Story by
Billy Napier, Mike Gundy lead college football coaching hot seat
- Story by
- Billy Napier, Mike Gundy lead college football coaching hot seat
As of Thursday, Sept. 18, Billy Napier is still the head coach at Florida .
Let's check back with the embattled fourth-year coach after Saturday, when the slumping Gators meet up with No. 6 Miami. The Hurricanes are everything Florida is not — namely, a good football team.
Advertisement
Losses to South Florida and No. 3 LSU have dropped Napier's record to 20-21 overall and placed him back in familiar territory. While the decision to retain Napier last November sparked a strong finish to 2024 and raised hopes heading into the preseason, he is once again the odds-on favorite to be the next coach fired in the Power Four.
Two coaches have already been fired in Virginia Tech's Brent Pry and UCLA's Deshaun Foster .
It's going to take a miracle for Napier to come back for another year. Next comes Miami, then No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M. In November, Florida will take on No. 3 Georgia, No. 9 Florida State , No. 11 Mississippi and No. 15 Tennessee. Good luck, Gators.
The dismal start and likelihood of an equally dismal future puts Napier atop the list of the Bowl Subdivision coaches on the hottest seats less than a month into the 2025 season:
Advertisement
Billy Napier, Florida
Here are three facts to sum up a failed tenure. Napier's winning percentage of 48.7% is the worst of any non-interim Florida coach since 1950. He's 5-14 away from home. And he's a combined 3-11 against rivals Miami, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State and LSU. In comparison, Steve Spurrier lost 27 games overall 1990-2001 and Urban Meyer dropped 15 games from 2005-10.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Gundy remade his coaching staff as part of Oklahoma State's decision to bring him back for another year after going winless in conference play. The results haven't changed. This month's 69-3 embarrassment against No. 5 Oregon showed how far the program has fallen and how much distance separates the Cowboys from the best teams in the country. The longtime OSU quarterback, assistant and head coach is unlikely to return in 2025 barring a massive turnaround in Big 12 play. In the bigger picture, though, Gundy's legacy as the most successful coach in program history is very secure.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy watches his team's game against South Dakota State at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Trent Dilfer, Alabama-Birmingham
The Dilfer era is headed toward a close, mercifully, putting a cap on one of the silliest, most illogical hires in recent college football history. The Blazers did beat Akron by a field goal last week — no great feat by any means — but have done nothing through three games to suggest they're ready to compete against a schedule that includes Tennessee this weekend and then many of the top teams in the American Conference. A third of Dilfer's nine wins since taking over in 2023 have come against Championship Subdivision teams.
Advertisement
David Braun, Northwestern
Braun won Big Ten coach of the year honors in 2023 when he led Northwestern to an 8-5 finish, setting the modern program record for wins by a first-year coach. Last year's team slumped to four wins, while the 2025 Wildcats are expected to finish at or near the bottom of the conference. Northwestern is set to open a new stadium in 2026 and will very likely look for new leadership of the program after this season.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Pittman solved Arkansas' offense by bringing in former coach Bobby Petrino as his offensive coordinator. But three issues remain: a putrid defense, failures in one-score games and struggles against the SEC. Pittman is now 7-18 in games decided by a single possession and 14-29 in SEC play after Saturday's 41-35 loss to Mississippi. The Razorbacks have a huge game this weekend against Memphis, one of the top teams in the Group of Five, before going on a run of No. 21 Notre Dame, Tennessee, A&M and No. 25 Auburn. Like Napier, Pittman is in danger of not lasting the season.
Advertisement
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Wisconsin may be forced to make an extremely difficult decision with the Badgers headed for another year teetering on the brink of bowl eligibility: Fire Fickell after three seasons and pay a substantial buyout or give him another year to build up a young but improving roster? The Badgers were bulldozed by No. 14 Alabama last weekend and still have to take on No. 20 Michigan, No. 1 Ohio State, Oregon, No. 17 Indiana and No. 8 Illinois, so getting to six wins against this slate should earn Fickell a little breathing room. Anything less will make things very testy in Madison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football coaching hot seat includes Billy Napier, Mke Gundyi
