Adam RittenbergOct 26, 2025, 08:40 PM 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 forecast 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. LSU’s decision to dismiss Brian Kelly during his fourth season has, again, reset the market.
There are eight Power 4 schools looking for head coaches: Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Penn State, Florida and, now, LSU. Two other notable non-Power 4 jobs, Oregon State and UAB, also are 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: LSU hasn’t won consistently enough since its last national title, but the ingredients of a top-shelf job are there, especially location and fan support. As a coaching agent said the week before LSU made its move, “If LSU came open, that’s by far the best job on the market, easily.” Now it has.
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: There’s a volatility at LSU that can’t be ignored, but neither can the potential for almost any coach — in almost any year — to reach the very top of the sport. In the BCS/CFP era since 1998, only three FBS programs have won three or more national titles: Alabama has six, while Ohio State and LSU each have three. Like Ohio State, LSU had three consecutive permanent coaches win titles in Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron. From Saban’s second season in 2001 until the most recent national championship in 2019, LSU had 16 finishes in the AP top 20 and nine in the top 10. Since Saban’s arrival in 2000, LSU is 247-85, tied with Alabama for sixth-most wins, and has had only two seasons with fewer than eight victories. But the program also has only one top-10 finish in the final CFP standings.
Access to CFP: The SEC will be well-represented in the 12-team playoff format this year and in future seasons, especially if the model gets larger. Despite only one CFP appearance, resulting in the national title, LSU certainly can become an annual playoff contender with the right coach and strong financial alignment. The Tigers won BCS titles in 2003 and 2007 and played for another in 2011. Their 2018 team that won 10 games would have made a larger CFP field. The right hire will put LSU in position to access the playoff on a much more regular basis.
Roster-building: Here is where LSU should really thrive under the right coach going forward. Of the top talent-producing states in the SEC footprint, only LSU and Georgia don’t have to deal with another conference competitor, and LSU doesn’t even have another Power 4 team within its state borders. Many top players from New Orleans, Baton Rouge and other parts of Louisiana grow up dreaming of playing at Tiger Stadium. LSU had top-10 recruiting classes under Kelly and made a big transfer portal push this past offseason, adding cornerback Mansoor Delane and wide receivers Nic Anderson and Barion Brown.
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.