Which Tar Heels Rivals are on the Hot Seat?

With ACC Media Days coming up next week in Charlotte, CBS Sports examines which coaches are on the proverbial hot seat and who has to win early to keep their jobs. They ranked all 136 college coaches, but the ACC coaches are the primary focus here.

Jan 3, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Brent Fry on the sideline during the second quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

CBS Sports took a look at the coaches that enter the 2025 season on the hot seat. North Carolina's Bill Belichick does not have to worry about that, but several of his ACC counterparts are going to feel their chairs get awfully warm.

The website examined the ACC coaches and 13 apparently are in the clear, but Virginia Tech's Brent Fry can feel his seat scorching. He is on the low end of the ACC coaches that are expected to find success this season.

Dabo Swinney of Clemson, Jeff Brohm of Louisville and Southern Methodist's Rhett Lashley are untouchable according to CBS. Swinney and Lashley competed for the ACC Championship last season and took their teams to the College Football Playoffs,

Fry's seat is the hottest. He has gone 16-21 overall and is only 10-13 in the conference. He has been at Virginia Tech for three seasons and the fans in Blacksburg are growing restless with his lack of success. He has taken the Hokies to bowl games the last two seasons, but they have not competed for much by way of an ACC Championship.

Tech fans miss the days of Frank Beamer who had 11 double-digit victory seasons from 1995 through 2011.

The seat is awfully warm at Cal as Justin Wilcox has a 42-50 career record and the Bears are going nowhere quickly. They did manage to go 8-5 last season and won their bowl game, but he finished 2-6 in Cal's first season in the conference. At Berkeley they do not tolerate mediocity.

The next coach that could get his walking papers is Tony Elliott from Virginia. He has an 11-23 record in three years and is a dismal 6-17 in conference play. Charlottesville residents are getting restless.

The Cavaliers have not had any modicum of success with Elliott. The last time they had a winning season was in 2019 with head coach Bronco Mendenhall. They went 9-5 and that was the last time they finished above sea level.

The next coach on their list to sit on a sizzling seat, believe it or not, is Florida State's Mike Norvell. Norvell went undefeated two seasons ago and should have made the College Football Playoff. Last season, after losing his upperclassman and transfers, he fell to 2-10.

It is inconceivable as to how Florida State could think of firing Norvell after the garbage he inherited from Willie Taggert. If Norvell is let go at the end of the season, he will not have a problem finding a new job.

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