ESPN’s ‘wild’ predictions for 2026 include 6 SEC coaching jobs opening up
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The SEC just saw a crazy coaching carousel season in 2025.
Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU, leaving Pete Golding as the full-time coach of the Rebels. Kentucky replaced Mark Stoops with Will Stein. At Florida, Billy Napier is out and Jon Sumrall is in. At Auburn, new coach Alex Golesh is taking over for Hugh Freeze.
And finally, at Arkansas, the Razorbacks are heading into 2026 with Ryan Silverfield as their head coach instead of Sam Pittman.
For those keeping score at home, that’s 6 SEC programs with new head coaches as we prepare for the 2026 season.
Surely this year’s coaching carousel will be quieter in the South, right?
Right?
Well, maybe not.
On Thursday, ESPN’s college football experts put together 10 wild predictions for the 2026 season, and one of the sections projects that the SEC will once again have 6 coaching changes:
Six SEC coaching jobs come open: This would seem like a high number given the half-dozen jobs that opened in the league a year ago, but dig into the details and it’s not impossible. Fans believe Kalen DeBoer must win to fend off the torches and pitchforks in Tuscaloosa. Shane Beamer has had his share of success at South Carolina, but should the Gamecocks post another ugly season after last year’s 4-8 campaign, a change could come. The rumblings in Knoxville have largely been limited to the message board zealots, but what happens to Josh Heupel if Tennessee falters with an inexperienced QB and a tough schedule, and ends up struggling to get to a bowl? Is Pete Golding safe for a while after last year’s playoff run, or could he end up being Matt Luke 2.0 if things don’t go well in 2026? How much more patience will Mississippi State have with Jeff Lebby after a 1-15 start in SEC play? Brent Venables has been up and down at Oklahoma, and now the AD who hired him is gone. Then consider that Mike Elko, Clark Lea and Eli Drinkwitz garnered some attention in the coaching carousel last year, making it entirely possible they could bolt for another job if the timing feels right in 2026. Then there’s always the wild card — Kirby Smart hangs it up? Steve Sarkisian heads to the NFL? Lane Kiffin decides to live full time on the moon? — that no one sees coming.
I’ll go out on a limb and say that I don’t think Kirby Smart will be calling it quits at Georgia any time soon, but hey… crazy things do happen in the Southeastern Conference.
We’ll have to wait and see what sort of madness the 2026 season brings.
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Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
