Where Shane Beamer, Dabo Swinney rank on CBS Sports ‘hot seat’ list

For South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, “pressure is mounting.”

And Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is “all good ... for now.”

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd published his annual college football “hot seat rankings” on Tuesday, and he had some newsy takes on Beamer and Swinney, the leaders of the state’s top two programs, heading into 2024.

In evaluating the job security of all 134 Division I FBS coaches, Dodd split them into six numerical rankings ranging from zero (“untouchable”) to five (“win or be fired”). He dropped Beamer and Swinney in the overall rankings after respective “down years.”

Coming off a 2023 season in which USC went 5-7 (3-5 SEC) and missed its first bowl game of his tenure, Beamer was one of 19 coaches who earned a three out of five ranking (“Pressure is mounting”) on Dodd’s list.

That was a two-spot increase from his one of out five ranking (“Safe and secure”) heading into last year.

Swinney, whose Tigers snapped a 12-year streak of 10 or more wins, also saw his ranking jump two spots from a zero out of five (“untouchable”) to a two (“All good ... for now”).

Clemson’s longtime coach is one of 49 coaches in that ranking, the most of any group on Dodd’s list, after missing three straight College Football Playoffs.

Dodd listed nine coaches as “firmly” on the hot seat, led by Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, the only coach among 134 to receive a five out of five (“Win or be fired”) ranking on the list.

There are eight coaches, including the SEC’s Billy Napier (Florida) and Clark Lea (Vanderbilt), listed with a four out of five (“Start improving now”).

Beamer is 20-18 in three seasons at South Carolina with two winning seasons and will be breaking in a new starting quarterback (LaNorris Sellers) in 2024. Other coaches with his ranking include Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield, ECU’s Mike Houston, Miami’s Mario Cristobal, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi.

Swinney has a school record 170 wins against 43 losses at Clemson in 15 full seasons (plus a short interim tenure) and led the program to 2016 and 2018 national championships. But the Tigers’ noticeable drop from the very top tier of the sport — they have more losses the past three years than they did from 2015-20 — prompted Dodd to shift his ranking for Swinney.

Clemson’s coach is no longer in the “untouchable” categories with colleagues such as Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Florida State’s Mike Norvell and is now listed as “all good ... for now” with 40-plus others including Colorado’s Deion Sanders, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.

The other FBS coach in the state, Coastal Carolina’s Tim Beck, got a “safe and secure” ranking after the Chanticleers went 8-5 in his first season last fall. (The coach Beck replaced, Jamey Chadwell, was one of 13 “untouchables” after he went 13-1 in his first season at Liberty.)

Swinney’s Tigers open their season against Georgia in a huge Week 1 non-conference matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 31 (noon, ABC). Beamer and the Gamecocks also start the season Aug. 31 at home against Old Dominion (4:15 p.m., SECN).

Clemson and South Carolina will play their annual Palmetto Bowl rivalry game the final week of the regular season on Nov. 30 in Clemson.