Which NFL and college football head coaches are on the hot seat? – Betway Insider

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We’ve ranked the NFL and college football head coaches who are feeling the heat so far this season, based on fan sentiment across social media.

With the 2025 NFL season in full swing, fan frustration is at an all-time high for some teams. Whether it’s disappointing results, questionable play calls, or unrealistic expectations, fans haven’t been shy in voicing their opinions online.

The favourites in the NFL betting have emerged, but some teams are struggling at the bottom of the standings with little hope of turning things around. With this in mind, we wanted to find out which coaches, across both the NFL and college football, are receiving the most criticism on social media.

Using Brandwatch, a social listening tool, we have analysed online mentions of each head coach’s name to determine how many were deemed negative by fans. The results reveal who’s sitting most uncomfortably on the hot seat right now.

The NFL Coaches Under the Most Pressure

According to the data, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is currently facing the most pressure in the NFL. With over 131,000 mentions and 27,560 negative posts, Glenn tops the list of under fire coaches.

The Jets entered 2025 with playoff ambitions, but a slow start has led to growing unrest among fans online – and Glenn appears to be taking the brunt of the blame despite earning his first win of the season in Week 8.

Close behind is Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals, who recorded 25,800 negative mentions out of 85,000 total. After a disappointing run of results, many Bengals fans seem to be questioning whether Taylor is still the right man to lead the franchise forward.

Meanwhile, John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens rounds out the top three, with 24,760 negative mentions despite his long-standing reputation and previous Super Bowl success.

Even celebrated names like Mike Tomlin, Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan feature in the top 10, showing that no coach is safe when expectations aren’t met.

The College Football Coaches Under the Most Pressure

It’s not just the NFL where coaches are feeling the heat. In college football, North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick sits firmly at the top of the list, with a huge 188,000 mentions and 31,540 negative posts.

Despite his legendary NFL career, Belichick’s move into college coaching has been met with mixed reviews, and it seems Tar Heel fans haven’t been overly impressed so far.

Behind him, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze ranks second with 11,380 negative mentions, while Florida State’s Mike Norvell takes third with 7,120 negative posts. Both programs have faced high expectations and mixed results this season, leading to frustration among fans.

Lower down the rankings, coaches such as Justin Wilcox (California) and Tim Beck (Coastal Carolina) still face criticism, though at a smaller scale compared to programs under national scrutiny.

As the season continues, several coaches across both leagues will be desperate to turn things around. A strong finish could cool the conversation, but for those near the top of these lists, the clock may already be ticking. And if you would like to see the latest odds during the rest of the season, head over to our NFL and College Football pages!

Methodology

Using Brandwatch, a social listening tool, we analysed online mentions, of each NFL and college football head coach to determine how many were classified as negative.

Mentions have been tracked throughout the 2025 football season, and coaches were then ranked by the number of negative mentions to highlight those under the most pressure.

Data correct as of 29th October 2025.