College Football Hot Seat Rankings After Week 2

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College Football Hot Seat Rankings After Week 2

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Thu, Sep 11, 2025 ·

9 min read

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After a slow round of coaching changes at power conference teams last year, the 2025-26 carousel is expected to be significantly more active. The results in Week 2 did nothing to lower the heat on several coaches on the hot seat, as the pressure significantly increased on Florida 's Billy Napier, Oklahoma State 's Mike Gundy, and Virginia Tech 's Brent Pry following defeats last Saturday. Napier's Gators were stunned at home by South Florida , while the Hokies were dominated in the second half by Vanderbilt to lose 44-20. The Cowboys were soundly defeated, 69-3, at Oregon .

Those three coaches aren't the only ones feeling the pressure. In the Group of 5 ranks, Louisiana Tech's Sonny Cumbie, UAB's Trent Dilfer, and Akron's Joe Moorhead rank among the top five headed into Week 3. Also, Alabama 's Kalen DeBoer sits just outside of the top 10 following a surprising Week 1 loss to Florida State.

Which coaches top the hot seat rankings after Week 2? Athlon Sports rates the top names feeling the heat:

Ranking College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat After Week 2

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier.© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Any goodwill Napier created from a four-game winning streak to end 2024 evaporated with the Week 2 loss to South Florida. That defeat dropped Napier's record in Gainesville to 20-20 overall, including a 10-14 record in SEC play. The Gators aren't hurting for talent in Napier's fourth season, but this team continues to have issues with penalties, a lack of creativity on offense, and an inability to maximize the talent of quarterback DJ Lagway .

Cumbie entered 2025 on one of the hottest seats in the nation and is 1-1 with a victory over Southeastern Louisiana. He's 12-27 since taking over in '22, and how the Bulldogs perform in CUSA play will determine whether or not Cumbie is the coach leading this team into the Sun Belt next fall.

Improvement on defense was a must if Dilfer was going to save his job. So far, the Blazers are giving up 40 points a game and nearly lost to Alabama State in Week 1. Dilfer is 8-18 at UAB.

Akron is one of major college football's hardest coaching jobs, and Moorhead's challenge in '25 only got tougher when the program was banned from the postseason due to low APR scores. The Zips are 0-2 and have yet to score a point in their first two games. Moorhead's overall record sits at 8-30 entering Week 3.

A disappointing 6-7 record in 2024 raised the pressure on Pry entering '25. With a revamped roster and staff, the Hokies took a big swing at overall improvement this fall. However, Virginia Tech is 0-2 after a loss to South Carolina in the opener, followed by a complete collapse in the second half against Vanderbilt. After leading 20-10 at halftime, the Commodores went on a 34-0 run over the final two quarters and outgained Pry's team 321 to 21 in yardage. Pry is 16-23 since '22 and has just one winning season (7-6 in '23) on his résumé.

Gundy is Oklahoma State football. But after Saturday's humiliating 69-3 loss to Oregon, the pressure to show last year's 3-9 record was just a one-year setback has only increased. Not only did Gundy take a pay cut last offseason, but he also reset his staff and the roster in hopes of revitalizing a program that slipped in a big way in '24. So far, the early returns aren't encouraging.

Satterfield is facing a make-or-break third year with the Bearcats. After a 3-9 debut in 2023, Cincinnati took a step forward with a 5-7 record last year. Satterfield's team is 1-1 after a close loss to Nebraska in Week 1, followed by a 14-point win over Bowling Green last Saturday. Satterfield was a questionable hire after a 25-24 stint at Louisville and likely needs to guide the Bearcats to a bowl to extend his tenure.

It's early in the 2025 season, but Elliott seems to have his best team in Charlottesville. And with a favorable schedule, a bowl is a realistic goal for the Cavaliers. Since taking over in '22, Elliott is 12-24 overall and has just six ACC victories. A postseason trip should be enough for Elliott to return in '26.

Braun was named interim coach after Pat Fitzgerald's 2023 dismissal and earned the full-time job with an 8-5 mark. However, the Wildcats regressed in a big way last fall, finishing 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten. After losing to Tulane 23-3 in the opener, Braun's team rebounded with a 42-7 victory over Western Illinois in Week 2. With a move to a new stadium in '26, Braun needs to show the program is on the right track and not at the bottom of the Big Ten.

Arkansas defeated Alabama A&M and Arkansas State by a combined score of 108-21 to open '25. However, the schedule gets far more challenging the rest of the way for the Razorbacks. Of the 10 remaining opponents on this year's slate, eight of them are ranked, including Notre Dame, Texas , LSU , and Texas A&M.

11. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
It's not easy replacing a coaching legend such as Nick Saban. However, DeBoer entered '25 with high expectations with one of the SEC's most talented rosters in place. But instead of putting last year's puzzling defeats — Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Michigan — in the rearview mirror, Alabama (as a double-digit favorite) dropped a 31-17 opener to Florida State. Inconsistency and performance in road games has been a real issue for DeBoer, but there's still time to guide this team back into playoff consideration.

12. DeShaun Foster, UCLA
UCLA started 1-5 in Foster's debut season in 2024 but rallied to finish with four wins in its last six games. However, even with the arrival of transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava , the Bruins are in jeopardy of a major step back after an 0-2 start with losses to Utah and UNLV .

13. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Due to the nature of Stoops' buyout — nearly $38 million would be due in one payment after his firing — a dismissal after the '25 season seems unlikely. However, Kentucky is trending in the wrong direction. The program has struggled on offense and at developing quarterbacks in recent years and is just 7-18 in SEC play since '22. Overall, Stoops is 68-74 in Lexington.

14. Jay Norvell, Colorado State
Colorado State has made progress under Norvell's watch, but the move to the Pac-12 in 2026 has only added pressure on the Wisconsin native to succeed this fall. The Rams went 3-9 in Norvell's debut ('22) and improved to 5-7 the following year. Norvell guided the program to its best record (8-5) under his watch last season. But at 17-22 overall, along with a contract expiring after '26, Norvell's long-term status in Fort Collins is uncertain.

15. Trent Bray, Oregon State
Bray went 4-1 in his first five games atop the Oregon State program in 2024. However, since that stretch, the program has been trending in the wrong direction. The Beavers finished '24 with a 1-6 mark in their last seven games and are 0-2 so far in '25.

16. Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee
Mason deserves more time, but after a loss to intrastate FCS foe Austin Peay in the season opener and a defeat to Wisconsin, his overall record with the Blue Raiders stands at 3-11.

Dave Aranda, Baylor
Baylor lost 38-24 in a high-profile showdown against Auburn in Week 1 but rebounded to beat SMU last Saturday. With one of the nation's top quarterbacks in Sawyer Robertson , along with a favorable slate of Big 12 games at home, the Bears should be able to contend for a spot in the conference title game.

Brent Brennan, Arizona
Brennan entered 2025 squarely on the hot seat after a disappointing 4-8 debut at Arizona last year. The schedule is going to get more difficult starting this week with a showdown against Kansas State, but the Wildcats look like an improved team after beating Hawaii and Weber State by a combined score of 88-9.

Timmy Chang, Hawaii
Getting to a bowl was a must for Chang in 2025. Hawaii is 2-1 through three games and seems to be on track to reach the postseason if quarterback Micah Alejado can stay healthy.

Luke Fickell, WisconsinDespite going 5-7 last season, Fickell received a one-year extension in February that pushed his contract through 2032. The Badgers are 2-0, which helps to cool the pressure on Fickell. However, the remaining schedule is among the toughest in the nation, and Wisconsin is just 15-13 under his watch.

Hugh Freeze, AuburnA win over Baylor in the season opener certainly lifted some of the pressure off Freeze, as this Auburn team clearly looks like the best of his three-year run on the Plains. How the Tigers progress in SEC play will be telling.

Brian Kelly, LSU
Kelly's roster additions through the transfer portal have already paid big-time dividends for the Bayou Bengals after a road win at Clemson in Week 1. LSU still has a tough path ahead. However, the Tigers look like a contender for the national championship.

Mike Locksley, Maryland
Locksley entered 2025 with some pressure, but the '24 4-8 record was the team's first losing season since the abbreviated '20 campaign. Maryland should move to 3-0 with this week's game against Towson, but the Big Ten slate doesn't have many opportunities for guaranteed wins.

Mike Norvell, Florida State
The pressure on Norvell cooled significantly following Florida State's Week 1 upset over Alabama. It's early, but the Seminoles look like they are poised to rebound back into ACC title contention.

Lincoln Riley, USCEven though last year's 7-6 record was a disappointment, the Trojans would likely need a complete collapse in '25 for Riley to even approach the hot seat. USC is off to a 2-0 start with wins over Missouri State and Georgia Southern, while Riley's work to improve recruiting and the off-field personnel has started to pay dividends.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma
With a standout defense and the arrival of quarterback John Mateer guiding Oklahoma to a win over Michigan in Week 2, Venables has a team capable of contending for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Justin Wilcox, California
The Golden Bears picked up a solid road win at Oregon State in Week 1 and defeated Texas Southern last Saturday. Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been a breakout star for the Golden Bears and should allow this team to at least get bowl eligible in the ACC.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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