2025 Hot Seat Rankings: Sam Pittman, Trent Dilfer among nine college football coaches with jobs on the line

Welcome once again to the CBS Sports annual Hot Seat Rankings, where the most coveted jobs in college athletics face their greatest tests. This offseason saw 25 coaching changes, but only 16 involved firings. Out of those, only three occurred at the Power Four level. But last year's quiet could give way to a loud coaching carosuel in 2025-26, with several coaches at blueblood programs facing pivotal years.

With the retirement of the great Dennis Dodd -- the originator of this ranking -- our rankings have undergone a realignment of their own. Now, nine of our college football insiders and experts each gave the 136 coaches in FBS a rating between "0" and "5". Those scores are combined and averaged to get to a hot seat score for each coach. 

One coach who received fives across the board -- and we'll get to that. No coach got all zeros, though Jeff Monken, Kirby Smart and Marcus Freeman received zeros from all but one voter. Before we get into it, here's the criteria we used and how many coaches fell into each category in 2025.

Last year featured an astounding run of success for the coaches on this list. Out of the 11 coaches featured, only three were ultimately fired. Every single power conference coach returned. Baylor's Dave Aranda, BYU's Kalani Sitake and Miami's Mario Cristobal managed to put together breakout campaigns, while Ohio State's Ryan Day persisted through pressure to win the national championship. 

It's no fun to see your team's coach appear below, but keep the faith. Things can turn around in a hurry. 

There are 14 coaches to field a 3.5 or higher in the ratings, including nine to hit a four or worse. Narrowly on the other side of the aisle sits Mike Norvell (Florida State), Brian Kelly (LSU) and Lincoln Riley (USC), who each have a 3.33. Without improvement, all three could make next year's list -- or worse. With that said, here are the 14 coaches who are facing extreme pressure heading into the 2025 season. 

America's Hottest Seat

Team	Name	Rating	Breakdown
	Sonny Cumbie	5.0	There was only one coach to get fives across the board, and it's Cumbie. The former Texas Tech quarterback has been well liked across his career, but has run into numerous problems during an 11-26 run at Louisiana Tech. There's little excuse for the Bulldogs to struggle so comprehensively against CUSA competition, and Cumbie is running out of rope.

2025 Hot Seat: Now or Never

Team	Name	Rating	Breakdown
	Brent Venables	4.67	Oklahoma hired Venables to get SEC ready, and the program responded with its worst run of the 21st Century. The Sooners have suffered two losing seasons in three years and face another tall task in SEC play. The main reason for optimism is the transformative investments in quarterback John Mateer and running back Jaydn Ott. The pieces are there to succeed, but Venables has to do it.
	Trent Dilfer	4.44	UAB was one of the proudest Group of Five programs of the past few years under coach Bill Clark, but the Blazers have devolved into a laughingstock under Dilfer. He is 7-17 in two seasons at a program that had not finished below .500 since 2013. Candidly, I had Dilfer at a solid five and it's extremely hard to see him saving his job.
	Mike Gundy	4.33	What a bizarre situation for one of the greatest college football coaches of the 21st Century. The wheels finally fell off at Oklahoma State last season, culminating in a disastrous 3-9 campaign. The offseason didn't inspire much optimism and the coordinator hires are mediocre. But can Oklahoma State really fire Gundy, the face of the program? I'd prefer not to find out.
	Brent Brennan	4.22	Brennan was hired to keep the trains running, and instead it fell off the track. All the top playmakers that Arizona hoped to retain are gone, meaning that this new roster is fully on Brennan's shoulders. It's unclear if he's ready for the moment, but the Wildcats have to find some success.
	Sam Pittman	4.22	Out of the top hot seat contenders from last season, Pittman did the least to assuage concerns. A bowl berth and exciting young quarterback Taylen Green was at least enough to earn Pittman another season. But navigating a nonconference matchup against Notre Dame and a brutal road schedule won't be easy.
	Hugh Freeze	4.22	Hiring Freeze was uncomfortable enough after the way things ended at Ole Miss, and one of the worst starts to a tenure in program history only makes matters worse. Freeze went 11-14 in his first two seasons as Auburn faces its worst stretch since the 1950s. He's built from the ground up in recruiting, but results have to come in 2025.
	Brent Pry	4.11	Expectations were high in 2024 with a manageable schedule and returning playmakers on both sides. Instead, Pry delivered a disappointing 6-7 campaign and eighth place finish in the ACC. Things don't get easier with two nonconference games against SEC opponents and many more bowl teams on the schedule. Missing the postseason could shove Pry out of Blacksburg.
	Scott Satterfield	4.00	Satterfield was a head-scratching hire and he's delivered a head-scratching tenure. The Bearcats have seen bright spots from quarterback Brendan Sorsby, defensive tackle Dontay Corleone and running back Corey Kiner. They've also leveraged it into almost zero success with an 8-16 record in two years. This fanbase should expect more than that.

2025 Hot Seat: Getting warmer

Team	Name	Rating	Breakdown
	Joe Moorhead	3.78	Moorhead took the Akron job to get back into his preferred region of the country after a solid stint as OC at Oregon. If things continue the way they have, he might be back on the market soon. The Zips showed some life with a 3-5 MAC record in 2024, but it doesn't make up for an 8-28 overall mark. There are so few natural advantages at Akron, and it's unclear whether Moorhead can compensate.
	Billy Napier	3.67	Despite a turnaround last season, Napier did not fully get off the hot seat. An eight-win season is substantially better than the alternatives though, especially since it included upset wins over LSU and Ole Miss. With a second-year DJ Lagway, this is the year that Napier can finally eject himself from the hot seat for good with an SEC title-caliber run, and perhaps even more.
	Luke Fickell	3.67	Fickell was a prized addition when Wisconsin pried him from Cincinnati, but he has been a major disappointment. Last season, Wisconsin missed a bowl for the first time since 2001. Fickell is leaning back into Wisconsin's historic identity by hiring run-first former offensive line coach Jeff Grimes as his offensive coordinator, but there are many holes to fill in a Big Ten that is only getting tougher.
	Mark Carney	3.56	What a miserable situation Carney finds himself in. He was promoted from OC to interim coach when Kenni Burns was fired over the offseason and has almost no pathway to success with the program. Kent State is 1-23 over the past two years, one of the worst stretches in college football history.
	Mark Stoops	3.56	It's odd to see Stoops on this list, but it says a lot about the state of Kentucky football in the new era. Longtime recruiting guru Vince Marrow leaving for rival Louisville placed a large hurdle in Stoops' pathway to success. It's unlikely he will be fired, but don't be surprised to see a mutual separation soon.