The 2025-26 Coaching Carousel is truly off the rails as we're up to 12 total openings, including 8 Power 4 jobs. This weekend, we only saw one firing, but it was a massive move as the LSU Tigers fired Head Coach Brian Kelly after a disastrous loss to Texas A&M. The LSU job opening brings a whole new level of chaos to the coaching carousel as the Tigers add another elite job which will certainly lead to a domino effect across the sport.
Power Ranking the 8 Power 4 Head Coaching Openings
Andrew Luck is Stanford's GM, which makes the Cardinal hiring process fascinating to follow. This program won't be the first choice for most candidates, as you travel across the Country to play most of their games while they're in a league that could fall apart in the coming years. Andrew Luck appears to be All-In as a GM, which could be a benefit to many candidates, while others may be more interested in working with a GM they hired.
Oklahoma State hasn't hired a coach in 20+ years, which makes their coaching search very interesting to follow. It's clear that the Cowboys were late to NIL, which will need to change under their next coach. Coaching in the Big 12 will be attractive to plenty of candidates, as the right coach could have an easy path to the College Football Playoff.
The first step for Virginia Tech was proving they're going to step up financially, and they did with a massive new budget. Now the Hokies will look to find their next Head Coach in what will be a very interesting search to follow. If the South Carolina Gamecocks keep struggling, Virginia Tech could luck into getting its dream hire in Shane Beamer.
In this NIL and revenue-sharing era, a coach is eventually going to learn how to use Los Angeles to their advantage, and it'll make the Bruins an elite program. Tim Skipper and Jerry Neuheisel were destroyed by Indiana this weekend, making it more likely that UCLA won't retain the Interim staff. Being in the Big Ten is a massive advantage for the Bruins, as everyone wants to join the SEC or the Big Ten, and if UCLA buys in financially, they may end up getting a shockingly great candidate.
After losing to Auburn this weekend, Arkansas' job search will likely cast a wide net as Bobby Petrino doesn't look like he'll be the answer long term. It'll be interesting to see where Arkansas looks for its next Head Coach, as 3 SEC jobs are now open. The Razorbacks have high-level boosters who could make a statement with their next hire, while another solid option is getting one of the best young coaches available.
The Florida Gators took a massive hit this weekend as LSU's job opening up hurts Florida's chances at landing their top candidate. If the Gators' top choice is Lane Kiffin, LSU now has the chance to steal him away from the Gators. The last time Florida and LSU opened at the same time we saw LSU pursue a big name in Brian Kelly while Florida ended up going to the G5 level for Billy Napier.
The Penn State job opening jumps the Florida Gators job, as Florida is no longer the best opening in their conference. Penn State showed it's All-In on building for the future by ponying up a ton of money to fire James Franklin. As the best job that will most likely open in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions will be able to attract big names.
After firing Brian Kelly, the LSU Tigers are the best job opening, and barring a crazy firing, there won't be a better job that opens. The Tigers are the only Power 4 team in their state, which gives the next Head Coach a massive recruiting advantage over most of their SEC foes. LSU will get its choice of candidates if they're willing to pony up the money to do so.