The college football coaching carousel saw it's first vacancy filled this week as the Virginia Tech Hokies got their pick in James Franklin. As the end of the regular season approaches, the coaching carousel activity is about to start picking up as teams would like to have their vacancies filled before National Signing Day if possible, but definitely before the start of the coaching carousel.
This coaching carousel is fascinating as there are clear top jobs available and top coaches on the market, but it's unclear if the top coaches are interested in leaving their current jobs. As we approach the end of the regular season, we're pressing reset and looking at where each schools is currently trending.
Breaking down where each vacant job is currently trending
The Virginia Tech Hokies were the first program to fire their coach in season and they are now the first program to fill their role in season. Brent Pry clearly wasn’t the answer, and James Franklin is about as exciting of a higher as the Hokies could’ve hoped for. Will James Franklin have success at Virginia Tech? It depends on what success is defined as in this job.
The Hokies may not win national championships or even win the ACC right away, but with the future of the ACC uncertain, getting a coach like Franklin who ensures the program will be relevant which will only help if the ACC gets torn apart in the next round of realignment, ensuring they don’t become another program left behind.
Brian Kelly and LSU went all in this season and when the Tigers fell apart, it was inevitable that there would be changes at the top. Despite the Tigers paying Brian Kelly a massive buyout and the governor calling for the Tigers to spend more responsibly, it appears their top choice is Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. According to reports, Kiffin's family took visits to Baton Rouge and Gainesville.
Like LSU, Florida would love to hire Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss. If the Gators can’t reel in Lane Kiffin, they’ve been tied to the likes of Eli Drinkwitz, Jon Sumrall, and Jeff Brohm. Jon Sumrall may not longer be in the mix for the job as he was supposed to meet with Florida on Wednesday, but the meeting never happened.
UPDATE: UF’s scheduled meeting with Jon Sumrall has been called off and Sumrall is removing his name from the mix in Florida’s coaching search, per @PeteNakos https://t.co/ZArq53VmT5
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) November 19, 2025
The reason Jon Sumrall may not have met with Florida is that he's heavily in the running for the open job at Auburn. The Tigers will have plenty of competition for Jon Sumrall as he's up for several SEC jobs including Auburn, LSU, and Ole Miss where he was an assistant if Lane Kiffin ends up leaving for another job.
Penn State got a little bit of a financial boost as James Franklin negotiated a lower buyout working out a deal that's better for both parties. The Nittany Lions search could seemingly go any way as some of their top potential targets in Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule have signed extensions with their current programs. Bob Chesney is name that's gained some buzz, but there's still not a clear top candidate.
The UCLA Bruins will be hoping that Penn State doesn't show interest in Bob Chesney as Rick Neuheisel reported that he's the choice for the Bruins. If Chesney doesn't make the jump to UCLA, Jedd Fisch has been named another potential candidate for the Bruins.
"I'm hearing Bob Chesney from James Madison at UCLA. He's gotta make a decision." -- @CoachNeuheisel pic.twitter.com/ZCGdT4kJUz
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 15, 2025
Oregon State's opening is interesting with the new Pac 12 being formed next season as they'll finally have a place in the sport again. Several names have been tied to the job from Ed Orgeron who's cooled down, former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, and a potential great fit in Alabama WR Coach JaMarcus Shephard.
The Arkansas Razorbacks gave Bobby Petrino a chance as the interim head coach to earn the job, but the results on the field will lead to a full search. Rhett Lashlee was an early candidate for the gig, but he's since signed a new deal with SMU. Eric Morris of North Texas has become a hot name as of late, and he could bring star quarterback Drew Mestemaker with him kickstarting the rebuild.
Eric Morris also makes a ton of sense at Oklahoma State after they fired Mike Gundy early in the season. Along with Eric Morris, Alex Golesh, and Ryan Silverfield will all be in contention for both the Cowboys job and the Razorbacks.
Andrew Luck and Stanford had to move on from their head coach Troy Taylor this Spring after an investigation. There's not a clear front runner for the job, but it's been reported that Andrew Luck could have a move made before the end of the season.
Will they leave their current jobs?
One of the most interesting parts of this year's coaching carousel is that plenty of the top candidates at jobs are currently coaching their alma mater. It's almost impossible to predict these coaches would ditch their current programs, but if they would they'd be the top candidates for several jobs.
Kenny Dillingham has said time and time again that he's not leaving Arizona State, but Sam Leavitt considering leaving the program may either be an indicator of Dillingham's future or change his plans. If Kenny Dillingham chose to explore his options, he'd be a top candidate at LSU and Florida while it could change Florida State's fan.
Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea would both make for great candidates if they decided to leave their alma mater's. Both coaches have won in places that are tough to build contenders, and with added resources, they could be viewed as elite head coaches.