16. Jeff Lebby- Mississippi State

While Jeff Lebby may be an offensive mastermind and someone I think is a good hire for Mississippi State, he is a first-time head coach and, unfortunately, comes in at 16th.  Lebby has made a name for himself designing and executing offense at the highest levels of college football.  As Offensive Coordinator at UCF, Ole Miss, and most recently, Oklahoma, Lebby’s offenses have always put up a boatload of points.  However, we will see if this success will translate as a Head Coach in the toughest conference in the country. 

15. Sam Pittman- Arkansas

I hate ranking Sam Pittman this low on the list because I really do love him as a person and he is an amazing Offensive Line Coach.  However, it seems like he just isn’t quite cut out to be a Head Coach in the SEC. After taking over in the unusual 2020 season, Pittman posted one of the best records Arkansas has had in recent memory, going 9-4 in 2021.  Unfortunately, since then, it has only gone downhill going 11-14 over the next two seasons.  Pittman sits near the top of most preseason coaching “hot seat” rankings so we will see if he can retain his job into 2025.  

14. Clark Lea- Vanderbilt

Taking over as Head Coach of the Commodores in 2021, Clark Lea was put in an almost impossible position.  Other than James Franklin, essentially no coach has ever won at Vanderbilt and it is one of the hardest jobs in the country.  I think Lea has done a pretty good job all things considered but it is tough to rank him due to the vastly different circumstances around his program.  Lea has gone 9-27 over three seasons, highlighted by a 5-7 season in 2022 that saw them take down both Florida and Kentucky.  With a win total of 2.5 going into 2024, it doesn’t look like things are getting any easier for Lea.  

13. Billy Napier- Florida

While Sam Pittman certainly is ranked in all of the preseason “hot seat” lists, Billy Napier will be number one on every single one of them.  Napier began his career at Louisiana where he was extremely successful.  In four seasons, he racked up an impressive 40-12 record and even had the Ragin’ Cajuns ranked in the Top 25 in each of his final two seasons.  Following this success, Napier took the job at Florida, a position that comes with high expectations.  Unfortunately for Napier, he has yet to meet those expectations.  Through two seasons, he has amassed an underwhelming 11-14 record, with the Gators yet to finish over .500.  To make matters worse, the Gators have arguably the hardest schedule in college football history in 2024, so it will be interesting to see if Napier can somehow keep his job into next year.

12. Shane Beamer- South Carolina

Shane Beamer has had such an interesting career.  Being the son of legendary coach Frank Beamer, Shane followed in his dad’s footsteps and has worked his way up the coaching ladder.  Taking over at South Carolina in 2021, Beamer got off to a pretty good start with the Gamecocks.  In a year when the Gamecocks were picked in the preseason as one of the worst teams in the conference, Beamer led the group to a gritty 7-6 season, culminating in a victory over rival North Carolina in the bowl game. In year two, the Gamecocks took another step forward, going 8-5 and knocking off 5th-ranked Tennessee 63-38 and 8th-ranked rival Clemson in the process.  However, after a 5-7 season last year and losing most of their offensive starters, the Gamecocks are stuck in a tough spot in the new SEC.

11. Brett Venables- Oklahoma

Having a coach like Brett Venables rank as low as 11th on this list just goes to show how great the SEC coaches are.  After being the Defensive Coordinator at Clemson under Dabo Swinney for ten seasons, Venables accepted the job at Oklahoma.  Venables went 6-7 in year one, but rebounded with a 10-3 season last year that saw them finally improve the defense.  For years under Lincoln Riley, the Sooners were always very good, but their defense consistently held them back from taking the next step. It seems like Venables is finally improving that side of the ball while also keeping the offense elite.  Fresh off a six-year contract extension from Oklahoma, Venables has the Sooners moving in the right direction going into year one in the SEC.  

10. Mike Elko- Texas A&M

My selection on this list for the coach to take the biggest leap in next year’s rankings would easily be Mike Elko.  After being the Defensive Coordinator at Texas A&M under the best years of Jimbo Fisher’s tenure, Elko took the Head Coach position at Duke.  With extreme academic limitations and a history of losing, Duke isn’t exactly the easiest job in college football. However, Elko went in and immediately found success, going 9-4 in his first year with the Blue Devils.  This marked Duke's best season since 2014, and he followed it up with another solid season, going 7-5 in 2022.  Following this success, Elko left to take the position at Texas A&M, and going into his first year, I think Aggie fans have a lot to be excited about.  With a relatively easy schedule by SEC standards and all of their toughest games at home, A&M has a real shot to make noise and maybe even reach the playoff.   

