There was only one head coaching change made in the SEC this offseason, as the Will Muschamp saga at Florida came to an end when he was let go as coach of the Gators and subsequently replaced by Jim McElwain.
The conference’s 13 other head coaches all maintained their jobs for another year, and 11 of those coaches led their teams to bowl eligibility in 2014.
But which coaches from around the conference might begin next season on the proverbial hot seat? It’s tough to say any coaches are on the cusp of unemployment, but here are the four coaches facing the most heat from their fan bases this offseason:
1. Derek Mason: The Commodores head coach finished 3-9 in his first season in Nashville, which would have more or less met the standards at Vanderbilt had it not come on the heels of back to back nine-win seasons to close the James Franklin era. Mason replaced both his coordinators this offseason and will take a more hands-on approach next season by calling the defensive plays himself, showing there’s some urgency to return Vanderbilt to the postseason sooner than later. Vandy is not looking for a reason to fire Mason — a no-nonsense coach with a proven track record as a coordinator — but if the Commodores cannot improve to at least four wins in 2015 he may find himself on the hot seat quicker than expected.
2. Les Miles: To clarify, Miles is not on the hot seat this offseason and, frankly, it’s completely unfair to Miles that his name appears on this list. But such is the culture that surrounds LSU football. The Tigers have won at least eight games for 15 straight years, the last 10 of which occurred during the Miles era, and no coach has put more talent into the NFL than Miles has since arriving in Baton Rouge. Nevertheless, an 8-5 season in 2014 coupled with the lack of a quarterback coupled with defensive coordinator John Chavis’ departure from the program creates a storm that many attribute to Miles. If LSU does not contend for an SEC West crown in 2015, there’s a chance fans will start to believe the Miles era in Baton Rouge has run its course, regardless of whether or not that’s actually the case. Again, this is probably unfair, but those are the expectations at LSU.
3. Mark Richt: Much like Miles, it’s unfair to Richt that his name has to appear on this list after what he’s accomplished at Georgia since the turn of the century. But fans of the Dawgs have grown impatient after 10 years without a conference title, and impatience is one way to begin down the path to the hot seat. Richt is among the most accomplished coaches in UGA history, but he appeared in just three BCS bowl games between 2001-13 and is winless in his last two SEC title games. Georgia has sustained success in the Richt era, but it hasn’t been the title contender it expects to be year in and year out. Even after signing a contract extension in the last week, if Richt can only win 9-10 games next season and can’t content for a playoff bid, fans will once again cry for a change at the top.
4. Mark Stoops: Kentucky’s head coach has done nothing but grow the Wildcats program since he arrived in the Bluegrass in December of 2012. However, he’s posted a 7-17 record the last two seasons, including a 2-14 record in the conference, and his Cats lost six straight games to close the 2014 season, falling short of bowl eligibility in the process. Stoops kept recruiting guru Vince Marrow from bolting to Michigan, and his young core of talent continues to develop and emerge, but if Kentucky falls short of the postseason out of a wide open SEC East once again in 2015, fans may begin to get antsy. Remember, Joker Phillips only had three years at the helm of the program, and one of those featured a bowl invite. Stoops has the program trending up while Phillips had it trending down, but if UK doesn’t continue to trend up next season that could be reason for concern.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
