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There is little doubt throughout the coaching industry from administrators, agents, and college football coaches themselves that the 2025 coaching cycle is setting up to be unprecedented. There are already nine open jobs, including seven that have opened midseason, and more are expected to pop soon.

You rarely get more than a couple changes before Halloween in a normal year. This is the first year since the FBS era began in 1978 that seven or more jobs have opened before November, according to CBS Sports researchers. Last year saw 30 jobs change, but only five Power Four jobs among them. 

This cycle will be similar to 2021, when LSU and USC fired coaches early in the cycle -- leading to serious downstream effects. We've already seen one of college football's bluest of blue bloods open in Penn State, which has only had four total coaches since 1950. Industry sources are bracing for as many 40 jobs to open, especially given the likelihood of head coaches getting poached for jobs like Penn State or UCLA.

College football coaching carousel tracker: Grades, analysis on coach changes, 2025-26 firings and hirings
Brandon Marcello
College football coaching carousel tracker: Grades, analysis on coach changes, 2025-26 firings and hirings

In addition to the coaches fighting for their jobs and the many disruptions to the industry that will come via coaches moving jobs, there's another category that could shake the carousel -- retirements. 

All of it comes together for a cycle that in the words of one source is "about to get f***** wild." 

CBS Sports surveyed sources around the country to paint a picture of just where the coaching carousel sits halfway through the season with so much already spinning. 

Hot seat scale on jobs that could come open

Note: Schools listed by degree of heat (the more flames, the hotter the seat) which can of course swing swing by the week. 

Florida 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Billy Napier's been perpetually on the hot seat for almost 18 months at this point. A 1-3 start did him no favors. The Gators have a winnable game at home this weekend against Mississippi State ahead of their bye week, but a bye week is an opportune time to make a change, win or lose. Of note, Napier would be owed around $20 million if fired with half of that due within 30 days, per his contract. 

Wisconsin 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

In the words of one industry source: "The job I'm hearing is the hottest is Wisconsin." Luke Fickell is in his third year and is 15-17 at Wisconsin, a program that didn't post a losing season between 2002 and 2023. Fickell's buyout is sizable at around $25 million, and is a concern sources have brought up. However, unlike with Napier, Fickell would be paid out monthly through 2032. Wisconsin has games with Ohio State and Oregon over the next two weeks ahead of its bye week. 

Coastal Carolina 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 

Tim Beck picked up a needed win last week over ULM, but industry sources continue to point to Coastal as a job that could open. Coastal's athletic director, Chance Miller, did not hire Beck, and Beck's record over the last two years is just 9-10. 

Colorado State 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 

As several have written about before, Jay Norvell has not received a contract extension with just one year left on his deal after this season. That's a sign change could come as it's rare for coaches to work under that type of uncertainty. Industry sources continue to circle this job as one that's trending toward coming open after the Rams' 2-4 start. 

Auburn 🔥🔥🔥🔥 

With Auburn in the midst of a three-game losing streak, industry sources have pointed to Hugh Freeze's seat as getting warmer by the week. 

"If they lose the next two, I think he's out," one source said. "The pressure is real. I don't think they want to do it. I think he's coaching for his job. Back against the wall."

Athletic director John Cohen delivered a tacit vote of confidence when he said that a coaching change is "not my expectation at this point."

When asked whether or not he expects Freeze to be Auburn's head coach in 2026, Cohen said he has a "never say never" attitude, and used a metaphor about a car not starting to explain his thought process.

"I don't know if I'm going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not, I think it is," Cohen said. "I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn't start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that's not my expectation at this point about our football program."

Florida State 🔥🔥🔥

The heat is starting to turn back up on Mike Norvell after the goodwill he created with a 3-0 start. Recent losses to Virginia and Pittsburgh have kicked up the hornet's nest again. But the reality is Norvell would be owed around $58 million if he were to be fired. As one industry source put it: "That's a lot of money, man." Especially so at a place like FSU that's been trying to find ways to generate more revenue. Still, it's a job worth monitoring as the season continues. 

Kentucky 🔥🔥🔥 

Things have gone sideways in Lexington the last two seasons. Mark Stoops suffered his first non-COVID losing season since 2016 last year, and the Wildcats are off to a 2-3 start in 2025 with a brutal schedule ahead. Still, Stoops does have a fair amount of protection via his contract. The winningest head coach in program history, Stoops' buyout is close to $38 million and it would be owed in a lump sum within 60 days. That's a lot of money for an athletics department that just took $141 million in loans from the university to offset stadium renovation costs and as a cash infusion to offset a budgetary deficit.

Akron 🔥🔥🔥

One of the toughest jobs in the entire FBS, Joe Moorehead is just 10-33 in four seasons with the Zips. Many in the industry speculate that Moorhead could eventually leave Akron and take an offensive coordinator job elsewhere. Of note, Moorhead's youngest child, Donovan, is a high school senior and is committed to play quarterback at Jacksonville State.