9. Eli Drinkwitz- Missouri

After one season at Appalachian State that saw them finish with a 12-1 record, Eli Drinkwitz left to take over at Missouri.  At the time, Missouri was in a rough spot as a program. While Gary Pinkel had won games leading the Tigers in 2013 and 2014 in the SEC, it was a period when top programs like Florida, Tennessee, and even Georgia were not operating at peak levels.  Since then, Missouri had struggled to find that success under Barry Odom and so, turned to Drinkwitz.  Going 17-19 through his first three seasons, Drinkwitz was on somewhat of a hot seat going into last year.  However, Drinkwitz’s team finally put it all together, going 11-2 and winning the Cotton Bowl over Ohio State.  Not only that, but they also return a lot of their offensive stars like receiver Luther Burden, so Missouri should be poised for another great year in 2024. 

8. Hugh Freeze- Auburn

While Hugh Freeze may have his flaws off the field, he certainly can coach on the field and has brought multiple programs a lot of success.  After a 10-2 season at Arkansas State in 2011, Freeze accepted the job at Ole Miss and quickly reinvigorated the program.  While Ole Miss had seen quick spurts of success under previous head coaches, Freeze seemed to bring that success consistently on an uphill trajectory.  Going up from seven wins in his first season to ten by his fourth year, including wins over Alabama in back-to-back seasons and a Cotton Bowl win in 2015, Freeze seemed to be the guy for Ole Miss.  However, a scandal revolving around paying players and alleged phone calls to escorts forced Freeze’s resignation.  In 2019, Freeze took over at Liberty and proceeded to go 34-15 in four seasons as Head Coach.  Following this success, Freeze took over at Auburn. While they only went 6-7 last season, Freeze has been incredible in recruiting elite talent and should soon have Auburn relevant again on the national stage.

7. Josh Heupel- Tennessee

When Josh Heupel was hired at Tennessee in 2021, I was extremely skeptical.  At the time, it was reported that he wasn’t exactly their primary candidate for the position and I thought they were settling.  However, he has been extremely successful and seems to have the Vols heading in the right direction.  Beginning at UCF in 2018, Heupel took over after the success of Scott Frost and filled his shoes nicely, going 28-8 in three seasons.  He then took his high-powered, vertical spread offense to Knoxville and went 7-6 in his first year. While they only finished with a 7-6 record, the Vols were extremely potent on offense, scoring 40+ points seven times in the 2021 season.  This was followed by Tennessee's best season since 2001, with the Vols going 11-2 and securing notable wins over top-ranked Alabama and Clemson in the Orange Bowl.  After another solid 9-4 season last year and a lot of star production returning, the Vols could be on pace for the playoff in 2024.  

6. Lane Kiffin- Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin has had a rollercoaster of a career in coaching.  Getting his first head coaching job with Tennessee in 2009, he was thrown into the fire early.  After a 7-6 first season, he shocked everyone (and forever ruined his reputation in Knoxville) when he left to accept the job at USC.  At USC, Kiffin saw mild success, but after a rocky 0-2 start in conference play, he was fired midway through his fourth season.  Following this, he took over as Alabama’s Offensive Coordinator and was extremely successful.  He revamped Alabama’s offense from a slow, pro-style offense to an up-tempo, vertical attack and rebounded this success into the Head Coach position at Florida Atlantic (FAU).  At FAU, Kiffin went 26-13 over three seasons and proceeded to accept the job at Ole Miss.  Now, with the Rebels, Kiffin has elevated the program into a consistent winner. Heading into 2024, they may have a legitimate National Championship contender, something that Ole Miss is not accustomed to.  With one of, if not the best transfer class in the country, highlighted by defensive stars Walter Nolan (Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (Florida), we will see if Ole Miss can live up to these vast expectations.   

5. Mark Stoops- Kentucky

What Mark Stoops has done for Kentucky football is nothing short of remarkable.  Prior to Stoops hiring in 2013, Kentucky had solid regular seasons, but hadn’t finished above 7-5 since 1984.  Since taking over for Kentucky, Stoops has completely changed expectations for the Wildcats and has elevated the program to a new level.  After three seasons that saw them miss bowl eligibility, the Wildcats have now made a bowl game in eight straight seasons, an unprecedented accomplishment for the program.  Kentucky has also had two 10-win seasons under Stoops in 2018 and 2021, something that hadn’t been done since 1977.  Overall, Stoops’ .533 career winning percentage is the best that Kentucky has seen since Bear Bryant in 1953.  While you may not have seen Kentucky in the College Football Playoff competing for national championships, what Stoops has done in Lexington is unprecedented, and he should continue to elevate their program.

