SEC Coach Hot Seat Ranking: CBS Sports ranks hottest seat to coldest
There are a few constants in college coaching. One is that the job is likely to be full of turnover. That’s especially true in the SEC, where the pressure and expectations are consistently intensified.
Ahead of the 2023 season, CBS Sports has released its hot seat rankings for coaches around the country and in the SEC. In the methodology, coaches are given a rating of 0-5. Coaches with a 0 rating are seen as untouchable, but a 4 generally means a coach is in trouble. In fact, over the last five years, 30 of 43 coaches rated 4 or worse have lost their jobs. If a coach gets a 5 it’s seen as a win or be fired situation.
So, here are CBS Sports’ hot seat rankings for SEC head coaches:
Nick Saban | Alabama (0)
Alabama head coach Nick Saban is coming off a two-loss season with a win in the Sugar Bowl. Somehow, that was a down season for the legendary coach, who has won six national championships while at Alabama.
The Crimson Tide enters 2023 with a few questions, particularly at the quarterback position. However, if anyone is equipped to deal with those issues, it’s Saban. He’s in no danger of losing his job as he gets ready to try and make another SEC title run.
Kirby Smart | Georgia (0)
Georgia has won two straight national championships and is one of the favorites again in 2023. A lot of that comes down to the coaching of Kirby Smart, who has turned himself into a bit of a legend in Athens.
CBS Sports isn’t worried about Smart’s job security at all. In fact, nobody is worried about his job security, with Georgia giving him a 10-year $112 million contract extension in 2022.
Brian Kelly | LSU (0)
Moving from Notre Dame to LSU, Brian Kelly got off to an awkward start. He danced awkwardly with a recruit and even seemed to put on a fake accent. However, with a rebuild on hand, expectations were low for the season itself. He immediately surpassed those expectations and won the SEC West.
As of now, LSU fans couldn’t be happier with Kelly as he appears to be set up to compete moving forward in the SEC. So, he should be safe moving through the 2023 season, too.
Sam Pittman | Arkansas (1)
Sam Pittman at Arkansas is the first head coach to not receive a score of 0. Instead, earning a 1. However, he’s a popular head coach who turned around the Arkansas program after the disastrous Chad Morris era. So, he’s earned some job security.
After two straight bowl appearances, Arkansas is looking to build on that success. Of course, it’s going to come with challenges too. The Razorbacks are replacing both coordinators, which could easily lead to growing pains.
Hugh Freeze | Auburn (1)
Hiring Hugh Freeze was controversial, given that his tenure at Ole Miss ended with a scandal. However, with his track record of putting high powered offenses, and beating Alabama, the Auburn Tigers decided that he was the right person to lead the program moving forward.
Freeze will be given all the resources in the world to succeed at Auburn, and even if it takes some time to get things figured out, he should be safe through year one.
Shane Beamer | South Carolina (1)
Shane Beamer came to South Carolina in 2021 as a first time head coach and quickly breathed life into a struggling program. Since then, the Gamecocks have surpassed the expectations of many outside of the program and Beamer has become a respected head coach.
While anything can happen in a season, it looks like the Gamecocks are looking to build on the base that he’s established in his first two seasons.
Josh Heupel | Tennessee (1)
In two seasons at Tennessee, Josh Heupel did something that nobody had done in Knoxville since 2006. He beat Alabama. He also did something that nobody had done at Tennessee since 2004, he won a New Year’s Six bowl, beating Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
So, along with his explosive offense, it seems like Josh Heupel is going to be safe going forward as he tries to challenge Georgia for the SEC East crown.
Billy Napier | Florida (2)
When Billy Napier first got to Florida, he did his best to make sure fans knew this would be a long rebuild. So far, that’s been the case and it doesn’t look like things are going to be easier in 2023 than they were in 2022, as Napier tries to replace Anthony Richardson.
The biggest issue that Napier faces is the patience of Florida fans. That’s also probably why CBS Sports is giving Napier a 2 rating on their scale.
Mark Stoops | Kentucky (2)
Mark Stoops has done something that very few have been able to do in the history of Kentucky football. He’s made the Wildcats a consistently good program in the SEC East. Despite this, there are starting to be concerns about the program after a frustrating season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball in 2022.
With offensive coordinator Liam Coen returning in 2023 and the addition of transfer quarterback Devin Leary, Mark Stoops is looking to put any concerns to bed.
Zach Arnett | Mississippi State (2)
Zach Arnett has inherited a difficult situation at Mississippi State. He was the defensive coordinator when head coach Mike Leach passed away unexpectedly. Quickly, he was promoted to head coach and won an emotional bowl game with the Bulldogs.
One of the biggest challenges that Arnett faces is switching out of the Air Raid and trying to imprint his own mark on the program. If he can’t do that smoothly, then Mississippi State could run into challenges early in his tenure.
Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss (2)
At one point at the end of the 2022 season, it looked like Lane Kiffin might be leaving Ole Miss for Auburn. Then, he didn’t, instead agreeing to a contract extension with Ole Miss.
Known as one of the best offensive minds in the sport, Kiffin can be divisive at times. He doesn’t mind rubbing people the wrong way, which is fine until he suffers through a bad season. Then, the chances of pressure mounting will quickly grow. Still, Kiffin should be fine for now.
Clark Lea | Vanderbilt (2)
The record hasn’t been good in Clark Lea’s first two seasons at Vanderbilt, but nobody ever expected Lea to have the Commodores competing for the SEC by now. This was always going to be a long and difficult rebuild for Lea.
The benefit that Clark Lea has is that he’s at his alma mater. He understands the program well and is going to be given time to succeed. On top of that, success looks different at Vanderbilt than it does at other SEC schools. So, he should be safe for now too.
Eli Drinkwitz | Missouri (3)
The first and only SEC coach to earn a 3 from CBS Sports is Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz. He’s spent three seasons at Missouri now and has yet to put together a winning record. Granted, the last two seasons Missouri entered its bowl at .500, but two bowl losses have left a bad taste in people’s mouths.
Eli Drinkwitz and Missouri need to show some improvement in his fourth season with the program, otherwise, the question is going to be asked if this is the best that things are going to get.
Jimbo Fisher | Texas A&M (4)
Nobody is questioning the talent at Texas A&M. Jimbo Fisher has done a great job recruiting talent. The problem is that on-field success hasn’t followed that recruiting talent. At least, there hasn’t been as much success as the Aggies expect, which became a major issue in 2022, going just 5-6.
Looking to turn things around in 2023, Fisher brought in new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. It’s an interesting move that could revitalize the offense. However, if that move doesn’t work out, then Fisher is going to be in a lot of trouble.
In any given year, the SEC is going to see its share of coaching turnover. There are, as always, a couple candidates brewing already as they prepare to enter the 2023 season on the hot seat. However, if there’s anything worth remembering, it’s that predicting coaching changes is incredibly difficult, especially when it just means more.