Adam RittenbergOct 22, 2025, 07:00 AM ETCloseCollege football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.Follow on X
play2:40Arkansas AD Yurachek explains the details on Pittman firingHunter Yurachek speaks to the media on the decision and process of letting go the respected Sam Pittman, the decision to move forward with Bobby Petrino and further expectations.
Arkansas AD Yurachek explains the details on Pittman firingHunter Yurachek speaks to the media on the decision and process of letting go the respected Sam Pittman, the decision to move forward with Bobby Petrino and further expectations.
Hunter Yurachek speaks to the media on the decision and process of letting go the respected Sam Pittman, the decision to move forward with Bobby Petrino and further expectations.
The 2025-26 coaching cycle wasn’t expected to be calm, like its predecessor. But few forecasted such a robust line of storms rolling through the sport in the first half of the season.
All four power conferences have had a firing. Penn State’s ouster of James Franklin, midway through his 12th season and barely 10 months removed from the team playing for a spot in the national title game, sent a message around the sport: Almost no coach is safe. Franklin and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, fired Sept. 23 from his alma mater, have a combined record of 298-150 in the FBS.
There are seven Power 4 schools looking for head coaches: Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Penn State and now Florida. Two other, notable, non-Power 4 jobs, Oregon State and UAB, are also on the hunt. More openings certainly could come, including Auburn and Kentucky in the SEC, Wisconsin in the Big Ten and Florida State in the ACC. And that’s not even counting the inevitable vacancies that will occur when sitting head coaches leave for other jobs.
Leadership stability also resonates. How secure is the athletic director hiring the coach? University presidents move around much more frequently than they used to and have final say on major investments such as football coach hires. What’s the presidential situation at these schools?
I tried to view these jobs as coaches do and ask: Which jobs offer the best path to success in the respective league? Which had the right mix of support and expectations? The SEC and Big Ten are the two most well-resourced leagues, but not every SEC or Big Ten job is better than every Big 12 or ACC job.
Why the job ranks here: Despite a longer-than-expected national championship drought, Penn State has been very close to a breakthrough and has the financial structure to make the next step. The Big Ten is a bit deeper but doesn’t have as many CFP-ready programs as the SEC. Penn State is undoubtedly one of them.
Why the job ranks here: Florida is the only SEC program in a state loaded with talent and now has the financial infrastructure to support its coach as he chases a national championship. But the overall coaching churn and uneven results in Gainesville can’t be ignored.
Why the job ranks here: If Oklahoma State has a strong plan, it should be able to rise fairly quickly in a league without behemoth brands. The team isn’t far removed from CFP contention and can get there faster than other programs on this list.
Another industry source pointed out, “If you’re Virginia Tech, you’re never going to be resourced, like Miami, Clemson and Florida State.”
Why the job ranks here: Virginia Tech is a football school in a winnable conference that can take a significant step with newfound financial backing and the right coaching hire.
Arkansas AD Yurachek explains the details on Pittman firing
Why the job ranks here: Despite success in other sports, Arkansas’ backslide in football and position within an increasingly challenging conference creates a steep climb to CFP relevancy. Arkansas has definite growth potential but must improve at harnessing local financial support.
Why the job ranks here: UCLA hasn’t been consistently good for a long time and now plays on the Western flank of a conference with more top-tier programs that have fewer problems acquiring talent and filling their stadiums.
On-field performance: PSU is 44-17 since the start of the 2021 season and 90-33 since the start of the 2016 season. The Lions won their most recent Big Ten title in 2016 and reached the league title game last season. They also made their CFP debut in 2024, beating SMU and Boise State before falling to Notre Dame 27-24 in a semifinal matchup at the Orange Bowl. Only seven other FBS teams have won more than 90 games since 2016, and Penn State has six 10-win seasons during that span. The team had six CFP top-12 finishes before making the expanded field. Penn State’s last national title came in 1986.
Roster-building: Penn State remains, by far, the most historically successful program in the Northeast, and can access recruiting hotbeds there as well as to the Southeast (Washington D.C. area) and to the West (Ohio, Michigan). “If you’re doing it right, you’ve got Jersey, New York, you can reach into the DMV,” a former Penn State staff member said. Penn State consistently has top-20 recruiting classes and has stepped up its investment for transfers, bringing in several notable wide receivers this offseason. The Lions had the No. 3 overall offseason and have proven they can retain top players and add new stars.
