Forty names, games, teams and details that make college football news, where tortillas have been weaponized. First trimester: College football job risk expands. Second trimester: The greatest games ever played.
James Franklin (21) basically put the Hot to trot log out on College Game Day on Saturday, announcing his interest in training again soon, such as next season. The fired Penn State coach is ready to put his head back in the sausage mill instead of counting his tens of millions of dollars in severance pay.
Franklin immediately becomes the most attractive coach on the market, one who would be an attractive candidate for seemingly every job except Florida. (If Franklin had trouble beating Ohio State and Michigan, what confidence would the Gators have that they could beat Georgia and Alabama?) Unless Dabo Swinney decides to leave Clemson, no other coach can put together a resume showing that he has consistently won 10 games a year at the power conference level.
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But he’s not the only long-time successful coach, currently unemployed, who is itching to return. Some others who were unceremoniously fired from their last job:
Pat Fitzgerald (22)
He was fired at Northwestern in 2023 amid a hazing investigation and has since settled a massive wrongful termination suit with the university. Northwestern released a statement with the settlement saying Fitzgerald did not condone or direct any hazing, which could be enough to assuage any future employers’ concerns.
Fitzgerald was the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Northwestern history, going 110-101 in a difficult job. The trend was bad at the end – 4-20 in his final two seasons – at the start of the NIL era. But it should have interest in the market.
Mike Gundy (23)
He was fired at Oklahoma State in September, after the 2024 crash turned into a dismal start to 2025. Like Fitz, Gundy is easily the winningest coach in his alma mater’s history. For two decades, he competed against schools from Oklahoma and Texas on the recruiting trail and on the field. He’s not the easiest man in the world to work with either, but neither is Franklin.
Where are the best fits? The Dash plays matchmaker.
For Franklin:
Among the positions currently open: UCLA (24). Would the Bruins be concerned about hiring a guy who doesn’t win big games? Not when they struggle to win even half of their games, big or small – the record over the last decade is 53-60. Franklin is a seasoned recruiter and program builder, and he loves being in the spotlight. UCLA can do that, if it wins enough to attract LA’s attention. The downside for Franklin is that he would go from being near the top of the Big Ten pecking order to being near the bottom. And as someone who doesn’t hesitate to demand certain things from his administration, this may not be the place for a limitless wish list.
Among the potentially open jobs: Auburn. Franklin said on Match day that he’s going to “win a national championship somewhere else now.” Auburn is one place where this has been done. It remains to be seen whether the Tigers think he could defeat their Iron Bowl nemesis, Alabama.
Another possibility: Maryland. Yeah, it might even be a tougher fight there than at UCLA. But the Terrapins’ former offensive coordinator under Ralph Friedgen is at home recruiting in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. If Maryland fires Mike Locksley and can shell out the money to show Franklin he really wants to win, he might return the favor.
For Fitzgerald:
Among the positions currently open: Stanford (25). Fitz spent his football life at an academically prestigious school in a power conference. He can recruit to Stanford’s admissions standards, and he can recruit nationally — these are things he’s already done. Moving a guy from South Side Chicago to the Bay Area requires some adjustment on both sides, but it could bring back the “intellectual brutality” mindset that helped Stanford thrive under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw. The question is whether Andrew Luck, who is firmly in charge of football at The Farm, might want someone with a more potent attacking approach.
Among the 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 to be a good fit. He certainly knows the recruiting area and the Big Ten field as a whole. His 5-8 record against Wisconsin while playing against a weaker program speaks volumes.
For Gundy:
Among the positions currently open: UAB (26). After disastrously hiring Trent Dilfer, no experience necessary, why not replace him with someone who has coached 260 college games and won 170 of them? American is currently the top conference in the Group of 6, meaning its champion has a good chance of qualifying for the College Football Playoff. Sitting on fertile recruiting ground, the Blazers should aspire to make the big picture.
(The openings at Colorado State and Oregon State might be more attractive in a vacuum, but Gundy’s politics could be difficult either way.)
Among the potentially open jobs: Arkansas State (27). UAB would be better, simply by conference affiliation. But if Butch Jones gets beat up after five seasons — his current record is 22-35 — Gundy could move 6 1/2 hours east to take over the Red Wolves and aim for a Sun Belt title. You don’t necessarily want to follow one power conference rebound guy with another power conference rebound guy, but Jones has never been as accomplished as Gundy.
Four very 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 zero money)? This could be an interesting dynamic to watch.
Brent Key (28), Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets are undefeated and have a straight path to the ACC championship game. Key, 47, is 26-16 at Tech and could probably stay forever if he makes the playoffs, but he also has a profile that screams SEC. He is an Alabama native and former assistant to Nick Saban who enjoys physical football.
Jeff Brohm (29), Louisville
He hits it hard with the Cardinals, having beaten Notre Dame, Clemson and Miami in three seasons on the job. Brohm’s record is 24-9 and he is an accomplished offensive player and strategist. After taking Purdue to the Big Ten championship game, he could attract 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 guard has the Commodores 6-1, with Match day will come to town on Saturday for a game-changing showdown between the SEC and Missouri. Lea is only 22-34 in the toughest job in the league, but he’s 13-7 the last 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
Dilly, 35, returned to a comatose program under sanctions and, after an expectedly struggling first season, went 16-5 in the 1 1/2 years. That includes a Big 12 championship last year and an upset of Top 10 Texas Tech last Saturday. Dillingham feels like a future coaching superstar; Does ASU have the ambition and financial means to match its talent?
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