College Football’s Open Head-Coaching Jobs, Ranked

This could be the most active coaching carousel college football has seen in many years. Before the end of September, five Power 4 programs were searching for new head coaches for 2026.

The 2024-25 hiring cycle was historically slow at the Power 4 level, as schools waited to see the impact of budgeting more than $20 million for athletes in the House v. NCAA settlement, but with that revenue sharing system now set, the focus has turned back to coaching changes.

Here is our ranking of college football’s open head-coaching jobs. The ranking leans heavily on the chances for a coach to succeed there.That might mean more stock put in a program’s upside than its recent success, but it’s not just coach pay or quality of life. Coaches want to take jobs where they believe they can win,and this is how most coaches would view these jobs. This list will be updated as jobs open and close.

1. Penn State

record over the last five years: 44-17
The Athletic‘s estimated valuation: $1.2 billion (11th among Power 4 programs)
Job grade: A

This place has it all: tradition, money, facilities, support and recent success. It’s a top-15 job in college football. Penn State is paying around $45 million to get rid of James Franklin coming off a CFP semifinal appearance. That signals how serious the Nittany Lions are about getting over the hump.

Franklin deserves a lot of credit for getting Penn State back near the top of the sport. He won a lot of games, just not the big ones. He also forced the program to modernize, demanding more in facilities and money.

A few sitting head coaches elsewhere in the Big Ten would fit here, but the school also may take even bigger swings. Jobs as good as this one, coming off such a prosperous run, do not come open like this frequently enough. If Penn State is fully aligned and committed on the revenue share/NIL front, anything could happen during the search.

2. Tulane

Record over the last five years: 44-17
Job Grade: B-

Tulane has reached four consecutive American Conference championship games across two different head coaches and multiple roster overhauls. It’s one of just 10 teams to reach the CFP rankings in each of the last four years. The Green wave have a culture of winning here now, an indoor practice bubble under construction, and they were near the top of the Group of 6 with a $5 million roster budget. The high academic standards can impact roster construction a little but, but the location in New Orleans and the pattern of success with upward mobility make this a very attractive job.

3. South Florida

Record over the last five years: 26-36
Job Grade: B-

USF has dramatically changed its outlook in recent years. The Bulls were at the top of the Group of 6 in roster funding with what some sources say is a budget over $8 million in 2025. A new on-campus stadium is being built. Than last week, the school’s board finance committee approved funding for athletics to reach the full $20.5 million in revenue sharing, which would be a first in the G6. This comes amid a 9-3 football season and third consecutive bowl appearance this year. The finances available here and the clear upward coaching path will make this an appealing job.

4. James Madison

Record over the last five years: 52-7
Job grade: B-

All JMU knows is winning. The program is onyl 53 years old, but every head coach in the team’s history has left with a winning record, and the last four coaches have all won at least 70 percent of their

Coastal Carolina

record over the last five years: 44-21
Job grade: B+

the program has slid since Jamey Chadwell and Grayson McCall won 31 games from 2020 to ’22 and is now coming off consecutive six-win seasons. The Chanticleers under Chadwell were one of the lowest-resourced programs in the FBS, but their success spurned investment.Now-fired coach Tim Beck’s $1.1 million salary was the second-highest in the Sun Belt.An indoor practice facility opened this year. So three bowl games in three years under Beck apparently wasn’t good enough anymore. This place has upside,with a good location and improving resources. And the expectation clearly will be to compete for Sun Belt championships.

10. UConn

Record over the last five years: 28-34
Job grade: C-

Jim Mora worked wonders here, reaching three bowl games in four years, including two nine-win seasons, and helping the Huskies draw their largest crowds in a decade. But this is a program that had 10 consecutive losing seasons before that. The job can pay well for a non-Power 4 team, as Mora made more than $2 million, and some of its recent facility upgrades are nice, but the program is stuck in purgatory as the last non-Notre Dame self-reliant. The Huskies play a schedule largely made up of Group of 6 programs in the east with a few power 4 opponents mixed in, like Syracuse and duke this year. That helps with fan travel,and the school has a CBS Sports Network TV deal.