The North Carolina conversation

If we had to place North Carolina in a flame meter discussion, truthfully it would be 2.5 out of five. Last week's theatrics are emblematic of the lack of alignment that underscored Bill Belichick's hire in the first place. Things are not going well in Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels have one of the worst rosters in the Power Four. 

Bill Belichick shuts down buyout talk, focused on winning at North Carolina: 'It's a learning curve'
Brad Crawford
Bill Belichick shuts down buyout talk, focused on winning at North Carolina: 'It's a learning curve'

Belichick addressed the rumors in a press conference on Monday. "Reports about my looking for a buyout or trying to leave here is categorically false," Belichick said. "There's zero truth to any of that. I'm glad I'm here."

A safe landing?

While many jobs are heating up at the midway point of the season, the seats of several coaches have cooled considerably thanks to strong starts. 

Arizona

Brent Brennan's seat was warm coming into his second season following a 4-8 debut that saw the Wildcats lose all the momentum they had generated under Jedd Fisch. But the Wildcats have gotten off to a strong start this season at 4-2 with plenty of opportunities to pick up wins down the stretch. Conversations around that job have cooled considerably.

California

In the ACC there was some scuttle that Cal head coach Justin Wilcox could be in trouble after five straight losing seasons and an offseason of roster losses. But the Bears look resurgent at 4-2 and have a building block for the future in true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. 

Cincinnati

There was a lot of pressure on Scott Satterfield entering this year after back-to-back losing seasons with the Bearcats. But thanks to strong portal classes and internal development, the Bearcats have raced out to 5-1 and look like a burgeoning Big 12 contender.

Louisiana Tech

Coach Sonny Cumbie may have had the hottest seat in the country entering the year, but that's cooled thanks to the Bulldogs' 4-2 record. Louisiana Tech did suffer a bad 35-7 loss to Kennesaw State over the weekend, though, so it's not like Cumbie is totally safe. 

Latest on open jobs 

Arkansas 

Athletic director Hunter Yurachek said last month that the program was not set up to win a championship in football and a clear vision for future resources is a must. One personnel executive questioned Arkansas' front office setup with an overarching general manager with a basketball background, Remy Cofield, overseeing negotiations for multiple sports. Arkansas has multiple mouths to feed resource wise as John Calipari will expect ammunition to build on a Sweet 16 debut season, and baseball is also a significant concern to the school's fanbase. 

The obvious name is Rhett Lashlee, a Springdale, Arkansas native and Razorback alum. He will certainly have support, including from Dallas Cowboys owner and Jerry Jones. For Lashlee to consider it, however, Arkansas will have to prove that it has resources that would entice Lashlee away from an SMU job with nearly unlimited resources. Industry sources have indicated other jobs that could come open this cycle are far more likely to tempt Lashlee than Arkansas. Lashlee is also said to be quite happy at SMU, a school that's given him almost everything necessary to compete in the ACC. 

Sources told CBS Sports the current Arkansas football roster is worth around $14 million in revenue share and NIL combined, which is considered on the very low end of the SEC resource wise. 

Parker Search firm is assisting Arkansas' search and sources expect a sitting head coach to be the first place Hogs look with North Texas head coach Eric Morris and USF's Alex Golesh also potentially in play among others. 

"I think they're all over the place. I think they've got a top two to three but they're all over the place outside the top three," an industry source said.

There is also, obviously, the matter of interim head coach Bobby Petrino, who will certainly have his supporters. The length of this interim tenure (seven games) offers a true trial run for Petrino to prove if he still has what it takes to be a big-time college football coach and win over a fanbase divided over him as the head hog. If Petrino ends up with the job permanently one of two things likely happened: Best case is Arkansas shocks some combination of their remaining opponents (Texas A&M, Auburn, Mississippi State, LSU, Texas, and Missouri) or worst case, nobody Arkansas deems worth hiring actually wanted the job. 

Kent State

Out of 136 FBS head coach jobs, Kent State is annually in the running to be the very worst. 

Interim head coach Mark Carney has been at the helm since the offseason firing of Kenni Burns, and multiple industry sources had little clarity about where Kent State was at in the process even with its sizable head start on the rest of its peers in the bottom rung of the sport. Even though Kent State announced its intent to do a full search when he was named Carney the interim, it's unclear where they would turn to as many in the industry view it as a dead end. There's a chance the interim tag gets removed if the Golden Flashes can find a way to squeak out a couple wins in the MAC. 

Oregon State

Beavers athletic director Scott Barnes has been an AD at multiple stops and promoted Trent Bray, a former OSU linebacker, to permanent head coach in 2024 after an interim spell. He was frank about Bray's limitations after firing him after OSU began the season 0-7. 

