What we're hearing about the open Power 4 college football jobs and what comes next

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  • Adam RittenbergOct 30, 2025, 08:41 AM ET

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      College shot reporter; joined ESPN successful 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

The defining trait of this coaching rhythm successful assemblage shot isn't scope but speed.

Yes, the number of unfastened jobs successful the FBS seems to turn by the weekend, with LSU being the latest -- and biggest -- to drop. We've seen early-season and midseason firings before, astir precocious successful 2021, erstwhile jobs including USC and LSU were already unfastened astatine this constituent successful the calendar. The fig of power-conference vacancies earlier Nov. 1 this season, though, is notable.

More than anything, the gait astatine which the carousel is moving stands out. Consider the Penn State coaching search, lone 18 days old. We hardly had clip to digest the magnitude of James Franklin's firing aft 11-plus seasons astatine PSU -- and a College Football Playoff semifinal quality successful January -- earlier imaginable replacement Curt Cignetti agreed to a caller eight-year, $93 cardinal contract with Indiana. A time later, Nebraska's Matt Rhule -- considered by galore to beryllium the favored people for Penn State diversion manager Pat Kraft -- saw the Cornhuskers suffer 24-6 astatine Minnesota, their sixth consecutive decision to the Golden Gophers. Then Rhule agreed to his ain hold connected Oct. 30.

Where volition Penn State crook now? And however volition Texas A&M's surge nether Mike Elko, a New Jersey autochthonal who played assemblage shot astatine Penn, interaction the search? Who other is moving their mode into the mix?

The Lane Kiffin-Florida exclusive courtship lasted lone a week earlier LSU entered the chat. Kiffin could extremity up deciding betwixt 2 of the amended jobs successful the SEC oregon helium could enactment astatine Ole Miss, which helium has built into a nationalist contender and wherever helium receives beardown support. Ole Miss' presumption arsenic a CFP hopeful could instrumentality the process good into December.

"Hard for maine to spot Lane staying with this overmuch movement," a coaching cause said.

If Kiffin stays put, Florida volition request to crook elsewhere. Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz, Louisville's Jeff Brohm and SMU's Rhett Lashlee are intriguing options, but would they get Gators fans anyplace adjacent arsenic excited?

LSU's non-Kiffin options could see Drinkwitz, Brohm and others with varying profiles arsenic the occupation is undoubtedly among the nation's best. Can LSU plaything big? Absolutely. Should it? That's different question entirely.

Every play of results shapes the carousel, arsenic truthful galore sitting coaches are expected to beryllium targeted for caller jobs. Some are starring CFP hopefuls, which yet could bounds their quality to determination successful December.

It's clip to reset the carousel arsenic November nears, spotlighting jobs, candidates and an upcoming agelong that volition reshape the enactment successful respective cardinal spots astir the country.

Targeted searches astatine PSU and Florida

Coaching circles often person a trickle-down effect, starting with the astir appealing jobs, which are Penn State and Florida. What yet happens successful State College and Gainesville mightiness impact different unfastened searches, arsenic good arsenic those that could travel open, specified arsenic Read Entire Article