The buck stops with head coaches, but they aren’t always the ones to blame for their team’s ineptitude in the SEC. Here’s a list of potential offseason assistant coach fires after an underachieving 2014 campaign.

Disclaimer: We aren’t expecting many (if any) of Will Muschamp’s current Florida assistants to be retained by the new regime in Gainesville. If there’s any worthy of keeping their jobs its Brian White and Brad Lawing, the Gators’ running backs and defensive line coaches.

Red alert

  • Mark Snyder, Texas A&M (Defensive coordinator)
  • Craig Naivar, Kentucky (Special Teams coordinator)

Outside of Texas A&M’s pass rush led by freshman end Myles Garrett, has the Aggies’ defense improved during  a suspected ‘contract year’ for Snyder? At times this season, Snyder’s had the look of a man who knows his fate is drawing near, unable to overcome the lack of strength within the front seven and bad angles thanks to youth and inexperience. Texas A&M’s given up a Western Division-high 39 touchdowns, has forced the league’s fewest takeaways (11) and has only marginally improved its ineptitude against the run. Snyder was given another season to right the ship, but that lifeboat has passed … Kentucky’s given up four special teams return touchdowns (two punts, two kickoffs) this season, not quite as terrible as the nation’s leader Washington State (6). Under Naivar, the Wildcats are last in the SEC in kickoff average (58.2 yards), at the bottom in punt coverage (13.7 YPG) and have given up 10 plays in the return game that spanned at least 30 yards. Naivar will be on the hook.

Make or break

  • Deke Adams, South Carolina (Defensive line)
  • Terry Joseph, Texas A&M (Secondary)

Adams could be the first of several defensive staff changes in Columbia, S.C., after the season as the director of a defensive line that’s provided little to no disruption this season. Talent development’s a noticeable issue resulting in the fewest numbers of sacks (12.0) for any Power 5 team in the country. Joe Robinson, South Carolina’s special teams coordinator, is another assistant on Steve Spurrier’s staff likely to receive the boot despite a blocked kick and punt in a win at Florida … Mark Snyder deserves much of the blame for Texas A&M’s horrific defense this season, but Joseph’s time on the sideline in College Station may be short-lived. Joseph’s finishing up his first season with the Aggies after coming over from Nebraska to strengthen a group that gave up 31 touchdown passing during the 2013 campaign. The same problems that plagued last year’s group have persisted — eyes in the backfield, blown coverages, missed tackles — on the league’s worst defense against the pass. Texas A&M’s picked off a league-low four passes.

Staying put for now

  • Lorenzo Ward, South Carolina (Defensive coordinator)
  • Karl Dorrell, Vanderbilt (Offensive coordinator)

Ward’s earned a mulligan after losing two All-Americans and leading a defense that’s been ranked in the SEC’s Top 5 since 2011, right? The veteran coach has struggled finding lineups that fit his scheme and the early switch to a 3-4 backfired. Over the last two games, the Gamecocks have forced six turnovers and moving linebacker Skai Moore to the middle seems to have put this unit in the best position to make plays. Help is on the way with a top recruiting class and the Will Muschamp rumors (to replace Ward) have subsided … This season started off on a sour note for Vanderbilt’s offense and last weekend’s 51-point stinker at Mississippi State didn’t help, but the Commodores have moved the football at a more consistent rate since Derek Mason and Dorrell moved Johnny McCrary into the starting quarterback role. Dorrell was one of Mason’s key hires as a first-year head coach and he’s not going anywhere regardless of Saturday’s result against Tennessee. Next year will be a different story if Vanderbilt’s offense continues to struggle.