Hot Seat Rankings

Billy Napier Tops the Hot Seat Rankings After 2 Coaches Got Fired This Week: Here's Who is On Our Watchlist

Billy Napier - Florida Gators (#1 Hot Seat)

Billy Napier just claimed the throne nobody wants.

After Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry and UCLA dismissed DeShaun Foster, Florida's head coach now sits alone atop the coaching hot seat rankings. The Gators stumbled to 1-2 following a crushing loss to LSU where freshman quarterback DJ Lagway threw five interceptions.

The offensive numbers reveal a brutal contradiction.

Florida averages 390.7 yards of total offense per game yet manages just:

• 2.3 passing touchdowns per game

• 0.3 rushing touchdowns per game

• 2 turnovers per game

• 23.7 total first downs

However, statistics do not fully capture the program's real problems.

The 18-16 home loss to South Florida featured a spitting incident, special teams disasters, and fans heading for the exits. Against LSU, the Gators moved the ball but couldn't capitalize. Sound familiar? It's become Napier's signature.

The athletic department eliminated every excuse. They built an $85 million football facility. They supported staff requests. The infrastructure argument died with the new weight room.

The schedule ahead offers no mercy.

Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M loom on the horizon. Napier's window for proving his system works is slamming shut faster than a Gainesville thunderstorm.

"The program is underperforming relative to its resources, expectations, and rivals," one report noted.

At 20-21 overall, Napier faces college football's harshest truth: patience has limits, even at programs that understand building takes time.

Tony Elliott - Virginia Cavaliers (#7 Hot Seat)

Tony Elliott's fourth year at Virginia carries a simple equation: eight wins or out.

The former Clemson offensive coordinator enters 2025 with an 11-23 record and zero bowl appearances. His Cavaliers have struggled in close games (4-8 in one-score results) and shown persistent offensive inconsistency despite Elliott's championship pedigree.

This season presents Elliott's clearest path to survival.

Virginia caught every possible break:

• No Clemson on the schedule

• No Miami either

• Seven home games

• ESPN's easiest Power Four schedule

The roster received major upgrades through the transfer portal, including TCU quarterback Chandler Morris and key defensive additions from Ohio State and UNLV.

The margin for error remains nonexistent.

Fan patience evaporated after three seasons of underperformance. The 2025 preseason ACC media poll placed Virginia 14th out of 17 teams, reflecting league-wide skepticism about Elliott's program.

Elliott's tenure perfectly illustrates the cruel math of coaching.

Coordinator success rarely translates directly into head coaching results. Technical knowledge doesn't automatically create program leadership, recruiting prowess, or the emotional intelligence required for major college football.

"The widespread expectation around the program and nationally: it's eight wins or out," according to multiple reports tracking the situation.

His favorable schedule and improved roster represent a final opportunity. Everything else depends on execution.

Sean Lewis - San Diego State Aztecs (The Foster Parallel)

Sean Lewis's situation at San Diego State mirrors DeShaun Foster's final days at UCLA.

A coach hired with promise. Struggling with results. Facing a fanbase ready for change.

The Aztecs endured a 3-9 debut season under Lewis in 2024, their worst performance since 2008. His "AztecFAST" offensive system failed to deliver the promised excitement, leaving fans questioning both the scheme and the messenger.

The fan revolt has multiple fronts.

Season ticket sales dropped 33% following last year's disappointment. Lewis opened fall camp practices to season ticket holders as a goodwill gesture, but fundamental problems persist.

The transfer portal claimed casualties.

Promising freshman quarterback Danny O'Neil transferred to Wisconsin, symbolizing the program's inability to retain talent in the modern era.

Fan criticism extends beyond typical coaching complaints:

• Speaking in "word salads"

• "Camp counselor demeanor"

• Spring showcase focused on team bonding over football content

• Lack of urgency in messaging

More concerning for Lewis's job security, fans want athletic director JD Wicker removed too.

The sentiment that "the buck stops at the top" extends beyond the coaching staff to the administrative level, creating program-wide instability.

Lewis acknowledges the frustration publicly, emphasizing "controlling the controllables" and focusing on "committed players." His measured responses contrast sharply with fan demands for urgency and accountability.

"If there isn't big improvement, I hope he's gone after this season," one representative fan comment captured the prevailing mood.

With SDSU's move to the Pac-12 looming in 2026, the program needs leadership capable of power conference competition. Lewis's $6 million buyout provides protection, but fan pressure and administrative scrutiny continue mounting.

The UCLA parallel is stark: initial optimism, underwhelming results, and a fanbase losing patience faster than expected.

Brent Pry - Virginia Tech (Terminated)

Brent Pry's firing at Virginia Tech completed one of college football's most predictable exits.

The former Penn State defensive coordinator never translated technical expertise into program leadership. His 16-24 overall record included a devastating 1-12 mark in one-score games.

