College football coaching carousel: Tracker for all FBS coaching shifts in 2025

The college football coaching carousel spun out of control during the 2025 college football season. 

How do you think it will go after the regular season ends? Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Sunday. North Texas coach Eric Morris took the Oklahoma State job on Tuesday. 

On Wednesday, UConn coach Jim Mora Jr. Departed the Huskies to accept the identical position at Colorado State, while Alex Golesh is departing South Florida for the same role at Arkansas. 

Those moves increased the number of coaching changes to 17 in the 2025-26 cycle.

This includes multiple prominent Power 4 positions, a sequence that began on October 12th with Penn State's dismissal of James Franklin. Billy Napier of Florida, Brian Kelly from LSU, and Auburn's Hugh Freeze were also let go during the regular season. 

In 2024, there were five Power 4 coaching changes. If you count Stanford's Troy Taylor, who was fired on March 25, 2025 and replaced by Frank Reich on a one-year interim basis, then there have been 10 Power 4 coaching changes through eight weeks of the college football season.

The coaching landscape has remained quite turbulent this year. AllSportsPeople is providing an in-depth review of all the coaching shifts occurring in 2025: 

College football coaching changes for 2025

Troy Taylor, Stanford 

Fired (March 25): Taylor was fired on March 25 after a report detailed allegations of mistreatment of multiple staff members, according to the Associated Press. Stanford general manager Andrew Luck made the decision – and he hired Frank Reich on a one-year interim basis. Taylor had a 6-18 record in two seasons with Stanford.

Kenni Burns, Kent State 

Fired (April 24): Burns was fired from Kent State after the school found multiple violations of his contract, including how he used his personal credit card. Burns had a 1-23 record from 2023-24 with the Golden Flashes. The Golden Flashes hired interim coach Mark Carney for the full-time job on Oct. 31. 

DeShaun Foster, UCLA

Fired (Sept. 17): UCLA fired Foster after a disastrous 0-3 start that included losses to UNLV and New Mexico. Foster – who played running back for the Bruins from 1998-2001 – finished 5-7 in his first season after taking over for Chip Kelly. Foster has seven losses to unranked opponents in those 15 games. Tim Skipper is the interim coach with the Bruins.

MORE: DeShaun Foster replacements at UCLA 

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech 

Fired (Sept. 17): Pry was fired one day after the Hokies lost 45-26 to Old Dominion, which dropped Virginia Tech to 0-3 on the season. The former Penn State defensive coordinator could never get on track with the Hokies. He finished 16-24 with a 10-13 record in ACC play and was 1-1 in bowl games. Philip Montgomery is the interim coach for the Hokies. Will Norfolk State coach Michael Vick – a program legend – be a consideration in 2026? 

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

Fired (Sept. 23): Gundy was fired after a 19-12 loss to Tulsa, occurring a fortnight following a 69-3 defeat against Oregon. Gundy, a former Cowboys quarterback from 1986-89, is deeply ingrained in the program's history. He achieved a 170-90 record since assuming the head coaching role in 2005, boasting a.654 win rate with eight seasons exceeding 10 victories. Oklahoma State secured the Big 12 championship in 2011. Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham is currently serving as the interim coach.

MORE: Mike Gundy replacements at Oklahoma State 

Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Fired (Sept. 28): Pittman was fired after a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame. This marks Arkansas's third consecutive defeat, having surrendered an average of 30 points per game during their 2-3 beginning. Pittman, who assumed the role in 2020 and achieved significant recognition following a nine-win campaign in 2021, saw the Razorbacks accumulate a 32-34 record under his leadership. The interim coach is now offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who previously managed a 34-17 record at Arkansas between 2008 and 2011. This development is expected to draw considerable interest for the remainder of the season.