"The difference between those hires and this one was Trent didn't embrace the enterprise as a whole," Barnes told John Canzano. "The CEO seat and the enterprise and the tough decisions. All coordinators are a work and progress but you see an appetite for wanting to take on the tough decisions, wanting to command the enterprise, and I didn't see that." 

There is an open question from industry sources about whether Barnes will be in his post longterm. Oregon State has funding issues as an athletic department as one of the two teams left behind in the Pac-12's implosion, not to mention dwindling contributions from its state government (a growing concern for universities nationwide). There is also an open question as to the fairness of its deal with NIL marketing agency Blueprint sports. 

Whoever takes the job, as usual for the Beavers, will have to do more with less and middle-of-the-road resources in the new-look Pac-12. One name floated by sources is Montana State head coach Brent Vigen. 

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys are conducting a head coaching search in football for the first time since 2004 when Les Miles left the program for LSU and the program promoted a 38-year-old Mike Gundy to the head job. 

There are questions as to whether athletics director Chad Weiberg would make the next hire given he's been working without a contract since June. But sources indicate he's expected to soon sign an extension and is fronting the search. Weiberg is getting assistance from the search firm TurnkeyZRG. 

Whoever is the next head coach will have to invest more in the current era of NIL and rev share. Gundy said earlier this year the Cowboys had only spent "around $7 million" over the last three years on its roster. A common complaint among the Cowboys' brass was Gundy's unwillingness to embrace both NIL and the transfer portal. 

As for candidates to know, there's overlap with the Arkansas job, another program with a similar geographic profile. Industry sources have indicated names like Texas State head coach GJ Kinne, UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor and potentially even Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle should be on the radar along with rising Group of Six coaches like Ryan Silverfield and Alex Golesh. 

But other names have been linked heavily with this job in talking with sources. One is Morris, who will be a candidate for multiple jobs this cycle. The other two are both Oklahoma State alumni. 

Multiple sources have linked Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson with the Cowboys. Robinson is a former Oklahoma State quarterback and has been an on-the-rise name in NFL circles for years. Said one source of the search: "That's who I think is getting the job." Robinson hasn't coached in college, however, and it's not quite clear he'd be willing to leave the NFL for college football. 

The other alumnus to know is Purdue offensive coordinator Josh Henson. A lineman for the Cowboys in the 90s who's made multiple stops with the program as an assistant, Henson is a popular name among Oklahoma State's booster class and is gaining some traction. 

A quote to note from Weiberg's press conference in the wake of Gundy's firing: "We're not going to be afraid to talk to people who are assistant coaches."

Penn State

The Nittany Lions sent a shockwave through the college football world when AD Pat Kraft fired James Franklin on Sunday in a decision that came together rapidly after Saturday's loss to Northwestern (the second loss in a row as a 20+ point favorite). When asked before the Northwestern game about Franklin's job security, one industry source said "if they don't make the playoff, let's have this conversation again." 

The reason many were surprised was due to the massive price tag of Franklin's approximately $48 million buyout. Kraft declined to go into any specifics of the financials of Franklin's buyout, and Penn State is not compelled to release Franklin's full contract under Pennsylvania public records laws. According to Front Office Sports, Franklin has a duty to mitigate clause in his contract. The clause, which is standard in college head coaching contracts, states that Franklin must actively seek new employment. If he gets it, the buyout owed to him is offset by his new salary. 

The Buyout Bubble: Why college football keeps paying millions to make coaches disappear
Brandon Marcello
The Buyout Bubble: Why college football keeps paying millions to make coaches disappear

Speaking to sources across the industry, the name that comes up in any conversation about Penn State is Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule. The 50-year-old is a Penn State alumnus and is close to Kraft, who hired him at Temple in 2012. 

Rhule didn't exactly tamp down any Penn State speculation with his initial comments on the job earlier this week: "(Nebraska) is elite. And I want to be a great father, and I want to be a great college football coach. And so I'm not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come."

Outside of the obvious connections between Rhule and the Nittany Lions, many conversations with industry sources didn't stray too much from a list any common message board fan could put together due to the timing of Franklin's firing. Though, names like Curt Cignetti, Matt Campbell, Clark Lea, Manny Diaz, Eli Drinkwitz, Alex Golesh and even Urban Meyer have come up in conversations. 

Stanford 

General manager Andrew Luck is at the helm for a search that will serve as his official stamp on the future of Stanford football. Industry sources differ on the expected impact his father, Oliver, will have on the search. Some say the former West Virginia AD is a de facto co-leader of the search, while another termed his as more of a confidant -- which makes sense if your father had run double-digit executive hiring processes. 

Stanford recently announced a $50 million influx into the football program by a donor which made headlines, but when asked if the funds are immediately accessible in full, a Stanford spokesperson told CBS Sports that some of it is and "some of it is pledged over time." 

