ESPN insider lists 5 SEC basketball coaches on the hot seat in 2022

ESPN college basketball analyst Jeff Borzello shared his latest thoughts on which coaches face the hot seat this offseason, naming five SEC jobs which could come open in 2022. Early success by newcomers like Will Wade and Nate Oats over recent seasons has shortened the timeline for coaches within the conference to create sustained success.

Among the jobs which Borzello is keeping his eye on, the five SEC teams are Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss and South Carolina. Those five teams are broken into two different categories and introduce a third tier in what would be a shocking twist of conference coaching.

Here is a look at which SEC basketball coaches are facing the hot seat in 2022.

SEC coaches on the hot seat

Georgia – Tom Crean (47-71, 15-54)

Tom Crean finds himself in a bad spot as the regular season comes to a close. Georgia has not finished better than 10th in the conference standings in any of the past four seasons and is now 6-22 in 2021-22 with only one conference win.

Borzello lists Xavier assistant coach Jonas Hayes, who played and coached at Georgia, and Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates as lead candidates if the job opens this offseason.

Mississippi State – Ben Howland (132-94, 58-65)

Originally considered a great hire, Ben Howland has only reached the NCAA Tournament once in six-plus seasons. As he Bulldogs slip further off the bubble in February, he inches closer to the hot seat. Despite failing to meet expectations, it is worth noting Howland has finished above .500 in four straight seasons heading toward a fifth.

Borzello lists Baylor assistant coach Jerome Tang, North Texas head coach Grant McCasland and Murray State head coach Matt McMahon as names to watch here.

South Carolina – Frank Martin (169-144, 77-97)

According to Borzello, the possibility of a Frank Martin split first arose last offseason. However, the need to pay Will Muschamp’s football buyout slowed down resourced which would have paved the way to pay off Martin’s $6 million remainder. After taking South Carolina to the Final Four in 2017, the Gamecocks have found little success with no NCAA Tournament appearances.

Seat warming up

Missouri – Cuonzo Martin (76-74, 34-51)

Missouri fits into a category which Borzello labels “one more year,” which indicates a warming – but not on fire – seat. Cuonzo Martin led Missouri to a great start in 2020-21 but faded down the stretch and lost a lot of talent to graduation and the transfer portal. The Tigers could benefit from providing one more season to recover from the exodus.

Borzello does not list any candidates for this job, but points to Martin’s buyout, which drops from $3 million to $1 million on May 1, 2022.

Ole Miss – Kermit Davis (63-53, 30-35)

Kermit Davis also falls into the “one more year” category, but with a twist. While this name may come as a surprise in year four on the job, it made the list thanks to Borzello’s sourced information.

He dropped one of the biggest surprises on the coaching carousel, naming this job as a potential “exit route” for Florida head coach Mike White. Although he recently received an extension and is not listed on the hot seat, White is an Ole Miss alum.