4. Brian Kelly- LSU

Brian Kelly has been an elite head coach dating all the way back to 1991 with Grand Valley State.  Winning two Division II National Championships and going 118-35-2 over 13 seasons, Kelly was a proven winner and moved up to the Division 1 level.  At both Central Michigan and Cincinnati, Kelly produced winning teams and even got the Bearcats to back-to-back BCS bowl games in 2008 and 2009.  After this success, Notre Dame hired Kelly and it proved to be an outstanding decision.  In just his third season, Kelly led the Irish to a 12-0 season and an appearance in the National Championship game.  Overall, Kelly put up an 113-40 record over 12 seasons and got the Irish into the College Football Playoff multiple times.  After being hired at LSU in 2022, Kelly is 20-7 over two seasons and had a Heisman winner in Jayden Daniels last season.  While Kelly is no doubt an outstanding coach that should win a lot of games at LSU, it does slightly worry me how bad the defense was last year and that they couldn’t capitalize on the greatness of Jayden Daniels.

3. Steve Sarkisian- Texas

 Starting his career as the Head Coach of Washington, Steve Sarkisian was immediately given an impossible task.  While Washington may be great now, Sarkisian took over following an 0-12 season and was tasked with rebuilding the program.  While he may not have elevated them into the national spotlight, he certainly rebuilt them into a much better place than where he found them, going 34-29 over five seasons before accepting the job at USC. At USC, Sarkisian dealt with personal issues and was let go midway through his second season. After overcoming those challenges and finding success as Alabama’s Offensive Coordinator under Nick Saban, Sarkisian accepted the job at Texas and has thrived.  He is currently 25-14 through three seasons but has improved each year, culminating in a 12-2 season last year where the Longhorns won the Big 12 and made an appearance in the College Football Playoff.  Overall, I love Coach Sarkisian.  Not only is he a great offensive mind, but he has overcome a lot of tough personal obstacles in his life and seems to be a great leader and role model for his players.  

2. Kalen Deboer- Alabama

In nine years as a college football Head Coach, Kalen DeBoer has only lost 12 games.  While five of these seasons were with NAIA program Sioux Falls, it doesn’t take away from his astounding success.  After winning three NAIA National Championships with the Cougars, DeBoer jumped up to the Division 1 level as an Offensive Coordinator.  After a few years of continuing to move up the ranks, DeBoer accepted the head coaching position at Fresno State in 2020.  DeBoer continued to win and accepted the same job at Washington after going 9-3 in 2021.  At Washington, DeBoer was nothing short of incredible.  Going 25-3 over two seasons, DeBoer went 11-2 in his first season before leading Washington to its best season in school history.  Going 12-0 through the regular season, winning the Pac-12 Championship, and then taking down Texas in the playoff semifinal, DeBoer took the Huskies to heights it had never been before.  He moved on to Alabama in 2024 and is the successor to the legendary Nick Saban.  While replacing the greatest coach in the sport’s history is no easy task, there are few better than DeBoer and the Tide are in good hands moving forward.  

1. Kirby Smart- Georgia

With the combination of Nick Saban retiring and Georgia winning back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022, there is no doubt on the best coach in the nation.  After being Alabama’s Defensive Coordinator for eight seasons, Kirby Smart was hired by Georgia to elevate the program to Alabama’s level.  Under previous coach Mark Richt, the Bulldogs were consistent winners. Richt was there for 15 seasons and consistently had them winning 10+ games, but could never quite get them to the National Championship. That is exactly what Kirby Smart was hired to do: win National Championships.  Taking over in 2016, Smart has an overall record of 94-16 and an absurd 56-9 record in SEC play.  If you remove the Covid-19 season in 2020, he has guided them to over 10 wins every year except his first, and, of course, won back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022.  As they head into 2024, Georgia looks to be on track for more glory, with star quarterback Carson Beck returning, a quietly strong receiving corps, and a defense that is expected to be elite once again.  Simply put, there is nobody better than Kirby Smart and as long as he resides in Athens, the Bulldogs will be championship contenders.