WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – College Football has always had surprises, it’s just simply one of the elements of the game that makes it so entertaining. This season was definitely not short of anything from this category.
One of the main elements of College Football that comes around every year is the coaching carousel, and it never fails to disappoint.
This year, we were treated to an incredibly early start to the carousel when just three weeks into the season, UCLA and Virginia Tech both made the decision to fire their head coaches, DeShaun Foster and Brent Pry.
The carousel then picked up massive traction when Penn State made the shocking move to fire James Franklin after a rough 3-3 start to the season.
Franklin had been with Penn State since 2013 and was the first head coach at Penn State in the post Jerry Sandusky Controversy era. His all time record with the Nittany Lions was 104-45.
The week after Franklin’s departure from Penn State, another major firing was made.
Week 8 brought the departure of Billy Napier, After an extremely up and down four years at Florida, the program made the decision to end the Napier experiment, leading to a conversation asking if G5 coaches are built for the transition to P5 programs.
Week 9 brought the end of the Brian Kelly era at LSU. One era surrounded in chaos, uncertainty, and just straight up controversy, from the tragedy of Kyren Lacy to the extreme mishandling of Greg Brooks Jr’s brain tumor diagnosis, it was safe to say that Kelly’s time at LSU should’ve been done a while ago, finishing with an underwhelming 34-14 record after inheriting a national championship winning program.
Here we will list every open coaching spot, as of today with each program –
Vacancies
- James Madison
- Out: Bob Chesney (20-4) — Hired by UCLA
- Led JMU to 11-1 and a top-20 finish; will still coach postseason. Former Holy Cross coach with a 131-51 career record.
- Kentucky
- Out: Mark Stoops (82-80) — Fired
- Kentucky’s winningest coach, but 2021 wins were vacated. Team slipped to 5-7 this year; ended with a 41-0 loss to Louisville.
- Michigan State
- Out: Jonathan Smith (9-15) — Fired
- Started 3-0 in 2025 but followed with four straight Big Ten losses.
- Coastal Carolina
- Out: Tim Beck (20-18) — Fired
- Finished 6-6 after a 59-10 loss to JMU. Records declined after an 8-5 first season.
- Tulane
- Out: Jon Sumrall (19-7) — Hired by Florida
- 42-11 career record; reached a conference title game every year as a head coach. Tulane is 10-2 and in the AAC championship.
- South Florida
- Out: Alex Golesh (23-15) — Hired by Auburn
- Led USF to 9-3, their best season since 2017; reached No. 18 in AP poll early in the season. Pushed USF into national spotlight
- Memphis
- Out: Ryan Silverfield (50-25) — Hired by Arkansas
- Won 8+ games in four of six seasons; initially promoted after Mike Norvell left in 2019.
- UConn
- Out: Jim Mora (27-23) — Hired by Colorado State
- Delivered back-to-back nine-win seasons for a program that hadn’t done that since 2007.
- North Texas
- Out: Eric Morris (21-15) — Hired by Oklahoma State
- Built the nation’s No. 1 offense (503.3 YPG); reputation for developing top quarterbacks.
- Cal
- Out: Justin Wilcox (48-55) — Fired
- Dismissed after loss to Stanford. Cal made bowls three straight seasons but was only 5-10 in ACC play.
- Penn State
- Out: James Franklin (104-45) — Fired
- A rapid downfall after key losses to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern ended his 12-year tenure.
- Oregon State
- Out: Trent Bray (5-14) — Fired
- Team started 0-7, the worst start since 1991. Bray had been promoted after Jonathan Smith left.
- UAB
- Out: Trent Dilfer (9-21) — Fired
- Fired after a 2-4 start. Had no college coaching experience before joining UAB.
Most of these programs had immediately started to feel the effects of the coaching changes, some programs like UConn have already started to witness a dramatic locker room collapse, with multiple players immediately committing to the transfer portal for next season.
Now we get to look at the jobs that have already been filled.
Fillings
- UCLA
- In: Bob Chesney (from James Madison)
- Out: DeShaun Foster — Fired after 0-3 start and two rough seasons.
- Ole Miss
- In: Pete Golding (promoted from DC)
- Out: Lane Kiffin — Left for LSU.
- Golding provides continuity; defenses have been consistently strong.
- LSU
- In: Lane Kiffin (from Ole Miss)
- Out: Brian Kelly — Fired after a disappointing season and blowout loss to Texas A&M.
- Florida
- In: Jon Sumrall (from Tulane)
- Out: Billy Napier — Fired after another slow start and a 22-23 overall record.
- Auburn
- In: Alex Golesh (from South Florida)
- Out: Hugh Freeze — Fired after going 6-16 in SEC play and a poor 2025 season. It has been speculated Freeze is set to return to Liberty should the program fire Jamey Chadwell after a very disappointing season from the 2023 Conference USA Champions
- Arkansas
- In: Ryan Silverfield (from Memphis)
- Out: Sam Pittman — Fired after a 56-13 loss to Notre Dame and declining results.