The spokesperson was unable to provide a breakdown of how much of the money can be used now and in the future.

It is not expected that Stanford will relax admissions standards for football players in the future and it is almost certain that Luck's search will end up being wide ranging, including NFL assistant coaches like the Commanders' Tavita Pritchard or Troy Walters and former NFL assistants like current Maryland OC Pep Hamilton. 

UAB

Another unclear AD situation lies in Birmingham where Mark Ingram remains in the job after firing Trent Dilfer. 

"Ingram took a risk with Dilfer, it might cost him his job," an industry source said.  

UAB president Ray Watts is not considered deeply involved in athletics, and any move on Ingram would likely come from the school's board of trustees. 

One name floated for the job is SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods, who was once an assistant. Another is ULM head coach Bryant Vincent, who is also interim AD for the Warhawks and was formerly interim head coach of the Blazers. There is potential, if Ingram is no longer in the job, to reunite with former head coach Bill Clark as well. 

UCLA 

The tenor around UCLA has changed considerably in recent weeks following back-to-back wins over Penn State and Michigan State. Interim head coach Tim Skipper is 2-1 and offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel, the son of former Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel, might be the most popular person on that campus. 

Whether Skipper is given a real opportunity to get the job remains to be seen. Skipper, 47, served as Fresno State's interim head coach last year and many in the industry expected him to get the full-time job. But a 6-7 finish sunk any chance he had. Could Skipper change his fate a year later? Industry sources are skeptical, but if Skipper continues to win he may force the administration's hands. 

UCLA's search effort is fronted by athletic director Martin Jarmond and senior associate athletics director Erin Adkins, the same pair who led the abrupt 2023 search that led to DeShuan Foster. That pair will be assisted by a committee that is fronted by entertainment executive Casey Wasserman, former Warriors GM Bob Myers, former NFL pro Eric Kendricks and current Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters, each of whom are Bruin alums. 

There is considerable industry doubt as to UCLA's investment in football. The Bruins have lagged considerably behind other Big Ten programs in NIL investment the last few seasons, per multiple sources, but the Bruins brass has indicated there will be additional investment for the new regime. 

UCLA has already begun its initial round of conversations with potential candidates, per a source. Preliminary names that have come up early as possibilities include Washington's Jedd Fisch, North Texas' Morris, UNLV's Dan Mullen, Arizona's Brent Brennan and New Mexico's Jason Eck among others. Sources have indicated Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White, an alumnus who's been in the mix for multiple head jobs over the last few years, is interested. But the UCLA admin has communicated to agents that they'd prefer to hire a sitting head coach. 

Quick note with Mullen: The 53-year-old, who is off to a 6-0 start, strongly denied interest in any other jobs when asked at a recent press conference.  

"Listen, I'll make it real simple. Want me to do that? I'm going to be the head coach at UNLV next year," Mullen said.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies' search committee includes former coaches Bruce Arians and Bud Foster in addition to former player Eddie Royal and multiple alums from the business world. The search had a bit of a false start when Arians went on the Pat McAfee Show and said the school was "going to hire a general manager and get him in charge of football" before they "get into the coaching search" in late September. 

The Hokies have since walked that back, according to athletic director Whit Babcock, who is not leading the search, but assisting it. That is due to feedback Virginia Tech received that its candidate pool would be limited if it took a GM-first hiring approach. 

His longterm future in the job is a very open question according to industry sources as Virginia Tech looks to re-do its entire athletic department, including hiring a CEO-type leader of the department to modernize a department that multiple industry sources called "outdated." 

The Hokies are expected to start with sitting head coaches and then go from there, and have their own budgetary concerns. Recently, the school's board of rectors greenlit a $229.2 million infusion of funds over the next four years, with $47.1 million coming next year, and approximately $61 million in the next three years. But when looking into the funding sources, $30 million each year are due to come from fundraising efforts, which implies that the funds are not already on hand at the university. 

Requests for comment by CBS Sports from multiple members of the board charged with designing the budget were not returned, but Babcock said on a school-produced podcast he is confident the athletic department can secure the funds. 

"We certainly have a high degree of confidence that we will operate with the additional $47.1 million budget resources committed to us this fiscal year and the out years too."

Babcock said athletics will be able to use fundraising staffers from the university side, which raised $225 million last year. Don't expect much more public comments from the search committee as it was reported the committee signed non-disclosure agreements and will no longer be speaking about it. 

But industry sources do not discount the possibility of a return by South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer to Blacksburg, where his father's legacy looms large. 

Asked about his possible interest in the Virginia Tech job in September, Beamer said: "I think the week of the Virginia Tech game, I told everyone how I feel about South Carolina and my love for this place. That's where my focus is at right now, just getting our football team better."