The 2025-26 coaching cycle wasn't expected to be calm, like its predecessor. But few forecast such a robust line of storms rolling through the sport in the first half of the season.
All four power conferences have had a firing. Penn State's ouster of James Franklin, midway through his 12th season and barely 10 months removed from the team playing for a spot in the national title game, sent a message around the sport: Almost no coach is safe. Franklin and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, fired Sept. 23 from his alma mater, have a combined record of 298-150 in the FBS. LSU's decision to dismiss Brian Kelly during his fourth season has, again, reset the market.
There are now nine Power 4 schools looking for head coaches: UCLA, Penn State, Cal, and now Michigan State. Virginia Tech was the first Power 4 team to get its new coach when it hired James Franklin on Nov. 19. Two other notable non-Power 4 jobs, Oregon State and UAB, also are on the market. More openings certainly could come and that's not even counting the inevitable vacancies that will occur when sitting head coaches leave for other jobs.
The process of ranking the open jobs contains hard data, such as win-loss performance over time, recent postseason appearances and, while controversial to some, recruiting/transfer class rankings. The College Football Playoff is a major factor, both in terms of access and the varying pressure levels coaches face to be part of the 12-team field occasionally or regularly. Money matters more than ever in the sport, although accurately gauging each school's financial strength (or appetite) is tricky. They all say they're committed to winning.
"It's a little bit different now than just saying, 'Oh, it's the SEC or the Big Ten,'" a coaching agent said. "It's about where can you be successful within your conference to have a chance to go to the playoff?"
Leadership stability also resonates. How secure is the athletic director hiring the coach? University presidents move around much more frequently than they used to and have final say on major investments such as football coach hires. What's the presidential situation at these schools?
The following Power 4 jobs rankings are based on the following five areas:
Recent/historical on-field performance
Access to CFP
Roster-building/access to talent
University leadership
Financial support
I tried to view these jobs as coaches do and ask: Which jobs offer the best path to success in the respective league? Which had the right mix of support and expectations? The SEC and Big Ten are the two most well-resourced leagues, but not every SEC or Big Ten job is better than every Big 12 or ACC job.
Here's a look at the current rankings:
1. Penn State Nittany Lions
Opened: Oct. 12 with firing of James Franklin
On-field performance: PSU is 44-17 since the start of the 2021 season and 90-33 since the start of the 2016 season. The Lions won their most recent Big Ten title in 2016 and reached the league title game last season. They also made their CFP debut in 2024, beating SMU and Boise State before falling to Notre Dame 27-24 in a semifinal matchup at the Orange Bowl. Only seven other FBS teams have won more than 90 games since 2016, and Penn State has six 10-win seasons during that span. The team had six CFP top-12 finishes before making the expanded field. Penn State's last national title came in 1986.
Access to CFP: As a Big Ten member, Penn State doesn't have to win its conference or, in some seasons, even reach the league title game, to qualify for the CFP. Franklin's teams certainly would have had more CFP appearances if the field was 12 teams earlier. But the Big Ten schedule is tougher, featuring road trips to the West Coast and the emergence of Indiana, a historic bottom-feeder, under coach Curt Cignetti. Penn State still has had -- and should have -- one of the league's most talented rosters, and certainly boasts a true home field when Beaver Stadium is fully activated, especially at night. Seasons of nine or more wins are realistic and attainable and, for the most part, will vault teams such as Penn State into the CFP mix.
Roster building: Penn State remains, by far, the most historically successful program in the Northeast, and can access recruiting hotbeds there as well as to the Southeast (Washington D.C. area) and to the West (Ohio, Michigan). "If you're doing it right, you've got Jersey, New York, you can reach into the DMV," a former Penn State staff member said. Penn State consistently has top-20 recruiting classes and has stepped up its investment for transfers, bringing in several notable wide receivers this offseason. The Lions had the No. 3 overall offseason and have proven they can retain top players and add new stars.
University leadership: Pat Kraft is in his third year as athletic director and showcased the power he has obtained in making a difficult midseason coaching change. He's regarded as one of the nation's top athletic directors and views Penn State as a destination job after stints at Boston College and Temple. University president Neeli Bendapudi also has been in her role since 2022 and has shown a strong commitment to athletics and football, greenlighting key investments, including what will be a very expensive coaching transition. Franklin often recognized the support he received from both Kraft and Bendapudi.
