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Which Pac-12 coach is on the hottest seat in 2023?

Some coaches in the Pac-12 are under a ton of pressure while others are sitting pretty
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Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal
Utah Utes
Utah Utes

Finding a good head coach isn't always easy for college football programs.

Some programs hit the jackpot like Stanford who outside of these past few seasons had been a power on the West coast with David Shaw at the helm, while others like Colorado are on their fourth coach since 2018. There are many factors that go along determining whether or not a head coach is good, with things such as recruiting, staff building, and culture building all being vital to a program's success.

However, not every coach is working under the same circumstances. There are some coaches who have already proved themselves and have earned the respect and trust of their school, while others may be coaching for the job in 2023. The Pac-12 is full of coaches of all kinds of status', having some of the most established coaches in the sport while also having a couple coaches running out of leash.

Something that CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd recently broke down, ranking the status of every coach in the FBS from 0-5, with 0 being "untouchable" and 5 being in the "win or be fired" range.

Let's take at the status of every coach in the Pac-12. 

Deion Sanders (Colorado)

Apr 22, 2023; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the first half of the spring game at Folsom Filed. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 0 (Untouchable)

New Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is one of the untouchables in the Pac-12. He's an elite recruiter, has amplified the brand of Colorado to a whole new level, and has made the program as relevant as it has been in decades. 

Lincoln Riley (USC)

Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees (72) react in the second half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Hot-seat ranking: 0

USC is grateful they were able to steal Riley away from Oklahoma, and had amazing success in their first year. They made a Pac-12 title and New Year's Six appearance. He is regarded as one of the best offensive minds in college football.

Kyle Whittingham (Utah)

Jan 2, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham looks on before the 109th Rose Bowl game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 0

Kyle Whittingham is a legend in Utah, and has been on the sidelines for the Utes for what will be 19 seasons in 2023. They are coming off back-to-back Pac-12 titles, and Utah has emerged as one of the stronger programs in the country and the conference. 

Kalen DeBoer (Washington)

Nov 26, 2022; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer calls a timeout during the first half against the Washington State Cougars at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 0

Kalen DeBoer is going into his second season as head coach, and his first one couldn't have gone better. Not only was he named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, but his 11 wins were the most ever by a first-year coach at Washington. 

Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State)

Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cameron Skattebo talks with head coach Kenny Dillingham during spring football practice at the Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe on March 16, 2023. Ncaa Football Asu Spring Football Practice

Hot-seat ranking: 1 (Safe and Secure)

After turning everything he touched into gold as an offensive coordinator at stops in Auburn and Oregon, Dillingham gets a chance to revive his alma mater.

Dan Manning (Oregon)

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates with the championship trophy after the 2022 Holiday Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Petco Park.

Hot-seat ranking: 1

In his first season in Eugene he led the Ducks to a 10-3 record, and was able to bounce back after a horrific start against Washington. He had a strong recruiting class and appears to have Oregon headed in the right direction. 

Jedd Fisch (Arizona)

Nov 19, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch looks on prior to the game against the Washington State Cougars at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 2 (All Good...For Now)

The Wildcats improved from 1-11 to 5-7 this past season and appear poised to make their first bowl game since 2017.  

Jonathan Smith (Oregon State)

Dec 17, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith watches from the sideline during the second half against the Florida Gators at the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 2 

The former Oregon State quarterback led the program to their best season in nearly two decades, and has them in position to reach heights they've never seen. The Beavers are viewed as a dark horse for the playoff. 

Troy Taylor (Stanford)

Troy Taylor

Hot-seat ranking: 2 

After a decade of success with David Shaw, things went sour at the end for Stanford. They now have offensive guru Troy Taylor at the helm, and he is expected to help this program reassert itself in modern college football. He also already shown an ability to recruit, and use the portal. 

Chip Kelly (UCLA)

Dec 30, 2022; El Paso, Texas, USA; UCLA Bruins head football coach Chip Kelly before a play against the Pittsburgh Panthers defense in the first half in the 2022 Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 2 

After people began questioning whether or not Chip Kelly was the right guy at UCLA, the head coach was able to silence the critics. It was their best season under Kelly and their first time winning 9 games since 2014. 

Jake Dickert (Washington State)

Nov 12, 2022; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Jake Dickert sings the school fight song after a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State won 28-18. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 2

While Dickert has led the program to some success, there are questions emerging as to what the ceiling can be with him at the helm.

Justin Wilcox (Cal)

Nov 19, 2022; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Justin Wilcox gestures while talking to the referees during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Hot-seat ranking: 3 (Pressure is Mounting)

Viewed as the lone coach in the conference on or close to the hot seat, Justin Wilcox needs to get things going at Cal. He brought in a new offensive coordinator which should help with the anemic offensive display we've seen the past few seasons from Cal.  

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