College Football Hot Seat: Who’s Next on the Chopping Block?

Another week, another set of college football coaches wondering if their key card will still work at the office on Monday. The coaching carousel is already spinning, and we’re not even out of September. UCLA and Virginia Tech have already shown their head coaches the door after disastrous 0-3 starts, which has everyone else looking over their shoulder.The question isn’t if another coach will get the axe, but who and when. The college football hot seat is scalding, and a few names are sizzling more than others. So, grab your popcorn, because it’s about to get messy.

 Billy Napier, Florida: The King of the Hot Seat

 Let’s state the obvious. Billy Napier is still, somehow, the head coach at Florida. For now. Being the coach of the Gators is supposed to be a dream college football coaching job, but for Napier, it’s turned into a recurring nightmare he can’t wake up from. His overall record has dipped below .500, sitting at a cringeworthy 20-21 in his fourth year.

To put that in perspective, Napier’s winning percentage is the worst for any non-interim Florida coach since before the advent of color television. He’s a dismal 5-14 on the road and a combined 3-11 against rivals Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, FSU, and LSU. Even the legendary Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer didn’t lose games at this clip.

 After a brief spark of hope at the end of 2024, the Gators have face-planted. Now, Napier is staring down a schedule that looks like a death sentence. He’s got No. 6 Miami, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 9 Florida State still on the docket. Good luck with that. It’s not a matter of if Napier gets fired, but a matter of when the buyout check clears.

 Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: Is the Mullet’s Magic Gone?

 Mike Gundy is Oklahoma State football. He’s a man, he’s over 40, and he’s been a fixture in Stillwater for what feels like forever. But even legends can overstay their welcome. After a winless conference season last year, Gundy shuffled his coaching staff, hoping to find a spark. Instead, he got a full-blown dumpster fire.

 The 69-3 beatdown by No. 5 Oregon wasn’t just a loss; it was an intergalactic embarrassment. It showed just how far the Cowboys have fallen from the top tier of college football. Gundy’s legacy as the winningest coach in program history is rock solid, but that legacy won’t save him if the team is headed for another 3-9 season. The administration might be forced to make the heart-wrenching decision to part ways with their icon.

 Sam Pittman, Arkansas: Can’t Win the Close Ones

 Sam Pittman is the guy you want to have a beer with. He’s likable, he’s genuine, and he brought Bobby Petrino back to fix the offense. But you know what’s not likable? A 7-18 record in one-score games. The Razorbacks have perfected the art of the heartbreaking loss. After a gut-wrenching 41-35 defeat to Mississippi, Pittman’s seat is getting warmer by the second.

His SEC record is a bleak 14-29, and the schedule isn’t doing him any favors. With Memphis, No. 21 Notre Dame, and No. 25 Auburn on the horizon, the pressure is mounting. If Pittman can’t figure out how to win the close ones, he might be looking for a new job sooner rather than later.

 Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: A Buyout vs. Another Bad Year

 Wisconsin thought they had their guy in Luke Fickell. But after a promising start, the Badgers are once again flirting with mediocrity in college football. Now, the administration faces a brutal choice to either pay a massive buyout to fire Fickell after just three college football seasons or cross their fingers and hope for the best.

 The Badgers just got steamrolled by No. 14 Alabama, and their remaining college football schedule is a murderer’s row featuring No. 1 Ohio State, No. 20 Michigan, and Oregon. If Fickell can somehow drag this team to six wins and a bowl game, he might buy himself another year. Anything less, and the conversations in Madison are going to get very, very uncomfortable.

 Trent Dilfer, UAB: The Experiment Has Failed

 What on earth was UAB thinking? Hiring Trent Dilfer, a former NFL quarterback with zero college football coaching experience, was one of the most baffling moves in recent memory. And surprise, surprise, it’s been a spectacular failure. The Blazers had six straight winning seasons before Dilfer arrived.

Now, they’re celebrating a narrow victory over Akron as if it were the national championship. Dilfer’s record is a pathetic 9-18, and a third of his wins have come against FCS teams. It’s time for UAB to admit they made a mistake and mercifully end this bizarre experiment.