It is not easy being a head coach in college football. While they get more control over their program and how it is put together — compared to their NFL counterparts — bad seasons mean even more blame. With the demand to win as high as ever in the era of the CFB playoffs, let’s take a look at eight big-name college football coaches feeling the most pressure heading into Week 2 of the 2025 season.
8. Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers
Brian Kelly had a phenomenal run at Notre Dame, going 113-40 in 12 seasons. While he has still been good overseeing the LSU Tigers, life has been much tougher in the SEC. After a pair of 10-win seasons, the team’s 9-4 result in 2024 was not what administrators expected in year three. Kelly is one of the best coaches in the country, but this is a playoffs-or-bust year for him. If they fail to reach the postseason in 2025, Kelly could be looking for work elsewhere. Getting a win over Clemson to kick off the new season eased the pressure a little bit heading into Week 2.
- Brian Kelly record: 196-73
- Brian Kelly buyout: $61 million (As of Dec. 2024)
7. Lincoln Riley, USC
After an outstanding run at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley got off to a fast start at USC. Going 11-3 in his first season leading the Trojans. Of course, that came during a Heisman season for Caleb Williams. But they have gone into a steady decline since and finished 7-6 in 2024.
There is no reason to expect a huge leap ahead for USC in its second season in the Big Ten. Riley would be in the hottest seat in the sport. However, his massive contract buyout will likely save him. Barring a disastrous showing in 2025. It definitely helped that they scored a 73-13 win over Missouri State to begin the season.
- Lincoln Riley record: 82-24
- Lincoln Riley buyout: $89 million
6. Billy Napier, Florida
After firing Dan Mullen four years ago, Florida Gators administrators felt Billy Napier could be the man to bring them back to the heights they had with coaching legend Urban Meyer. However, he has come nowhere close to matching what he did at Louisiana or what his predecessor did. If he can get a nine-win season, he should be fine after an 8-5 showing in 2024. However, a step back in 2025 would be big trouble for Napier.
- Billy Napier record: 60-31
- Billy Napier buyout: $27 million
5. Kalen DeBoer
When you have to follow a living college football legend, you have a massive challenge ahead. And that is the case for Kalen DeBoer in year two at Alabama. Going 9-4 is not a bad way to start at a program, but the standards are so unrealistic for the Crimson Tide that anything less than double-digit wins is a big disappointment. It has put a lot of pressure on the former Washington coach. Losing their season opener to Florida State only intensified the heat on him. However, his massive $70 million buyout is the one thing helping to cool the heat on his season.
- Kalen DeBoer record: 46-14
- Kalen DeBoer buyout: $70 million
4. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
In his first job as a head coach, Brent Venables took on one of the most storied franchises in college football, Oklahoma, four years ago. The first season is always expected to be tough, but when they won 10 games two years ago, it looked like the former Clemson defensive coordinator was taking the necessary steps to get the Sooners back to relevancy. However, a stunning 6-7 finish last season heated up his seat big time.
If transfer QB John Mateer can’t get Oklahoma into playoff contention or a double-digit win result this season, Venables is in trouble. They got off to a fast start with a dominant 35-3 win over Illinois last week.
- Brent Venables record: 23-17
- Brent Venables buyout: $35 million
3. Hugh Freeze, Auburn
After doing big things with Liberty, Auburn administrators hoped Hugh Freeze could bring the program back to notoriety when they hired him three years ago. However, after two seasons, he has posted an 11-14 record as the leader of the program. With an easy-to-swallow buyout, he needs to have a big season in 2025, or he will be coaching elsewhere next year.
Despite the pressure, Freeze and the Tigers posted a very nice 38-24 win over Baylor to kick off their new season.
- Hugh Freeze record: 95-57
- Hugh Freeze buyout: $5 million
2. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Mike Gundy is one of the longest tenured coaches in college football. But all things come to an end, and year 22 for the Oklahoma State coach could be his last. He has done great things with the program during his tenure, but they’ve had just two double-digit win seasons since 2018. While the Big 12 is a good conference, it isn’t the SEC or Big Ten. Their 3-9 campaign set off alarm bells that Gundy may no longer be a good fit for the position. It is a make-or-break year for the 58-year-old.
- Mike Gundy record: 170-88
- Mike Gundy buyout: $15 million
1. Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
There were high hopes when Virginia Tech made former Penn State DC Brent Pry their new head coach four years ago. Yet after three seasons, he has a 16-21 record in his first stint as a college football head coach. Schools like Va Tech are a bit more patient and cautious with their money than some of the wealthier programs. However, a third losing season in four years will definitely lead to Pry’s ouster.
In Week 1, they were soundly beaten by South Carolina, 24-11. Not a good start to 2025 for Pry.
- Brent Pry record: 16-22
- Brent Pry buyout: Around $10 million
