Paul Finebaum names college football HC in hot seat going into 2025 season

The Kentucky Wildcats had a significant drop in performance during the 2024 season, and Paul Finebaum believes this could put coach Mark Stoops in jeopardy of being fired if the pattern repeats itself in 2025.

Speaking on his "The Paul Finebaum Show", the analyst answered the following to a fan who asked what could be the consequences for Stoops and athletic director Mitch Barnhart if Kentucky were to have another losing season.

"This is just my opinion because I don't have any insight, I think next year is a very big year for him because he can not afford another bad year if he intends to maintain support from people like you," the analyst said.

NCAA Football: Murray State at Kentucky - Source: Imagn

The Wildcats finished 4-8 in 2024, their second-worst record since Stoops took over the program in 2013. Even though he managed to lead the school to a double-digit win finish in 2018, consistency has been an issue for Stoops who has had six losing seasons in 12 years at Lexington.

Paul Finebaum believes it's time for Kirby Smart to replace Mike Bobo

For Paul Finebaum, some of the struggles the Georgia Bulldogs had in 2024, are down to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

Bobo came to Athens, Georgia, in 2023 to replace outgoing offensive coordinator Todd Monken who left for the Baltimore Ravens at the end of 2022.

Finebaum believes Bobo hasn't been up to the job of replacing Monken.

“They will not be blaming Kirby Smart, they will be blaming Mike Bobo, who is the offensive coordinator,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s Get Up. “He came in and took over for (Todd) Monken who went to the NFL. And quite frankly, nobody is very happy with him.

“He’s Kirby Smart’s best friend, they were roommates. And many believe that Kirby Smart has looked past reality and simply respected and honored a friend who used to work for Mark Richt at Georgia and then moved on and failed as a head coach.”

It's true that with Monken, Smart led the Bulldogs to two national titles (2021,2022), and that since the former's departure, the program hasn't reached the national title.

However, Georgia has had a fair measure of success in the last two seasons. The 2023 SEC championship was won by Alabama by the tiniest of margins (27-24), and Georgia's exclusion from the College Football Playoff (CFP) that year was not without controversy.

2024 in turn brought a new SEC title to Athens and participation in the CFP. That has to be considered a measure of success.