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The 2025 college football coaching carousel is positioned to be one for the ages after Florida fired Billy Napier on Sunday. Now, there are 11 FBS openings, including seven at the Power Four level. Last season, there wasn't a single power conference opening until the final week of the season. So far, this cycle is defined by a number of jobs that haven't opened in years. Oklahoma State is open for the first time since 2005. Penn State last made a hire in 2014. Even UCLA hasn't done a full coaching search since after the 2017 season. There are several factors that go into evaluating an opening, and it's becoming more difficult in the player compensation era. Having the resources to compete at the highest level is at the top of the list, but a pathway to competitiveness also plays a part. The expanded College Football Playoff also changes the dynamic. Every job is unique, and each candidate will value them differently. With that said, here's how we rank all 11 open FBS head coaching jobs in 2025, broken up into Power Four and Group of Six levels. College football coaching carousel tracker: Grades, analysis on coach changes, 2025-26 firings and hirings Brandon Marcello Power Four openings 1. Florida Previous coach: Billy Napier (22-23, 12-16 SEC) Previous salary: $7.5 million Last conference title: 2008 On paper, Florida is close to an ideal job. The Gators boast elite recruiting territory with easy access to the state of Florida, and rising talent bases in Georgia and the Carolinas. Napier helped develop their organization from a recruiting and fundraising perspective, building some of the most talented rosters in the SEC. However, nearly all of Florida's historic success came under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, two of the greatest coaches in history. Since then, the Gators have been a revolving door of mediocrity. This job is less turnkey than many may assume, but the championship ceiling is still (probably) there. 2. Penn State Previous coach: James Franklin (104-45, 64-36 Big Ten) Previous salary: $8.5 million Last conference title: 2016 For the right candidate, Penn State could be the best job on the market, if not one of the best in all of college football. There's little question the Nittany Lions have resources and commitment to winning, as the program moves on from James Franklin after reaching the national semis last year. He was able to pay top dollars for both coordinators, and built a monstrous roster. The athletic department's approach to recruiting grounds will be an interesting dynamic. Will they look for a Big Ten lifer? A national recruiter? Someone who can bring some SEC influence? This is the first time Penn State has opened under normal circumstances in essentially the entire modern era. Their process will be fascinating. 3. Arkansas Previous coach: Sam Pittman (32-34, 14-29 SEC) Previous salary: $6.8 million Last conference title: 1989 The Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference for the SEC in 1992. Since then, the historically great program has struggled to find its place in the college football ecosystem. Arkansas has only six AP Top 25 finishes in 34 years in the SEC, including only one since 2011. Recruiting inroads in DFW have taken a hit since Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M entered the SEC -- along with the rest of the conference prioritizing the state. Adding another layer of complication, the men's basketball and baseball programs take legitimate attention away. The next Arkansas coach will have to establish an identity for this program, but the fan support is rabid. 4. Oklahoma State Previous coach: Mike Gundy (170-90, 102-72 Big 12) Previous salary: $6.88 million Last conference title: 2011 Let's be clear, Mike Gundy is Oklahoma State football. There have been 11 10-win seasons in program history; Gundy was part of 10 as either a coach or player. That said, the job Gundy leaves is very different from the one he took, for the better. Oklahoma State has invested heavily over the years in its program and has strong facilities and investment. While it won't rank at the top of the Big 12 in money, it's close enough to contend for the conference in the right circumstances. Gundy was a legend, but there's plenty of reasons to also believe that a new coach could have better success in utilizing the transfer portal and player compensation than Gundy ever did. 5. Virginia Tech Previous coach: Brent Pry (16-24, 10-13 ACC) Previous salary: $4.8 million Last conference title: 2010 Virginia Tech has ranked among the lowest-funded football programs in the ACC in recent years, but new guidelines passed by its board of trustees could change that -- and perhaps push this job up the list. The fan support and tradition have been tremendous at the school since the days of Frank Beamer, and the area around Virginia is becoming even more of a recruiting hotspot in recent years. If the money can come around, the Hokies can get back into the ACC conversation. If not, this isn't a great job. Which will it be? 6. UCLA Previous coach: DeShaun Foster (5-10, 3-6 Big Ten) Previous salary: $3.1 million Last conference title: 1998 UCLA may be a Big Ten program, but the Bruins are a true bottom-feeder as currently constructed. When you hear talk about short-term cash infusion in the Big Ten, plenty of it is built around trying to save UCLA, which finds itself in a major financial hole. Consistent cross-country travel in the Big Ten and major focus on basketball takes away from the football team. The Rose Bowl is a blessing and curse as images constantly go viral for lack of fan support. Recruiting in Los Angeles is a huge advantage, but the Bruins have not signed a top 10 player in California since 2019. This job is an uphill battle, but certainly one with intrigue. 7. Stanford Previous coach: Troy Taylor (6-18, 4-13 ACC/Pac-12) Previous salary: N/A Last conference title: 2015 Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw did an incredible job of building Stanford into a consistent powerhouse in the Pac-12. In the era of transfer portal and NIL, though, the Cardinal's commitment to the new era is in question. Stanford's athletic department is heavily committed to non-revenue sports, and it's unclear how that will shape rev share. Getting Andrew Luck involved in the program is good news -- he will try to scrape together any advantage he can find. But how many advantages can there really be, especially as Stanford plays nearly all of its conference games across the country? Group of Six openings 1. Oregon State Previous coach: Trent Bray (5-14) Previous salary: $2 million Last conference title: 2000 The Beavers have gone through one of the most complicated situations of any program in college football after the collapse of the legacy Pac-12. Numerous key players and coaches have abandoned ship over the last two years at the two remaining Pac-12 schools, but there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Oregon State won't necessarily compete with Power Four schools financially, but the Beavers should contend with the top of the new Pac-12 starting next year, and have the resources that can make it worthwhile for the right next candidate. 2. Colorado State Previous coach: Jay Norvell (18-26, 13-13 MWC) Previous salary: $1.9 million Last conference title: 2002 Colorado State has decent resources and nice facilities, but the Rams have struggled to put together a consistent product. The program has only one bowl appearance since 2017 and only one 10-win season in the past 20 years, coming under Jim McElwain. The program has upside, and joining the Pac-12 presents an interesting opportunity, but lack of consistent results over a long period of time presents questions. 3. UAB Previous coach: Trent Dilfer (9-21, 5-14 American) Previous salary: $1.45 million Last conference title: 2020 Four years ago, the Blazers seemed prepared to be a surging Group of Six darling as Bill Clark led the program to two Conference USA titles in three years. Instead, the program embarrassed itself with the hiring of Trent Dilfer, pushing them towards the bottom of The American. UAB has a great stadium built in 2021 and Birmingham is one of the biggest hotbeds of college football. The right hire could easily shoot them back up the list. 4. Kent State Previous coach: Kenni Burns (1-23, 0-16 MAC) Previous salary: $525,000 Last conference title: 1972 Burns is on the shortlist of most disastrous coaching tenures in FBS history, but few Kent State coaches have found much success. Sean Lewis is the only coach to ever make multiple bowl games in program history, and the Golden Flashes have finished above .500 only 11 times in 64 seasons. This might be the worst job in the sport. Burns was fired before the season with Mark Carney serving as interim coach in 2025.