Financial support: A school doesn't make a front-end financial decision such as firing Franklin without being committed on the back end with his replacement and a top group of on-field assistants and supporting staff. Kraft made it clear that Penn State is positioned to compete for national championships. Beaver Stadium is undergoing a $700 million renovation, and Penn State has been aggressive in retaining top players, and adding key transfers and assistants such as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Penn State's upcoming apparel partnership with Adidas will bring increased revenues to athletics.
Why the job ranks here: Despite a longer-than-expected national championship drought, Penn State has been very close to a breakthrough and has the financial structure to make the next step. The Big Ten is a bit deeper than in the recent past but doesn't have as many CFP-ready programs as the SEC. Penn State is undoubtedly one of them.
2. Michigan State Spartans
Opened: Sunday with firing of Jonathan Smith
On-field performance: Things have been very rocky since 2021, when Michigan State went 11-2, won the Peach Bowl and finished No. 9 in the AP poll. The team is just 17-27 since then with no bowl appearances, its longest drought since 1983. But Michigan State not long ago had an incredibly successful run under coach Mark Dantonio, going 78-28 from 2010 to 2017 with six AP top-15 finishes, a CFP appearance, three Big Ten titles (outright or shared) and two New Year's Six Bowl wins. The Spartans won 11 games or more in five of six seasons between 2010 and 2015, and went 22-2 in Big Ten play from 2013 to 2015. MSU also has an impressive long-term history, including 11 AP top-10 finishes between 1950 and 1966.
Access to CFP: The playoff might seem like a very distant goal right now for MSU, but not long ago it became a reality. Think of the historic programs that have never made the CFP -- USC, Florida, Miami -- but Michigan State did it back in 2015, when the field was only four teams. The Spartans now have more routes into the CFP, especially as a Big Ten member, but also a tougher path in an expanded conference that no longer has divisions. MSU will have a hard time recapturing the peak of the Dantonio era, but the program can climb back into the top half of the Big Ten and become an occasional CFP contender.
Roster building: Michigan State's best teams under Dantonio were built with in-state and regional players who had been overlooked by some of the bigger programs. His staff went into Ohio to pluck productive players like Le'Veon Bell and Denicos Allen, and also had success in the Southeast in Florida and Georgia. Mel Tucker built the 2021 team in part through the portal and hit paydirt with players like running back Kenneth Walker III. MSU should have the resources to compete for transfers, but it's the type of program that typically does best with more under-the-radar, homegrown players.
University leadership: There have been recent key changes, including the ouster of athletic director Alan Haller, who hired Smith in late 2023. Michigan State brought in J Batt from Georgia Tech as Haller's replacement. Batt served as Alabama's deputy athletic director from 2017 and 2022 and has a strong reputation as a fundraiser, which should serve MSU in the revenue-share era. University president Kevin Guskiewicz also arrived after Smith's hiring, in March 2024, after serving as North Carolina's chancellor for nearly five years.
Financial support: Michigan State hired Batt to accelerate the department's financial position, noting the success he had at Georgia Tech, Alabama and other spots. The school last week approved the formation of Spartan Ventures, a tax-exempt corporation outside of MSU that will focus on revenue generation. Michigan State's football resources will increase for the next coach, which should translate in the portal and other areas.
Why the job ranks here: Michigan State isn't the emerging power it was under Dantonio, and plays in a Big Ten with more depth at the top and deeper-pocketed programs. The path is tougher than it used to be, but Batt's financial expertise and a large fan base hungry for success in football makes the job appealing on a number of levels.
3. UCLA Bruins
Opened: Sept. 14 with firing of DeShaun Foster
On-field performance: UCLA hasn't completely bottomed out like some other programs on this list, but the team also hasn't won anything substantial in a generation. The Bruins' last conference title came in 1998, capping a stretch of three in six seasons. UCLA had five AP top-10 finishes between 1982 and 1988 and consecutive top-8 finishes in 1997 and 1998. But since then, the program has fallen mostly into irrelevance, while fan apathy has grown. The Bruins had only one AP Top 25 finish under Chip Kelly, billed as a transformational hire at the time, and haven't won 10 games in a season since 2014. They have posted a winning record in conference play just twice since 2016.
