Miami will be eager to put these 4 ACC coaches on the hot seat out to pasture

Barring something absolutely crazy, Mario Cristobal is well entrenched as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes for the future. However, we can't say the same thing for many of the other coaches in the ACC.

The hot seat watch is in full effect for many coaches that will be on the opposite side of the field against the Hurricanes this season, and we've identified four coaches on the schedule that could be gone during or after 2026 (listed in chronological order based on the schedule):

Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Want to hear something crazy? Swinney is less than a year older than Cristobal, but he feels ancient because he does not want to embrace anything about the current state of college football. Not the NIL, not the transfer portal... nothing. Clemson isn't the same program that went to the playoff six straight years from 2015-2020 and won two championships, but Swinney isn't going to be run out of the place he's built.

There's no question that Clemson could return to relevancy, but it also feels like Swinney is too stubborn for that to happen under his leadership. So the question becomes if the Tigers are just going be another middle-of-the-pack ACC team: Who's going to tell Swinney to hand over the coaching reins and move into the ambassador role? The future of the Clemson program is very uncertain.

Mike Norvell, FSU

The chances of Norvelll even making it to the Miami game on October 17 feel slim, and he would've been gone after last season if FSU could afford to get rid of him. This feels like the equivalent of kicking a dog while he's down, but because it's happening to Norvell and the Seminoles, it doesn't feel so bad. Truth be told, most Miami fans want Norvell to stick around because he'll keep the FSU program from moving forward.

Bill Belichick, North Carolina

What are they even doing in Chapel Hill? Much like FSU with Norvell, it appears that the quicker the Tar Heels can move past this mistake, the better it will be for everyone. Does Belichick make it to Halloween? Maybe. Maybe not. The program is already trying to shove the failed GM out the door. Right now, it doesn't feel certain that he'll make it to Dublin for the Week 0 opener against TCU. But if he does, it seems unlikely he'll make it past the 2026 season.

Bill O'Brien, Boston College

I understand why Boston College kept O'Brien around after going 2-10 last season. The Eagles aren't in a position as a program to just fire coaches and pay whatever buyout after two seasons. This game is the regular-season finale for the Hurricanes, and it could be a nice post-Thanksgiving send-off for O'Brien, because if you're going to get fired, at least let it happen during the road trip to Miami, so he can hang out on the beach for a few extra days after being canned.

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