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NCAA Football: 5 Head Coaches On The Hot Seat In 2016

By Evan Massey
Published on: 02:33 PST, Sep 23, 2016

As the 2016 NCAA football season progresses, there are a lot of storylines continuing to pop up. Each of the first three weeks of the season have been entertaining to say the very least. That likely won’t change moving forward and there are a lot of things to keep an eye on around the nation.

Needless to say, the next few weeks will be interesting to watch and see what happens across the nation.

We have previously broken down who the top five darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidates are this season. Now, it’s time to take a look on the sidelines at the head coaches.

Each and every year, there are head coaches that are fired or rumored to be on the hot seat. That is the case once again this season, although we are still early in the season. A lot of coaches traded programs this past offseason, but there are a handful that could be on their way out of their current jobs at the end of the 2016 season.

All of that being said, which five head coaches are at risk of losing their jobs following the 2016 season?

Clay Helton, USC Trojans

Perhaps the most obvious coach on the hot seat this season is USC head coach Clay Helton. There is a lot of drama coming out of USC and a lot of it has to do with players being unhappy with their coach. USC has not shown hesitancy in firing coaches in recent history and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Helton on his way out of town following the season.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn Tigers

Firing Gus Malzahn doesn’t sound like something that many Auburn fans would like to see, but it could end up happening. Auburn hasn’t had the kind of success that the school would like and that could fall back on the head coach. Malzahn is still a great football coach, but every team needs a change of scenery at times.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats

Despite the increase of talent coming into the Kentucky football program, Mark Stoops has yet to prove that he can be the head coach that puts the Wildcats on the map. Stoops has put together a 13-26 record during his tenure with Kentucky and has gotten off to a 1-2 start this season. Kentucky could consider a change if the Wildcats are unable to turn things around moving forward this season.

Darrell Hazell, Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue was hoping that Darrell Hazell could turn their football program around, but he hasn’t come close to doing so. Hazell has compiled a 7-31 record during his time with the Boilermakers, which has caused the fan base to call for his firing many times. Maybe this is the year that Purdue will cut their losses and try to find a new head football coach.

Les Miles, LSU Tigers

Could the LSU Tigers finally cut ties with long-time head coach Les Miles? It would be sad to see, but there is certainly a chance that the two parties could end up parting ways after the 2016 season. Miles was mentioned in rumors heavily this past offseason and it wouldn’t be shocking to LSU make the move if he can’t get the Tigers back into playoff contention throughout the remainder of the season.

Expect to see all five of these coaches feel the heat with their jobs on the line down the stretch this season. It wouldn’t be shocking to see any of the five listed above end up getting fired. If any of these coaches do end up parting ways with their current schools, each program would be of interest to any coach on the market looking for a new job.

Do you think these five coaches are on the hot seat moving forward this season? What other coaches would you put on the list? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[Featured Image by Gerald Herbert/AP Images]

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