University leadership: Pat Kraft is in his third year as athletic director and showcased the power he has obtained in making a difficult midseason coaching change. He’s regarded as one of the nation’s top athletic directors and views Penn State as a destination job after stints at Boston College and Temple. University president Neeli Bendapudi also has been in her role since 2022 and has shown a strong commitment to athletics and football, greenlighting key investments, including what will be a very expensive coaching transition. Franklin often recognized the support he received from both Kraft and Bendapudi.
Financial support: A school doesn’t make a front-end financial decision such as firing Franklin without being committed on the back end with his replacement and a top group of on-field assistants and supporting staff. Kraft made it clear that Penn State is positioned to compete for national championships. Beaver Stadium is undergoing a $700 million renovation, and Penn State has been aggressive in retaining top players, and adding key transfers and assistants such as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Penn State’s upcoming apparel partnership with Adidas will bring increased revenues to athletics.
On-field performance: The lack of a single College Football Playoff appearance is jarring for a program that won three national championships between 1996 and 2008. Florida is 28-30 since the start of the 2021 season, tied for 84th nationally in winning percentage (.483). The Gators had three consecutive top-10 finishes in the CFP standings from 2018 to 2020 and would have made the field several times under former coach Dan Mullen if it were larger. But the team has largely floundered in SEC play in recent years, losing three or more conference games in eight of the past 12 seasons (not counting 2025).
Access to CFP: The SEC affords Florida both a larger number of entry points and more profile-boosting opportunities. The league is also increasingly deeper, not only with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, but with the emergence of teams such as Missouri and now Vanderbilt. Florida’s rival Tennessee is coming off a CFP appearance, and perennial underachiever Texas A&M is the league’s only unbeaten team in 2025. Plus, you have to deal with Alabama, Georgia, LSU and others. Florida will need to leapfrog several programs and hope some teams come back down to earth in the coming years.
Roster-building: Talk to coaches who faced Napier’s Florida’s teams and it became clear that talent wasn’t what held back the Gators. “They look pretty,” an SEC coordinator said before facing Florida. “They’ve got good-looking players.” Florida signed the nation’s No. 10 recruiting class in both 2024 and 2025, headlined by players such as quarterback DJ Lagway, edge rusher LJ McCray and wide receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. Napier wasn’t nearly as active in the portal, preferring to develop players through high school recruiting, but Florida’s next coach should have the ability to push for more top transfers.
University leadership: Most SEC athletic directors don’t get a third chance at hiring a football coach after the first two don’t pan out, but Florida’s Scott Stricklin will have that opportunity here. Stricklin, who has led Florida’s athletic department since 2016, received a contract extension last month that takes him through October 2030. Florida has excelled in other sports, including a men’s basketball national title in April, but football has fallen short under Stricklin’s watch. The university in August named an interim president in Donald Landry, after selecting Michigan’s Santa Ono this spring, only to have the hire rejected. Florida hasn’t had much stability since early 2023.
Financial support: For years, Florida thrived on the field without making major investments in facilities and other key areas of the program. The frustration with the Napier era was that the university made commitments in multiple areas, and the team’s performance still regressed. In his statement announcing Napier’s firing, Stricklin said: “UF has never been more invested in the success of this football program — elite facilities, robust NIL opportunities and comprehensive support for our student athletes and staff — than we are today.” But will that be enough? As a Florida staffer noted this week, “With money for the most part being equal going forward, this is not an elite job.”
On-field performance: Two things can be true: The program has cratered since the start of the 2024 season, but Oklahoma State also played for a Big 12 title in 2023 and 2021. The Pokes also had seven 10-win seasons between 2010 to 2023. The Pokes are 33-26 since the start of the 2021 season — 4-14 in the last season plus — and are 76-46 since the start of the 2016 season. They are still one of the top remaining brands in a Big 12 Conference without Oklahoma and Texas, and recorded 10 AP Top 25 finishes between 2008 and 2023.