]BEST LINKS

Being an interim coach is the loneliest job in college football.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg spoke with current and former interim coaches about the challenges of holding a team together while their own futures hang in the balance. The quotes are brutal—and honest. [LINK]

Maryland’s mascot Testudo has signed an NIL deal with Brown Boy Nation through which funds spent on either of the t-shirt options offered by Brown Boy Nation will go toward supporting the Testudo Team. A statement from Testudo reads: “Seeing my face on a shirt was a dream come true. My love for this school and these teams is unmatched and I’m so excited that others get to share in my fandom! Go Terps!”  [LINK]

DEEP DIVE

The Great Reckoning: How Panic, Emotion, and Zero Planning Created College Football's Most Chaotic Carousel

This cycle was supposed to be busy.

Nobody expected this:

• Seventeen FBS coaching changes and counting

• Nine Power Four programs without permanent head coaches

• Four SEC coaches fired on four consecutive Sundays

• Industry sources expect close to 40 total jobs to change hands

The sport had never seen such activity this early in a season.

The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff has put more pressure than ever on these coaches. A few bad seasons in a row is no longer accepted with how much money is going into these rosters. So athletic directors panicked. They fired coaches in Week 3. They handed jobs to former players based on nostalgia. They stacked buyouts on top of buyouts with no clear plan.

Now they're scrambling.

The Hires That Are Done

Five Power Four programs have already named their guys.

• Virginia Tech landed James Franklin from Penn State

• Oklahoma State replaced Mike Gundy with North Texas's Eric Morris

• Oregon State hired JaMarcus Shephard after Trent Bray's 0-7 start

• Stanford officially named Tavita Pritchard

And then there's Colorado State.

Jim Mora had been floated around as a name for Stanford, and by all accounts, was deep in that process. Then he suddenly pivoted to Fort Collins. Fans and analysts were stunned. Many said they could have understood Stanford or Cal, but Colorado State?

In the words of former UConn star quarterback Dan Orlovsky: "Colorado State?!?!!"

Which means UConn, coming off back-to-back nine-win seasons, something the school hadn't done since 2007, now needs a coach, too.

Thanks, Jim.

The "We Had No Plan" Firings

Some of these decisions were pure panic.

UCLA fired DeShaun Foster after a disastrous 0-3 start that included losses to UNLV and New Mexico. UCLA gave Foster the job because he played running back there from 1998-2001. That's it. That was the plan. Now they're scrambling through a coaching search while boosters, students, and former players send letters to a tone-deaf chancellor demanding the AD's removal.

Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry one day after losing 45-26 to Old Dominion. Three games into 2025. The former Penn State defensive coordinator finished 16-24 and never found traction.

Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy after a 19-12 loss to Tulsa, which came two weeks after a 69-3 loss at Oregon.

One of the longest tenures in college football, gone in Week 4.

The SEC Bloodbath

Four SEC coaches were fired on four consecutive Sundays.

Arkansas fired Sam Pittman after a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame, the third straight loss for the Razorbacks. Bobby Petrino, of all people, is the interim coach. He's winless so far.

Penn State fired James Franklin after a three-game losing streak ruined long-held expectations for another deep College Football Playoff run. A preseason national championship contender fell to 3-3.

Florida fired Billy Napier after a slow start that included losses to South Florida, LSU, and Miami. He finished 22-23 in Gainesville.

Brian Kelly was dismissed a night after LSU's third loss of the 2025 season, a 49-24 blowout at the hands of Texas A&M. Kelly, who left Notre Dame for a chance to win his first FBS national championship, never even made the College Football Playoff at LSU.

Hugh Freeze did not make it through three seasons before being the fourth SEC coach fired in the first 10 weeks of 2025.

His record: 15-19 overall, 6-16 in SEC play.

How's It Going, Penn State?

The 5-6 Nittany Lions can become bowl eligible with a win over 5-6 Rutgers on Saturday.

Let that sink in.

A program that was playing for a spot in the national championship game in January is now fighting for bowl eligibility in November. The candidates Penn State wanted? They used Penn State's interest to get raises:

• Eli Drinkwitz signed a six-year contract extension with Missouri

• Clark Lea locked down a similarly lucrative six-year deal at Vanderbilt

Proven Power Four head coaches, at least the ones Penn State has been after, aren't moving this offseason.

James Madison coach Bob Chesney is now the favorite at 37 percent in betting markets. A Sun Belt coach with no Power Four experience is Penn State's best remaining option.

That's the reality in State College right now.

The Florida Pivot

Florida is moving on from Lane Kiffin and targeting Tulane's Jon Sumrall as its next head coach.

Napier was nicknamed "Sun Belt Billy" because he often looked to be over his head in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Now, Florida's going back to the Group of Five for another coach.

Florida's so dialed in on Sumrall that the Gators tabbed former two-time Florida national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer to speak with Sumrall about the opening.

The problem? Sumrall is also considered to be Auburn's top target to replace Hugh Freeze.

Two SEC programs are fighting over one Tulane coach.

The Dominoes Still Falling

Justin Wilcox was fired one day after Cal lost 31-10 to Stanford. A bowl-eligible team at 6-5, and Cal still pulled the trigger.

Troy Taylor at Stanford was dismissed after ESPN reported that two outside firms found he bullied and belittled female athletic staffers. Frank Reich served as the interim head coach with Andrew Luck as GM. Tavita Pritchard is now official.

Oregon State fired Trent Bray after the Beavers fell to 0-7. JaMarcus Shephard is now in place.

The carousel keeps spinning.

The One Name That Matters

Lane Kiffin is set to announce a decision within the next 24 hours.

The deal LSU is offering is believed to be for seven years and worth as much as $98 million, and includes a significant promise that would make LSU competitive in revenue sharing and NIL.

Sumrall is expected to decide on his coaching future on Sunday morning.

When those two decisions land, the rest of the dominoes fall.

The Bottom Line

Industry sources expect close to 40 FBS jobs to change hands this cycle.

We're watching the most expensive game of musical chairs in the history of college football. Athletic directors made emotional decisions without succession plans. They fired coaches because they were embarrassed. They handed out jobs to former players based on nostalgia rather than qualifications.

And most of these programs are still standing when the music stops.

THAT’S A WRAP

The carousel keeps spinning.

Over the next few weeks, we're going to dive into some of these coaching hires to see if they're actually a good fit—or just another panic move dressed up as a plan.

Some of these guys have long track records we can dissect. Others, like Tavita Pritchard, are complete unknowns—no head coaching experience, no stats to analyze, nothing but potential and a prayer.

We'll start with the ones who have receipts.