Hot Seat Rankings: Will anyone follow Muschamp at end of season?
The moment we’d all been waiting for finally arrived last Sunday when Florida announced it was firing Will Muschamp at the end of the season. The Gators made the announcement one day after they blew a late lead in a home loss to South Carolina, noting Muschamp would coach the rest of the regular season before being terminated.
With “Coach Boom” now off the hot seat and onto the unemployment line, are there any other SEC head coaches likely to follow after the season? Probably not, but let’s talk about a couple of the coaches who may be on the hot seat in the near future:
1. Derek Mason: To be blunt, Vanderbilt has been terrible this season. The Commodores’ struggles have been well-documented, and while no one thought Mason would keep Vandy at a nine-win level in his first year, it’s also been a surprise just how bad this team is. Mason’s saving graces are that he is a first-time head coach in his first year in the SEC, and that he’s running a freshman-heavy program with upside. However, that also means Mason will have to start showing improvements perhaps as soon as next season to get fans and administrators to buy into his plan as head coach. If Vandy is as bad next year as it is this year, Mason could find himself on the hot seat.
2. Mark Stoops: Kentucky has extended Stoops’ contract twice in the last 15 months, but suddenly his Kentucky program is flatlining in a very weak SEC East. The Cats have lost five straight games by double figures and are about to miss a bowl game after beginning the year 5-1. Worse yet, they’ve allowed 113 points in their last two games, allowing 50 in just three quarters to Tennessee last week. Stoops had this program moving forward at a rapid pace, but it has hit a wall in SEC play and can’t seem to find a way over it. Stoops is certain to return next season, but he needs to start moving Kentucky forward again in order to maintain the same job security he enjoys now.
3. Lorenzo Ward: Ward is not a head coach, but he could find himself on the hot seat after the season nonetheless. South Carolina’s defensive coordinator has led the SEC’s worst defense in 2014, ranking near the bottom of the nation in sacks and tackles for loss while ranking last in the SEC in scoring defense. The Gamecocks have been unable to stop anyone in the conference this season, and with Muschamp available as a possible defensive coordinator candidate at a number of schools, Ward could find himself out of a job in a matter of weeks. A lot can happen between now and the end of the season, but the Gamecocks defense has a lot of awful performances to make up for to salvage something out of this season.