College football coaching carousel: Tracker for every FBS coaching change in 2025 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The college football coaching carousel spun out of control during the 2025 college football season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHow do you think it will go now that the regular season is over? Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss to be the next coach on Sunday. Michigan State's Jonathan Smith also was fired. That trend continued on Monday when Kentucky's Mark Stoops was fired after 13 seasons.
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 23 coaching changes in the FBS in this cycle, including 12 changes in the Power 4.
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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKenni 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJames 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBilly Napier, Florida
Fired (Oct. 19): Napier was fired one day after a 23-21 win over Mississippi State. He finished his Florida tenure with a 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrian 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE: 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJim 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRyan 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Resigned (Nov. 30): Kiffin left Ole Miss to become the next coach at LSU. Kiffin had a 55-19 record with the Rebels, including four seasons with 10 wins more. Kiffin led Ole Miss to an 11-1 record this season. This will be the fifth different school Kiffin — who is 116-53 overall — has coached at the FBS level.
Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina
Resigned (Nov. 30): Beck was fired by Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30. Beck spent three seasons with the Chanticleers and compiled a 20-18 record.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Fired (Dec. 1): Stoops was fired on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. Stoops had a 72-80 record in 13 seasons with the Wildcats. That included a run of eight straight bowl appearances from 2016-23, but Kentucky failed to make a bowl game in each of the last two seasons.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFBS 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.
SCHOOL
LEAGUE
FIRED/LEFT
INTERIM
HIRED
Stanford
ACC
Troy Taylor
Frank Reich
Tavita Pritchard
Kent State
MAC
Kenni Burns
Mark Carney
Mark Carney
UCLA
Big Ten
DeShaun Foster
Tim Skipper
Virginia Tech
ACC
Brent Pry
Philip Montgomery
James Franklin
Oklahoma State
Big 12
Mike Gundy
Doug Meacham
Eric Morris
Arkansas
SEC
Sam Pittman
Bobby Petrino
Ryan Silverfield
Oregon State
Pac-12
Trent Bray
Robb Akey
JaMarcus Shephard
Penn State
Big Ten
James Franklin
Terry Smith
UAB
American
Trent Dilfer
Alex Mortensen
Florida
SEC
Billy Napier
Billy Gonzales
Jon Sumrall
Colorado State
Mountain West
Jay Norvell
Tyson Summers
Jim Mora, Jr.
LSU
SEC
Brian Kelly
Frank Wilson
Lane Kiffin
Auburn
SEC
Hugh Freeze
D.J. Durkin
Alex Golesh
Cal
ACC
Justin Wilcox
Nick Rolovich
North Texas
American
Eric Morris
-
UConn
Independent
Jim Mora, Jr.
Gordon Sammis
South Florida
American
Alex Golesh
Kevin Patrick
Memphis
American
Ryan Silverfield
Reggie Howard
Tulane
American
Jon Sumrall
-
Ole Miss
SEC
Lane Kiffin
Pete Golding
Michigan State
Big Ten
Jonathan Smith
-
Pat Fitzgerald
Coastal Carolina
Sun Belt
Tim Beck
Jeremiah Johnson
Kentucky
SEC
Mark Stoops
-
Will Stein
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