College Football's Top 10 Coaches on the Hot Seat

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College Football's Top 10 Coaches on the Hot Seat

Steven Lassan · Athlon Sports

Thu, Oct 23, 2025 ·

8 min read

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College football's coaching carousel is already spinning at full force. After Florida 's firing of Billy Napier, and Colorado State 's dismissal of Jay Norvell after Week 8, 11 FBS jobs are already open entering Week 9. The carousel doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon. Florida State 's Mike Norvell, Auburn's Hugh Freeze, and Wisconsin 's Luke Fickell could all be in danger of a dismissal if their seasons continue to trend in the wrong direction.

Outside of the power conference ranks, Akron's Joe Moorhead, Middle Tennessee 's Derek Mason, Coastal Carolina 's Tim Beck, and Louisiana Tech's Sonny Cumbie are just a few coaches feeling the heat as college football enters a critical November stretch.

Which coaches are under the most pressure entering Week 9? Athlon Sports ranks the top 10 and a few other names to watch for what's shaping up to be a chaotic carousel:

College Football's Top 10 Coaches on the Hot Seat Entering Week 9

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike NorvellMelina Myers-Imagn Images

1. Mike Norvell, Florida State
A win over Alabama in the season opener seemed to indicate Florida State had moved beyond last year's disastrous 2-10 record. However, after victories against East Texas A&M and Kent State, the Seminoles have quickly trended in the wrong direction. Norvell's team lost to Virginia in overtime, followed by defeats to Miami and Pitt, before a loss at Stanford as nearly a three-touchdown favorite on Saturday night. Since the start of the 2024 season, Norvell is 5-14 and 1-11 in ACC play. Although athletic director Michael Alford released a statement to cool some of the talk around the program, Norvell is almost certainly coaching for his job over the next few weeks.

2. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Similar to Florida State's Mike Norvell, Fickell received a statement (perhaps temporary?) of support from his athletic director this week. Included in that statement was a commitment for more financial resources into the program, which could help with acquiring and retaining talent this offseason. But will Fickell be the coach who benefits from that increased investment? Wisconsin is 15-18 under his watch, but the program is just 7-12 since '24 and 3-10 in Big Ten play over that span. The Badgers have been largely uncompetitive in Big Ten games this year, being outscored 122-20 over four matchups. With Oregon , Washington, Indiana, Illinois , and Minnesota remaining on the '25 slate, a 2-10 record is a realistic outcome for Fickell this year.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh FreezeTroy Taormina-Imagn Images

3. Hugh Freeze, Auburn
The momentum from a 3-0 start that included a win over Baylor has quickly eroded for Freeze. The Tigers have lost four in a row, with each of those defeats coming by 10 points or fewer. Also, despite an offseason of upgrades through the portal, Freeze's offense is averaging only 13.5 points per game and 4.2 yards a snap in SEC play this season. Entering Saturday's game against Arkansas , Freeze is 14-18 overall and 5-14 in SEC play with the Tigers. If the Tigers lose to the Razorbacks and drop to 3-5, getting to a bowl would be a long shot with Vanderbilt and Alabama still remaining on the schedule. After back-to-back losing records in 2023-24, Freeze might not survive a third consecutive losing mark on the Plains.

4. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Stoops is the winningest coach in Kentucky history and has a massive buyout (reportedly $38 million). Both of those factors likely mean a change isn't guaranteed in Lexington. However, frustration is certainly building with Stoops, as the Wildcats are 6-12 since '24 and have just one SEC win in that span. Stoops is 69-76 overall in Lexington and has delivered two 10-win seasons for one of the toughest jobs in the SEC. With Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Louisville remaining, the losses (and growing angst) is only going to grow in Lexington.

5. Joe Moorhead, AkronMoorhead is one of college football's top offensive minds, but it's been tough sledding with the Zips. Akron is one of the hardest jobs in the MAC, and retaining talent has been an issue. Moorhead is 10-33 overall and 6-21 in MAC play. The Zips showed some promise with a 4-8 mark last season but have struggled to build on that and may not exceed last year's win total.

