Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where the tortillas have been weaponized. First Quarter: College Football Job Jeopardy Is Spreading. Second Quarter: The Greatest Games Anyone Ever Played.
Third Quarter: Coaches on the Rebound
James Franklin (21) essentially put the Hot To Trot sign out on College GameDay on Saturday, announcing his interest in coaching again soon—like next season. The fired Penn State coach is ready to stick his head back into the sausage grinder instead of counting his tens of millions of dollars in severance pay.
Franklin immediately becomes the most interesting coach on the market, one who would be an attractive candidate for seemingly every job but Florida. (If Franklin struggled to beat Ohio State and Michigan, what assurance would the Gators have that he could beat Georgia and Alabama?) Unless Dabo Swinney decides to leave Clemson, no other coach can slap down a résumé that shows he’s consistently won 10 games a year at the power-conference level.
But he’s not the only currently unemployed, longtime successful coach who is out there with an itch to get back in. A couple others who were unceremoniously fired from their last jobs:
Pat Fitzgerald (22)
He was terminated at Northwestern in 2023 amid a hazing investigation, and has since settled a massive wrongful termination suit with the university. Northwestern issued a statement with the settlement saying Fitzgerald did not condone or direct any hazing, which could be enough to ease concerns of any future employer.
Fitzgerald was the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Northwestern history, going 110–101 in a tough job. It was trending badly at the end—4–20 his last two seasons—as the NIL era began. But he should have interest on the market.
Mike Gundy (23)
He was fired at Oklahoma State in September, after the crash of 2024 carried over into a dismal start to ’25. Like Fitz, Gundy is by far the winningest coach in the history of his alma mater. For two decades, he went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma and Texas schools on the recruiting trail and on the field. He’s also not the easiest guy in the world to work with, but neither is Franklin.
Where are the best fits? The Dash plays matchmaker.
For Franklin:
Among currently open jobs: UCLA (24). Would the Bruins worry about hiring a guy who doesn’t win big games? Not when they struggle to even win half their games, big or small—the record over the last decade is 53–60. Franklin is an adept recruiter and program builder, and he loves a big spotlight. UCLA can provide that, if it wins enough to demand attention in Los Angeles. The drawback for Franklin is that he’d be going from a place near the top of the Big Ten hierarchy to one near the bottom. And as someone who isn’t shy about demanding things of his administration, this might not be the place for an unlimited wish list.
Among potentially open jobs: Auburn. Franklin said on GameDay that he will “win a national championship somewhere else now.” Auburn is a place where it has been done. It remains to be seen whether the Tigers think he could take down their Iron Bowl nemesis, Alabama.
Another possibility: Maryland. Yeah, it might even be a bigger uphill fight there than at UCLA. But the former Terrapins offensive coordinator under Ralph Friedgen is at home recruiting the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. If Maryland fires Mike Locksley and can pony up the money to show Franklin it is serious about winning, he might reciprocate.
For Fitzgerald:
Among currently open jobs: Stanford (25). Fitz has spent his football life at an academically prestigious school in a power conference. He can recruit to the admissions standards at Stanford, and he can recruit with national reach—these are things he’s already done. Moving a South Side Chicago guy to the Bay Area takes some adjustment for both sides, but he could bring back the “Intellectual Brutality” mindset that helped Stanford flourish under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw. The question is whether Andrew Luck, who is decidedly in charge of football on The Farm, might want someone with more of a high-powered offensive approach.
Among potentially open jobs: Wisconsin. If the Badgers pull the plug on Luke Fickell and want to return to their physical football comfort zone, Fitz would seem like a fit. He certainly knows the recruiting area and the Big Ten terrain at large. His 5–8 record against Wisconsin while at a weaker program says something.
For Gundy:
Among currently open jobs: UAB (26). Having disastrously hired Trent Dilfer, no experience necessary, why not replace him with someone who has coached 260 college games and won 170 of them? The American is the top Group of 6 conference at the moment, which means its champion has a good chance of qualifying for the College Football Playoff. Sitting on fertile recruiting soil, the Blazers should aspire to be in the title mix.
(Openings at Colorado State and Oregon State could be more attractive in a vacuum, but Gundy’s politics might be a tough fit at either place.)
Among potentially open jobs: Arkansas State (27). UAB would be better, simply by conference affiliation. But if Butch Jones gets whacked after five seasons—his current record is 22–35—Gundy could move 6 ½ hours east to take over the Red Wolves and shoot for a Sun Belt title. You don’t necessarily want to follow a power-conference rebound guy with another power-conference rebound guy, but Jones was never as accomplished as Gundy.
Are the Alma Mater Boys on the Market?
Four really good coaches are currently doing very well at their respective alma maters. Does that mean they couldn’t be moved for a job with more amenities (and NIL cash)? It could be an interesting dynamic to monitor.
Brent Key (28), Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets are undefeated and have an enticingly straight path toward the ACC championship game. The 47-year-old Key is 26–16 at Tech and could probably stay forever if he makes the playoff—but he also has a profile that screams SEC. He’s an Alabama native, and a former Nick Saban assistant who loves physical football.
Jeff Brohm (29), Louisville
He’s knocking it dead with the Cardinals, having beaten Notre Dame, Clemson and Miami in three seasons on the job. Brohm’s record is 24–9 and he’s an accomplished offensive play-caller and scheme guy. Having taken Purdue to the Big Ten championship game, he could draw the attention of Penn State. Or Florida, for that matter. But would the 54-year-old leave his dream job in his hometown?
Clark Lea (30), Vanderbilt
The former Vandy fullback has the Commodores 6–1, with GameDay coming to town Saturday for a paradigm-shifting SEC showdown with Missouri. Lea is just 22–34 in the hardest job in the league, but he’s 13–7 the past season and a half. Is the 43-year-old a Diego Pavia creation, or a guy who could turn any struggling program into a contender?
Kenny Dillingham (31), Arizona State
The 35-year-old Dilly took over a comatose program under sanctions and, after a debut season of anticipated struggles, has gone 16–5 the last 1 ½ years. That includes a Big 12 championship last year, and an upset of Top 10 Texas Tech this past Saturday. Dillingham feels like a future coaching superstar; does ASU have the ambition and financial wherewithal to match his talent?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Forde-Yard Dash: Playing Matchmaker for James Franklin, Pat Fitzgerald and Mike Gundy.
