Three Power Four programs opened coaching vacancies over the weekend as Maryland, NC State, and Baylor parted ways with their head coaches.
The college football coaching carousel kicked into high gear in late October 2026, forcing athletic departments across the country to weigh staggering financial payouts against mounting fan and donor discontent. Maryland initiated the movement on Oct. 21 by dismissing Mike Locksley following a difficult start to the season. By Sunday, Oct. 25, the market expanded rapidly as two more programs made abrupt changes.
Baylor and NC State Make Weekend Changes Following Tight Losses
Baylor became the third Power Four program to open its job on Sunday, dismissing Dave Aranda after seven seasons. The move arrived on the heels of back-to-back losses in Big 12 play, including a narrow 25-24 defeat against Kansas. Aranda finished his tenure in Waco with a 40-40 record, failing to recapture the momentum of a 12-2 season and Sugar Bowl appearance in 2021.
In the ACC, NC State executed a rare Saturday afternoon firing by parting ways with Dave Doeren after 14 seasons in Raleigh. Doeren left with a 98-73 overall record and 10 bowl appearances, but the program moved on one day after a 31-28 loss to Stanford dropped the Wolfpack to 3-4.
Staggering Buyouts Face Athletic Departments Managing Open Jobs
Moving on from established coaches carries massive financial consequences in an era of athletic arms races. Baylor faces a reported buyout cost of $12 million to release Aranda. NC State owes approximately $10.3 million to buy out the remainder of Doeren’s contract, though that figure includes an offset clause requiring him to seek new employment. Meanwhile, Maryland’s departure from Locksley carries a $9.75 million price tag with no offsets, with half of that sum due within sixty days.
Financial strain is not limited to programs with active vacancies. Across the country, athletic departments wrestling with subpar performances must calculate whether the cost of a buyout outweighs another year of stagnation. At Florida State, Mike Norvell confronts an uphill battle amid an athletic department financial deficit and a staggering buyout bill of roughly $48 million if fired without cause. Patience in Tallahassee, however, comes with its own political cost.
The FSU president (Richard McCullough) and board of trustees now are starting to get heat about the football program, and they don’t like that — nor are they used to getting heat in those positions.
Anonymous source with knowledge of the situation, via USA Today
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