Kalen DeBoer could be fired this year, but Alabama would owe the coach a $70 million buyout if it happens.
A new era of college football, with universities spending tens of millions on players and facilities, has turned up the pressure on coaches and administrators to win immediately or face the consequences. The coaching hot seat already has a few new occupants just two weeks into the 2025 college football season.
The House v. NCAA settlement, approved in June, allows universities to pay players directly for the first time in college athletics. Outside money from booster collectives and other corporate deals has made college football an even bigger business. Football programs fund many athletic departments, and schools want the payoff for those new investments. After slow starts by several teams, there are some big-name coaches defending their job performance.
At the top of the hot seat list is Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, who is the winningest coach in school history after 20 years in charge. Last season, things hit rock bottom. Oklahoma State finished 3-9 with a 52-0 loss to Colorado. It was the worst defeat and worst season of Gundy's career. The team finished winless in conference play and was dead last in the Big 12. It was Gundy's first losing season since 2005, his first in Stillwater.
Then came Saturday's 69-3 drubbing at Oregon, just days after the coach expressed frustration about the investments the Ducks have made with the help of Nike CEO Phil Knight.
"They paid a lot of money for their team," Gundy said.
The 58-year-old, who is now 4-10 in his last 14 games, walked back those comments after the loss.
"When I made that comment, I was complimenting Oregon for what they had done," Gundy said. "Second thing, which I said later in the week, is, we've made commitments also, but we have to be better and fundamentally sound and execute. Sometimes you're going to play people that have the ability to run away from you. We gotta look at that and see where we're at."
The University of Florida's Billy Napier is feeling the same heat as Gundy after losing on Saturday to unranked South Florida 18-16. The Gators were an 18-point favorite at home.
"Not good enough, and it's my responsibility," Napier said after the Gators stumbled through a night with over 100 yards in penalties and several mistakes that gifted the Bulls points.
Napier has a 20-20 record in his fourth season in Gainesville, which is unacceptable in SEC country. He signed a seven-year, $51.8 million deal in 2021, and he would receive a buyout of around $19 million should he be fired. Athletic Director Scott Stricklin may have no choice. A brutal schedule featuring eight consecutive ranked opponents awaits the Gators.
The early coaching carousel rumors are also circling around Virginia Tech's Brent Pry and UCLA's DeShaun Foster, who have both started the season with two losses. Both schools are spending more than $20 million on their rosters in order to compete in a Power 4 conference.
There is also pressure on coaches moving into brand new facilities. Northwestern's David Braun is feeling the heat to turn things around after a 1-1 start ahead of the opening of the new $850 million Ryan Field in 2026. The Wildcats are 28-point underdogs to Oregon this Saturday.
Alabama's Kalen DeBoer is another head coach surrounded by speculation about his job. He is in his second season in Tuscaloosa and has the unenviable task of replacing the legendary Nick Saban, who won six national championships with the Crimson Tide.
DeBoer went 9-3 in 2024 and failed to make the college football playoffs. They opened this season with a stunning loss to Florida State and dropped 13 spots to 21st in the AP poll. The Crimson Tide will host Wisconsin this week. Badgers head coach Luke Fickell is also on the hot seat, but another stumble by Alabama would turn the heat up to 10 on DeBoer, even though the team is still adjusting.
"A lot of young guys got some experience that I think was really good," DeBoer said. "Guys are understanding their roles and need to continue to move forward with that and have a big week here. We play again at Bryant Denny Stadium. It's good to be at home. The guys can really feel the juice and the energy from the fans."
Those fans, however, may have already turned on coach DeBoer. If he doesn't fix things in a hurry and is fired, the University will owe him a $70 million buyout. Alabama could then be staring at the possibility of spending another $100 million on a new head coach.