![Florida head coach Billy Napier watches warm ups before an NCAA football game in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 4, 2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2678,h_1506/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/194/01k803fncxe4f25ks7bm.jpg "Florida head coach Billy Napier watches warm ups before an NCAA football game in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 4, 2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
The College Football coaching carousel is spinning out of control, as every weekend it seems that several coaches are losing their jobs. After we saw three head coaches fired last weekend, including James Franklin, two head coaches were fired this weekend. This weekend brought another open job in the SEC as Billy Napier was fired, while Jay Norvell's firing opens a gig in the new look Pac 12.
This cycle is truly going to be out of control as we've already seen 11 FBS jobs open through 8 weeks, and we haven't seen some of the bigger moves everyone is expecting. While everyone is excited to find a new coach, you often have to look at where your job compares to everyone else, as it could show you aren't getting a savior.
Power Ranking every open job: There's a new top opening after Week 8
The Kent State Golden Flashes were the only team to go winless in the FBS last season and are just 2-5 this season. This job is one of the least attractive in the Country, let alone in this coaching carousel, which makes it impossible to predict what level of candidate would be willing to take the job rather than trying to improve their stock until the next job opens.
UAB took a big swing hiring former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, which ended up blowing up in their face. Taking a job in a state where Alabama and Auburn snatch up most of the talent is a difficult task for any coach, but there is still great 3-star talent UAB could land. Ultimately, being in a Non-Power Conference is far less appealing and may turn away most of the best candidates.
Colorado State will move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 next season, which makes it interesting to see which level of coach is attracted to the job. More likely than not, Colorado State is going to have to take a big gamble on their next head coach until they prove it's a job where a coach can succeed in this new league.
The Oregon State Beavers were a team that was left behind by conference realignment which made the job less attractive when they hired Trent Bray. The new look Pac-12 kicking off next season helps in making this job more attractive for potential candidates. The next head coach at Oregon State will have a path to winning league titles, which could help a coach get a bigger job in the long-term.
Frank Reich is currently serving as the interim Head Coach for the Stanford Cardinal after Troy Taylor was fired in the offseason. 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.
Mike Gundy is out in Stillwater, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys will be looking to hire a new coach for the first time since 2005. 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 Virginia Tech Hokies have missed on their two full-time hires since Frank Beamer's retirement, and they'll now take a third swing at finding the long-term fix. The Hokies look like they've finally realized that they need to make a much larger financial investment to get the results they want on the field, as they approved a massive new budget for Football. Clemson and Florida State have fallen off in the ACC, which makes winning in the Conference much easier.
The appeal of UCLA has always been greater than the results they've gotten as the Bruins have missed on several coaching searches. Now that UCLA is in the Big Ten, this job is even more appealing, as the extra resources and being in Los Angeles are great for recruiting. This job could end up being filled by the end of the season, as Tim Skipper is off to a 3-1 start as the Interim Head Coach.
While the Arkansas Razorbacks have been down the past couple of seasons, Head Coaches want to be in the Big Ten or the SEC, which makes this job very appealing. The question may be whether this job is truly open or not, as Sam Pittman could end up getting the full-time job after angling for the interim gig. If Arkansas does open this search up to outside candidates, it could end up getting one of the best young coaches on the market.
Penn State moved on from James Franklin amid a shocking start, and while this is a great opening, the new Head Coach will be tasked with replacing a veteran group. Whoever Penn State hires is stepping into one of the top programs in the Big Ten and will need to do a better job of keeping talent in the Northeast. The Nittany Lions are hoping to draw in a big name, but they'll face a ton of pressure to win the games James Franklin never could.
When Florida fired Billy Napier on Sunday, it instantly made the Gators the most attractive job opening thus far. Florida is a recruiting hotbed, and with the state of Florida State, if the next Gators coach can start to recruit at a high level, Top 10 classes every year are possible. Add in that this job is in the SEC and that the new coach could inherit young stars like DJ Lagway, and the opening is one of the best we'll see this offseason.