Even before the opening kickoff of the 2025 college football season, some coaches are on the hot seat. A lackluster 2024 or off-field issues can leave many coaches wondering if it’s time to start polishing the resume for the next job search. Here’s a rundown on five of the warmest coaching hot seats heading into 2025.
Top 5 college football coaching hot seats for 2025
5. Billy Napier
Napier is 19-19 at Florida, which has been as brutal as it sounds. Unlike many coaches on this list, Napier’s situation is actually looking up. UF managed an 8-5 season last year and DJ Lagway is one of the nation’s most promising quarterbacks.
That said, a major regression would still likely see Napier heading out of Florida. While he has the team moving forward, he needs to keep it that way or could be headed out the door in a hurry.
4. Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy is a shocking name on this list, but a 3-9 season definitely has Cowboy fans showing major concern. Gundy had posted a winning season every year at OSU since 2006, his second season there. But, the last time OSU had a winless conference season, as it did in 2024, was in 1994, when they played in the Big Eight conference.
Gundy’s 169-88 record would suggest he would be immune from the hot seat. But, his team heads into 2025 with a nine-game losing streak which means that his seat is definitely warming up heading into the new season.
3. Lincoln Riley
Riley’s record at USC has gotten worse in each of his three seasons, with last year’s 7-6 season requiring a surprising bowl win over Texas A&M to avoid a losing record.
The Trojans don’t look like a very strong team in the Big Ten and it’s unclear how much longer Riley will get patience. His situation is worse than his 26-14 record because of its downward incline. Riley can’t afford for that to continue for another season.
2. Brent Venables
Venables is 22-17 at Oklahoma and has a pair of 6-7 seasons in that three-year run. Before Venables, Oklahoma hadn’t lost three games in a season since 2014 and had not had a losing season since 1998.
OU added some significant portal additions, but Venables probably needs eight or more wins to return next season for the Sooners. It’s an uphill struggle in the SEC.
1. Mike Norvell
After a 10-win season in 2022 and a 13-win season in 2023, Norvell seemed to be cruising in Tallahassee. But last year’s 2-10 season wasn’t just bad, it was humiliating. Florida State opened the season ranked #10, but fell to unranked opponents in each of the first three weeks of the season. DJ Uiagalelei was absolutely awful at quarterback and FSU scored a paltry 15.4 points per game.
That said, FSU lost three games by a single score, meaning they were a couple of plays from a 5-7 season that would’ve still been awful, but not on the level that 2024 ultimately reached. Norvell will be watched closely this season and another losing mark will probably seal his fate.
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