Three SEC coaches who could find themselves on the hot seat

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables. Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Three SEC coaches who could find themselves on the hot seat

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated May 18, 2026 2:45 PM ET

The phrase "it just means more" has come to define the SEC, for better or worse, over the years. There is at least some truth in it, though, and with the massive amounts of passion for SEC football comes tons of pressure on the coaches leading programs.

In 2025, the coaching carousel rocked the SEC. Five SEC programs fired their coaches while, another, Ole Miss, lost its coach to an SEC rival in LSU.

The expansion of the College Football Playoff, as well as NIL and revenue sharing, has only increased expectations for coaches and teams. With that increase in expectations comes mounting pressure, and frustration can boil over into big moves, like a coach firing.

So, with all of that in mind, you can probably expect some massive moves this season too. Here are three of those coaches to keep an eye on in 2026, even if toe hasn't met leather just yet.

Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks

In 2024, the South Carolina Gamecocks were on the edge of the CFP. That set up some massive expectations in 2025, with plenty of talent returning. Instead Beamer saw his team come up massively short, going just 4-8 overall and 1-7 in SEC play.

Beamer has been the head coach at South Carolina since 2021. In that time, he's gone 33-30, been to three bowls and had two Top 25 finishes. However, in two of the last three seasons, the Gamecocks have also missed a bowl. There's talent in South Carolina. Beamer is going to need to win more consistently to avoid the hot seat.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma fans embraced Venables, in no small part because he isn't Lincoln Riley, when he took over in 2022. However, since then, the Sooners have been consistently inconsistent.

In two of Venables' four seasons, the Sooners won just six games. The other two, Oklahoma won 10 games, including a CFP appearance a season ago. For a program that was pretty consistently in the four-team CFP, let alone the 12-team version, that inconsistency isn't good enough. An 8-8 SEC record over the last two seasons is also a concern. If Venables sees another valley in his Oklahoma tenure, he could be in trouble.

Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Mississippi State Bulldogs have been in a very difficult position since the untimely death of Mike Leach. Jeff Lebby eventually took over for a total rebuild in 2024. All of this coincided with the rise in NIL, revenue sharing and the transfer portal, areas in which it appears Mississippi State falling behind its SEC peers.

In Lebby's first two seasons, he's gone just 7-18 overall and 1-15 in SEC play. With five wins in 2025, the Bulldogs failed to make a bowl game. On the positive side, 2025 saw a three-win improvement from 2024. So, if Lebby can keep showing that growth, it shouldn't take a great season to save his job. At the same time, if three years in the Bulldogs aren't finishing with a winning record, it's hard to imagine he won't be on the hot seat.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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