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12/01 08:27 CST Coaching carousel: Tracking the hirings and firings in the
Power Four
Coaching carousel: Tracking the hirings and firings in the Power Four
By The Associated Press
College football's coaching carousel continues to spin. Eleven Power Four
coaches were fired this fall and another in March. Kentucky's Mark Stoops was
the latest one shown the door and the fifth from the Southeastern Conference.
Unprecedented parity, revenue-sharing and access to the expanded College
Football Playoff creating a win-now approach for administrators and
decision-makers.
Florida State's Mike Norvell, Maryland's Mike Locksley, Wisconsin's Luke
Fickell and Baylor's Dave Aranda got hot-seat reprieves and will return in 2026.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin's decision to leave for LSU sped up the hiring
cycle, with Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield, South Florida coach Alex Golesh and
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall getting called up from the Group of Five to take over
Power Four programs. Offensive coordinators Collin Klein (Texas A&M) and Will
Stein (Oregon) also are guys to keep an eye on in the hiring cycle.
Here are the Power Four programs in the spotlight (in alphabetical order):
Arkansas Fired: Sam Pittman, 63, on Sept. 28, 2025. Record: 32-34 over six seasons, including 14-29 in the SEC. Buyout: Nearly $9 million. Interim: Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Noteworthy: Petrino guided the Razorbacks between 2008 and 2011, showing improvement every year. His tenure ended after a motorcycle crash led to the admission of an affair with a former Arkansas volleyball player. The Hogs finished 2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC this season, with the final seven losses --- four of them within 3 points --- coming under Petrino. Replacement: The Razorbacks hired Silverfield on Nov. 30. He went 50-25 and made six bowls in six seasons with the Tigers, including a pair of double-digit-win seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Auburn Fired: Hugh Freeze, 56, on Nov. 2, 2025 Record: 15-19 over three seasons, including 6-16 in the SEC. Buyout: $15.8 million. Interim: Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Noteworthy: The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn's offensive issues in his three years on the Plains. The Tigers scored 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. Replacement: The Tigers hired Golesh on Nov. 30, counting on him to revitalize an offense that has ranked in the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference each of the last six years. USF ranks second in the country in total offense (501.7 yards a game) and fourth in scoring (43 points a game) this season.
Cal Fired: Justin Wilcox, 49, on Nov. 23, 2025. Record: 48-55 over nine seasons, including 26-47 in conference play (21-37 in the Pac-12, 5-10 in the ACC). Buyout: Roughly $10.9 million. Interim: Former Hawaii and Washington State coach Nick Rolovich. Noteworthy: Longtime NFL coach and first-year Cal general manager Ron Rivera made the move following a lopsided loss to Stanford that assured Wilcox of never having a winning record in conference play with the Bears.
Florida Fired: Billy Napier, 46, on Oct. 19, 2025. Record: 22-23 over four seasons, including 12-16 in the SEC. Buyout: About $21 million. Interim: Receivers coach Billy Gonzales. Noteworthy: Napier was almost always in the crosshairs, in part because he declined to give up play-calling duties as the Gators' offense failed to make progress. Replacement: The Gators gave Sumrall a six-year deal worth $44.7 million on Nov. 30. Sumrall made four consecutive conference title games at Troy and Tulane, the kind of two-stop success that has Florida comparing him to Urban Meyer.
Kentucky Fired: Mark Stoops, 58, on Dec. 1, 2025. Record: 82-80 over 13 seasons (with 10 wins vacated), including 25-68 in the SEC. Buyout: Approximately $37.7 million, with all it due within 60 days. But the sides were reportedly working to spread that out over time. Interim: Not yet announced. Noteworthy: Stoops was the longest-tenured coach in the SEC. He planned to leave Kentucky in November 2023 and take over at Texas A&M. But the potential hire was met with so much disdain from Aggies boosters that it got nixed, leaving Stoops in Lexington for two more years --- both losing seasons.
LSU Fired: Brian Kelly, 64, on Oct. 26, 2025. Record: 34-14 over four seasons, including 19-10 in the SEC. Buyout: About $54 million, which the school agreed to pay after Kelly sued for the full amount. Interim: Associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson. Noteworthy: Kelly's buyout is the second largest in the history of college athletics. It was the first time Kelly had been fired in his coaching career. Replacement: The Tigers hired Kiffin on Nov. 30, and he expressed disappointment with Ole Miss officials for not allowing him to continue with the Rebels in the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss soon after promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to replace Kiffin.
