CFB coaches hot seat: Billy Napier, Hugh Freeze could be next to go
- Four Power Four college football coaches were fired in September 2025.
- Florida’s Billy Napier and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze lead the list of coaches on the hot seat.
- Early-season firings are becoming more common due to the transfer portal and roster management.
There were four Power Four college football coaches fired in September alone, matching the total number of Power Four coaches fired in the immediate wake of last season.
Historically, early moves allowed programs to potentially salvage their seasons and cut to the front of the line in the upcoming hiring cycle. But firings at Virginia Tech, UCLA, Oklahoma State and Arkansas also show how the transfer portal and overall roster management have moved up the coaching-change calendar.
The next coach staring at a midseason dismissal is Florida’s Billy Napier, who after earning a surprising reprieve last November but finds himself back on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s matchup against No. 3 Miami.
Napier and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze lead USA TODAY Sports’ updated hot-seat rankings after the first month of the 2025 season:
Billy Napier, Florida
Napier’s tenure will go down as one of the most disappointing in program history given his losing record and the fanfare that came with his arrival from Louisiana-Lafayette. The former Nick Saban disciple has overseen the Gators’ drop down the SEC standings as rivals No. 15 Tennessee, No. 4 Mississippi and South Carolina have parlayed successful hires made in the same general timeframe into near-annual College Football Playoff contention. Based on his time in the Sun Belt, Napier is a very good coach who might be a better fit on the Group of Five level.
Trent Dilfer, Alabama-Birmingham
All the positive momentum UAB developed as a program under former coach Bill Clark has been erased during Dilfer’s miserable two-plus seasons. The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback had zero college experience before being hired by the Blazers, and it’s shown. UAB has been woeful offensively and even worse on defense throughout his tenure, resulting in a series of blowouts that have shown just ill-prepared Dilfer was for this opportunity.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Freeze’s seat is nearing Napier-like temperatures after Auburn dropped two in a row to open SEC play. Barring major improvements on offense, the Tigers could finish under .500 for the third year in a row and almost certainly be in the market for a new head coach for the third time in five years. Freeze was seen as a home-run hire when he arrived back in the SEC from Liberty but has been unable to scheme around a weak roster and unimpressive quarterback play.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Fickell won seven games in 2023, five games last season and might top out at three or four this year, given how the Badgers have looked through four games and the remaining schedule in Big Ten play. After beating Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee, the Badgers lost to No. 11 Alabama and Maryland by a combined 41 points and now head into a brutal eight-game stretch: No. 20 Michigan, Iowa, No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, Washington, No. 9 Indiana, No. 22 Illinois and Minnesota. While Wisconsin might’ve sold another year for Fickell had a young roster eked out five or six wins against this schedule, anything less could force the school to fire the former Cincinnati coach after just three seasons.
Brent Brennan, Arizona
Big 12 play will decide whether Brennan gets another year. Arizona won three in a row to get started, ending with a 23-17 win against Big 12 cohort Kansas State that counted as a non-conference game. But the Wildcats were dominated by No. 12 Iowa State in last weekend’s 39-14 loss and have to rebound and beat Oklahoma State on Saturday to have a good shot at a postseason berth. There’s a chance Arizona goes into the finale at No. 24 Arizona State needing a rivalry win to reach bowl eligibility.
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
The odds that this is Satterfield’s last season at Cincinnati have dropped pretty significantly after a 3-1 start that includes a very close loss to Nebraska and a strong road win against Kansas to open Big 12 play. Satterfield has done a good job on offense by building around quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who’s been one of the nation’s most productive passers and a valuable weapon as a runner. But the bottom could always drop out again for the Bearcats, who lost five in a row to end last year and finished a game shy of bowl eligibility. Just getting to six or even seven wins might not be enough to ensure Satterfield’s return, though anything short of the postseason would definitely lead to an offseason coaching change.