But those factors also keep the program out of sight and out of mind. There are no conference races or weekly awards or reasons for non-UConn fans to pay attention. Perhaps that limited Mora’s coaching stock. The good news is we’re no longer debating weather the program should drop to the Football Championship Subdivision. Mora raised the floor and reminded people that it’s possible to win.

Previous jobs filled

UCLA
New coach: Bob Chesney
Five-year record: 30-24
The Athletic‘s estimated program valuation: $343 million (T-43rd among Power 4 programs)
Job grade: B

The idea of UCLA has long seemed better than the reality of UCLA. The Bruins haven’t won a conference championship as 1998 and haven’t posted a 10-win season in more than a decade. Fan apathy is showing up in the attendance figures at the Rose Bowl, and the athletic department’s financial problems have been piling up – the Bruins have been operating at a cumulative deficit of over $200 million over the last five years.

But it’s a Big Ten job in Southern california. That doesn’t mean all Big Ten jobs are better than all ACC or Big 12 jobs. But it means the Bruins’ ceiling and the floor should be higher, and the path to success is easy to envision.

Kentucky
New coach: Will Stein
Record over the last five years: 33-30
The Athletic‘s estimated valuation: $400 million (37th among Power 4 programs)
Job grade: B-

This has long been one of the toughest jobs in the SEC,and the SEC is now tougher than ever. Mark Stoops produced two of the four 10-win seasons in program history and regular bowl appearances, but the ceiling here is generally eight or nine wins, and you’re competing with the basketball program for resources and roster spending (a reported $22 million for this year’s hoops team).The good news is that winning six games regularly is enough to keep yoru job, and Stoops made $9 million annually for doing that, with a couple bigger seasons. But if the goal is to win big, the path is extremely difficult.

LSU

**New co-

College Football Coaching Hot Seat: Ranking the Open jobs

The coaching carousel is spinning, and several Power four programs are searching for their next leader. Here’s a look at the open jobs, ranked from most to least attractive, considering factors like resources, potential, and current program state.

Arkansas
New coach: Bobby Petrino
Five-year record: 37-17
Estimated valuation: $268 million (38th among P4)
Job grade: B-

Arkansas fired Sam Pittman after a disappointing 4-8 season. The razorbacks haven’t played in the SEC Championship Game since 2006. but it’s still an SEC job, giving it an advantage over many other openings.It’s the only Power Four program in the state, and the fanbase is fiercely loyal. However, notable investment in men’s basketball and baseball creates a challenge. Athletic director Hunter Yurachek acknowledges the program is competing for national championships in those sports, but not football. The floor is lower here than at some other jobs, but the ceiling could be higher. Arkansas needs a coach who can rally boosters to secure better football players and,crucially,maximize the talent already on the roster.

Stanford
New coach: Tavita Pritchard

Five-year record: 14-39
Estimated valuation: $202 million (60th among P4)
Job grade: C+

Stanford consistently won at least 10 games between 2010 and 2016, but that was a different era. They haven’t exceeded four wins as 2018,and the NIL/transfer portal era has limited their potential. General manager Andrew Luck is now running the football program and is fully committed. While Luck loves the school, he lacks prior coaching experience. The question is whether he’ll allow Pritchard to lead the program independently.

Stanford is now in the ACC,receiving smaller conference payouts after the Pac-12’s collapse. The program currently lacks a clear identity. the next coach must excel at development and consistently reach bowl games.

Oregon State
New coach: JaMarcus Shephard

Record over the last five years: 30-28
Job Grade: C

The Beavers won 10 games three seasons ago but were left behind during conference realignment. They’re now trying to rebuild. This has always been a challenging job in a region lacking top-tier talent. Though,Oregon State has facilities.