SEC Football: Job Security Rankings

It’s time to start thinking about who’s on the hot seat. This offseason could be a relatively mundane one for the SEC if coaches in jeopardy can pick up a key win or two. Nobody looks like a surefire “goner” at this point. That said, a number of coaches will play games where they are quite literally coaching for their jobs in the week ahead. Here’s a Power Ranking of SEC Coach Job Security:

1.     Kirby Smart, Georgia – The two-time national champion has raised his alma mater to heights never before seen in the Peach State. Despite his struggles against Alabama, he is the unquestioned premier coach in college football – especially after dismantling the previously #1 Longhorns on their home turf. Kirby will be in Athens as long as he wants to be.

2.    Steve Sarkisian, Texas – Losing to Georgia at home has to sting, but Sarkisian has brought the Horns back to national relevance. While that gives him major capital with the fan base, the challenge for Sark is that there is probably no more disconnected group of supporters anywhere in the country. Texas is a storied program, but their fans think they own college football. Sark will need to bring home some hardware soon… and then keep producing.

3.    Clark Lea, Vanderbilt – Nobody is going to fire the Vanderbilt coach who beat Alabama. Lea is going to have capital with the fanbase for a long, long time after that one. Even after going 9-27 in his first three season, he now has one of the safest jobs in the conference.

4.    Mike Elko, Texas A&M – The Jimbo Fisher experiment was an expensive failure for the Aggies, and they are highly unlikely to even consider a coaching change anytime soon. On top of that, Elko’s early returns have been supremely positive. He’s sitting at 6-1 and in control of his own destiny in Year 1. 

5.    Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri – With a very narrow home win against hapless Auburn, Drinkwitz was less than a minute away from tumbling a few spots on this list. However, he has brought Missouri back to SEC relevance and even Playoff contention – all for a program that is not exactly a traditional powerhouse.

6.    Josh Heupel, Tennessee – After a surprising loss to Arkansas and a closer-than-expected victory over Florida, Heupel’s really high stock took a minor, temporary dip. However, all that vanished with a magical win over hated rival Alabama. The Vols program wandered in the desert for a long time, but the former Sooner’s standout has brought them back in a big way.

7.     Brian Kelly, LSU – Draft Nation is still not totally sold on Brian Kelly-LSU being a long-term marriage, but the former Notre Dame coach has performed well since heading to the Bayou. The next two contests against A&M and Alabama will be critical for this season, but Kelly’s job is secure for the foreseeable future. 

8.    Kalen DeBoer, Alabama – This hire made sense on paper. DeBoer is a winner. However, Draft Nation held some doubts from the “get-go.” While Saban’s successor beat Georgia, he now has two losses under his belt, and this is not a fan base that is used to that. Don’t expect the Tide to do anything rash right now, but patience is exactly something they are accustomed to.

9.    Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss – Let’s be clear: Kiffin is safe this season. However, the Rebels went “all in” to convince him to reject Auburn’s advances two years ago. The NIL coffers were spent heavily on building a roster that could put the Rebels truly on the national stage this year, and that hasn’t panned out. With two losses, Ole Miss has no room for error and will need to beat Georgia in order to have a shot at the Playoffs, and that looks unlikely. While 9-3 is a great season in program history, it would fall far short of expectations and expenditures.

10. Shane Beamer, South Carolina – It’s been a weird season for the 4-3 Gamecocks. They only narrowly beat Old Dominion, and they got demolished by Ole Miss. On the other hand, they destroyed Kentucky and Oklahoma while playing LSU and Alabama close. Coming off a losing season, Beamer doesn’t have a ton of good will, and 4 of the last 5 games are against ranked teams. This seat could be really hot if he can’t win at least one.

11.  Mark Stoops, Kentucky – The winningest coach in program history and the longest tenured in the SEC, Stoops may be regretting the public flirtation with A&M last offseason. Regardless of what went down there, the man who has posted a winning season 7 of the last 8 years is putting up a stinker. The 3-4 Wildcats took Georgia down to the wire and beat Ole Miss on the road. However, they have blowout losses to South Carolina and Florida as well as a 7-point loss to Vanderbilt on their resume. With a buyout of $44 million, Stoops is likely safe regardless, however, he needs to beat Auburn this week to quiet the talk.

12.  Sam Pittman, Arkansas – Nearly fired this offseason, Sam Pittman’s seat was hot from the moment the season began. So far, the on-field performance has cooled such chatter. The win on the road against Auburn looks less impressive now, but beating Tennessee is a major feather in his cap. The 4-3 Razorbacks have Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech on their schedule, and that should be enough to get them bowl eligible and retain Pittman.

13.  Billy Napier, Florida – Despite being one of the most sought-after coaches just a few years ago, Napier regressed last season and was considered a near sure-fire dismissal after this year. Not so fast. The Gators completely outmatched Kentucky and Mississippi State and beat in-state rival UCF. No, 4-3, the Gators face an upcoming gauntlet – Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss – before concluding the season against FSU, which has been a total dumpster fire. If Napier wins 2 of those games, he likely won’t be fired. If he’s competitive against the SEC juggernauts and then beats FSU handily, that could even be enough to stay.

14.  Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State – There’s an argument to be made that the first-year head coach should be higher on this list. However, the Bulldogs are 1-6 with a loss to Toledo on their resume. Their next two games – against Arkansas and UMass – are the only games left against unranked opponents. One must think Lebby needs to win at least one of those to get to Year 2.

15.  Hugh Freeze, Auburn – The final years of Gus Malzahn, the failed Harsin experiment, and now an 8-12 start to the Freeze tenure – it’s been a historically bad run for a once-proud program. Freeze’s saving grace is recruiting, and he has to hope the team’s #4 slot in the recruiting rankings currently (following a top 10 finish a year ago) is enough to hold “hot seat” talk at bay. It probably is, for now, but the Tigers’ faithful are growing restless. A leash to Year 3 is very likely, but an immediate turnaround in 2025 will be expected.

16.  Brent Venables, Oklahoma – After being outscored 69-12 against Texas and South Carolina, the Sooners are now 7-6 in their last 13 games with a fan base unaccustomed to being embarrassed. Venables has road games against Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU while facing Maine (fortunately for him) and Alabama at home. I don’t think he returns for Year 4 if he finishes the season having lost his last six SEC games.