Unlike last year, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is not starting the 2026 college football season on the hot seat. Let's make that clear up front. But his seat still isn't as cool as other coaches throughout the SEC because he still must meet OU expectations and can never get too comfortable.
I ranked SEC coaches from who has the coldest seat to the hottest. That included four tiers to help divide things because not all situations are equal. There's "Untouchable," "New hires still on their honeymoon," "Still need to win in 2026," and "Fans already know the buyout number."
Untouchable are the guys in no danger, those first-year hires will obviously get more than one season barring something catastrophic, some coaches aren't on the hot seat right now but still can be, and then some coaches already have fans ready to move on, whether warranted or not. Venables is somewhere in the midst of all that.
Ranking SEC coaches from coldest to hottest seat in 2026
Untouchable
The Bulldogs are back-to-back SEC champs and Kirby Smart has Georgia as probably the college football program of this decade. Retirement is probably the only way we ever see Smart leave his alma mater.
Clark Lea has Vanderbilt relevant, which might be a more impressive accomplishment than winning a national title anywhere else. Even with quarterback Diego Pavia (finally) gone, the Commodores will probably replace him with five-star recruit Jared Curtis. Yes, Vandy has a five-star player. What a time. And that's why Lea won't be going anywhere until a different program eventually lures him away.
Mike Elko has almost made Texas A&M the program that its fan base thinks it is in just two seasons and had the Aggies in the CFP last season. Aggie fans could turn on Elko quick, though, but it would still take more than just one disappointing season for Elko's seat to get warm.
Although somewhat disappointing last season at 8-5, Eliah Drinkwitz has still made himself pretty comfortable at Missouri after a pair double digit-win seasons in 2023 and '24. His situation could change if things get worse in 2026, but after a hefty extension, the Tigers are set on keeping Drinkwitz around.
New hires still on their honeymoon
Even if Will Stein ends up being a bad hire, it will take a bit for anyone in Kentucky to even realize it since he doesn't coach basketball. The Wildcats held onto Mark Stoops for way too long, so Stein also probably has an extendable leash.
Expectations might have changed at Ole Miss thanks to Lane Kiffin, but when he left for LSU, Pete Golding, then the defensive coordinator, was the Rebels' knight in shining armor to lead them into the CFP. That alone will buy Golding some extra time in Oxford no matter how quickly things go south in Oxford.
Arkansas might have just decided to be a basketball school, which only takes pressure off Ryan Silverfield, who came from Memphis. Don't expect an instant turnaround for the Razorbacks, but Silverfield will definitely get some time to right the ship.
Life has been rough at Auburn, so folks there have either gotten used to it or will be impatient when it comes to how fast Alex Golesh can make things better. Either way, the Tigers won't be an SEC power anytime soon.
Jon Sumrall just got to Florida from Tulane, but the pressure is already on when leading the Gators. No matter how low Florida got under Billy Napier, don't be surprised if some fans are already calling for Sumrall's job if Year 1 goes poorly.
LSU threw the world at Lane Kiffin to get him to leave Ole Miss, where he had a playoff team in 2025 and probably again this year if he stayed. What that means is that the Tigers expect instant results from Kiffin. If it's not a home-run hire in the first inning, things will heat up quickly in Louisiana. That's why Kiffin is higher than every other first-year hire.
Still need to win in 2026
Jeff Lebby at Mississippi State was the hardest one to rank because of where he's at. He could just have easily been down there in the teens just ahead of Eli Drinkwitz. The Bulldogs were clearly better in Year 2 under Lebby and headed in the right direction, but he also still hasn't put together a winning season. What happens if that happens a third time? What's become acceptable at Mississippi State?
Josh Heupel hasn't had a losing season yet at Tennessee, but after making the CFP in 2025, the Vols struggled at 8-5 last season. A disappointing 2026 wouldn't cost Heupel his job, but it would definitely have him on the hot seat this time next year.
Some believe Steve Sarkisian's seat at Texas is rather chilly right now, but the temperature can turn up real quick in Austin. Sarkisian has unlimited resources that just helped him lure in one of the best transfer hauls in college football with Arch Manning already at quarterback. If Sark doesn't make the CFP again with all that talent, then the Longhorns' eyes will start to wander, looking for the next big hire that can.
Even after leading the Sooners to the CFP, Brent Venables still isn't unfireable. There's a reason he had one of the hottest seats in college football only a year ago, so after two 10-win seasons and two losing seasons, Venables is basically even again going into Year 5, not ahead.
Venables seems to be the right guy for the Sooners and headed in the right direction, but losing to Texas for a third time in a row coupled with a few more losses in 2026 would change the narrative quick in Norman.
Read more: Analysts who think Brent Venables' job at Oklahoma is safe should probably think again
Fans already know the buyout number
Kalen DeBoer just had the Crimson Tide in the CFP, but the pressure is on as that's still really not good enough at Alabama. That's life in Tuscaloose, though, especially after replacing a legend in Nick Saban. Even last year fans were wanting DeBoer fired. Most of the fan base probably knows what it takes to cut ties with DeBoer, and at Bama, all it takes is one average season to get out the scissors.
Somehow, Shane Beamer survived last season and still has a job. But with LaNorris Sellers back at quarterback and what's supposed to be a solid defense, it won't take much failure in 2026 for South Carolina to pull the trigger. The Sooners host South Carolina on Halloween, but there's a chance Beamer won't be making a return to Norman.
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