MORE: Sam Pittman replacements at Arkansas 

Trent Bray, Oregon State 

Fired (Oct. 12): Oregon State dismissed Trent Bray after the Beavers fell to 0-7 on the season on October 11th. Bray's tenure began in 2024. He amassed a 5-14 win-loss record during his time with the team, which continues to compete in the Pac-12. This season, the Beavers suffered two defeats against Group of 5 opponents. 

James Franklin, Penn State 

Fired (Oct. 12): Penn State fired Franklin after a three-game losing streak dropped the Nittany Lions out of College Football Playoff contention. Penn State will pay a $49 buyout. Franklin had a 104-45 record with the Nittany Lions, including a Big Ten championship in 2016 and a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. The Nittany Lions, however, lost to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern in a skid that led to Franklin's firing. 

MORE: James Franklin replacements 

Trent Dilfer, UAB 

Fired (Oct. 12): Dilfer was fired one day after a 53-33 loss to FAU. Dilfer, who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, took over in 2023 and had a 9-21 record for the Blazers. 

Billy Napier, Florida

Fired (Oct. 19): Napier was fired one day after a 23-21 win over Mississippi State. He finished his Florida tenure at 22-23 record, but that included a 12-16 in SEC play. Napier did lead the Gators to an 8-5 record last season under similar circumstances. Florida battled a tough schedule the last two seasons, but an early-season loss to South Florida helped expedite this move. 

MORE: Billy Napier replacements 

Jay Norvell, Colorado State

Fired (Oct. 19): Norvell was fired one day after a 31-19 loss on Oct. 18. Norvell was in his fourth season at Colorado State. Norvell led the Rams to an 8-5 record in 2024, but Colorado State slipped to 2-5 this season. 

Brian Kelly, LSU

Fired (Oct. 26): LSU fired Kelly after three-plus seasons. Kelly was dismissed the day following a 49-25 defeat against Texas A&M, marking the Tigers' third loss this season. Kelly's tenure at LSU concluded with a 34-14 record, having arrived from Notre Dame after the 2021 season. The 64-year-old Kelly is reportedly in discussions for a $53 million severance package with the institution. 

MORE: Brian Kelly replacements 

Hugh Freeze, Auburn

Fired (Nov. 2): Freeze did not make it through three seasons before being the fourth SEC coach to be fired in the first 10 weeks of 2025. Freeze was 15-19 overall and 6-16 in the SEC and was under.500 all three seasons. Freeze's last team was ranked No. 104 in scoring at the time of his dismissal.

MORE: Hugh Freeze replacements

Justin Wilcox, Cal 

Fired (Nov. 23): Wilcox was fired one day after a 31-10 loss to Stanford. That dropped the Golden Bears to 6-5. Wilcox compiled a 48-55 record with Cal after taking over in 2017, and the record dropped to a 12-12 with a 5-10 record in conference play since joining the ACC.  

Eric Morris, North Texas

Resigned (Nov. 25): North Texas announced Morris has been hired as the next coach at Oklahoma State. Morris will stay with the Mean Green through a potential American Conference championship game and potential College Football Playoff appearance, according to ESPN.com. North Texas is 21-15 under Morris, which includes a 10-1 record this season. 

Jim Mora, Jr., UConn

Jim Mora, Jr. Resigned (Nov. 26): guided UConn to three bowl appearances over a four-year span. Was hired by Colorado State to replace Jay Norvell. Mora achieved nine wins in consecutive seasons, a historic feat for The Huskies. His tenure concluded with a 27-23 record across four years, and he is now set to assume leadership of the Colorado State program, which currently stands at 2-9 and has experienced only one winning season in the past eight years.

Alex Golesh, South Florida 

Resigned (Nov. 26): Golesh reportedly is leaving South Florida is reportedly being considered for the head coaching position at Arkansas. Golesh, who previously served as Tennessee's offensive coordinator, has achieved a 22-15 win-loss record with The Bulls and was highly in-demand among coaches during this period. 

FBS coach shuffles: 2025  

Here is a look at every head coaching change in the FBS in 2025, including the fired coach, the interim coach and their replacement for the 2026 season.