Within the Power Four, no conference has as much parity as the Big 12. That can lead to a lot of teams believing they have a chance to make a push for a conference championship. It can also put pressure on coaches that leads to plenty of firings.
A season ago, there were four coaching changes. That included a few firings, but it also saw one of those coaches, Kyle Whittingham, pushed out before he took the Michigan job. On top of that, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake nearly left for Penn State. So, there is upward mobility to take new jobs.
With that in mind, here are two coaches who are potentially on the chopping block and another two who may be able to get a new job.
Brought in to replace Luke Fickell, Scott Satterfield has struggled as the head coach at Cincinnati. He’s now had just one winning season out of three and has a record of 15-22 overall. On top of that, there are questions about what he and the program knew about Brendan Sorsby’s gambling before he transferred.
What does that amount to? A very hot heat for Satterfield entering the 2026 season. Worse, they’ll play the five highest-ranked teams in the Big 12 preseason media poll.
From the moment Kenny Dillingham landed at his alma mater, Arizona State has surpassed expectations. That includes a College Football Playoff appearance. So, it’s no surprise that Dillingham has come up in coaching rumors.
As of now, Dillingham has been happy enough to stick with Arizona State. However, with another strong season, you can expect more teams to be interested in him. With each offer, it’s going to be harder for Arizona State to keep him.
There’s no doubt that Dave Aranda has had some positive moments at Baylor. They even won the conference and the Sugar Bowl in 2021. It’s just hard to ignore a losing record overall and losing seasons in three of his last four.
Aranda absolutely has the ability to turn things around this season. The hope is that DJ Lagway sparks the offense, and Aranda’s defensive knowledge is enough to save the day on that side of the ball. Still, the Bears will need to overcome a tough schedule.
Could be hired: Kalani Sitake, BYU Cougars
In many ways, Kalani Sitake has proven to be the best possible coach for BYU. The Tongan-born coach is, himself, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he played at BYU in college. He’s also been there since 2016, saw their transition to the Big 12 and has four double-digit win seasons in the last six years.
It’s just hard to ignore how close he came to leaving for Penn State. In the end, donors offered enough to keep him, but that may not always be the case. Eventually, a big enough job with enough resources may come calling for Sitake, as he’s proven to be an elite coach.
