The college football coaching carousel spun out of control during the 2025 college football season. 

How do you think it will go now that the regular season is over? Three vacancies were reportedly filled Sunday. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida, South Florida’s Alex Golesh is headed to Auburn, and Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield is going to Arkansas. That leaves three American Conference jobs open. 

That includes several high-profile Power 4 jobs, a run that started on Oct. 12 when Penn State fired James Franklin. Florida’s Billy Napier, LSU’s Brian Kelly and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze also were fired during the regular season. 

In 2024, there were five Power 4 coaching changes. If you count Stanford’s Troy Taylor, who was fired on March 25, 2025 and replaced by Frank Reich on a one-year interim basis, then there have been 10 Power 4 coaching changes through eight weeks of the college football season.

It continues to be a wild year in the coaching ranks. Sporting News takes a closer look at all the coaching changes in 2025: 

College football coaching changes 2025

Troy Taylor, Stanford 

Fired (March 25): Taylor was fired on March 25 after a report detailed allegations of mistreatment of multiple staff members, according to the Associated Press. Stanford general manager Andrew Luck made the decision – and he hired Frank Reich on a one-year interim basis. Taylor had a 6-18 record in two seasons with Stanford.

Kenni Burns, Kent State 

Fired (April 24): Burns was fired from Kent State after the school found multiple violations of his contract, including how he used his personal credit card. Burns had a 1-23 record from 2023-24 with the Golden Flashes. The Golden Flashes hired interim coach Mark Carney for the full-time job on Oct. 31. 

DeShaun Foster, UCLA

Fired (Sept. 17): UCLA fired Foster after a disastrous 0-3 start that included losses to UNLV and New Mexico. Foster – who played running back for the Bruins from 1998-2001 – finished 5-7 in his first season after taking over for Chip Kelly. Foster has seven losses to unranked opponents in those 15 games. Tim Skipper is the interim coach with the Bruins.

MORE: DeShaun Foster replacements at UCLA 

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech 

Fired (Sept. 17): Pry was fired one day after the Hokies lost 45-26 to Old Dominion, which dropped Virginia Tech to 0-3 on the season. The former Penn State defensive coordinator could never get on track with the Hokies. He finished 16-24 with a 10-13 record in ACC play and was 1-1 in bowl games. Philip Montgomery is the interim coach for the Hokies. Will Norfolk State coach Michael Vick – a program legend – be a consideration in 2026? 

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

Fired (Sept. 23): Gundy was fired after a 19-12 loss to Tulsa, which came two weeks after a 69-3 loss at Oregon. Gundy – who also played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1986-89 – is a program legend. He compiled a 170-90 record after taking over in 2005 – a .654 winning percentage that included eight seasons with 10 wins or more. Oklahoma State won the Big 12 championship in 2011. Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham is the interim coach.

MORE: Mike Gundy replacements at Oklahoma State 

Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Fired (Sept. 28): Pittman was fired after a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame. That was the third straight loss for Arkansas, which has allowed 30 points per game through a 2-3 start. Pittman took over in 2020 and gained popularity after a nine-win season in 2021, but the Razorbacks were just 32-34 during his tenure. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino – who compiled a 34-17 record at Arkansas from 2008-11 — is the interim coach. That will attract attention for the rest of the season.

MORE: Sam Pittman replacements at Arkansas 

Trent Bray, Oregon State 

Fired (Oct. 12): Oregon State fired Trent Bray after the Beavers fell to 0-7 on the season on Oct. 11. Bray was hired in 2024. He had a 5-14 record with the program, which remains in the Pac-12. The Beavers had two losses to Group of 5 schools this season. 

James Franklin, Penn State 

Fired (Oct. 12): Penn State fired Franklin after a three-game losing streak dropped the Nittany Lions out of College Football Playoff contention. Penn State will pay a $49 buyout. Franklin had a 104-45 record with the Nittany Lions, including a Big Ten championship in 2016 and a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. The Nittany Lions, however, lost to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern in a skid that led to Franklin’s firing. 

