Week 5 Hot Seat Rankings: The Coaches Under Fire in College Football

The thermostat is cracked all the way to “sizzle” and we’re barely a month into the season. The coaching carousel already looks like a SoulCycle class: fast, sweaty, and slightly chaotic with no pedigree safe if you’re not stacking wins. With three Power 4 jobs already open and fan bases getting feisty on message boards and talk radio, Week 5 is already where winners either rally…or roast.

Recent Firings: UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma State push the big red button

The carousel didn’t wait for Halloween. UCLA removed head coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14, launching a search committee before the leaves even turned in Pasadena. Foster finished 5–10 across two seasons and started this season 0–3, a quick, cold ending to a feel-good hire. Tim Skipper was named the interim for now, but the search committee is actively evaluating other potential options. 

In Blacksburg, Virginia Tech moved on from Brent Pry the same Sunday, a day after a 45–26 home loss to Old Dominion pushed the Hokies to 0–3. Buyout chatter (about $6M) followed immediately, of course, because this is modern college football. Tech elevated offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery to interim head coach.

Then the stunner: Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy on Sept. 23 after 21 seasons, with AD Chad Weiberg calling it a long-term move for the program that had dropped 11 of 12 since 2024. That’s a legend shown the door in September, but gut check before feeling too bad for him. Reuters reports the program owes him a parting payday of $15M. Different era. Different patience. Different paycheck.

What puts a coach on the burner in 2025

Why so early is one question that comes to mind?. Beyond vibes and winning records, there’s a Moneyball strategy beneath it all. A head coaching change triggers a 30-day transfer portal window which means players can use that window to move on as well. Big opportunity for the players to right their own ship if coaching doesn’t deliver.

And secondly, there is the money/market reality. NIL, staffing arms races, and contract buyout calculus all loom. Contracts now include creative triggers based on recent records and timing, and don’t forget about TV money ratcheting expectations to playoffs-or-bust. As CBS noted this week, early in-season firings are increasingly a rational play, not a rash one. And if the boss knows they need to fire someone, better to do it earlier than later, control the narrative, and start shopping.

The Top Five Hottest Seats entering Week 5

1) Billy Napier – Florida

Gators fans wanted liftoff in Year 4; instead, they got a 1–3 faceplant and a bye week full of existential questions. Local and national voices have called it “inevitable,” while others say UF won’t eat the buyout (yet). Numbers to know: Napier’s termination during the season comes with an estimated buyout around $21–22M depending on timing and structure. Also looming is the Jaden Rashada NIL lawsuit, which is just more off-field noise than any coach wants during a skid. If you’re hearing “Gainesville, we have a problem,” you’re not wrong, and the local media is openly chattering “when” not “if.”

Sandman’s advice: Use the bye week wisely to reset the team and reframe the season’s goals. And then pray. 

2) Sam Pittman – Arkansas

The Hogs’ September wobble reignites annual angst. Pittman’s deal has a funky sliding buyout: if his record since 2021 is above .500, Arkansas owes him about 75% of the remaining contract; if it dips below .500, the payout drops to about 50%. Razorback Nation is restless after a rough September (and a Memphis loss that re-lit the torches). So he’s looking at roughly $7–10 million depending on where his post-2021 record lands. That structure makes the next few weeks financially spicy. The margins are small, the patience smaller, and the vibes are… a little testy. 

Sandman’s advice: Focus on winning the next game, not the math of what you might make if things go sideways.

3) Trent Dilfer – UAB

Year 3 opened under the microscope after a rough first two seasons. National pieces place Dilfer very high on hot-seat lists, and his record three games into Year 3 was reported as 9–19. Discipline issues plus blowout losses don’t help in a league where quick turnarounds are common. Multiple outlets now slot him top-3 on national hot-seat lists, and G5 buyouts rarely provide a force field.

Sandman’s advice: Find a good realtor.

4) Dabo Swinney – Clemson

Is Dabo getting fired? No. Is the temperature higher than it’s been in a decade? Yes. More of a reality check than coach on the bubble because Clemson is 1–3 after a home loss to Syracuse as a 17.5-point favorite, and the noise machine is loud even as most analysts say the “hot seat” label is premature. Still, Clemson’s performance so far has even the gals at Girl’s Night Out shaking our heads.

Sandman’s advice: Notch a “we’re fine” win November 8th vs Florida State, don’t lose any more headscratchers between now and then, and the finicky Tiger fans should quiet down. 

5) Luke Fickell – Wisconsin

Madison isn’t cutting a check tomorrow, but a home thud vs. Maryland triggered “Fire Fickell” chants, a brutal soundtrack at Camp Randall. The AD publicly backed Fickell, who dropped to 15-15 at Wisconsin, and the buyout (estimated at $25M+ by local outlets) is a serious leash extender. Still, style points, offensive identity, and Big Ten positioning all crank the heat if the Badgers don’t start stacking wins.

Sandman’s advice: We wish we could provide some inspiring words here, but the remaining schedule is just brutal. The Badgers’ final 8 opponents currently hold a collective 30-6 record, including 5 ranked teams. Good luck Coach.

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