Michigan State Fired: Jonathan Smith, 46, on Nov. 30, 2025. Record: 9-15 over two seasons, including 4-14 in the Big Ten. Buyout: More than $30 million. Interim: Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi. Noteworthy: Smith was under fire from the moment Michigan State hired him late in 2023. He previously went 34-35 in six years at Oregon State.
Oklahoma State Fired: Mike Gundy, 58, on Sept. 23, 2025. Record: 170-90 over 21 seasons, including 102-72 in the Big 12. Buyout: $15 million. Interim: Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham. Noteworthy: Gundy went viral in 2007 for shouting "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!" while defending one of his players. Replacement: The Cowboys hired North Texas coach Eric Morris on Nov. 25, although the move is pending board approval. Morris previously worked with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, John Mateer and Cam Ward.
Penn State Fired: James Franklin, 53, on Oct. 12, 2025. Record: 104-45 over 12 seasons, including 64-36 in the Big Ten. Buyout: More than $49 million, although it was negotiated down to $9 million before he got another job (Virginia Tech). Interim: Associate head coach Terry Smith. Noteworthy: Mockingly nicknamed "Big Game James" because of his 4-21 record against top-10 opponents, Franklin became the first coach since 1978 to lose consecutive games (UCLA, Northwestern) while being favored by 20 or more points.
Stanford Fired: Troy Taylor, 56, on March 25, 2025. Record: 6-18 over two seasons, including 4-13 in conference play (2-7 in the Pac-12, 2-6 in the ACC). Buyout: Unknown. Interim: Longtime NFL coach Frank Reich. Noteworthy: General manager Andrew Luck fired Taylor in March following reports that the coach allegedly mistreated staffers and then asked Reich to fill in for a season. Replacement: The Cardinal hired Tavita Pritchard on Nov. 28, bringing back the 38-year-old Stanford grad back to The Farm after a three-year stint as quarterbacks coach for the NFL's Washington Commanders. Pritchard and current Stanford general manager Andrew Luck were college teammates.
UCLA Fired: DeShaun Foster, 45, on Sept. 14, 2025. Record: 5-10 over two seasons, including 3-6 in the Big Ten. Buyout: $6.43 million. Interim: Special assistant Tim Skipper. Noteworthy: Foster was fired three games into his second season, with athletic director Martin Jarmond acknowledging he made a mistake by giving the inexperienced Foster the job.
Virginia Tech Fired: Brent Pry, 55, on Sept. 14, 2025. Record: 16-24 over four seasons, including 10-13 in the ACC. Buyout: About $6 million. Interim: Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. Noteworthy: Since Pry's dismissal, the university voted to increase the athletics department budget by $229.2 million over the next four years. The bump for 2026 ups Tech's athletic budget to $190.1 million, placing it among the top third in the ACC. Replacement: The Hokies hired Franklin on Nov. 17, giving him a five-year, $41.75 million contract that could rise with incentives. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Arkansas Fired: Sam Pittman, 63, on Sept. 28, 2025. Record: 32-34 over six seasons, including 14-29 in the SEC. Buyout: Nearly $9 million. Interim: Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Noteworthy: Petrino guided the Razorbacks between 2008 and 2011, showing improvement every year. His tenure ended after a motorcycle crash led to the admission of an affair with a former Arkansas volleyball player. The Hogs finished 2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC this season, with the final seven losses --- four of them within 3 points --- coming under Petrino. Replacement: The Razorbacks hired Silverfield on Nov. 30. He went 50-25 and made six bowls in six seasons with the Tigers, including a pair of double-digit-win seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Auburn Fired: Hugh Freeze, 56, on Nov. 2, 2025 Record: 15-19 over three seasons, including 6-16 in the SEC. Buyout: $15.8 million. Interim: Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Noteworthy: The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn's offensive issues in his three years on the Plains. The Tigers scored 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. Replacement: The Tigers hired Golesh on Nov. 30, counting on him to revitalize an offense that has ranked in the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference each of the last six years. USF ranks second in the country in total offense (501.7 yards a game) and fourth in scoring (43 points a game) this season.
Cal Fired: Justin Wilcox, 49, on Nov. 23, 2025. Record: 48-55 over nine seasons, including 26-47 in conference play (21-37 in the Pac-12, 5-10 in the ACC). Buyout: Roughly $10.9 million. Interim: Former Hawaii and Washington State coach Nick Rolovich. Noteworthy: Longtime NFL coach and first-year Cal general manager Ron Rivera made the move following a lopsided loss to Stanford that assured Wilcox of never having a winning record in conference play with the Bears.
