Lincoln Riley, Deion Sanders On College Football Coaches Hot Seat List After Week 4

Six college football head coaches, from South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer to Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, face growing pressure after Week 4 losses. Slow starts likely have their schools weighing huge buyout numbers.

Maryland head coach Mike Locksley took the most lopsided loss of the group, 54-3 at home to UCLA. However, the cost to fire these coaches varies a lot, from more than $9 million for Locksley to about $72 million for USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks

Lincoln Riley, Deion Sanders On College Football Hot Seat List After Week 4 Losses — South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

South Carolina lost 49-18 at No. 8 Alabama on Saturday. It was the Gamecocks' seventh straight loss to an SEC team, and they've dropped 11 of their last 13 games against Power Four opponents.

South Carolina is 2-2 and 0-2 in SEC play. One week earlier, the Gamecocks blew a 16-point lead in a 41-34 home loss to Mississippi State. After the Alabama game, Beamer took the blame. "This is on me," he said.

The sixth-year coach is 35-32 at South Carolina, and the team went 4-8 last season. Also, athletic director Jeremiah Donati didn't hire him. Last November, a source close to Donati said Beamer would get through the first half of 2026 before a review of his future. Next, the Gamecocks host Kentucky on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET before a trip to Florida.

Buyout: About $27.9 million if fired before the season ends, dropping to about $22.1 million at the end of December

Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

Oregon beat USC 41-27 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, even though Ducks quarterback Dante Moore left the game in the second quarter after a late hit. The score was tied in the fourth quarter, but Oregon pulled away late.

The Trojans are 4-1. Still, they're now 5-15 against top-25 teams under Riley, and the fifth-year coach hasn't reached the College Football Playoff at USC.

Before the game, national college football reporter Pete Thamel spelled out the stakes. "If they lose Saturday, it's reasonable to say Lincoln Riley is on the hot seat," Thamel said. USC hosts Washington next, but Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana are still on the schedule.

Buyout: About $72 million

Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins

Maryland's 54-3 loss came against UCLA and first-year Bruins head coach Bob Chesney. It was also the Terrapins' second straight home loss to a first-year coach, because Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin won in College Park a week earlier.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington threw four interceptions, and two were returned for touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Terps ran for just 39 yards, and their defense gave up 475 yards. Students also chanted "Fire Locksley" before halftime.

Maryland is 2-2 in Locksley's eighth season after going 4-8 in each of the last two years. In addition, the Terps haven't beaten a Power Four team since a win over Wisconsin on Sept. 20, 2025. Still, the D.C. native said he believes in his staff.

"I still have a lot of confidence in myself and the staff to get this thing fixed," Locksley said. "That will have to be earned, I won't be able to claim it."

Buyout: More than $9 million if fired before the season ends

Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watched his team lose 23-13 at Baylor in the Big 12 opener. The Buffaloes are 2-2, and Sanders is 18-23 in four seasons at Colorado.

One week earlier, Colorado lost 41-7 at Northwestern. After that game, Coach Prime removed several players from the team following a postgame incident. After the Baylor loss, Sanders said his team hasn't played to its level.

"We're better than this. It seems as though we're better than our opponents, but the score does not dictate that," Sanders said.

Colorado went 3-9 last season, one year after a 9-4 finish. Next, the Buffaloes face Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State.

Firing Sanders seems unlikely and it's more plausible the school will allow him to resign after the season ends.

Buyout: About $25.5 million (75 percent of his remaining base salary) if fired before the end of 2026, dropping to about $17.25 million in 2027

Greg Schiano, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano opened the season with a 37-21 home loss to UMass. After that, the Scarlet Knights also lost to Boston College and USC to fall to 0-3.

On Friday, Rutgers beat Howard 58-7 at home for its first win. That win was Schiano's 100th at Rutgers, and the team is now 1-3. However, the schedule gets harder right away, because No. 6 Indiana visits on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

Rutgers athletic director Keli Zinn has publicly backed the 60-year-old coach. "Greg and I are on the exact same page with this: I want what he wants and he wants what I want," Zinn said.

Buyout: About $17.3 million, based on the roughly $22.5 million left on his contract; the amount shrinks if he takes another coaching job

Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles

Norvell's team beat Central Arkansas 34-7 on Saturday to move to 2-2. Central Arkansas is Norvell's alma mater. But the Seminoles had already lost to SMU and Alabama, and the school fired athletic director Michael Alford before the Alabama game.

The former Central Arkansas receiver is 40-36 in his seventh season. After a 13-0 regular season in 2023, Florida State went 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025. Next, the Seminoles face Virginia, Louisville and Miami in October.

Buyout: About $48 million if fired now, dropping to about $45.6 million after the season; he's owed 85 percent of his remaining salary

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