First College Football Coach Fired 2025: Brent Venables, Sam Pittman Among Top Hot Seat Candidates

College football’s first coaching casualty could come sooner than you think. 

The 2025 college football season is underway and some of the nation’s top programs are looking for a bounce back effort following disappointing campaigns. 

With the stakes higher than ever, fanbases across the country are already demanding change on the sidelines if things don’t improve soon. As a result, several high profile coaches find themselves on the proverbial hot seat, including Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, and Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze.

Below, we’ll break down the odds for the first college football coach to be fired and what each candidate has to do to keep their job.

First College Football Coach Fired Odds

Brent Brennan, Arizona (+400)

Arizona’s debut season as a member of the Big 12 didn’t go as planned under head coach Brent Brennan. The Wildcats stumbled their way to a 4-8 overall record, including a 2-7 mark in the Big 12. 

To Brennan’s credit, he went 3-22 in his first two seasons at San Jose State before turning things around.

While Brennan has the best odds to be fired first, he might have a longer leash than some of the other names on this list, given that he’s only had one season to turn things around in Tucson. He’s also had some success on the recruiting trail, which should help him buy some time on the sidelines, including securing a commitment from four-star quarterback Oscar Rios

Brent Venables, Oklahoma (+600)

Despite signing a six-year contract extension worth over $50 million in 2024, patience is beginning to run thin for Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables. The Sooners are 22-17 in three seasons under Venables and haven’t won a bowl game since he took over as head coach in 2022. 

Things could get even dicier this season with a gauntlet of games against ranked opponents coming in October. 

Beginning on Oct. 11, Oklahoma will take on No. 1 Texas, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 21 Ole Miss, No. 24 Tennessee, and No. 8 Alabama in consecutive games. Early season dates against No. 14 Michigan on Sept. 6 and Sept. 20 versus Auburn could ultimately decide his fate.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas (+700)

Arkansas has been stuck in SEC purgatory since Pittman led the Razorbacks to a breakout 9-3 season in 2021. 

That season earned Pittman a contract extension that included a one-of-a-kind buyout that is tied to the team’s winning percentage. 

If Pittman’s record since 2021 drops below .500, the school owes him just 50% of the remaining money on his contract. However, if Pittman has a winning record during that timeframe, he’s owed 75% of the remainder of his deal.

But after another disappointing 7-6 season, fans in Arkansas are hungry for a change.

One of the main gripes from fans has been the Razorbacks mediocre offensive line play over the years. Another problem is that he’s never struck gold on the recruiting trail. Arkansas has never had better than the No. 24 class that he pulled in 2021 and hasn’t had a top-25 class since 2023.

With early season games against Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, and Memphis on the schedule, there’s a good chance Arkansas could finish with a .500 record and be bowl eligible without winning more than three SEC games in 2025, keeping his buyout intact for yet another season.

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech (+700)

In three seasons under head coach Brent Pry, Virginia Tech owns a losing 16-21 record, including a disappointing 10-13 overall record versus ACC opponents. 

One of the biggest reasons that fans are growing impatient with Pry is his inability to close out games. Virginia Tech is 1-12 in one-score games under Pry, including 0-5 last season.

Aside from its season opener at home against No. 13 South Carolina, Virginia Tech has a light schedule in 2025. A win in that game could go a long way towards silencing doubters, especially with games against Vanderbilt, Old Dominion, and Wofford on the schedule to finish September.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn (+800)

Auburn fans are running out of excuses for third-year coach Hugh Freeze. In two seasons, the Tigers are 11-14 under Freeze, including 1-8 against ranked teams and winless against SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia.

In 2025, Auburn has one of the toughest schedules in the country (No. 14, per ESPN) but this might be Freeze’s most talented rosters yet.

One thing that Freeze does have going for him is that he’s been putting together some excellent recruiting classes. The Tigers had a consensus top-10 recruiting class in 2025 and Freeze recently landed the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2026 class, so adding talent hasn’t been the problem. 

Auburn also had the No. 7-ranked transfer portal class in 2025, according to On3, led by QB Jackson Arnold, who could help turn the program around.