Alabama fans should have mixed emotions over 3 former assistants being on the hot seat

It is not everything, but is this something. While it is still not technically summer for a few more weeks, things are heating up in college football hot seat talks. Brooks Austin was the latest college football analyst to share who he believes is feeling the most heat heading into 2026. Although some of his inclusions are spot-on, a few others have some people scratching their heads. Even Alabama fans...

As you can see, Austin has three former Alabama offensive coordinators listed inside of his top 10.

1. South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer
2. Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell
3. Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda
4. Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien
5. Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley
6. USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley
7. Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule
8. North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick
9. Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders
10. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian

Austin also has Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell circled because he is "already fired".

Here is a visual representation of who Austin views as the 10 hottest seats in all of college football...

Let's be real. The inclusions of Bill O'Brien at Boston College and Mike Locksley at Maryland feel on point. For as good as they were at times calling plays for Nick Saban, both probably need to go from their respective Power Four schools. Locksley's Terrapins do not win enough games post-September. O'Brien's Eagles simply do not win enough games. He is a good head coach, but he took a terrible job.

And then there is Steve Sarkisian at Texas somehow, some way, occupying the last spot on this list...

The pressure may be on him to win big at Texas this fall, but he is not on the same level as the others.

3 branches off Nick Saban's Alabama coaching tree are on the hot seat

When you coach at a place for a very long time like Saban did at Alabama from 2007 to 2023, you are bound to sprout a robust coaching tree. While Locksley and O'Brien are easily among the likeliest of candidates to be dismissed at some point between now and Dec. 1, Sarkisian does not belong in the same discussions. He is closer to the many elite Saban disciples who are dominating the sport today.

Whether it be Curt Cignetti at Indiana, Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, Dan Lanning at Oregon, Kirby Smart at Georgia, or even Pete Golding at Ole Miss, all five coaches were part of College Football Playoff teams a season ago. Sarkisian's Longhorns just missed out on them, but Texas is among the surest of candidates to make it next season. Let it be known, Kalen DeBoer is nowhere to be found on the list...

So what does this mean in all honesty, especially from an Alabama perspective? If you were a hotshot coordinator under Saban, you were bound to get a major head-coaching opportunity. Saban did an amazing job of attracting depreciated former head coaches on a discount to come learn under him. Sarkisian has arguably embodied the rehabilitation philosophy more so than any of Saban's proteges.

Read more: Frederick Ards' Texas A&M commitment raises Alabama's urgency for this prospect

Overall, what this list may indicate is we are getting further and further away from the Saban era of Alabama football with every passing day. Locksley, O'Brien, and Sarkisian were not on his final Alabama staff in 2023-24. They had either already left for their current jobs or were well on their way in the case of O'Brien. When a good coach does not take, it is only a matter of time before he is fired.

Ultimately, Alabama fans should feel many ways about these three former Saban assistants being on this list of hot-seat candidates. Whether it be indifference in the case of Locksley, schadenfreude in O'Brien's situation, or complete disbelief when it comes to Sarkisian, it just goes to show how wacky, weird, and wonderful the sport of college football can be. Crazier things have happened before, folks.

For now, any Alabama hot seat talks only concern former Saban assistants, not guys who are on staff.

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