Mike Gundy became the third Power Four head coach to be fired in 2025, joining DeShaun Foster at UCLA and Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. That’s a stark contrast from 2024 when only three P4 coaches – Mack Brown, Ryan Walters, and Neal Brown – were canned in the entire cycle. 

The trio of early changes indicate that the 2025 coaching carousel will happen at warp speed now that athletic departments have a better grip on the future of revenue sharing. The uncertainty entering last offseason caused universities to play it safe. 

In 2025, we’re turning back the clocks and returning to days of quick triggers and the constant reminder that signing coaches to long term contracts is never smart. The three coaches already fired in 2025 are owed a combined $28 million in buyouts. 

The State of Texas won’t be immune to the coaching carousel in 2025, but it won’t be because there are multiple firings within the FBS ranks in the Lone Star State. Let’s look at the list. Steve Sarkisian, Jeff Traylor, G.J. Kinne, and Rhett Lashlee are essentially Made Men at their respective universities. Sonny Dykes took TCU to a national championship three seasons ago and his Frogs are 3-0. Texas Tech is the betting favorite to win the Big 12, so Joey McGuire is safe after Year 4. Eric Morris’ Mean Green are one win from their best start since the 1970s. Mike Elko, Willie Fritz, and Scotty Walden are in Year 2. Phil Longo and Scott Abell are in Year 1. 

Maybe Dave Aranda at Baylor if the Bears finish below .500? 

The movement at the top will come from head coaches and/or coordinators moving into bigger chairs. Here are five names that will be on numerous hot boards between now and the end of the cycle. 

G.J. KINNE 

Kinne is 31-13 as a collegiate head coach. He led Incarnate Word to 12 wins and a trip to the FCS semifinals in 2022 and Texas State to back-to-back eight-wins seasons in his two years with the Bobcats. The program had never reached a bowl game before Kinne arrived and were 0-4 against rival UTSA. Kinne is 2-0 in bowl games at Texas State and 2-1 against the Roadrunners. 

Kinne appears perfectly built for the new era of college football. A former transfer quarterback himself who left Texas for more playing time at Tulsa, Kinne has been masterful at restocking the Bobcats roster despite constant poaching from P4 programs. He’s on his fourth starting quarterback in four years as a head coach yet his offenses always rank amongst the Top 25 in college football. 

Kinne’s buyout is $3.4 million if he leaves Texas State before Jan. 15, 2026. 

ERIC MORRIS 

Like Kinne, Morris is considered one of the best offensive minds in college football and has proven himself to be every bit the quarterback whisperer as fellow Red Raider, Kliff Kingsbury. Morris found Cam Ward while at Incarnate Word, where he turned the Cardinals into an FCS powerhouse after inheriting one of the tougher jobs in Texas’ FCS ranks. As the head coach at North Texas, he’s posted Top 10 offenses every season despite starting a new quarterback in each of his three seasons. 

One of the most important jobs for a head coach is hiring coordinators and Morris proved that he’s willing to adjust when he hired Skyler Cassity to fix the Mean Green defense after two seasons where that unit was one of the worst in the country. Now equipped with complementary football, the Mean Green are 4-0 and amongst the top contenders for the G5 playoff bid. 

JEFF TRAYLOR 

The UTSA head coach was in for jobs at Texas A&M and Houston because of what he’s accomplished in San Antonio. Under his watch, the Roadrunners transformed from plucky upstart to multiple time conference champion. They won Conference USA in 2021 and 2022 before finishing 7-1 in conference play during Year 1 in the American in 2023. Traylor is 48-22 as a head coach, including a 30-4 mark at home and a 31-8 record in conference play. 

Coaching cycles can be fickle, however, and fellow head coaches such as Morris and Kinne will be mentioned more because of current momentum. The job boards published during these coaching searches are very “flavor of the month.” North Texas is 4-0. Texas State is 3-1 and coming off two wins against UTSA. The Roadrunners are 2-2 and were uninspiring against Colorado State in a one-point win. UTSA was 32-9 from 2021-23. The program is 9-8 since.

Traylor's buyout is in the $4-5 million range. 

COLLIN KLEIN 

The former Heisman finalist is on the short list of current coordinators who are poised for their first shot at a head coaching chair. His offense currently ranks 19th in scoring and he’s developed Marcel Reed into one of the top young quarterbacks in the game. Klein would be a great fit at a Big 12 program like Oklahoma State, or out west at UCLA. And even if he can’t land a P4 job, multiple G5 jobs are sure to open as coaches are poached. 

RHETT LASHLEE 

SMU has turned into a Top 20-25 job in the country and those inside the Mustangs’ program would argue the potential is there to become one of the 15 best jobs in America. Still, there could be some huge SEC and Big Ten jobs available and Lashlee’s name will absolutely get mentioned. Lashlee grew up in Arkansas and played quarterback for the Razorbacks. He was also an assistant at Auburn. What if Florida came calling if the Gators move on from Billy Napier? Lashlee won’t be looking to leave because he’s already proven he can win and win big on the Hilltop, but don’t be surprised if his name circulates on multiple job boards as the season progresses and more jobs open. 

SMU is a private school so Lashlee's buyout is unknown publicly.