Adam RittenbergOct 30, 2025, 08:41 AM ETCloseCollege football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.Follow on X
Jon Sumrall and the other non-Power 4 coaches to watch
Yes, the number of open jobs in the FBS seems to grow by the weekend, with LSU being the latest — and biggest — to drop. We’ve seen early-season and midseason firings before, most recently in 2021, when jobs including USC and LSU were already open at this point in the calendar. The number of power-conference vacancies before Nov. 1 this season, though, is notable.
Where will Penn State turn now? And how will Texas A&M’s surge under Mike Elko, a New Jersey native who played college football at Penn, impact the search? Who else is working their way into the mix?
The Lane Kiffin-Florida exclusive courtship lasted only a week before LSU entered the chat. Kiffin could end up deciding between two of the better jobs in the SEC or he could stay at Ole Miss, which he has built into a national contender and where he receives strong support. Ole Miss’ position as a CFP hopeful could take the process well into December.
If Kiffin stays put, Florida will need to turn elsewhere. Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and SMU’s Rhett Lashlee are intriguing options, but would they get Gators fans anywhere near as excited?
LSU’s non-Kiffin options could include Drinkwitz, Brohm and others with varying profiles as the job is undoubtedly among the nation’s best. Can LSU swing big? Absolutely. Should it? That’s another question entirely.
Every weekend of results shapes the carousel, as so many sitting coaches are expected to be targeted for new jobs. Some are leading CFP hopefuls, which ultimately could limit their ability to move in December.
It’s time to reset the carousel as November nears, spotlighting jobs, candidates and an upcoming stretch that will reshape the leadership in several key spots around the country.
Coaching circles often have a trickle-down effect, starting with the most appealing jobs, which are Penn State and Florida. What ultimately happens in State College and Gainesville might affect other open searches, as well as those that could come open, such as Florida State and Auburn. Kiffin, for example, will be high on FSU’s wish list, as well.
The belief among industry sources is that both the PSU and Florida candidate pools will be limited. If either school is talking to six or seven candidates, something probably isn’t right.
“Even though we have a ton of potential searches, there’s some niche searches,” a source said. “Penn State could not really be a search, and Florida might not really be a search. It might just be the obvious candidates.”
Those would have meant Rhule at Penn State and Kiffin at Florida, but that has changed. Elko, who has Texas A&M off to an 8-0 start, certainly would fit the PSU program, given his roots and how he spent the first 15 years of his coaching career in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic or Midwest.
Elko might be deciding between two well-resourced programs. The difference is that Penn State has accomplished way more on the field than Texas A&M has and is now clearly striving for national titles. Elko is certainly motivated to, as he has put it this season, break down doors. “We have high goals and expectations for this team and for this program,” he told ESPN last week. “We know in order to meet them, we have to do things that haven’t been done.”
Being the coach to elevate a historic underachiever is enticing. Elko also has followed college football for decades. He knows that outside Ohio State and Michigan, Penn State has had fewer barriers to success over the years, including no rival like Texas in the same state.
Then again, if Texas A&M makes the CFP as a top-four seed, Penn State might have to make its hire sooner.
Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea is emerging as a name to watch at Penn State and elsewhere. Would Penn State hire a coach from Vanderbilt twice in a row? Until last season, Lea was 9-27 at his alma mater. But he’s now doing things that Franklin never did at Vanderbilt (7-1), and Lea showed his flexibility as a coach by bringing in quarterback Diego Pavia and others from New Mexico State to spark the program. Lea is an Elko protégé and could appeal to PSU for many of the same reasons.
“The guy can win big games when the lights are bright,” an industry source said. “Last year against Bama, this year against LSU and Missouri, like, he shows up.”
Florida clearly has interest in Kiffin, but what if he’s not the guy? Drinkwitz and Lashlee both seem ready for a jump and could be good fits in Gainesville. They’re both in good situations, though, especially Lashlee after making the CFP last season. Missouri has capitalized on its SEC schedule across the past two campaigns but hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent in the league. Next season, the Tigers will visit Georgia and Ole Miss, and they will host Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Florida.
“They’re not going to have this path,” an industry source said. “Drinkwitz is smart enough to know he’s got to get out.”