Access to CFP: Just like the SEC, the Big Ten will afford its members more CFP slots, no matter how the format changes in the future. But UCLA has so many teams to climb over -- teams with more recent success, more fervent support and better resources. Of the four West Coast schools added to the Big Ten, UCLA lagged behind the other three in most key categories. Washington and Oregon have played for a national title in the playoff era, and USC has at least had three CFP top-10 finishes in the past decade. UCLA has finished in the final CFP standings just twice, and never higher than 14th.
Roster building: UCLA is the only current open job located right in the middle of a major recruiting hub. There's talent throughout Southern California, and UCLA has to get more top players to Westwood. DeShaun Foster made some brief recruiting inroads, and UCLA made a big personnel splash this spring by adding Tennessee quarterback transfer Nico Iamaleava, a Long Beach native. If UCLA continues to invest in transfers like Iamaleavea, it could move up in the Big Ten. But for far too long UCLA's location hasn't been the major advantage it should be.
University leadership: There's a lot of attention on athletic director Martin Jarmond, who has been in his role since May 2020. He drew criticism for his handling of the last UCLA coaching transition, when Chip Kelly strung along the school before taking Ohio State's offensive coordinator role, leading to Jarmond's promotion of Foster, who wasn't on the head-coaching radar anywhere else. Chancellor Julio Frenk has been in his role since January, after nearly a decade as president at Miami, which increased its investment in the football program. "The biggest problem there is the [University of California] system, and the stadium," an industry source said. "Leadership, stadium resources are a real issue."
Financial support: The good news is it's not as bad as it used to be. UCLA built a nice on-campus operations center, made a major coaching splash by hiring Kelly and flexed this spring with the Iamaleava transfer. But questions remain about UCLA's financial commitment, even if they're rooted more in perception than reality. Everyone has seen the pictures of a half-empty Rose Bowl, and the interest level in UCLA in the crowded Los Angeles sports and entertainment market seems lukewarm at best. Money certainly motivated UCLA's move to the Big Ten, and the school now must show its commitment to help its next coach. "UCLA can absolutely get behind the program and spend more money," an industry source said. "But I don't think they have the booster network to all of a sudden jump to the top quarter of the league in funding."
Why the job ranks here: UCLA hasn't been consistently good for a long time and now plays on the Western flank of a conference with more top-tier programs that have fewer problems acquiring talent and filling their stadiums.
4. Kentucky Wildcats
Opened: Sunday with firing of Mark Stoops
On-field performance: Kentucky has traditionally occupied the bottom tier of the SEC, although Stoops dramatically elevated the program for a stretch from 2016 to 2021, when the Wildcats twice won 10 games, finished in the AP top 20 and posted winning conference records for the first time since 1977, the team's last AP top-10 finish. He's responsible for half of Kentucky's all-time 10-win seasons (4). There have been other periods of solid play, including from 2006 to 2010 under Rich Brooks, but Kentucky has only two SEC titles and none since 1976. There have been some low points, including consecutive 2-win seasons in 2012 and 2013, but Stoops certainly brought Kentucky to respectability.
Access to CFP: Kentucky hasn't made the CFP and only truly challenged in 2018, when the team briefly entered the top 10 of the CFP standings before finishing 14th. As an SEC member, Kentucky doesn't have to win the league or finish in the top-3 to gain access, but it also might climb over programs that have been traditionally much stronger. The good news is Vanderbilt's rise this season, and South Carolina's in 2024, provide hope that with the right coach and financial apparatus, Kentucky could have a magical season soon and become a CFP contender.
Roster building: Kentucky's best teams under Stoops weren't a fluke. He put together solid recruiting classes, capitalizing on the connections he and other UK coaches had in Ohio to bring Lynn Bowden Jr., Benny Snell and others from the state. Kentucky also had success with transfers, including Wan'Dale Robinson (Nebraska) and Will Levis (Penn State). But the talent level has dipped lately, especially on offense, and the departure of top recruiter Vince Marrow to archrival Louisville in June especially stung. Kentucky still pulled in top-30 recruiting classes the past two years, but its 2026 class ranks 45th. Ultimately, Kentucky will be a developmental program, but there's potential for a recruiting uptick under a new coach.