Florida Fired: Billy Napier, 46, on Oct. 19, 2025. Record: 22-23 over four seasons, including 12-16 in the SEC. Buyout: About $21 million. Interim: Receivers coach Billy Gonzales. Noteworthy: Napier was almost always in the crosshairs, in part because he declined to give up play-calling duties as the Gators' offense failed to make progress. Replacement: The Gators gave Sumrall a six-year deal worth $44.7 million on Nov. 30. Sumrall made four consecutive conference title games at Troy and Tulane, the kind of two-stop success that has Florida comparing him to Urban Meyer.
Kentucky Fired: Mark Stoops, 58, on Dec. 1, 2025. Record: 82-80 over 13 seasons (with 10 wins vacated), including 25-68 in the SEC. Buyout: Approximately $37.7 million, with all it due within 60 days. But the sides were reportedly working to spread that out over time. Interim: Not yet announced. Noteworthy: Stoops was the longest-tenured coach in the SEC. He planned to leave Kentucky in November 2023 and take over at Texas A&M. But the potential hire was met with so much disdain from Aggies boosters that it got nixed, leaving Stoops in Lexington for two more years --- both losing seasons.
LSU Fired: Brian Kelly, 64, on Oct. 26, 2025. Record: 34-14 over four seasons, including 19-10 in the SEC. Buyout: About $54 million, which the school agreed to pay after Kelly sued for the full amount. Interim: Associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson. Noteworthy: Kelly's buyout is the second largest in the history of college athletics. It was the first time Kelly had been fired in his coaching career. Replacement: The Tigers hired Kiffin on Nov. 30, and he expressed disappointment with Ole Miss officials for not allowing him to continue with the Rebels in the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss soon after promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to replace Kiffin.
Michigan State Fired: Jonathan Smith, 46, on Nov. 30, 2025. Record: 9-15 over two seasons, including 4-14 in the Big Ten. Buyout: More than $30 million. Interim: Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi. Noteworthy: Smith was under fire from the moment Michigan State hired him late in 2023. He previously went 34-35 in six years at Oregon State.
Oklahoma State Fired: Mike Gundy, 58, on Sept. 23, 2025. Record: 170-90 over 21 seasons, including 102-72 in the Big 12. Buyout: $15 million. Interim: Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham. Noteworthy: Gundy went viral in 2007 for shouting "Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!" while defending one of his players. Replacement: The Cowboys hired North Texas coach Eric Morris on Nov. 25, although the move is pending board approval. Morris previously worked with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, John Mateer and Cam Ward.
Penn State Fired: James Franklin, 53, on Oct. 12, 2025. Record: 104-45 over 12 seasons, including 64-36 in the Big Ten. Buyout: More than $49 million, although it was negotiated down to $9 million before he got another job (Virginia Tech). Interim: Associate head coach Terry Smith. Noteworthy: Mockingly nicknamed "Big Game James" because of his 4-21 record against top-10 opponents, Franklin became the first coach since 1978 to lose consecutive games (UCLA, Northwestern) while being favored by 20 or more points.
Stanford Fired: Troy Taylor, 56, on March 25, 2025. Record: 6-18 over two seasons, including 4-13 in conference play (2-7 in the Pac-12, 2-6 in the ACC). Buyout: Unknown. Interim: Longtime NFL coach Frank Reich. Noteworthy: General manager Andrew Luck fired Taylor in March following reports that the coach allegedly mistreated staffers and then asked Reich to fill in for a season. Replacement: The Cardinal hired Tavita Pritchard on Nov. 28, bringing back the 38-year-old Stanford grad back to The Farm after a three-year stint as quarterbacks coach for the NFL's Washington Commanders. Pritchard and current Stanford general manager Andrew Luck were college teammates.
UCLA Fired: DeShaun Foster, 45, on Sept. 14, 2025. Record: 5-10 over two seasons, including 3-6 in the Big Ten. Buyout: $6.43 million. Interim: Special assistant Tim Skipper. Noteworthy: Foster was fired three games into his second season, with athletic director Martin Jarmond acknowledging he made a mistake by giving the inexperienced Foster the job.
Virginia Tech Fired: Brent Pry, 55, on Sept. 14, 2025. Record: 16-24 over four seasons, including 10-13 in the ACC. Buyout: About $6 million. Interim: Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. Noteworthy: Since Pry's dismissal, the university voted to increase the athletics department budget by $229.2 million over the next four years. The bump for 2026 ups Tech's athletic budget to $190.1 million, placing it among the top third in the ACC. Replacement: The Hokies hired Franklin on Nov. 17, giving him a five-year, $41.75 million contract that could rise with incentives. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
