Irish Breakdown

ACC & Notre Dame Midseason Coaching Hot Seat Rankings: Where is Marcus Freeman?

Including Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, which ACC coaches are facing the most pressure to finish 2024 strong?Check out our rankings of the coaches on the hot seat as the season progresses.

Rich Cirminiello

Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after a turnover on downs by the Louisville Cardinals in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after a turnover on downs by the Louisville Cardinals in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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A funny thing has happened so far this year in the ACC - and we're including Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman here considering the association - many of the coaches whose seats were hottest in the preseason aced the first half of the year, and some of the coaches who were at the top of their game stumbled.

Such is the unpredictable nature of the college coaching profession.

Understanding that these rankings can swing suddenly with one monster upset win or loss, here's where the ACC coaches stand today, listed from who's facing the least pressure to win right now to the biggest pressure cookers.

Again, it's not necessarily being on the hot seat with a worry about being fired - it's about who needs to keep winning this season, too.

18. Fran Brown, Syracuse

Considering his lack of head coaching experience, Brown is off to a brilliant 5-1 start with Syracuse. The Orange have wins over Georgia Tech, ranked UNLV, and NC State.

17. Bill O'Brien, Boston College

This was a home run hire that's already paying dividends for 4-2 BC and QB Thomas Castellanos.

16. Manny Diaz, Duke

Diaz has so far answered critics who questioned his hiring by opening 5-1. He'll face former employer Miami on Nov. 2.

15. Rhett Lashlee, SMU

Lashlee is off to a hot start in Dallas. A year after winning the American, he's led the Mustangs to a 5-1 start in their ACC debut, deftly making an early season QB change that ignited the offense.

14. Brent Key, Georgia Tech

He's done a very nice job of rebuilding his alma mater after the Geoff Collins. Key gets an opportunity to make a national splash with Notre Dame coming to Atlanta this week.

13. Jeff Brohm, Louisville

The hometown guy has hit a bit of rocky patch in Year 2. After starting 10-1 in 2023, Brohm's Cardinals have gone 2-5 against Power 4 opponents.

12. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt

Narduzzi has been a rock at Pitt for the last decade. He's 71-50, won the ACC in 2021, and has answered last year's 3-9 season by starting this year 6-0.

11. Dave Doeren, NC State

Doeren is a fixture in Raleigh, even as he navigates through his worst season since 2019. While the Pack has slipped to 3-4, Doeren earns a mulligan with six eight-win seasons in the last seven years.

10. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest

Wake will not do better than Clawson, one of the more consistently underrated coaches around. Still, the Deacons have gone south since peaking in 2021 so it's fair to wonder if folks in Winston-Salem are getting a little antsy.

9. Troy Taylor, Stanford

Stanford tends to be patient with coaches, which is a good thing for Taylor. He's 5-13 in Year 2, and consecutive blowout losses to Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Notre Dame signal another losing season on the Farm.

8. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

It's Notre Dame, so the pressure to win will always be higher than most. Freeman's a solid 24-9 midway through Year 3, and despite the Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois, he has the Irish on track for a playoff berth.

7. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Of course he'll NEVER be fired, but he's only here because of the pressure of the expectations - at this point, it's win the ACC Championship, get a top four seed in the CFP, or bust.

While Dabo is a Clemson institution, four years between playoff berths feels like 40 to the fan base. The Tigers really need to sweep the rest of the schedule and get to the ACC title game 11-1.

6. Mike Norvell, Florida State

Norvell is FSU's guy, but this season has been epically brutal. The 1-5 Noles have been so bad that it's erased the goodwill from last year's perfect regular season. If the players bail down the stretch, it'll make 2025 that much harder for Norvell.

5. Tony Elliott, Virginia

The 4-2 start this season has definitely helped. But Elliott is 10-18 in Year 3, so it's imperative that he finds two more wins on a schedule that includes four ranked teams and the annual Virginia Tech slugfest.

4. Brent Pry, Virginia Tech

This is a pivotal second half for Pry, who's 13-17 in his third year. The Hokies were trendy because of all the returning talent, yet sit at 3-3 heading into this week's visit from Boston College.

3. Justin Wilcox, Cal

At any other school, Wilcox never would have lasted into his eighth year. His defenses are always salty, but he's 39-46 overall with four straight losing seasons.

2. Mario Cristobal, Miami

Yes, Cristobal has dialed down the temp with a 6-0 start. But he's sill in a tenuous spot and now the stakes and the spotlight are much bigger. He's one in-game gaffe away from being back in a precarious situation.

1. Mack Brown, North Carolina

A lot of great coaches have stayed a year too long. That looks like it's the case with Mack who almost walked away in September. This has been a tough season, but things have been going sideways in Chapel Hill for a few years now.

Notre Dame Football: Season Win Projections for the Rest of 2024

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Rich Cirminiello
RICH CIRMINIELLO

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