MORE: James Franklin replacements 

Trent Dilfer, UAB 

Fired (Oct. 12): Dilfer was fired one day after a 53-33 loss to FAU. Dilfer, who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, took over in 2023 and had a 9-21 record for the Blazers. 

Billy Napier, Florida

Fired (Oct. 19): Napier was fired one day after a 23-21 win over Mississippi State. He finished his Florida tenure at 22-23 record, but that included a 12-16 in SEC play. Napier did lead the Gators to an 8-5 record last season under similar circumstances. Florida battled a tough schedule the last two seasons, but an early-season loss to South Florida helped expedite this move. 

MORE: Billy Napier replacements 

Jay Norvell, Colorado State

Fired (Oct. 19): Norvell was fired one day after a 31-19 loss on Oct. 18. Norvell was in his fourth season at Colorado State. Norvell led the Rams to an 8-5 record in 2024, but Colorado State slipped to 2-5 this season. 

Brian Kelly, LSU

Fired (Oct. 26): LSU fired Kelly after three-plus seasons. Kelly was fired one day after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M, which gave the Tigers three losses this season. Kelly finished with a 34-14 record at LSU after leaving Notre Dame following the 2021 season. Kelly, 64, is negotiating a $53 million buyout with the school. 

MORE: Brian Kelly replacements 

Hugh Freeze, Auburn

Fired (Nov. 2): Freeze did not make it through three seasons before being the fourth SEC coach to be fired in the first 10 weeks of 2025. Freeze was 15-19 overall and 6-16 in the SEC and was under .500 all three seasons. Freeze’s last team was ranked No. 104 in scoring at the time of his dismissal.

MORE: Hugh Freeze replacements

Justin Wilcox, Cal 

Fired (Nov. 23): Wilcox was fired one day after a 31-10 loss to Stanford. That dropped the Golden Bears to 6-5. Wilcox compiled a 48-55 record with Cal after taking over in 2017, and the record dropped to a 12-12 with a 5-10 record in conference play since joining the ACC.  

Eric Morris, North Texas

Resigned (Nov. 25): North Texas announced Morris has been hired as the next coach at Oklahoma State. Morris will stay with the Mean Green through a potential American Conference championship game and potential College Football Playoff appearance, according to ESPN.com. North Texas is 21-15 under Morris, which includes a 10-1 record this season. 

Jim Mora, Jr., UConn

Resigned (Nov. 26): After leading UConn to three bowls in four years, Jim Mora, Jr., was hired by Colorado State to replace Jay Norvell. Mora won nine games in back-to-back seasons, a first for the Huskies. He was 27-23 in four years and will take over a Colorado State program that is 2-9 and has had just one winning season in eight years.

Alex Golesh, South Florida 

Resigned (Nov. 30): Auburn hired Golesh as its next coach. Golesh reportedly was in the mix for the Arkansas job, but the Tigers hired him to replace Hugh Freeze. Golesh, a former offensive coordinator at Tennessee, had a 23-15 record with the Bulls. It’s a solid hire for Auburn. 

Ryan Silverfield, Memphis 

Resigned (Nov. 30): Arkansas reportedly hired Silverfield on Sunday, according to On3.com’s Brett McMurphy. Silverfield compiled a 50-24 record at Memphis since taking over in 2020. He led the Tigers to a pair of 10-win seasons and a 4-0 record in bowl games. 

Jon Sumrall, Tulane 

Resigned (Nov. 30): According to multiple reports, Sumrall will be the next coach at Florida. Sumrall compiled a 42-11 record between Troy and Tulane, and the Green Wave made the American Conference championship game. He was one of the most sought-after coaches in the SEC this cycle. 

Jonathan Smith, Michigan State

Fired (Nov. 30): According to Pete Thamel, Michigan State is parting ways with Smith. The Spartans will still owe him $33 million. Smith led Michigan State to a 1-8 conference record this season and tallied a combined 9-15 record in his two seasons at the helm of the program 

FBS coaching changes by school 2025  

Here is a look at every head coaching change in the FBS in 2025, including the fired coach, the interim coach and their replacement for the 2026 season.