CFB coaches on hot seat: 4 candidates on verge of getting fired after Week 5 ft. Mark Stoops

Sam Pittman was fired as Arkansas football coach on Sunday a day after a 56-13 humiliation by Notre Dame. He was the fourth power conference coach fired this season following Brent Pry (Virginia State, DeShaun Foster (UCLA) and Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State).

Pittman started the season with two straight wins over Alabama A&M and Arkansas State but losses to Ole Miss, Memphis and Notre Dame forced the hand of athletic director Hunter Yurachek to release him.

He was 32-34 in six seasons with the Razorbacks, whose best season with him at the helm was in 2021 where they went 9-4 and won the Outback Bowl.

There are other coaches in danger of getting removed from their positions due to their underwhelming performances in the first five weeks of the season. Here are four coaches who could be facing the chopping block after Week 5:

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4 coaches who are on the verge of getting fired after Week 5

#1. Mark Stoops, Kentucky

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has coached the Wildcats since 2013 and they have been a mixed bag under him. Under his tenure, he has coached the team to seven winning and five losing seasons, including a 4-8 (1-7 in SEC) mark last year.

Stoops is likely headed to another losing season as the Wildcats lost to SEC rivals Ole Miss and South Carolina by an average of 14.5 points. After the 35-13 defeat to South Carolina, the veteran coach dropped to 69-75.

The next three games wouldn't bode well for Stoops' retention bid, as all of them will be against Top 25 teams Georgia, Texas and Tennessee.

#2. Billy Napier, Florida

Billy Napier has been on the hot seat since Florida's Week 2 shocker to South Florida at home. Losses to Top 25 teams LSU and Miami further compounded the calls for him to get fired as the Gators have fallen to 1-3.

Since signing with Florida in 2022, Napier is still in search of the formula that led him to success during his days with Louisiana. After Week 5, the 46-year-old Cookeville, Tennessee, native is 1-3 this season and 20-22 in four seasons with the Gators.

#3. Trent Bray, Oregon State

Trent Bray was given another opportunity after leading Oregon State to 5-7 in the 2024 season. But this season looks far different from the previous one as Bray couldn't catch a positve break.

The Beavers lost to California (34-15) and Fresno State (36-27) in winnable games before getting dumped by Top 25 ranked teams Texas Tech (45-14) and Oregon (41-7).

Bray's team had the best chance of securing its first win of the season against Houston last Saturday, only to lose 27-24 in overtime. After leading 24-10, the Beavers allowed the Cougars to score 14 straight in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

#4. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Dabo Swinney has led Clemson to two national championships in 2016 and 2018 and nine ACC tournament crowns during his tenure. This season, however, Swinney is off to his worst start of his coaching career, losing three of his first four games despite having one of the strongest teams in the nation on peper.

Good thing for Swinney is there's still hope for the Tigers to bounce back with games against less-favored North Carolina, Boston College, SMU and Duke.