It just means more. Always has, always will. College football is a religion in the Southeastern United States. Look no further than the behemoth and cultural phenom that has become SEC football. Along with the Big Ten, these two Power Four leagues drive the bus for the rest of the sport. Yes, the ACC, Big 12, Notre Dame and a few other notable Group of Five teams have a seat, but they are the drivers!
Rather than do a conventional hot seat watch, I decided in the dog days of summer to essentially power rank all 16 SEC head coaches, based on their overall job security. Some SEC head coaches can do no wrong in their respective college towns, whereas others are one parking ticket away from jail time. You get the idea, right? There are only so many wins to be had, but it is currency in the SEC.
Since there are 16 teams in the SEC, I split the head coaches into four quadrants of four to further prove my point. The first quadrant suggests it would be a fireable offense to fire one of these four coaches. The second quadrant would represent a total shocker to the sport. As for the third, we may need to wait a year or so to see what happens. As for the fourth, this is the season to win right now!
Let's start with the four SEC head coaches I believe to have the best job security in their conference.
SEC football coaches ranked and tiered by job security
- SEC athletic directors should fire themselves before firing these coaches
- If any of these SEC head coaches were fired, it would be a total shocker
- These coaches will be safe after this year, but I do not know about 2026...
- One more bad season, and these SEC head coaches will be out of here!
SEC athletic directors should fire themselves before firing these coaches
Firing any of these head coaches would either require a scandal or athletic department malpractice.
16. Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart
Kirby Smart is untouchable. He is one of three head coaches to win a College Football Playoff. Smart has won it twice at his alma mater of Georgia. Outside of his first year leading the Dawgs in 2016, Georgia has made the playoff four times and played in a New Year's Six Bowl every season. Georgia has not lost a game Between the Hedges at Sanford since before COVID. This is an elite program.
While Smart may have his detractors for his players' extracurricular activities, it is hard to argue against him as the best head coach in college football, now that his mentor Nick Saban has retired. Smart is an elite recruiter, a great adjuster at halftime, and perhaps the greatest master of motivation and manipulation we have ever seen. Smart is in rarified air as a legend in the coaching profession.
Smart may return young, but he is undoubtedly going to go out on his own terms leading Georgia.
15. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian is the man who brought Texas back. While he had a rough first season in Austin, he has guided the Longhorns to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances already. He did this while Texas left the Big 12 for the SEC. One would argue that he is on the shortlist of head coaches to join Ryan Day, Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney as College Football Playoff National Champions soon.
Of course, he still needs to win the whole thing. When the game is on the line and the field shrinks, he has a tendency to freeze up as a play caller. Outside of that, he does everything you could ever want from a championship-caliber head coach. He loves to recruit. He empowers his coaches. Most importantly, he genuinely cares about his players. Sarkisian is an easy guy to root for over at Texas.
For what he has had to overcome personally, I think everyone would like to see him win his first soon.
14. Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel
No matter what happens this season, Josh Heupel will still have my respect for what he has done since taking over at Tennessee. He came to Knoxville by way of UCF in conjunction with athletic director Danny White. Together, they have provided stability to a situation that was anything but that under previous leadership. Heupel's offense is gimmicky, but it does get results for the Volunteers.
With Nico Iamaleava leaving for UCLA amid NIL issues, I do envision the Vols stepping back just a bit this season. Joey Aguilar could play better than I expect, but this is the SEC and not the Sun Belt. Regardless, Heupel has Tennessee football back in about as healthy of a place I can remember. I do not know if he will win a national title like Phillip Fulmer did, but he has tremendous staying power.
The only way he will leave is if fences were mended at his alma mater of Oklahoma and they pay him.
13. Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin
Love him or hate him, Lane Kiffin is here to stay at Ole Miss. He may be the epitome of quirky, but Kiffin has the Ole Miss Rebels operating from a rare position of strength in most seasons. Yes, there may be a definite ceiling of 10-2 coaching in Oxford, but that should be good enough to make the expanded College Football Playoff the next time Kiffin can achieve that regular-season benchmark.
His personality is not for everyone. It is why he may never be a serious candidate to take over at a bigger job. I would not leave Ole Miss for Auburn like Tommy Tuberville once did. Florida is far too chaotic for my taste. Kiffin has left programs before on a whim, but it would have to take something really special for him to leave. The only place I can realistically think of would have to be Nebraska.
Kiffin is one of the very best parts of SEC football, and it would be a shame to see him every leave it.
If any of these SEC head coaches were fired, it would be a total shocker
While these coaches do not have impenetrable job security, getting fired this year is not happening.
12. Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko
I am a big fan of Mike Elko and what he is about. When he left College Station the first time to become the head coach over at Duke, the Aggies imploded under Jimbo Fisher. Upon arriving last year as the Aggies' new head coach, Texas A&M seemed to operate with a real swagger that did not seem off-putting or totally fabricated. Elko's authenticity as a defensive mind seems to resonate with me a ton.
Of course, the Texas A&M of it all could swallow him alive. We have seen coaches before him have the occasional pop year before eventually fizzling out. To me, Elko is steak and not sizzle. Texas A&M football has long needed something of substance. While I do not know if a national championship is possible under him, I would be stunned if he did not have the Aggies vying for a playoff berth soon.
As long as Marcel Reed progresses in Collin Klein's offensive system, Texas A&M will be on the rise.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer
Cocky as his nickname indicates, Shane Beamer is kind of perfect for South Carolina. The son of legendary former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer has learned from some of the best in his coaching career. Outside of his father, he has crossed paths with Lincoln Riley, Kirby Smart and most notably, the Head Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier. Beamer kind of reminds me of what Spurrier once was.
South Carolina is historically a program where coaches go to die. Spurrier thrived and Beamer is really carving out a path here. This could be the year where the Gamecocks finally make the College Football Playoff. Having star players like Nyck Harbor, LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart helps. My concern for Beamer is he is a bit of a frontrunner. When things go bad, they often snowball under him.
Beamer is in the perfect spot for him because South Carolina cannot do better, and he knows this.
10. Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz
Missouri is such a hard program to get a read on. While most people would say it is a top-25 team with a top-10 ceiling, good luck trying to figure out when the Tigers are going to hit that ceiling in a given season. Eliah Drinkwitz is the alpha nerd. His teams play hard, even when they are up against it. I do wish he recruited better, although he has done much better than both of his predecessors at that.
If Missouri were to fire Drinkwitz, the football program would go to the bottom quartile of the SEC almost immediately. Under Drinkwitz, the Tigers move in a positive direction. In time, I think he is a candidate to be poached by another team. Florida could come calling, but the two SEC teams I would be worried about are his home state's team, Arkansas, and one he used to work at. That would be Auburn.
I feel like we have a heel turn coming at some point when it comes to Coach Drink, so get ready for it!
9. Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea
Vanderbilt never has and never will have a high ceiling in SEC football. That being said, how can you not root for one of their own in Clark Lea leading the way? The former Commodores fullback left Notre Dame to take over his alma mater when it needed him the most. After seeing Derek Mason become a shell of himself seemingly overnight, Lea has made Vanderbilt our favorite underdog team.
Hiring his friend in recruiting expert Barton Simmons to be the team's GM was brilliant, as was getting Jerry Kill and Diego Pavia to leave New Mexico State for Nashville. Together, they have made Vanderbilt f*****g turnt?! To me, Lea needs to have another fun season ending in a bowl game with Pavia as his quarterback to give him some grace before a potential sub-.500 season comes along.
The first couple of years at Vanderbilt were bumpy, but Lea's plan seems to be working in Nashville.
These coaches will be safe after this year, but I do not know about 2026...
This is not the campaign where it happens, but how this season goes could how next year is viewed.
8. LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly finds himself in the awful middle of the SEC job security coaching hierarchy. He has won everywhere he has been before, and is winning to some degree at LSU. However, year three is the proverbial Brian Kelly pop year, and it did not happen at LSU last season. With Garrett Nussmeier back for one more year, now is the time to take advantage. Will LSU finally be able to play a lick of defense?
Let me put it to you this way. Kelly left a great situation at Notre Dame under the belief that he could never win a national title in South Bend. His far more likable successor Marcus Freeman did that a year ago. With all the talent that resides inside the great state of Louisiana, Kelly should be able to win a national title at LSU before it is all said and done. I mean, Ed Orgeron won one not all that long ago.
If LSU fails to make the College Football Playoff again, Kelly should enter next season on the hot seat.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer
For better or worse, this is what Kalen DeBoer signed up for. By leaving Washington to take over for Nick Saban at Alabama, it was never going to be smooth sailing for the guy replacing the greatest college football head coach of all time. DeBoer may have the blessing of Saban, but this hiring could go down as a major folly for athletic director Greg Byrne if he is not too careful. Where are we at here?
To put it as bluntly as I can, if DeBoer is unable to take Alabama to the expanded College Football Playoff even one time during his first three years on the job, Byrne made a huge mistake. Alabama just missed out on the playoff a year ago, but keep in mind that DeBoer was playing with mostly Saban's players. 2025 will be another year removed from Saban calling the shots on the sideline.
DeBoer is an excellent head coach, but I do have my concerns he bit off more than he could chew...
