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We are just three weeks away from the college football season getting underway, which means that it's time to start discussing which coaches are fighting for their jobs in 2026.
In case you weren’t paying attention to the chaos that transpired during the 2025 season, schools are no longer hesitating when it comes to pulling the trigger on what could be a very expensive decision to restart their football programs with a new coach.
Right now, the stakes couldn’t get any higher from a financial standpoint. The insane amount of money being spent on rosters through revenue-sharing, NIL payouts and these third-party deals with athletes are at an all-time high.
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So, that obviously means athletic departments across the country are looking for a return on investment not only for their financial future, but also staying relevant in the ever changing world of college athletics.
There are teams spending upwards of $50 million on their rosters this season, while others are hovering around the $30 million area depending on the buy-in from each athletic department. No, not every school can afford a roster like LSU, Texas Tech, Ohio State or Oregon, but that's no longer an excuse that can be used by those programs that are outside the spectrum.
Since we are living in a different era, this has become a further cut-throat sport where athletic departments can no longer give coaches four to five years to rebuild a program.
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If the 2025 season was any indication, schools are no longer waiting until December to make a move on firing their head coach. Now, with the transfer portal and insane spending on rosters, the clock is ticking for a number of coaches in 2026.
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Coming off the Seminoles' fourth losing season in Norvell's six years as head coach at Florida State, the pressure is on for this once powerful ACC program to make some noise in 2026. No, I don't mean beating Alabama and grabbing the attention of the college football world for a few weeks. It's time for Mike Norvell to get FSU back into the CFP conversation. If he doesn’t, then the FSU administration will have to make the tough financial decision to pay the $46 million buyout and make their next hire, like they quietly tried to do last season according to Lane Kiffin.
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Florida State head coach Mike Norvell shouts toward the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. ( (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Enough with the games, Wisconsin. If Fickell puts up a third straight losing season, he might not even make it to the final weekend for the Badgers to make the move in ousting the Wisconsin coach. When athletic director Chris McIntosh decided he would retain the Badgers head coach following an abysmal 2025 season and provide Luke with additional NIL funds to piece together a roster that could put up a stronger fight, he did so just months before Shawn Eichorst took over for him. That means Fickell is already facing the realization that his new boss will not be providing a long leash in Madison, Wisconsin, this year. Could we see another James Franklin type firing just two months into season?
This experiment is already off to a rocky start, coming off a 4-8 season last year. Now, with multiple off-field storylines overtaking the front pages of the Chapel Hill newspapers, led by the awkward presence of girlfriend Jordon Hudson, the ongoing HR investigation into general manager Michael Lombardi and the tension within the athletic department, the legendary NFL coach is one bad loss in Ireland to TCU from potentially seeing the ship sink. North Carolina board of trustee members did not initiate this hire for Belichick to turn the Tar Heels into the laughing stock of college football with his "33rd NFL team." But, here we are, with two more years of $10 million per season guaranteed. If this gets ugly early in the season, does UNC pull the trigger and appoint offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino as interim head coach? Yep, you read that right.
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North Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi look on from the sideline against TCU at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Even though the Maryland head coach mentioned that his program is turning the corner and the bad days are behind the Terrapins, words only go so far with a fan base looking to see their team in the Big Ten conversation. Back-to-back 4-8 seasons have donors and the athletic department wondering how much longer they can afford to see their beloved Terrapins meddle around in the highly-competitive Big Ten, even though Locksley has a very talented quarterback in Malik Washington that will be entertaining to watch this season. It's time for Mike to back up his words in 2026.
Head coach Luke Fickell of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on in the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on October 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. (John Fisher/Getty Images)
OK, so there ya have it. Don't worry, there will be a number of names that could pop up out of nowhere this season that we don't see coming as we get going later this month.
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Let me know what you think in the comments below. Who's on your list of coaches that could be fired this season?
Trey Wallace is the Sr. College Sports Reporter for OutKick.
