Two teams ended struggling regular seasons on Saturday and wasted no time making changes just one day after their season ended. First, the North Carolina Tar Heels fired head football coach Larry Fedora, who spent seven seasons with the program. This comes after Fedora's second straight nine-loss season, as he was under contract with the team through the 2022 season. That contract also includes a $12 million buyout, as this news comes one day after a 34-28 loss to NC State, ending their conference season at 1-7. The only two wins for the Tar Heels were on September 22nd against Pittsburgh and November 17th against Western Carolina.
Fedora joined the program in 2012 and went 8-4 in his first season while under a postseason ban. His best season came in 2015, when he led the Tar Heels to an 8-0 record in ACC play, before they fell to the eventual National Champions, Clemson Tigers, in the ACC Championship Game. His team ended that season ranked 15th in the AP and coaches' polls. An emotional Fedora released a statement after Sunday's news was revealed, saying "I hate that it ended this way."
Meanwhile, the Texas Tech Red Raiders took the same rout after their season, announcing the firing of head coach Kliff Kingsbury on Sunday, just hours after the Tar Heels' announcement. Athletic director Kirby Hocutt held a news conference to speak on the news later that afternoon, and thanked Kingsbury for his time with the program in a statement. Kingsbury spent six seasons with the Red Raiders and went 35-40, but fell to the lowly Baylor Bears, 35-24, to end his tenure with them on Saturday.
Kingsbury had two years left on his current contract, but does have a $4.2 million buyout. The loss on Saturday kept his team out of bowl eligibility, Kingsbury joined the Red Raiders in 2013 and quickly climbed to the top 10 after winning his first seven games. From there, they would go on to lose five in a row, all with Baker Mayfield as their quarterback. With the struggles, Mayfield went on to transfer to Oklahoma, and the Red Raiders have been a .500 team at best ever since. and finished this season at 5-7.
Fedora joined the program in 2012 and went 8-4 in his first season while under a postseason ban. His best season came in 2015, when he led the Tar Heels to an 8-0 record in ACC play, before they fell to the eventual National Champions, Clemson Tigers, in the ACC Championship Game. His team ended that season ranked 15th in the AP and coaches' polls. An emotional Fedora released a statement after Sunday's news was revealed, saying "I hate that it ended this way."
Meanwhile, the Texas Tech Red Raiders took the same rout after their season, announcing the firing of head coach Kliff Kingsbury on Sunday, just hours after the Tar Heels' announcement. Athletic director Kirby Hocutt held a news conference to speak on the news later that afternoon, and thanked Kingsbury for his time with the program in a statement. Kingsbury spent six seasons with the Red Raiders and went 35-40, but fell to the lowly Baylor Bears, 35-24, to end his tenure with them on Saturday.
Kingsbury had two years left on his current contract, but does have a $4.2 million buyout. The loss on Saturday kept his team out of bowl eligibility, Kingsbury joined the Red Raiders in 2013 and quickly climbed to the top 10 after winning his first seven games. From there, they would go on to lose five in a row, all with Baker Mayfield as their quarterback. With the struggles, Mayfield went on to transfer to Oklahoma, and the Red Raiders have been a .500 team at best ever since. and finished this season at 5-7.
