The coaches, players and teams with the most to prove in college football in 2023

Though we’re still quite a ways from the start of the 2023 college football season, we’re thinking about what will be stake for certain teams, players and coaches.

Can Texas A&M contend for a spot in the playoff like it did just a couple of years ago? Can DJ Uiagalelei make it work at Oregon State? Our reporters discuss who has the most to prove.

Who is the coach with the most to prove?

Alex Scarborough: It’s tempting to say Nick Saban here. Coming off a down season — by Alabama standards — Saban appears ready to change directions offensively by bringing in a more pro-style coordinator in Tommy Rees to replace Bill O’Brien. And rather than go with a young up-and-comer at defensive coordinator, Saban brought Kevin Steele back for a third time on staff. But does a coach with seven national championships have to prove anything? Perhaps not. So let’s stay in the SEC and look instead at a Saban disciple: Florida‘s Billy Napier, who had a rocky first season in Gainesville with a 6-7 record and a blowout loss to Oregon State in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl. Replacing quarterback Anthony Richardson with Graham Mertz didn’t inspire a ton of confidence from fans. And then came the Jaden Rashada debacle as the four-star quarterback was released from his letter of intent after an NIL deal fell through, according to The Associated Press. Napier needs to find wins on the field and on the recruiting trail in order to get the program pointed back in the right direction.

Chris Low: This sort of has a Texas feel to it, as in Texas or Texas A&M. Texas’ Steve Sarkisian certainly has plenty to prove as he enters his third season with a 13-12 overall record. But this is Jimbo Fisher’s sixth season at Texas A&M, and the Aggies are coming off a disappointing 5-7 record a year after signing the top-rated class in college football. There has been a lot of turnover on Texas A&M’s roster with some of those “can’t-miss” prospects from a year ago transferring out. The Aggies have also dipped into the transfer portal, and the biggest offseason acquisition was offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who’s taking over the playcalling duties from Fisher. It’s a move Fisher hinted at last season and something he thinks will help his overall management of the program. The Aggies were on the cusp of making the College Football Playoff in 2020. They need a similar run in 2023, or the heat is going to turn up considerably on Fisher regardless of how many millions he…