Three Big 12 coaches who could find themselves on the hot seat

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Three Big 12 coaches who could find themselves on the hot seat

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated May 21, 2026 1:36 PM ET

Since Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 and the conference pivoted by adding seven new members, it's been full of parity. That can both be a good thing, as the conference race has consistently been phenomenal, but it also has the potential to lead to a lot of disappointing seasons around the league.

The Big 12 has less money than the other Power Four conferences, and several teams struggle to retain players in the NIL and transfer portal world. Sometimes, even coaches leave for better jobs.

College football isn't always fair, though, and several coaches have been or could be on the hot seat because of that landscape. Four conference teams went through coaching changes last season.

There is a good argument that more than three Big 12 coaches are already on the hot seat going into 2026. However, there are three interesting additions to that conversation to add now.

Sonny Dykes, TCU Horned Frogs

Make no mistake, Dykes has been successful at TCU. In four seasons there, he has a 36-17 record, two AP Top 25 finishes and three bowl appearances. That includes going to the College Football Playoff and making the National Championship Game his first season in Fort Worth.

TCU has gone 9-4 in each of the last two seasons with middling Big 12 finishes (tied for fifth, seventh). The expectation is to improve on that and compete for a conference championship, but if TCU regresses, the Horned Frogs may look for a spark.

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati Bearcats

When Cincinnati hired Satterfield, it seemed like an odd fit. For the previous four seasons, he'd had middling results at Louisville and was on the hot seat there, so he jumped when Cincinnati offered him an out. However, in three seasons, he's gone just 15-22 with one bowl berth.

The good news is that bowl berth was in 2025. The bad news is that Cincinnati finished on a five-game losing streak and lost its quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, to the transfer portal. Satterfield will need to find answers quickly.

Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes

There is a lot that Sanders deserves to be praised for at Colorado. He injected life and curiosity into the program, bringing them a Heisman winner in Travis Hunter. He also deserves praise for his cancer battle and how open he's been about it. At the same time, it's time to win consistently.

Sanders has a 16-21 record in three seasons at Colorado. That includes only one season with a winning record and just three total wins in 2025. In short, Sanders couldn't find a quarterback a season ago, and there's some hope that position will be in a better spot in 2026, but no proof. Sanders is once again heavily turning to the transfer portal. On3 lists 42 incoming transfers, and it's hard to know what to expect from a team that has struggled.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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