championship under his belt.

Narduzzi has been the head coach of the Panthers since 2015 and has undeniably been a very good coach. Pittsburgh is consistently among the tougher teams to play in the conference and he develops under recruited players into NFL Draft picks.

But we have seen time and again in college football, how long are fans content with being just pretty good? In his 11 seasons with the Panthers, Narduzzi has only won more than eight games twice (2021 and 2022) and made the ACC Championship game twice, winning it in 2021. Pitt is not a resource rich program like Miami or Clemson and perhaps he is getting the most out of each roster, but it is a question worth asking.

Kinda warm?

Josh Heupel

Heupel has been pretty successful at Tennessee. After unsuccessful runs under Jeremy Pruitt, Butch Jones, Derek Dooley, and Lane Kiffin, Heupel has had the Vols as one of the better teams in the SEC, getting them to the CFP in 2024 and nearly getting them there in 2022.

But towards the end of last season, it did feel like some discontent was starting to set in with Heupel in Knoxville. Tennessee has been consistently good, for the first time in about 20 years, but they have not been close to great.

I don't think this seat is that warm to be perfectly honest, but if they go 8-4 again, what is the reaction?

Warm, but low expectations

Bill O'Brien

Bill O'Brien is probably on the warmest seat of any coach that Georgia Tech will face in 2026, but I don't think it is scalding hot. The Eagles overachieved in his first season, getting to a bowl game, but came crashing down in 2026, going 2-10 and becoming the worst team in the ACC.

BC is once again coming into the year with low expectations and if they go 3-9 or 2-10, it could be time for a change in Chestnut Hill.

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