College Football's Coaches on the Hot Seat for 2025

Louisiana Tech is coming off its best record (5-8) under Cumbie, but entering his fourth year in Ruston, he has yet to have a winning season, posting a record of 11-26. Also, with a move to the Sun Belt coming in 2026 or ‘27, there’s extra pressure for Cumbie to show progress before moving to a tougher conference.

Although the former NFL QB brought name recognition, Dilfer’s only experience as a coach was a four-year stint at a private Tennessee high school. The Blazers are 7-17 under Dilfer and have fielded one of the nation’s worst defenses in that span.

Transitioning to the SEC wasn’t supposed to be easy, but a 6-7 record in ‘24 gave Venables his second losing season at Oklahoma — the program’s only two losing marks since 1999. Venables hit the reset button on his offensive staff and will handle the defensive play-calling duties in ‘25. Expectations are high in Norman. Another losing record would spell the end of Venables’ tenure.

Pittman topped most hot seat lists after 2023, but he steadied the ship with a 7-6 record last fall. The Razorbacks are 30-31 under Pittman’s watch and have earned bowl trips in three out of the last four years. But if Arkansas doesn’t exceed last season’s win total of seven, doubts will grow. With a tough schedule that includes tossup non-conference matchups against Notre Dame and Memphis, the Razorbacks don’t have much margin for error in a critical season for Pittman.

After a prolific playing career and leading the program to 169 overall victories as head coach, Gundy is Oklahoma State football. But after last year’s 3-9 record and reworked contract that included a pay cut, it’s clear that Gundy is under some pressure. In an effort to get the Cowboys back to a winning record, Gundy reset his coaching staff and completely overhauled the roster.

Brennan inherited a roster capable of contending for the Big 12 title. Instead, the Wildcats regressed to 4-8, with six losses by 20 points or more. Add in a new athletic director who didn’t hire Brennan, and it’s clear that the second-year coach needs to show marked improvement.

Freeze has the talent level on the rise at Auburn, but he’s posted back-to-back losing records since taking over in ‘23. The Tigers are 5-11 in SEC play in that span, and the offense — Freeze’s side of the ball — has ranked near the bottom of the conference in scoring.

Satterfield was a surprising hire at Cincinnati following a 17-19 record in his final three years at Louisville. Through two seasons, Satterfield has struggled to find his footing, with an 8-16 mark. Getting to a bowl game is a must if Satterfield wants to lead Cincinnati in ‘26.

After a promising finish to the ‘24 season, expectations were high for a step forward for Pry’s Hokies last year. However, they underachieved with a 6-7 mark to bring Pry’s overall record in Blacksburg to 16-21. Pry is counting on a revamped staff (including two new coordinators) and a large class of transfers to lead Virginia Tech back to a winning record.

Athletic director Scott Stricklin gave Napier a vote of confidence in early November, and the Gators responded with a four-game winning streak that included victories over LSU and Ole Miss to finish the year, cooling the pressure a bit. However, with a full offseason to develop quarterback DJ Lagway, Napier can’t afford to take a step back in the win column. If Florida picks up where it left off in ‘24, contending for the playoff should be within reach.

Akron has showed signs of progress under Moorhead, but this program is one of the hardest spots to coach at in the MAC. In addition to struggling to retain key players from entering the portal, the Zips are facing a bowl ban in '25. Moorhead is 8-28 since '22 as the head coach at Akron.

Virginia took a step forward in 2024 with the program’s best mark (5-7) of Elliott’s tenure. However, the Cavaliers are 11-23 and have just six ACC wins since Elliott took over in ‘22. Despite Elliott's background on offense, Virginia has finished 12th or worst in the ACC in scoring every season under Elliott. Can a hefty class of transfers that includes quarterback Chandler Morris (North Texas) and a favorable schedule help Virginia get to a bowl for the first time under Elliott?

Wilcox has navigated some challenging circumstances at California with resources, along with conference realignment with the program now playing in the ACC instead of the Pac-12. The arrival of new general manager Ron Rivera has added urgency to this program and Wilcox's overall tenure as the Golden Bears aim to take a step forward in the ACC. Since taking over as Cali fornia's head coach, Wilcox is 42-50 and has guided the program to four bowl appearances. However, California has yet to post a winning record in conference play under Wilcox and has posted four straight losing records.

The Seminoles never recovered from the College Football Playoff snub in 2023, plummeting to a 2-10 mark last season. High-profile coordinator hires in Gus Malzahn (offense) and Tony White (defense) should be a massive boost to Norvell in what could be a make-or-break year. Although the program bottomed out last season, Norvell did guide Florida State to a 23-4 mark from 2022-23. That track record suggests a comeback in '25 and beyond is not out of the question.

Kelly's record (29-11) and overall tenure at LSU certainly isn't awful. However, considering the previous two coaches (Les Miles and Ed Orgeron) won a national title, expectations are high in Baton Rouge. The Tigers earned one trip to the SEC Championship Game under Kelly in 2022 but underachieved in '24 with a 9-4 mark. In an effort to rebound and get to the College Football Playoff, LSU invested heavily in a deep transfer class and to provide support for quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Making the playoff is the expectation in '25.

After a 57-18 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff at Cincinnati, Fickell was a heralded hire in 2023. But two years later, Fickell is on the hot seat with a 12-13 record, and the program missed a bowl last season for the first time since ‘01. Returning to a winning record won’t be easy. Wisconsin plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation this year.

With a 77-73 record since taking over in 2013, Stoops is the winningest coach in Kentucky history. Additionally, the Wildcats emerged as a consistent bowl team under Stoops' direction and posted two double-digit win seasons. However, since winning 10 games in '21, the Wildcats have failed to post more than seven victories in a year and slumped to their worst record (4-8 overall and 1-7 in SEC play) since Stoops' debut in '13. With a buyout of nearly $40 million, moving on from Stoops won't be easy for Kentucky.

Was last season's 4-8 record a sign of the program trending in the wrong direction? Or was it just a one-year blip for Locksley? Prior to the four-win campaign, Maryland made three consecutive bowl games (2021-23) under Locksley. Since taking over as the program's head coach in '19, Locksley is 32-36 overall.

Riley isn't sitting squarely on the hot seat yet, but the pressure surrounding this coaching staff is on the rise entering 2025. After hitting a grand slam to hire Riley away from Oklahoma, the Trojans went 11-3 in his debut in '22. However, the program has been trending in the wrong direction since that season. USC is only 1 5-11 in that span and needed a late November victory over UCLA last year just to get bowl eligible. The Trojans are recruiting well for their '26 class, and Riley has made several quality hires in the off-field department. Could USC be poised for marked improvement in its second trip through the Big Ten?

Rahne has guided the Monarchs to two bowl trips and a 20-30 record since taking over in '21. The program has yet to record a winning overall mark in a single season but is 16-16 in Sun Belt action. The Monarchs are an intriguing sleeper team to watch in the Sun Belt this season, with a winning record and contention for the Sun Belt's East Division title within reach.

Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina
Timmy Chang, Hawaii
Jay Norvell, Colorado State