Four college football coaches who could be fired after Week 5

Welcome back to our weekly article predicting which college football coaches, if any, are most likely to be fired following a potential poor result this weekend.

Of course, we've already seen THREE power conference head coaches lose their jobs during the 2025 season. Those poor souls: Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State, DeShaun Foster at UCLA, and Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. While every other outlets ranks the hottest seats in the country, usually at the biggest school, instead, let's ask ourselves: Who actually could get fired this weekend?

Without anymore ado, let's discuss four coaches with a blade up against their jugular vein?

Billy Napier | Florida

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In the dire streets of Gainesville, the question has officially shifted to When? and no longer If? head Florida football coach Billy Napier gets fired. The Gators are 1-3 to start the season and will officially go winless in September after losing all three of their games since an August 30 win over LIU, their only of the season.

Sure, Week 5 is actually a bye for Florida before diving head-first into the following stretch of games: Texas, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Georgia. Those squads have combined for one loss this season... that loss being to the No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State, on their home field. Florida is unlikely to actually pull the plug this week, but Napier remains at the very top of the list among most likely coaches to be fired at some point this season.

David Braun | Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun | David Banks-Imagn Images

Now here's one your CBS or ESPN hot seat lists won't talk much about, but let's get serious about Northwestern Football for a minute. Let's remember Braun was thrust into an interim head coaching role after Pat Fitzgerald was surprisingly forced out over a hazing scandal, which coincidentally occurred after his worst season as head coach in 17 years.

But in stepped Braun, who led a resurgent Wildcat club to an 8-5 record in 2023. Then, NW floundered to a 4-8 year in 2024 and is off to a 1-2 start so far, including a 20-point loss to Tulane. If Northwestern loses this weekend, at home, to a UCLA squad that fired its coach after being blown out at home by New Mexico a couple weeks back, then Braun could get an axe that surprises Big Ten country.

Trent Bray | Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers head coach Trent Bray | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Beavers are an 0-4 disaster on the football field and have one golden ticket to righting the ship here in front of them: a home matchup vs. lower-tier Big 12 occupant Houston. Now, the Cougars already ran Colorado off the railroad tracks and look more formidable than last season, yet they are Oregon State's best chance at a quality win.

We noted last week that Bray's coaching follies have been out in the wind for fans to literally be blown away by, like the special teams fiasco against Fresno State, plus the mere fact that the Beavers went three full games without converting a single extra-point or two-point conversion following a touchdown. If Oregon State is blown out yet again, at home, this time against a mediocre power conference foe, where is the shred of optimism?

Bray is a former Oregon State player so there's some dignity to allow him here, but at some point, if the writing is plastered onto the wall, what's the sense in maintaining a hollow charade for the rest of the season, you know?

Sam Pittman | Arkansas

Arkansas Razorback head coach Sam Pittman | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

You never really know what's going on down in Northwest Arkansas. We, as in college football writers, have been reporting on Sam Pittman's buyout numbers for three full seasons now, and yet, the Pit Boss keeps chewin' gum and grunting through losing press conferences like tomorrow will be the same as today — and for him, it has been!

Now rumours are swirling that Bobby Petrino could step into an interim head coach role if Pittman is forced out. We'll believe that when we see it, and same goes for a Pittman firing. He appears safe this week at home against Notre Dame in a contest the Hogs should keep competitive. It'd be hard to can a longtime coach after a tight game against ND, but if an embattled Irish squad beats the bacon out of Arkansas, then Pittman could finally have his title revoked.

Billy Napier | Florida

David Braun | Northwestern

Trent Bray | Oregon State

Sam Pittman | Arkansas

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