The Big 12 college football season is fast approaching. A few head coaching jobs will be on the line as teams battle for supremacy in the power conference. Let’s look at five Big 12 coaches who are on the hot seat heading into the 2025 NCAA campaign.
Top 5 Big 12 Coaches on the Hot Seat in 2025
1. Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati)
Heading into his third season as Cincinnati’s head coach, the pressure is mounting on Scott Satterfield. The Bearcats have disappointed during Satterfield’s reign, posting losing records in each of the last two seasons. Cincinnati finished with a 3-9 record in 2023 before posting a 5-7 slate last year.
Cincinnati will need to start strong this year to ease the pressure on its head coach. The Bearcats, who added offensive tackle Joe Cotton and cornerback Matthew McDoom to their roster this year, will open their Big 12 campaign with games against Kansas, Iowa State, and UCF.
2. Brent Brennan (Arizona)
Brent Brennan’s coaching stint at Arizona got off to a terrible start last year, with the Wildcats finishing the 2024 season with a 4-8 record. They weren’t competitive in their defeats as well, losing by an average of 23.9 points last season. They struggled mightily against Big 12 teams, with Brennan’s squad going just 2-7 in their conference matchups.
Brennan and Arizona can’t afford to have the same kind of showing this season. The Wildcats, who added edge rusher Malachi Bailey and running back Ismail Mahdi to their lineup this offseason, will start their 2025 Big 12 campaign with games against Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and BYU.
3. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)
After a long period of success at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy faced difficulty last season. The Cowboys had their first losing season under him since 2005, finishing the 2024 campaign with a 3-9 record.
Oklahoma State finished 3-9 with ZERO conference wins. Is Mike Gundy on the Hot Seat? pic.twitter.com/uLMCbJG0yC
— Barstool Big12 (@BarstoolBig12) November 29, 2024
Despite having 169 victories in his career as Oklahoma State’s head coach, Gundy’s position isn’t entirely secure. The school recently asked the long-time coach to take a pay cut, with the amount of Gundy’s contract dropping by $1 million.
The Cowboys, who added defensive lineman Kyran Duhon and edge rusher Wendell Gregory to their team this year, will begin their Big 12 schedule with matchups against Baylor, Arizona, and Houston.
4. Dave Aranda (Baylor)
Dave Aranda hasn’t had a winning record since leading the Baylor Bears to the Big 12 Championship in 2021, posting a 17-21 slate in his last three seasons as head coach. The pressure is on him to build on Baylor’s 8-5 finish last year and return to the top of the Big 12 Conference.
The Bears, who lost to the LSU Tigers last season in the Texas Bowl, added several players to their lineup through the transfer portal this offseason. Among the notable additions are wide receiver Kobe Prentice, quarterback Walker White, safety Devin Turner, and linebacker Travion Barnes.
Baylor will open its regular-season campaign with games against Auburn, SMU, and Samford. They will then start their Big 12 schedule with matchups against Arizona State, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.
5. Willie Fritz (Houston)
Willie Fritz got off to a poor start in his first year at Houston, with the Cougars going 1-4 in their opening five games of the 2024 season. Fritz steadied the ship after that, posting a 3-4 record for the remainder of the season, including victories against TCU and Kansas State.
The Cougars, who have added tight end Tanner Koziol and quarterback Conner Weigman to their roster, will open their Big 12 campaign with games against Deion Sanders’ Colorado, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State.
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