Pressure is a fact of life for head coaches in college football. Patience and understanding aren’t traits that most college football fans possess. But as Don Draper famously said in Mad Men, “that is what the money is for.” 

There is pressure on Mike Elko to beat Texas, Jeff Traylor to return UTSA to conference contention, for G.J. Kinne to hit the ground running in the Pac-12, and for Phil Longo to get Sam Houston back in the bowl mix, but not all pressure is created equal. 

Here are the five FBS head coaches in Texas under the most pressure heading into 2026. 

5. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech 

There is clearly pressure on McGuire to lead Texas Tech back to the Big 12 championship and deeper into the College Football Playoff. The bullseye only grew larger because of the Brendan Sorsby saga this offseason. McGuire called his team “the most hated program in college football” recently, and that brings about its own pressure. But I don’t think McGuire is under any real threat to lose his job if the Red Raiders don’t repeat or build upon their success from last year. That’s why he’s fifth on this list and not in the Top 3.  

4. Sonny Dykes, TCU 

On one hand, Dykes has led the Horned Frogs to a national title game and has won at least nine games in three of his four seasons in charge. Not bad. On the other, TCU is 14-13 in Big 12 play since the start of 2023. College football is a game of perception and the prevailing thought in Funky Town is that the Frogs have come up short of expectations over the last three seasons. Dykes agrees. He knows that TCU has lost games it shouldn’t have during the last couple of seasons. The Frogs need to be in Big 12 title game contention in November to restore some faith in the fan base.    

3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas  

Sarkisian is probably not under the type of pressure that would cost him his job and that’s why he is behind Aranda and Walden on this list. But that isn’t to say the eyes of the college football world aren’t securely fixed on Sark’s ability, or inability, to lead a loaded Texas roster to the promise land. The Longhorns return an experienced Arch Manning at quarterback and added stars at wide receiver and running back through the portal. The offensive line should be improved and Will Muschamp was brought in to get more out of a talented defense. There are no excuses for Texas not to be in the SEC and CFP contention this year. The schedule is brutal, but a 9-3 record or worse would be an indictment on Sarkisian and the noise would likely match Ryan Day’s critics in 2024 before the Buckeyes went on a national title run.   

2. Scotty Walden, UTEP 

Dana Dimel was hired at UTEP to raise the floor in El Paso. Scotty Walden was hired to raise the Miners’ ceiling. That hasn’t happened through two years. UTEP is 5-19 overall and 4-12 in conference play since Walden took over in 2024. Not good enough. The road to a bowl game only gets tougher with the Miners moving to the Mountain West this season, a move the fan base has craved for years. UTEP is arguably the toughest FBS job in Texas because of its location. Walden should probably be given at least four years to lead the program to a winning record, but the possibility that 2026 is his last season at UTEP exists if the Miners only win two or three games.  

1. Dave Aranda, Baylor 

The Bears would be under new leadership if former athletic director Mack Rhoades didn’t step down amid an investigation into his personal life last November. That drama allowed Aranda to make it to Year 7 in Waco despite a 36-37 overall record and three losing seasons in the last four years. There is no one in college football on a hotter seat except maybe Florida State’s Mike Norvell. Baylor did add QB D.J. Lagway and hired Joe Klanderman to fix the defense, so there is some room for optimism. The schedule sets up for the Bears to start at 7-2 or 6-3. But what is enough to save Aranda’s job? That probably has more to do with momentum and fan buy-in than a win-loss record.