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby
I am really hoping Jeff Lebby works at Mississippi State. Frankly, the Bulldogs need him to. Nobody could have foreseen their late iconic head coach Mike Leach passing away right before bowl season a few years back. It was the right call at the time to promote defensive coordinator Zach Arnett from within. A year later, that proved to be a disastrous, so in came Lebby. He still needs so much support.
Even though Mississippi State was the worst team in the SEC a year ago, I saw Lebby's team play so hard for him. As long as he maintains a good rapport with athletic director Zac Selmon, I think Lebby will get the runway he deserves to turn this around. However, Selmon and Lebby both have Oklahoma ties. Could Selmon be a candidate to replace Joe Castiglione as the Sooners' next athletic director?
As long as the Bulldogs are not a total grease fire this year, Lebby should get a third one on the job.
5. Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier
We have arrived at the first SEC head coach I think has somewhat of a chance to be let go after this season. Firing Jeff Lebby after two years would be mean, but so would it be to punt on Billy Napier after this fall, given what the Florida Gators have to go up against this season. Napier saw his team play considerably better down the stretch en route to a bowl game with DJ Lagway at quarterback.
To me, Napier's job security is entirely tied to Lagway's growth and development as a passer. We all have high hopes for the guy, but if Lagway falters, Napier has to go. He may have a great rapport with his athletic director Scott Stricklin, but I have seen Gator Nation turn on a head coach with a blink of an eye. Given that Todd Golden just won a national title on the hardwood, the pressure is on Napier.
It will be another joyless slog of season schedule for Florida to navigate, but I hope Napier survives.
One more bad season, and these SEC head coaches will be out of here!
If only one head coach is going to be fired from an SEC job this offseason, it will be one of these four.
4. Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables
The pressure has been cranked up just a bit for Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables in the wake of long-time athletic director Joe Castiglione heading for retirement soon. While he plans to stay on as emeritus athletic director, it will be the end of an era in Norman. This could explain why Castiglione paid Venables all that money he did not deserve ahead of last year in his mega extension.
So far through three years, Oklahoma has one halfway decent season for Sooners standards, and two that are completely unsatisfactory. With Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer coming over from Washington State, as well as Jaydn Ott from Cal, there are no excuses for the Sooners offense to be as tepid as it was a season ago. Venables faces a brutal schedule, but he might be over his skis a bit.
The timing of Castiglione's retirement may give Venables some grace, but not as much as you think.
3. Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze
I am starting to get pretty worried about Hugh Freeze at Auburn. While I think he has a great chance to have the Tigers on the verge of making the playoff this year, what if it hits the fan for him again? I am quite dubious on Jackson Arnold being a good SEC quarterback, but I could be proven wrong. Freeze may have a good rapport with athletic director John Cohen, but YellaWood drives the bus.
If Auburn cannot take advantage of getting both of its biggest rivals Alabama and Georgia at home, it is going to be a down decade for the Tigers across the board. It has been a long time since 2017 and even longer since 2013, or 2010 for that matter. Auburn may have sold its soul to bring Freeze back to the SEC, but it has just not gotten the results it probably should have already. They must win now.
It almost feels like anything short of an 8-4 season could be the end of the line for Freeze at Auburn.
2. Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops
I constantly go back and forth when it comes to my two hottest seats in the SEC. The reasons I have Mark Stoops at No. 2 at not No. 1 at Kentucky are as follows. One, he is the longest tenured head coach in the conference. He has made UK respectable on the gridiron for a duration unbeknownst to a basketball school. Two, he would get hired immediately by Florida State or Iowa if he was ever let go.
That being said, Stoops' teams are so hard to watch offensively. He may be a defensive-minded coach, but a lack of offensive firepower is why this program has a definite ceiling. With athletic director Mitch Barnhart having good early returns on Mark Pope replacing John Calipari on the hardwood, what is to stop him from backing up the Brinks truck to see if he can land Jon Sumrall?
For my money, Kentucky must go to a bowl game for Stoops to have any shot of being back in 2026.
1. Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman
Yessir! This might be the end of the line for The Pitmaster Sam Pittman himself. While he is such an incredibly likable guy, the Arkansas faithful wishes he won more. Forever chasing the glory days of Frank Broyles and Houston Nutt, Pittman comes up painfully short. He is only as good as his coordinators allow him to be. Even worse, his bread and butter of recruiting has taken a hit of late.
Arkansas has shown us under Pittman that the Hogs can occasionally slay a giant. I mean, they beat Tennessee last year. However, this team feels like it might only go as far as former Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green takes them. He is immensely talented, but I see a roster with flawed construction. It would not shock me if Pittman and Arkansas decided to mutually part ways.
Leading the Razorbacks was always going to be Pittman's last job, and he has done a decent job at it.