With the 2025 college football regular season in the books, the offseason coaching carousel is officially underway.
This cycle is shaping up to be one of the craziest in recent years, and the first domino has already dropped with Auburn hiring USF head coach Alex Golesh as the replacement for Hugh Freeze. Once the Tigers made their move, fans quickly took to the internet to criticize Florida and Arkansas for not reacting sooner.
Fans Rip Arkansas and Florida After Auburn Hires Alex Golesh
Several Power Four programs are set to hire new head coaches in the coming days, and Auburn moved quickly on Sunday after the season ended by hiring Golesh from USF.
Golesh has done a great job in his three seasons with the Bulls and was one of the top names in this coaching carousel. With Auburn landing him, many fans believe that Florida and Arkansas, both of which were searching for a head coach, missed out.
BREAKING: Auburn is hiring USF head coach Alex Golesh, @PeteNakos reports🦅https://t.co/MQ86SuY35K pic.twitter.com/isMsAxwant
— On3 (@On3sports) November 30, 2025
One fan kept it simple, showing sympathy for the Razorbacks and writing, “Poor Arkansas.” Another took a shot at the program, saying, “Arkansas thought they had him.”
Arkansas thought they had him 😂😂
— OkcPoke (@PokeOkc) November 30, 2025
One Florida fan was fed up with his program and argued that the Gators were on track to miss out on every top candidate in this cycle, writing, “Florida really gonna hire the worst guy in a coaching cycle…. AGAIN!!! Lost out on Kiffin, Franklin, Morris, Golesh, and won’t pursue Lincoln Riley. Fire Scott Strickland.”
Florida really gonna hire the worst guy in a coaching cycle…. AGAIN!!! Lost out on Kiffin, Franklin, Morris, Golesh, and won’t pursue Lincoln Riley. Fire Scott Strickland
— Zac Ward (@zawarden4) November 30, 2025
Another fan echoed that sentiment, also calling for the Gators to part ways with Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, writing, “Rooting for Florida is the worst. @ScottStricklin must go. We let Golesh get away to Auburn. Well played, @AuburnFootball. You win today!”
Rooting for Florida is the worst. @ScottStricklin must go. We let Golesh get away to Auburn. Well played, @AuburnFootball. You win today!
— Jeremy Marrone (@jeremymarrone_) November 30, 2025
Arkansas and Florida weren’t the only programs under fire; with Lane Kiffin’s future in Oxford in serious doubt, Ole Miss could also miss out on top candidates. One fan mocked both the Rebels and the Gators for missing out on Golesh, writing, “Florida and Ole Miss are going to have no one to hire lmao.”
Florida and Ole Miss are going to have no one to hire lmao
— Cowboy Enthusiast (@CwbyEnthusiast) November 30, 2025
While it’s understandable why fans reacted strongly to Auburn making the first move in the coaching carousel, Florida and Arkansas also filled their head coaching vacancies on Sunday.
The Gators hired Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall as their Bill Napier replacement, while the Razorbacks brought in Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield to replace Sam Pittman. It’s debatable which SEC hire will ultimately prove to be the best, but Golesh was widely regarded as the top candidate among the three, which is why fans are so upset.
Still, nobody knows how any of these coaches will perform in their new roles, so while missing out on Golesh may seem like a disaster for Arkansas and Florida, only time will tell if Auburn or the other schools made the right hire.