More than one-fourth of the SEC’s head coaches are entering their third years on the job in 2015, and this year will prove itself to be a pivotal one for all four third-year coaches.

Arkansas’ Bret Bielema, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops and Tennessee’s Butch Jones have all done plenty to grow their respective programs the last two seasons, but Year 3 could be a make-or-break year for all four coaches.

Malzahn must prove his SEC title in 2013 was no fluke by rebounding from last year’s five-loss debacle; Jones must continue growing Tennessee and implementing the tremendous number of touted recruits he’s attracting to Knoxville; Bielema must make the most out of the return of his two star tailbacks, and Stoops must do what the other three coaches have already done in leading their teams to bowl appearances.

How do all four coaches compare to one another after two years in the SEC? Which coach has the best future outlook entering Year 3? Take a look at our evaluation of all four coaches below:

BRET BIELEMA

Record (SEC record): 10-15 (2-14)

Accomplishments in first two seasons: It took Bielema until the final month of his second season at Arkansas to finally win an SEC game, but once his Hogs broke through in conference play it opened the doors to a strong finish to the 2014 season. Arkansas posted back to back shutouts of ranked SEC foes when it won games against LSU and Ole Miss in November, and those wins remains Bielema’s only conference wins since arriving in Fayetteville. However, he’s 7-1 outside the conference in two seasons as coach of the Razorbacks, and his Arkansas offense boasted two 1,000-yard rushers this season while averaging nearly 32 points per game.

Future outlook: Arkansas has taken great strides since bringing on Bielema as its head coach, improving from 3-9 in 2013 to 7-6 with a bowl victory in 2014. All signs indicate the Hogs will continue their growth in Bielema’s third season, as the team stands to return a number of productive starters, including quarterback Brandon Allen and both 1,000-yard rushers (Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams). The Arkansas defense underwent a dramatic improvement in 2014, and although players like Trey Flowers and Darius Philon are moving on to the next level there still appears to be a proven system in place that can maximize the impact of the Razorbacks’ returning defenders next season. The grueling SEC West won’t do Arkansas any favors, and Bielema still must hire a new offensive coordinator to replace Jim Chaney, but if the head coach makes the right hire there are plenty of reasons to believe Bielema’s third year will be his best yet.

BUTCH JONES

Record (SEC record): 12-13 (5-11)

Accomplishments in first two seasons: Jones took over a Tennessee program reeling from its three years under former head man Derek Dooley, and in less than two seasons Jones’ Vols began showing flashes of the greatness they personified in the 1990s and early 2000s. Tennessee maintained a 5-7 mark in Jones’ first season on the job, then improved to 7-6 this season while earning UT’s first bowl berth since 2010 and first bowl victory since 2007. UT has begun stockpiling talented recruits during the Jones era, hauling in back to back top 25 recruiting classes including the No. 7 class last year. Those recruits have already begun paying dividends, and not only has Jones turned UT back into a legitimate program in the SEC, he’s made it a coveted destination for top talents in the coming years.

Future outlook: To pick up where we just left off, Jones’ recruiting prowess should translate into even greater success in the next handful of seasons. Tennessee boasts the No. 3 recruiting class in America as of Jan. 19, and it will return almost all of its key contributors from this season, which should help the team continue to grow as it attracts and implements new talents every year. The SEC East is as down as its ever been, but UT is trending upward as the rest of the division is trending downward. This could result in a stretch of dominance by the Vols on their side of the SEC, thanks in large part to Jones’ abilities as both a recruiter and talent developer.

GUS MALZAHN

Record (SEC record): 20-7 (11-5)

Accomplishments in first two seasons: Malzahn took over an Auburn team that finished 2-10 in 2012 and elevated it to SEC champion and national runner-up in his first year on the job. The head coach’s unorthodox spread option offense continues to perplex opposing defenses, and no coach in the conference has done more to capitalize on dynamic athleticism than Malzahn has with his stud athletes the last two years. Auburn lost five games this season to take somewhat of a step backward, but it remained ranked in the top 25 for most of the season and still participated in a New Year’s Day bowl game. Malzahn is far and away the most accomplished of the SEC’s four third-year head coaches, and his program is set up for future success better than any other in this discussion, including Jones and Tennessee.

Future outlook: Auburn continues to attract explosive athletes to play in Malzahn’s fast and fun offense, and those athletes should keep Auburn near the top of the SEC West standings for years to come. Malzahn’s only season as a college head coach prior to arriving at Auburn was a 9-3 season at Arkansas State in 2012, which is to say the man has never won fewer than eight games at the FBS level during his brief but successful career. Although the SEC West is stacked with talented teams, Auburn should be in good shape moving forward, especially after Malzahn hired Will Muschamp to lead the Auburn defense. There’s no reason to believe Malzahn’s offense will begin to lag, especially with touted quarterback Jeremy Johnson taking over the offense, and now that Muschamp is in place to lead the defense that side of the ball should be stout as well. Both Malzahn and Muschamp are dynamite recruiters, and together they should maintain Auburn’s standing as an elite program in the conference for the next 5-10 years.

MARK STOOPS

Record (SEC record): 7-17 (2-14)

Accomplishments in first two seasons: In order to fully appreciate what Stoops has accomplished in two years at Kentucky, one must understand the expectations that come with leading the football program at the only true “basketball school” in the SEC. Stoops took over a Kentucky program that went 2-10 in 2012 and boasted virtually no four- or five-star talents on the roster. Although he suffered through another 2-10 season in his first year on the job in 2013, his program began showing major improvements while working some talented freshmen into the lineup. His Wildcats took a massive step forward in 2014, winning five games (more than they won in 2012-13 combined), including two SEC wins, the program’s first since the 2011 season. Once again, UK boasted a top 30 recruiting class, and once again it continued implementing new stud recruits into its lineup against some of the toughest veterans from the conference’s powerhouse programs. The win-loss record is far from admirable, and Stoops is the only coach on this list yet to appear in a bowl game, but he’s grown the program as much as any other coach in the conference has grown their’s since 2013.

Future outlook: Kentucky boasts another top 30 recruiting class this season, and it has finally begun attracting top talents to Lexington on a regular basis thanks to Stoops and recruiting guru Vince Marrow. Its come-from-behind win against South Carolina in 2014 showed the program is capable of hanging with teams from the much weaker SEC East, and it returns far more productive members of this year’s team than it loses, even though UK will bid farewell to star defensive end Bud Dupree. The Kentucky head man also hired Shannon Dawson as his new offensive coordinator, maintaining the Air Raid offense he installed with Near Brown when they first arrived in the Bluegrass in late 2012. Stoops has shown he can attract the talent, he’s shown he can maintain a top-notch staff by hiring Dawson and retaining Marrow, and he’s shown he can coach his team to victory in the SEC after winning two conference games last year. He has the most to prove in 2015 than any of the SEC’s other third-year head coaches, but he certainly has all the tools to finally take UK to a bowl game next season.