- Stanford
- In: Tavita Pritchard
- Out: Troy Taylor — Fired amid an investigation into misconduct allegations.
- Colorado State
- In: Jim Mora (from UConn)
- Out: Jay Norvell — Fired after a 2-5 start; only one winning season since 2017.
- Oklahoma State
- In: Eric Morris (from North Texas)
- Out: Mike Gundy — Fired after decades at OSU following major blowout losses and QB instability.
- Virginia Tech
- In: James Franklin
- Out: Brent Pry — Fired after an 0-3 start and four losing seasons.
- Kent State
- In: Mark Carney (promoted from interim)
- Out: Kenni Burns — Fired for policy violations and a 1-23 record.
And lastly, we’ll take a look at some coaches who could be on their way out.
The Hot Seat
- Florida State
- Mike Norvell – After a near program worst finish last year and an absolute collapse after upsetting Alabama to start the season, it is speculated that Norvell might likely be on the chopping block as soon as the season ends, it all comes down to whether or not FSU’s athletic department is willing to buyout the contract
- Liberty
- Jamey Chadwell – Chadwell took over in 2023 after the sudden departure of Hugh Freeze at the end of the 2022 season. Chadwell made an immediate impact at Liberty by sending them to the Conference USA championship in their inaugural season in the conference finishing undefeated, before making their first ever NY6 bowl game against Oregon. Since then, Liberty has failed to regain their form and missed out on bowl eligibility for the first time in over 20 years this season.
The Impact of the Coaching Carousel and What it Could Lead to in the Future
This year’s coaching carousel is one of the most disruptive and consequential in recent college football history. It features blue-blood programs making dramatic moves, surprising firings, record-fast turnover timelines, and a wave of rising coaches jumping into Power 5 jobs. The ripple effects will reshape recruiting, conference hierarchies, and the sport’s competitive balance for years.
This cycle saw multiple coaches fired before midseason (Penn State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Kent State, etc.), showing that:
- Schools are less willing to “wait and see.”
- Donors and athletic departments expect instant results, especially with the portal allowing rapid roster rebuilding.
- Buyouts no longer scare big programs.
Impact:
College football is entering a win-now environment where coaches may get just 1–2 years to prove themselves. Stability becomes scarce; turnover becomes the norm.
Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU, James Franklin resurfacing at Virginia Tech, and several strong coaches (Sumrall, Golesh, Silverfield, Chesney, Morris) jumping to bigger brands shows:
- The gap between the SEC/Big Ten and everyone else keeps widening.
- Mid-major success is instantly recognized (and poached).
- Traditional “stepping-stone” programs are becoming feeders again for larger jobs.
Impact:
Power conferences consolidate more coaching talent, which could tilt future playoff bids and national relevance even more toward resource-rich schools.
With transfer windows opening fast:
- Schools fired early to position themselves for December recruiting and portal phases.
- New hires were made almost immediately to prevent roster collapse.
- Coaches with reputations for portal rebuilding (Golesh, Sumrall, Morris) skyrocketed in value.
Impact:
Hiring cycles are now built around portal strategy, not traditional timelines. A coach’s ability to recruit existing college players is as valuable as high school recruiting prowess.
Some programs prioritized stability:
- Ole Miss promoting Pete Golding
- Kent State elevating Mark Carney
Others opted for total resets:
- LSU, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA, USC (recent years)
Impact:
We’ll likely see which model wins long-term:
- Continuity schools could avoid portal disasters and maintain culture.
- Overhaul schools risk mass transfers but may find quick success with aggressive NIL and recruiting.
UCLA hiring Bob Chesney, a former FCS/D2 climber, is a bold move. Arkansas hiring Ryan Silverfield is a talent-developer gamble. Oklahoma State replacing a legend in Mike Gundy marks a huge philosophical shift.
Impact:
There’s less fear of unconventional hires. Schools are more willing to bet on:
- Program builders
- Offensive innovators
- Coaches with proven culture-building experience, even at smaller schools
This could diversify the coaching pipeline and reduce reliance on recycled names.
With coaches like Deion Sanders, Kalen DeBoer, and Dan Lanning setting expectations for overnight success:
- Fan patience is shrinking.
- A Year 3 rebuild may be the new “hot seat” timeline.
- Coaches will lean harder into NIL and portal spending.
Impact:
The sport becomes more volatile — more exciting for fans, more stressful for coaches.
Bottom Line
This year’s coaching carousel could mark a turning point in college football:
- Faster firings
- Faster hirings
- More aggressive poaching
- Big salaries and NIL driving decisions
- A focus on immediate results, not long-term development
The sport is shifting toward an era where success is instant—or coaches are gone, and the programs that adapt best to the portal/NIL ecosystem will dominate the next decade.