University leadership: Stability has been Kentucky's superpower, not only with Stoops but athletic director Mitch Barnhart, who took over the department in 2002. He hired Stoops and has increased resources into football, although Kentucky will always be known as a basketball-first enterprise. University president Eli Capilouto has been in his role since July 2011, and will be in his role at least through 2026. Stoops often credited the alignment between himself, Barnhart and Capilouto as contributing to the program's success.
Financial support: Kentucky increased its football investments during Stoops' tenure, including a contract that some believed would prohibit the school from firing the coach when it did. There were also facilities upgrades. But Stoops also highlighted the need for Kentucky to step up financially to improve and retain better rosters. "It's very complicated on how you can spread that money around," Stoops said earlier this month. "I thought it helped us in recruiting guys we have locked in. We need to retain, and then we have to have some money to get some free agents. So we're working through that as hard as we can." Still, coaching candidates should be asking pointed questions about Kentucky's willingness to invest, especially as a school aiming for national titles in basketball.
Why the job ranks here: Stoops certainly leaves the program in better shape than when he arrived, but the downturn at the end of his tenure underscores the difficulty in maintaining success at Kentucky. The SEC is only getting tougher, but Kentucky can draw from recent examples in the league as blueprints as it tries to move up. Ultimately, UK will need to give its next coach more resources to compete.
5. California Golden Bears
Opened: Sunday with firing of Justin Wilcox
On-field performance: Consistent success has been hard to come by in Berkeley. Other than the Jeff Tedford-led stretch from 2003 to 2009, when Cal won eight or more games in all but one season and had three straight AP Top 25 finishes, the team hasn't put it all together. Cal has had three one-win seasons since 2001 (most recently 2020) and hasn't won more than six games since 2019. Wilcox brought some steadiness to the program but couldn't turn the corner in one-score games and never finished with a winning record in conference play. Cal hasn't earned a conference title since 2006 and has won just three since 1950, when it completed a dominant stretch under coach Pappy Waldorf. Cal hasn't had an AP Top 25 finish since 2006.
Access to CFP: Cal isn't in a position to be thinking about the playoff just yet. The team has never even appeared in the CFP standings and hasn't won nine or more games since 2009. Being in the ACC provides a chance for Cal to rise, though, with the right coach and personnel approach. The ACC had two members appear in the first 12-team CFP, and in the past month has shown that almost any squad can contend with the right ingredients. Cal faces a steep climb but likely benefits from not being in the Big Ten or SEC.
Roster building: The hiring of general manager Ron Rivera, a former Cal linebacker and former NFL player and coach, has been billed as a pivot point for the program. Rivera must drum up enough support so that Cal can build stronger rosters and keep players in Berkeley, after losing quarterback Fernando Mendoza, running back Jaydn Ott and other notables in recent years. Cal has access to talent with its location and has produced a decent number of NFL draft picks over the years. But the team needs to create better depth, especially in areas such as offensive line, defensive line and wide receiver.
University leadership: Cal fans have rightfully questioned the university's commitment with football and willingness to invest. Rivera's hiring signals a level of seriousness that didn't exist previously and creates a clear chain of command for football after some uncertainty during athletic director Jim Knowlton's tenure. Another important figure is chancellor Rich Lyons, named to his role in July 2024. Lyons is a Cal alum who has been on the faculty since 1993. Unlike others who have occupied his seat, he shows a genuine care for athletics and has been visible around the football program. The Rivera-Lyons tandem gives Cal a chance.
Financial support: Debt has been the dreaded word around Cal football and the entire athletic program for years as it has mounted and created grim financial outlooks. The move from the Pac-12 to the ACC -- and the rising travel costs that come with it -- don't make things easier. Rivera's role is to harness a massive alumni base, which includes plenty of wealth, and direct more toward football and the next coach. Cal is never going to outspend Clemson and some of the other ACC heavyweights, but it needs to somehow keep pace.
Why the job ranks here: Cal's on-field struggles over time, financial concerns and location/conference affiliation raise some immediate concerns. Rivera ultimately has to be the change agent, along with help from Lyons and other key stakeholders. Cal needs to throw more support behind its next coach to turn the corner on the field.
