As we hit the midpoint of the college football season, the heads are already rolling—and it’s not just the footballs. With eight weeks behind us, three head coaches have already been ousted from their jobs, leaving their teams to pay hefty severance checks. The cost of these firings is stacking up fast, proving once again that the price of failure in college football is steep.
Will Hall, Southern Miss
At the top of the list is Will Hall, who’s getting the boot from Southern Miss after a dismal 14-30 record in his fourth season. The final nail in his coaching coffin came with a brutal 44-28 loss to Arkansas State, dropping the Golden Eagles to a 1-6 record. Southern Miss may be looking for a fresh start, but it won’t come cheap—they’re on the hook for $860,000 to pay out the remainder of Hall’s contract.
Mike Houston, East Carolina
Next up is Mike Houston, who’s out after six years with East Carolina. The Pirates couldn’t stomach another blowout loss, and Houston’s contract, which was supposed to run until December 2026, has been cut short. According to 247Sports, East Carolina now owes Houston a whopping $3 million in severance. The decision to part ways mid-season comes at a high cost, but it seems ECU is betting that the price of staying the course would be even higher.
Seth Littrell, Oklahoma OC
The most recent casualty is Seth Littrell, Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, hired last December to replace Jeff Lebby. After a humiliating 35-9 blowout loss to South Carolina—Oklahoma’s worst home defeat since 2014—head coach Brent Venables made the call. Littrell’s contract ran until 2026 with a salary of $1.1 million per year, meaning Oklahoma will have to fork over more than $2.2 million to cover his early exit. The Sooners’ loss stings, but so does the price of parting ways.
All in all, these three firings are costing a combined $6 million, illustrating just how expensive it is to pull the trigger on mid-season changes in college football. But as we know, the coaching carousel is always turning, and this trio of firings likely won’t be the last.
Who’s Next on the Hot Seat?
While these coaches pack their bags, the rumor mill is heating up for two more high-profile names. USC’s Lincoln Riley and Florida State’s Mike Norvell are both feeling the pressure as fan unrest grows louder.
Riley, once the golden boy of USC, has seen the Trojans slide to a 3-4 record following a gut-wrenching 29-28 loss to Maryland. With four losses in their last five Big Ten games, fans are growing restless, and calls for a coaching change are mounting. For Riley, the clock is ticking.
At Florida State, Mike Norvell is facing similar scrutiny. Though the team’s performance hasn’t been as disastrous, the looming threat of change hangs heavy. With each passing week, the stakes grow higher, and it remains to be seen whether Norvell will survive the season or join the growing list of fired head coaches.
One thing’s for sure: in the cutthroat world of college football, poor performance carries a hefty price tag, and the revolving door of coaches isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