Baylor head coach Dave ArandaChris Jones-Imagn Images

6. Dave Aranda, Baylor
Aranda's seat was scalding hot after a 3-9 finish in '23 and a slow start the following year. However, the Bears finished 8-5 last season, which seemed to show the program was back on track. But with a 4-3 record entering Week 9, along with remaining matchups against Cincinnati, Utah, Arizona, UCF , and Houston, a bowl or winning season isn't guaranteed. Aranda is 35-33 overall in Waco.

7. Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech
Cumbie's seat has cooled a bit with a 4-3 record this season. However, Louisiana Tech is trending in the wrong direction in October with back-to-back Conference USA losses to Kennesaw State and Western Kentucky. With road trips to Delaware , Washington State , and Missouri State, along with a date versus Liberty remaining, a bowl game is not a lock for the Bulldogs .

8. Derek Mason, Middle TennesseeWednesday night's loss to Delaware dropped Middle Tennessee to 4-14 overall and 2-9 in CUSA play under Mason. Three of the team's six defeats were by one score this year, but the Blue Raiders suffered a puzzling 34-14 defeat to FCS opponent Austin Peay in the season opener.

LSU Tigers head coach Brian KellyStephen Lew-Imagn Images

9. Brian Kelly, LSU
Kelly is 34-13 at LSU but has yet to lead the program to a playoff appearance, and the '25 team is on the cusp of being one of the SEC's biggest disappointments. The Bayou Bengals are 5-2 after last week's loss at Vanderbilt and still have to play Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma . Barring a major turnaround by a sluggish offense, LSU will fall well short of its preseason goal of reaching the College Football Playoff.

10. Mike Locksley, Maryland
Locksley guided Maryland to three consecutive bowl games (2021-23) and opened the '25 season with a 4-0 record. But after three consecutive losses, along with a difficult second-half schedule, the pressure is beginning to build again. With a rising star quarterback in Malik Washington , along with a couple of other young standouts on defense in place for next year, Locksley should be safe for '26 (barring a complete collapse).

Names to Watch

Major Applewhite, South AlabamaAfter a 7-6 debut last season, South Alabama has regressed in '25 with a 1-6 mark entering Week 9.

Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina
Back-to-back victories over ULM and Appalachian State returned Coastal Carolina into bowl contention after a disappointing 2-3 start to '25. Beck went 8-5 in his debut in '23 but finished 6-7 last year and will be fighting to get bowl eligible this fall. Overall, Beck is 18-15 with the Chanticleers .

Bill Belichick, North Carolina
It's hard to find many positives for Belichick's first season in Chapel Hill, and there's plenty of skepticism about how long this experiment will continue. With a 2-4 record entering Week 9, it's crucial for the Tar Heels to show some progress in the second half to help sell the rebuilding effort on the recruiting trail.

Brent Brennan, ArizonaBrennan was squarely on the hot seat after a disappointing 4-8 debut in Tucson last year. The Wildcats are on track to make a bowl at 4-3 entering '25, which has quieted some of the concerns about Brennan's future.

Butch Jones, Arkansas StateJones has guided Arkansas State to back-to-back bowl trips after a 5-19 start to his tenure. That streak is in jeopardy with a 3-4 start in '25.

Bill O'Brien, Boston College
O'Brien led Boston College to a 7-6 record and a bowl trip in his debut last season. The Eagles have taken a significant step back this year with a 1-6 record and three consecutive defeats by 15 or more points.

Jonathan Smith , Michigan State
Smith's program rebuild in East Lansing wasn't going to be an easy fix. However, there's growing angst with a 3-4 mark this year, along with an 0-4 record in Big Ten play.

Justin Wilcox, California
Wilcox hasn't had a winning season since 2019, but the Golden Bears are 5-2 entering Week 9.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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