Which head coach's seat is hotter heading into 2026 season: Shane Beamer or Mike Norvell?

OutKick's Austin Perry discusses two hot seat candidates for the 2026 college football season.

With the college football season still a few months away, many fans are looking for anything to latch onto in the offseason.

Narratives start to pop up and talking points get put under a microscope, but one of the most popular topics of conversation is the "hot seat" one.

There are several coaches who should sleep with one eye open heading into the 2026 season, but the two that seem to be the most talked about in this regard are South Carolina's Shane Beamer and Florida State's Mike Norvell.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts during a college football game against the Boston College Eagles at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Sept. 2, 2024. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Many college football talking heads have put Beamer and Norvell at the top of their hot seat rankings, including Brooks Austin, who made an entire video and graphic about the two embattled coaches, going so far as to say that the latter is already "fried like chicken."

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It looks like Austin is placing Norvell ahead of Beamer in hot seat rankings, but is he right?

It might shock you, considering some of the things I've written about Norvell and the Seminoles in the past, but I might have to disagree with Austin on this one.

I think Beamer is in even hotter water than Norvell, and there are many reasons this is the case.

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South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer reacts after his team's offensive momentum is slowed