Landry, on Wednesday, shook up the search when he lit into LSU athletic director Scott Woodward, making it clear Woodward would not be hiring Kelly’s successor. The governor pointed to Woodward’s hires of Kelly and Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, and the significant costs both schools incurred when the coaches were fired.
“Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” Landry said “Hell, I’d let [President] Donald Trump select him before I’d let him do it. The Board of Supervisors is going to come up with a committee and find us a coach.”
In announcing Kelly’s firing Sunday night, Woodward presented himself as LSU’s lead decision-maker, referring to being “a proud alum” and “the current caretaker of our athletics programs.” Woodward said he made the decision to fire Kelly.
Kiffin to McAfee: My players have movement rumors like I do
Landry also criticized the hefty contracts coaches receive and the insular agent-administrator world that often yields those coach-friendly deals.
Will this mean LSU avoids the big-splash hires Woodward has historically made, and the price tags that come with them? What’s the immediate future of Woodward, who has led LSU’s athletic department since 2019?
LSU’s search is clearly more complex than some of the others, and could take longer to wrap up. The school needs a clearly outlined process and might need to look at a wider candidate pool.
Remember, Kelly came to LSU with more accomplishments than his three predecessors — Orgeron, Les Miles and Saban — who all won national titles there. Coaches with different profiles can succeed there.
LSU could prioritize SEC experience (Drinkwitz, Lea, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham) or those connected to the state (Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, Houston coach Willie Fritz, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator and former LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard).
One emerging theme of this coaching cycle is potentially not having enough quality candidates to fill all of the major openings. But there’s also a sizable contingent of notable coaches not currently working and seemingly wanting to get back in the game.
The group includes two national-championship-winning coaches in Fisher and Orgeron. Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald wants to coach again now that his wrongful termination lawsuit against the school has been settled. Dave Clawson, who resigned from Wake Forest after the 2024 season, also might see a path to the sideline.
Then there are the recently fired coaches, headlined by Franklin and now Kelly. Rarely has a coach with Franklin’s credentials — 128-60 FBS record, nine AP Top 25 finishes, a CFP semifinal appearance — been jettisoned so quickly, and Franklin made it clear on “College GameDay” that he wants to coach in 2026.
Franklin told the “College GameDay” crew that he will resume his national championship quest at his next job. Does he see a program such as Virginia Tech having that potential? Virginia Tech has committed to fund its program better than it has previously, and the school has an easier CFP path in the ACC. Franklin would be a strong hire there, but the Hokies haven’t had an AP top-10 finish since 2009.
How Franklin views Big Ten jobs is another layer. Other than Penn State, UCLA is the only current vacancy. UCLA has some pluses, especially from a lifestyle standpoint, but would have to take a massive jump to become a national contender. Franklin could have more interest in Big Ten jobs that haven’t opened yet, such as Wisconsin and perhaps Michigan State.
Other potential vacancies such as Florida State and Auburn could enter Franklin’s radar too, especially FSU. He would bring a level of credibility to both jobs.
Kelly’s next move is a bit harder to plot out. His final game at LSU took place on his 64th birthday, so he likely won’t be coaching that much longer. Could he go from fired at LSU to another national contender such as Penn State? Probably not. The more sensible jobs for Kelly might not be open yet.
Before the LSU job, he spent 35 years of his coaching career in three states: Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. If Wisconsin or Michigan State make changes, Kelly would make sense. The same goes for other jobs in the Midwest or Northeast.
Penn State, Florida and now LSU have taken up a lot of oxygen in the coaching world, and so have the will-they-or-won’t-they situations at Florida State, Wisconsin and Auburn. But several searches have been underway for more than a month and will be winding toward resolutions.
Before Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy, there was a lot of chatter in industry circles that Cowboys athletic director Chad Weiberg, who was working without a contract, might be out first. Not only did Weiberg survive the transition but last week had a new four-year deal approved. His job stability is a good sign for the next Cowboys coach.
Who will that be? Oklahoma State could look at several sitting Group of 5 coaches, including North Texas’ Eric Morris, whose wizardry with quarterbacks has propelled his profile, and South Florida’s Alex Golesh, a former Oklahoma State graduate assistant. The school might want a clean break from the Gundy era, but former quarterback Zac Robinson, the current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, has some support around the program.