The final straw came in a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion.

Students booed throughout the game. Many left before halftime. The defeat encapsulated Pry's tenure: defensively unprepared despite his reputation, offensively stagnant, lacking the emotional connection needed to energize Blacksburg.

The defensive "expert" couldn't fix his specialty.

Virginia Tech's defense allowed 26.3 points per game under Pry, a stunning indictment of his calling card. Staff turnover after 2024 created additional chaos, with both coordinators departing and program continuity suffering.

The university acted decisively.

They fired Pry before the fourth week to allow players redshirt options and manage buyout costs, reportedly around $6 million. Athletic officials determined that "significantly improving the trajectory of the football program" required immediate change.

Student reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

"The firing was the right move," multiple students told local media, reflecting campus-wide relief that administration recognized the program's decline.

Pry's situation illustrates the challenge facing defensive coordinators who lack head coaching experience. Technical knowledge rarely translates directly into program management, recruiting success, or the leadership presence required for major college football.

His replacement search will focus on candidates who understand both X's and O's and the CEO responsibilities of modern coaching.

DeShaun Foster - UCLA (Terminated)

DeShaun Foster's firing after 15 games represents one of college football's most predictable disasters.

The former UCLA running back was handed an impossible situation in February 2024 when Chip Kelly abruptly departed for Ohio State.

Foster inherited a catastrophe.

Foster received:

• A depleted roster

• Minimal recruiting time

• A program transitioning to Big Ten competition

• Inadequate resources for the challenge

His 5-10 record included an 0-3 start in 2025, culminating in embarrassing losses to Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico. The Rose Bowl emptied as fans watched their team get outscored 108-43 through three games.

The real story lies in Foster's lack of administrative support.

Athletic director Martin Jarmond offered ceremonial praise about Foster being a "Bruin for life" but provided few tangible resources or strategic investments. The late hiring timeline, reduced Pac-12 revenue, and chaotic transition to the Big Ten created structural problems that went unaddressed.

More than 100 former UCLA players demanded accountability.

They held a Zoom call with Jarmond following Foster's dismissal, expressing frustration with the athletic department's disconnect from program traditions and alumni input. The conversation grew contentious as former players demanded leadership changes.

"Martin was told he needs to listen more than he does," one participant revealed, capturing broader administrative dysfunction surrounding UCLA football.

Foster's tenure perfectly illustrates how hiring processes matter.

When programs make desperate decisions under time pressure, both coaches and institutions suffer the consequences.

The search for Foster's replacement faces the same systemic issues that doomed his tenure: an unclear leadership hierarchy, inadequate resources, and an athletic director whom many stakeholders want removed from the process entirely.

Foster deserved better support. UCLA deserved better planning. Both paid the price for organizational failure masquerading as coaching incompetence.

For more, see “Martin Jarmond Set DeShaun Foster Up To Fail. Now UCLA's Athletic Director Should Be The One Looking For A New Job.”

Where does your coach stand? Take a look at our complete Coaches Hot Seat Rankings.

THAT’S A WRAP

The Bottom Line: Institutions Matter More Than Individual Coaches

September's coaching bloodbath revealed a harsh truth about college football.

The coaches who got fired weren't necessarily the worst in America. They were the ones who inherited impossible situations, received inadequate support, or found themselves trapped in dysfunctional organizations.

DeShaun Foster was set up to fail by Martin Jarmond's timeline mismanagement.

Brent Pry couldn't overcome Virginia Tech's unrealistic expectations for immediate defensive excellence. Billy Napier faces institutional pressure despite having better offensive numbers than his record suggests.

The pattern is clear: bad athletic directors destroy good coaches.

What This Week Taught Us About Coaching Survival

The coaches who survive aren't always the most talented. They're the ones who:

• Land at institutions with realistic expectations

• Receive adequate resources and administrative support

• Get hired during normal timelines, not crises

• Work for athletic directors who understand their role

Tony Elliott and Sean Lewis face identical challenges in 2025.

Both inherited struggling programs. Both received roster upgrades through the transfer portal. Both work for athletic departments under scrutiny. The difference will be institutional patience and administrative competence.

Elliott's favorable schedule at Virginia gives him the best chance to reach eight wins and save his job. Lewis faces a steeper climb at San Diego State, where fans are already calling for both him and the athletic director to be replaced.

The Coaching Carousel Never Stops

College football fired two coaches in Week 4, but the real story is who's next.

The hot seat rankings will shift again by October.

Programs that start 1-3 or 0-4 face mounting pressure from boosters, media, and fan bases who've lost patience. Athletic directors who hired the wrong coaches start feeling heat from university leadership.

September separates contenders from pretenders, both on the field and in administrative offices.

The coaches and athletic directors who survive this month understand the difference between building programs and managing crises. The ones who don't survive become cautionary tales for the next generation of leaders.

Stay tuned. The carousel is just getting started.