Biggest spring worries for SEC coaches on hot seat
For some, spring football is a time to reload, to coach up a group of new players, and to look forward to the fall with excitement. For others, it’s time to worry — specifically so for coaches on the hot seat.
We look at five SEC coaches whose seats are a bit warm — and on particular worries they’re dealing with this spring.
1. Butch Jones, Tennessee: Who’s the QB?
Tennessee (along with Ole Miss) was one of the major disappointments of the 2016 season — which is scary because Butch Jones’ team continued to lean heavily on QB Joshua Dobbs.
In his career, Dobbs passed for over 7,000 yards and 53 touchdowns and added another 2,160 yards and 32 scores on the ground. But now he’s gone, and on a team where the ground game was uncertain, the receivers were inconsistent, the line was putrid and the defense was lost late in the season, this is no small thing.
Jones will hope that junior Quinten Dormady or redshirt frosh Jarrett Guarantano grabs the QB job, but either (or both) will be hard-pressed to replace Dobbs’ productivity.
2. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: Can they avoid the NCAA hammer (or will the shadow of it slow Ole Miss?)
Ole Miss’s 5-7 2016 season was a surprise. Perhaps the NCAA lowering the hammer on the Rebels isn’t as surprising. But for Freeze, with Ole Miss already self-imposing a 2017 bowl ban, can he keep his job — and perhaps equally difficult, can the Rebels remain relevant?
Even if Freeze doesn’t lose his job, he’ll be coaching a team with two consecutive non-bowl seasons. And if seniors like DE Marquis Haynes decided the jump ship this spring (which in all fairness, Haynes has repeatedly said he won’t do), the Rebels could be so awful on the field that the NCAA stuff becomes secondary. A decimated Ole Miss team that goes 3-9 would bury the Rebels on the recruiting trail and might effectively end Freeze’s time in Oxford as quickly as NCAA penalties.
3. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: Can they end the November slides?
Sumlin is 44-21 at Texas A&M. At the most cut-throat division in college football, that sounds pretty good. But, of course, the reason Sumlin is on the hot seat is that those 44 wins and 21 losses aren’t exactly evenly distributed.
After Halloween, Sumlin’s A&M record over the past four seasons is 9-11. Sumlin’s season win total has similarly gone from 11 to nine to three consecutive years with eight wins.
Can A&M stop the fall swoon? The two main issues that Sumlin will have to revisit are depth — A&M generally matches up well in September and October, but by November, the SEC’s war of attrition is hurting the Aggies — and the team’s culture. Both issues must be corrected in the offseason.
As Chicago Cubs fans can tell you, if you think there’s a curse, sometimes there is a curse. If Sumlin can’t put on his Joe Maddon hat and fix this one, he may be gone sooner rather than later.
4. Jim McElwain, Florida: Can they score some points?
It sounds silly. All McElwain has done is win his division in both of his seasons at Florida. But for a program that moved up from the SEC’s basement on the strength of Steve Spurrier’s Fun ‘N’ Gun, there’s been a steady stream of grumbling against McElwain’s offensively challenged squads.
The good news for McElwain is that he has the pieces in place to fix his worry. Receiver Antonio Callaway, running back Jordan Scarlett, and talented redshirt freshman QB Feleipe Franks could all be among the best players at their position in the SEC. Florida’s offensive line has regained valuable experience in the past two seasons. So McElwain has hopes of lighting up scoreboards in ’17 — which is good, because if he doesn’t, he’ll be lighting up his own hot seat.
5. Barry Odom, Missouri: Can he recapture any momentum?
Odom’s 2016 debut campaign was a disaster. The Missouri team he inherited was a bit down, and a tough first year did little to fix it. Problem is, Missouri isn’t exactly a fertile recruiting ground, and there aren’t an abundance of reasons for optimism within the Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class.
Odom will probably revisit last year’s season-ending 28-24 win over Arkansas, where his Missouri team simply wanted the game more, despite the game meaning much less to the Tigers. Odom will need those types of effort to maintain any sort of forward momentum for Mizzou. Otherwise, he is a second year coach who won’t see many more years.
Why SDS sems to have a chub for Jones is beyond me. Maybe he’s seen the poor journalism from y’all and doesn’t give y’all the time of day.
But SDS really needs a better source from KTOWN other than Bryanchip. Not only is Jones NOT on the hottest seat in the SEC but his seat barely above room temp.
Pressure? Absolutely it’s Tennessee and there’s always pressure. But you fools are way over your skis on this as well as most subjects pertaining to UT.
Put it this way, LSU fired Les Miles because he essentially plateau’d as a Head Coach. We could expect a similar performance from him each year. He couldn’t seem to break new ground with his team. Same thing goes for Butch. It appears he doesn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve. He just isn’t taking the team to new heights.
Apples and oranges with your comparison. If in 3 or 4 years from now UT is still at the same level then your point will be valid. Don’t forget UT is just a few short years from a all time program low to 3 straight bowl wins and back to back 9 wins. Also for some strange reason SDS and other members of our now horrible sports media refuse to acknowledge that 16 starters from last year’s team played in 3 or fewer games all year.
Jones is nowhere near the hot seat no matter how much the poor journalists we rely on want to write. There are a number of reasons why he is safe for at least 3 more seasons.
I miss the days when we could count on the sports media to actually do their job and know the facts. But sadly now it’s all about click bait (yes I’m part of that too) and suck up to top coaches for “access” instead of true journalism.
I sincerely hope you’re right.
He is coming into the hotaeat. Those back to back gem recruiting classes are coming up to maturity this year.
They kind of have to take that next leap or he’s in the cooker deep
One more thing for the brilliance that is SDS. Where is Fat boy from Arkansas? He is on a MUCH hotter seat than Odom, Jones and Mac. LOL
No he is not. You might want to worry about Sgt. Carter winning the east, & not a coach from Arkansas. Also, your ad hominem attack on the Arkansas coach comes off as Catty, and a we bit jealous.
The fact that you equate a team who went 5-7 to one who went 9-4, shows your bias or ignorance. How is Tennessee ground game uncertain? Kelly is proven, and Chandler is a top 5 recruit at his position. And I will guarantee the defense will be better, as long as every position isn’t decimated by injuries.
VM you’re absolutely correct. But Crist and others would rather try to create news instead of report on it. Hell, just the other day they actually wrote in a story that Dobbs was a polarizing figure at UT!!! LOL
Crist isn’t equating Ole Miss to Tennessee. You’re misunderstanding the article. These teams would, essentially, be separated by a semicolon. Just because the two teams are on the same list doesn’t necessarily mean they’re being compared to each other. There’s more than one way for a coach’s seat to get hot. He’s not comparing Ole Miss to Tennessee in case none of this made sense – just take my word for it.
I didn’t think he was comparing UT and Ole Miss.
I wasn’t talking to you. Look at where my post is and figure out which Reply button I hit to put it where it is.
Insert Bielema here, his seat is much hotter than Jim’s at Florida for sure!
Not really. Mac was hired as an offensive guru. His offenses have ranked lower than Muschamps and now the elite defense is gone.
It’s pretty simple really – if the offense doesn’t climb into the top 60, Florida turns into a 7-5 or worse team.
Tennessee fans are so delusional
Psssst hey man, not sure if you know this or not. But this is a FOOTBALL forum.
Jones will be at UT at least 3 more years. By then Stoops will be fired and whomever the new coach is will be on the hot seat.
Jones will be at UT at least 3 more years? You’re delusional. Nothing he’s done thus far shows he will be here for 3 more years. I sure hope not.