FOX Sports ranks Top 10 college football coaches with the most to prove in 2025

The college football season is rapidly approaching. With that, there are numerous college football coaches facing some kind of pressure in 2025, and Fox Sports shared its ranking for the Top 10 coaches with the most to prove.

Fox Sports shared its list on social media. There, the list was provided without much context beyond that these coaches have a lot to prove in 2025. As a result, some coaches are entering the season on some kind of hot seat. Others are trying to get over the hump and become championship contenders. The result is a reminder that there are plenty of different things that coaches and programs are trying to improve.

Keeping all that in mind, here’s a look at Fox Sports’ rankings of the 10 coaches with the most to prove. Whether or not these coaches are able to live up to or surpass expectations next season remains to be seen.

1. James Franklin, Penn State

There are some massive expectations on Penn State in 2025. With several key seniors returning, many expect the Nittany Lions to possibly compete for a national championship. Of course, that’s not something they’ve done under James Franklin and is likely why Fox Sports has him here on the list.

During his time at Penn State, James Franklin has been able to build the program into a consistent winner within the Big Ten. However, they’ve struggled against Top 25 competition, going just 15-28 during his tenure. So, it’s going to take winning some games consistently that Penn State hasn’t in the past to get there now.

2. Lincoln Riley, USC

Fox Sports sticks with another Big Ten coach for the second slot on its list. USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is facing his own kind of pressure, though, different than what James Franklin faces. After going just 7-6 last season, the Trojans need to turn things around to live up to the expectations USC had for Riley when they hired him.

Prior to going to USC, Riley had been a head coach for five seasons. Only in one season, the shortened 2020 season, did he not win double-digit games. In three years since getting to USC, though, he’s only hit double-digit wins once. In fact, he’s had a worse record each season over three seasons.

3. Brent Venables, Oklahoma

When Brent Venables got to Oklahoma, fans were excited to embrace him as the replacement for Lincoln Riley. However, he’s been inconsistent at best in his three seasons since getting to Norman. That includes two 6-7 seasons, one of which came last year.

Offense was the major issue in 2024. To address that, Venables hit the Transfer Portal hard, bringing in a new starting quarterback and running back. He also hired a new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle. So, how those moves work out is likely key to determining his future amid an athletic director change.

4. Mario Cristobal, Miami

The Miami Hurricanes had their best season under Mario Cristobal last year. The Hurricanes would go 10-3, producing the first overall pick in quarterback Cam Ward. After going 12-13 through his first two seasons there, it was a major leap forward for Cristobal.

Fox Sports didn’t share its logic behind any of these coaches. However, in Cristobal’s case, it’s likely a matter of proving he wasn’t a one-season flash in the pan and that he can have that kind of success without Ward. To do that, he’s turned to another transfer quarterback, Carson Beck.

5. Matt Rhule, Nebraska

In 2024, Matt Rhule did something at Nebraska that hadn’t been done since 2016. He took the Cornhuskers to a bowl game. Now, Fox Sports clearly thinks he’s under pressure to take another step forward and build on his success after going 12-13 through his first two seasons.

Rhule and Nebraska return quarterback Dylan Raiola in 2025. After an inconsistent first season, the former five-star recruit is looking to take some strides forward next season. If he does that successfully, then there’s no reason why Nebraska shouldn’t improve again.

6. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin

When he was hired by Wisconsin, Luke Fickell was one of the biggest up-and-coming names in coaching. He’d turned Cincinnati into one of the best programs in the country and landed at Wisconsin in the Big Ten. Since then, things have been a bit more difficult, and he’s gone just .500 there.

After Wisconsin missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001 last season, Luke Fickell has plenty to prove. Trying to do just that, he’s reshaped the offense. That includes a change at offensive coordinator with Jeff Grimes taking over there. The hope is his offense takes off next season.

7. Mike Norvell, Florida State

It’s been a roller coaster of a career for Mike Norvell at Florida State. After seemingly building the program up to an unbeaten regular season in 2023, the team collapsed in 2024 and went just 2-10. Now, Norvell is hoping to again turn things around and prove that last season was a fluke for the program.

Like many coaches in a similar situation to Norvell, he made a move to flip the coaching staff and roster. That included bringing in an experienced head coach, Gus Malzahn, to be his offensive coordinator. That partnership should spark an offense that was among the worst in the country last season.

8. Brian Kelly, LSU

The LSU Tigers are a team capable of winning the SEC under Brian Kelly. That means making the College Football Playoff and potentially competing for a national championship. Of course, Fox Sports likely included Kelly here because for all the winning he’s done in his career, he’s struggled to prove himself in big games and has never won a Playoff game.

LSU has everything it needs to succeed in 2025. That includes a potential first-round draft pick at quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier. Now, it’s a matter of putting it all together against a gauntlet of a schedule.

9. Deion Sanders, Colorado

For the first two years Deion Sanders spent at Colorado, he had his son Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter leading the way on the field. That group did show massive strides compared to where Colorado was before Sanders got to Boulder. Now, it’s a matter of sustaining and building on that success without his stars.

The pressure that Fox Sports sees on Deion Sanders isn’t a matter of job security. After all, he’s coming off a season of being rumored as a potential coach to jump to the NFL. Instead, it’s about Sanders proving what he can be with a new group of players and if he can build on the success he has found.

10. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

There’s a thought that you never want to be the guy to follow “The Guy.” It’s hard to replace a legend, being compared directly to them, in other words. Well, Fox Sports knows that Kalen DeBoer, following up the legend Nick Saban, has something to prove in Tuscaloosa.

In his first season, DeBoer led Alabama to a 9-4 record. They’d miss out on the College Football Playoff, instead losing a bowl game. There were highs to the season, but there were also some lows. Now, with a new quarterback, he’ll need to prove himself and improve on that with massive expectations on the program for 2025.