Most Deserved Firings of the 2025 CFB Season

We are just over the halfway point of the 2025 CFB season, and 11 FBS head coaches have already been fired so far this year. James Franklin and Billy Napier are the biggest names to fall to this point, but Mike Norvell, Luke Fickell, Hugh Freeze, and Brian Kelly are all feeling some heat. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the coaches that most deserve to be fired after the third Saturday of October.

Trent Dilfer (UAB)

UAB’s decision to hire Trent Dilfer was immediately ridiculed when it was announced in November 2022. Dilfer was a successful head coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, leading the private school to a 44-10 record and two state titles from 2019 to 2022, but he had never been a collegiate coach at any level prior to taking over a strong Group of Five program in UAB. There were high expectations considering where former head coach Bill Clark left the program at the end of his tenure, yet Dilfer’s Blazers were just 9-21 through two-and-a-half seasons.

Three of those nine wins came against outmatched FCS opponents, and UAB defeated just one team that finished the season over .500 (USF in 2023). The Blazers could have easily started the season 0-6 too, as they allowed 42 points to Alabama State and were trailing the Hornets by 11 points midway through the third quarter. UAB almost lost to perennial punching bag Akron too, settling for a three-point victory in a game where the Blazers were favored by two touchdowns per the CFB betting odds.

The Blazers thought they were ahead of the curve by hiring Dilfer at the same time that Colorado hired Deion Sanders. However, it was a mind-numbing decision considering Sanders already had proven that he could recruit and win at Jackson State. High school recruits weren’t enticed by the idea of playing for the swaggerless Dilfer, and the former NFL quarterback repeatedly belittled the program and swiped at boosters and the administration.

Billy Napier (Florida)

Multiple SEC programs wanted to hire Billy Napier after he turned the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns into a juggernaut in the Sun Belt. Auburn and LSU were both rumored to want Napier given his ties to the South, and he had previously coached under both Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. University of Florida AD Scott Stricklin was lauded by most observers for bringing Napier to Gainesville, but Napier ended up being a more disappointing hire than Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, or Dan Mullen.

Muschamp was 28-21, McElwain was 22-12, and Mullen was 34-15 while coaching the Gators. Napier couldn’t even finish his tenure with a winning record though, and his best season on the sidelines saw Florida finish 8-5. He was unable to defend his home turf with UF losing home games to Florida State, Miami, and South Florida during his tenure, and the Gators were 12-16 against SEC foes.

Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State)

There’s no denying that Mike Gundy helped put Oklahoma State football on the map. Gundy is the winningest coach in program history by a considerable amount with a record of 170-90. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2010, 2021, and 2023, but his tenure was plagued with minor headaches that overshadowed his on-field success.

Although Gundy led Oklahoma State to a 10-4 record and a conference championship game appearance in 2023, it became clear that he could no longer handle the current state of college football last season. The Cowboys failed to win a conference game and were shut out 52-0 by Colorado in their regular season finale.

Oklahoma State started this season with an uninspiring 27-7 win over FCS UT Martin. The Cowboys were then routed 69-3 by Oregon, and they followed up that embarrassing defeat with a 19-12 loss to in-state rival Tulsa at home. That final defeat proved to be the last straw for a head coach that had largely worn out his welcome. Gundy might get another shot since he is only 58 years old, but he was an Oklahoma State lifer, and he seems ill-equipped to lead a program in the NIL era.

Brent Pry (Virginia Tech)

It’s hard to follow in the footsteps of a coaching legend. Justin Fuente had the unenviable task of replacing Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, and Fuente was run out of Blacksburg despite posting a 43-31 record in six seasons. The Hokies decided to turn to Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry to lead the program after Fuente left late in the 2021 season.

The decision to hire Pry was widely lauded. Pry coached under James Franklin at both Vanderbilt and Penn State, and that geographic influence was seen as a benefit when considering how difficult it is to recruit players to Virginia Tech. However, Pry largely spun his wheels with the Hokies and finished with a 16-24 record after getting fired following an 0-3 start to this season. Virginia Tech lost by double digits to South Carolina, and lost by 24 points to Vanderbilt and 19 points to Old Dominion at home to seal Pry’s fate.

Mike Norvell (Florida State)

This firing has yet to happen, but it feels imminent after Florida State’s fourth straight loss. Mike Norvell is making $10 million a season and was at the helm of the biggest collapse in college football history last season. The Seminoles went 13-1 and won the ACC in 2023, but they finished 2-10 in 2024 despite spending a reported $12 million on their roster. That put Norvell on the hot seat entering this season despite a massive buyout.

It looked like Norvell was safe after an impressive win over Alabama in FSU’s season opener. The Seminoles followed that victory up with blowout wins over East Texas A&M and Kent State, but the wheels have come spinning off over the last month. FSU has lost four straight games and fell as a 17.5-point favorite to Stanford on Saturday night. That loss is sure to have boosters calling around to pass the hat even though Norvell is owed almost $60 million. 

Norvell’s buyout is larger than James Franklin’s buyout was with Penn State, so it might take some time for the Seminoles to get the money together. There is no doubt that FSU would have pulled the trigger already if the buyout wasn’t so massive, but the prospect of embarrassing losses to rivals Clemson and Florida will lead to FSU boosters opening their checkbooks.