Five College Football Coaches who may be on the hot seat in 2025

Published 10:52 am Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Ah yes, it is that time of year where the College Football season is so close yet so far. 

However, it is not too early to talk about coaches who are starting to feel the heat going into the fall.

Mike Norvell

Norvell has been very successful in the revival of Florida State, leading them to an ACC championship in his fourth year at the helm in 2023. No one could have predicted the falloff of this team last year. From a heartbreaker in Dublin, Ireland against Georgia Tech to losing against Duke for the first time in program history, last season’s 2-10 campaign was disastrous. 

While he has completely overhauled the coaching staff, hiring former UCF and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn to call the offense and Tony White from Nebraska to control the defense, The Seminoles look to put 2024 in the rearview, however a tough test lies in front of them in week one as they take on Alabama at home, but if Norvell cannot bounce back from last year is it time for a regime change in Tallahassee?

Lincoln Riley

As an offensive mind and quarterback guru, Riley’s resume is unmatched; coaching three Heisman winners and one Heisman runner-up, he has the respect among his peers for who he has coached. 

Yet as a head coach, Riley’s come up short time and time again. While yes he won four straight conference titles at Oklahoma before heading to Cali, Riley has not been able to get over the hump and make it to the National Championship, and 2024 showed it as the Trojans crawled to a 7-6 record their first year in the Big Ten.

They kept it close with teams to be sure, but USC has not been seen as a playoff contender since Riley’s first year in 2022, and now going into his fourth season with the Trojans, his seat could go from warm to scorching hot if they do not make some noise in the top heavy Big Ten.

James Franklin

Speaking of Big Ten coaches, let’s head over to Happy Valley, where James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are coming off of their first CFP appearance in school history.

However, that first appearance came in his 11th season and while Penn State stood a game away from the championship game, you have to think Franklin’s team is able to take the next step as they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. But in an era where the question is “What have you done for me lately?” Franklin only has won one Big Ten title in his tenure and this season looks to be his best opportunity to add another one to the trophy case and possibly a national championship appearance as well. But anything less than that might have the Nittany Lions consider their options going into 2026.

Sam Pittman

The boss hog has shown flashes of what the Razorbacks could be with a 9-4 season in 2021, Unfortunately, that was the high point of his tenure, because since then the Hogs have been 22-20 with only three wins against ranked opponents and a record of 7-17 versus teams in the SEC, making his seat piping hot, and the schedule does not appear to be favorable for him as they face off with Notre Dame at home, and go on the road against Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU and Texas.

If 2025 becomes another underwhelming season for Pittman, then his time in Fayetteville may come to an end quickly.

Brian Kelly

It’s been three years since Kelly left Notre Dame and signed on to be the Head Coach for the Tigers because they had the resources to win championships.

After a first season where they knocked off Ole Miss and Alabama in back-to-back weeks to clinch a berth to the SEC Championship, since then it’s been a game of being contender for the first half of the season until November and then the wheels fall off and last year was a prime example of that as they dropped three straight games and fell completely out of the playoff race. While the school he left played for the national championship. 

It’s now been six years since that 2019 LSU team and this year the Tigers look like a team to make a run for a title, however if they come up short again, the leash on Kelly might be at its end.