The 2025 college football season has been met with absolute chaos, with seven coaches from powerhouse football schools getting fired.
Sam Pittman – The University of Arkansas
Sam Pittman was fired after a tough 56-13 loss to Notre Dame, on September 28, 2025. Pittman first began coaching at Arkansas in 2013 as assistant coach. From 2016-2019, he served as associate head coach and offensive line coach for the University of Georgia. In December of 2019, he returned to Arkansas as head coach of the Razorbacks. Their record the past few seasons has not been the best. Leading up to the firing of Pittman, their record was 2-3. This, and the major loss to Notre Dame led to his release with a buyout price of nearly $9.8 million.
Deshaun Foster – UCLA
UCLA head coach Deshaun Foster was fired on September 14, 2025. Foster served as the running back coach for UCLA from 2017-2023, and was promoted to head coach in 2023. He was fired due to their poor record. They were 0-3 so early in the season, so the university decided to let him go. His buyout price was $6.43 million.
Brent Pry – Virginia Tech
Brent Pry was hired as head coach of the Hokies at Virginia Tech in 2021. On September 14, 2025 the program fired Pry after the team’s 45-26 loss to Old Dominion University. Since he started coaching in 2022, the team had a record of 16-24. Similar to the results of Foster, the team had a 0-3 record prior to Pry’s firing. This record was not up to the University’s standards. Now, as the season progresses, the Virginia Tech Hokies have a record of 3-5. Pry’s buyout was worth approximately $6 million.
Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State University
Gundy coached at Oklahoma State for 21 seasons, becoming the head coach in 2005. During his time as a coach he led the team to a Big 12 Championship in 2011 and had a winning record in all but two of his full 20 seasons there. He was also the most successful coach in school history, with a record of 170 wins and 90 losses. However, he was fired this September due to poor performance and failure to adapt to the changes of college football like the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals. Oklahoma State is currently 1-7 this season so far.
James Franklin – Penn State University
Franklin coached at Penn State from 2014 until he was fired on October 26, 2025. He was hired from Vanderbilt and then went on to coach the Nittany Lions for 11 seasons. He was mainly fired for his lack of performance in big games and the team having a three game losing streak this season. There were also final losses against un-ranked teams that sealed the decision for him to be fired. Penn State football is currently 3-4 this season. His buyout price was over $49 million.
Brian Kelly – LSU
Kelly coached LSU for four seasons as the head coach. Kelly was unable to meet the national championship level expectations this season and had an escalating internal power struggle with the Tiger’s athletic director, Scott Woodward. The 49-25 home game loss against Texas A&M was the last straw that led to the end of his coaching at LSU. This season they are currently 5-3. Kelly’s buyout was the largest, at around $54 million.
Billy Napier – The University of Florida
Napier was at Florida for four seasons until he was fired on October 19, 2025. He is known as the program’s worst head coach through 40 games since the 1940s. He was fired due to the lack of consistent wins and a disappointing start in the 2025 season. The team has failed to maintain momentum on offense and has poor results against ranked teams. The Gators are currently 3-4 this season.
Overall, the 2025-2026 college football season has been very unpredictable, with shocking results and the firing of many previously very successful coaches. Fans are eager to see what the future of this season holds.
