The Kent State Golden Flashes are in a tough position heading into the 2025 football season. Things are so bad that there’s a belief that this could be the worst program overall in college football.
That’s, at least, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, who put together a comprehensive ranking of all 136 college football teams heading into this season. While the likes of Penn State, Clemson and Texas find themselves on top of the rankings, Kent State, coming off a winless season in 2024, is ranked dead last in college football.
Even a team like Missouri State has more hope, and the Bears haven’t beaten an FBS program since 1990.
Vannini believes Kent State’s coaching situation, or lack thereof, is what’s holding it back heading into this season.
“The only winless team of 2024 now has an interim head coach and little reason for optimism,” he wrote for a quick synopsis of his thoughts on the worst-ranked team in college football.
Former Kent State head coach Kenni Burns was fired in April for violations of his contract, which included improper credit card usage. It’s not like Burns had much to hang his hat on, though, coming off a winless season. He won just one game in two seasons as head coach of the Golden Flashes.
Kent State promoted offensive coordinator Mike Carney and made him the interim head coach in 2025, but there is no place to find a permanent head coach until after the 2025 season.
Carney could prove to be “the guy” for Kent State if he can turn things around, but the Golden Flashes are rudderless heading into the 2025 season. No wonder they’re considered the worst program in the country.
