After a five-year hiatus, SEC Hot Seats has returned. This league is now bigger than ever, which means the stakes are even higher for head coaches. For the first time since 2018, all SEC head coaches will return from the previous season. That likely will not be the case after this season. The league’s slogan is “it just means more” and no one knows that better than the head men of these football programs.
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Now, who is feeling the pressure going into the 2025 season?
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Sam Pittman inherited a mess of a program when he stepped into Fayetteville. Pittman took over a Razorback which had not won a conference game in the two previous seasons.
Pittman resurrected the program in 2021. The Razorbacks won nine games that season, including the Outback Bowl. The following season resulted in another bowl win at the Liberty Bowl.
However, that success resulted in both coordinators leaving for other jobs. Defensive coordinator Barry Odom would go on to be the head coach at UNLV, and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles would go on to be the offensive coordinator at TCU.
The 2023 season was a disaster for Arkansas. New offensive coordinator Dan Enos was fired midseason after poor offensive showing against winless Mississippi State.
Offensive struggles plagued the Razorbacks as they finished 13th in the SEC in offensive yards per game. Arkansas would finish the season at 4-8 and 1-7 in SEC play.
Pittman came into 2024 season facing immense pressure. He brought in former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino to be his offensive coordinator and former Boise State quarterback Taylen Green. This pair would lead to a dazzling offensive performance in their debut as the Razorbacks put up 70 points in the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
After disappointing losses to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, the Razorbacks’ season and Pittman’s job prospects appeared wobbly. However, an upset over Tennessee restored hope for the Razorbacks.
The momentum from the Tennessee win was not sustained as Arkansas would go on to lose four of their final five SEC games, three of which were by double-digits.
After five seasons, Pittman’s record sits at 30-31 and 14-28 in SEC play. While he did a good job elevating the program early on, he will have to do it again in order to get himself off the hot seat. It will be a tough task considering Arkansas has one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
Billy Napier, Florida
Billy Napier enters his fourth season in Gainesville with a bit of optimism. While Napier’s career has not featured a great deal of success, the Gators did close out the 2024 season on a high note. Florida won their final four games, including signature wins over LSU and Ole Miss. The winning streak came after a surprising vote of confidence from Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin.
Winning four in a row was a nice boost for the program, but the Gators still finished 10th in the SEC. In Stricklin’s letter to Florida fans, he talked about building a championship program. That will be a substantial climb for Napier, whose biggest bowl win at Florida was the Gasparilla Bowl.
Napier has his work cut out for him once again in 2025. The Florida schedule features road trips to Miami, Texas A&M, LSU, and Ole Miss. The Gators also play host to preseason #1 Texas and have their annual showdown in Jacksonville with Georgia.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Mark Stoops is set to begin his 13th season at Kentucky. Not only is Stoops the longest-tenured active coach in the SEC, he is also the longest-tenured football coach in Kentucky history.
Stoops has experienced success that few other Kentucky coaches have. Stoops brought the Wildcats to eight straight bowl games from 2016 through 2023, winning four. He also led the program to ten-win seasons in 2018 and 2021. However, the program has dipped since. Kentucky went 4-8 last season and only had one conference win. The Wildcats knocked off Ole Miss in Oxford, a game that likely kept the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff.
This season Kentucky will have to play spoiler quite a bit to compete in the SEC. Their new quarterback, SEC journeyman Zach Calzada, has experience in that role. The former Texas A&M quarterback guided the Aggies to a victory over Alabama in 2021.
Can Stoops and Calzada cook up some magic in 2025 or has the Stoops era run its course?
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Brent Venables has only finished with a winning record in one of three seasons at Oklahoma. That was in 2023 when the Sooners finished with a record of 10-3.
Last season was Oklahoma’s first in the SEC, and outside of the Alabama game, it was not a warm welcome. The Sooners had a conference record of 2-6. A big reason for their downfall was their offensive futility. Oklahoma was last in the SEC in offensive yards per play (4.81) and second-to-last in points per game (24).
In the current landscape of college football, Oklahoma was able to address this liability in short order. In comes new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State, bringing along his playmaking quarterback John Mateer. Mateer dazzled in 2024, throwing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also added 15 rushing touchdowns, showcasing his dual threat ability.
Mateer is not the only playmaker that Oklahoma brought in this offseason. He will be joined in the backfield by former California running back Jadyn Ott. Ott had an underwhelming season in 2024, but had an impressive 2023 campaign in which he ran for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Mateer and Ott could provide some firepower to an Oklahoma offense looking to rebound. It seems as though Venables’ job depends on it.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
With two straight losing seasons, Hugh Freeze’s second stint in the SEC has not gotten off to a great start. Last season, the Tigers did not even qualify for a bowl game, joining Kentucky and Mississippi State as the only SEC schools not to do so.
The on-field results are only part of the struggle for Freeze, who finds himself being chirped in every direction. Freeze’s golf game has caught the attention of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who has brought it to light on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has also expressed disdain for Freeze.
The constant turmoil within the Auburn program feels all too familiar. Winning cures everything, right? We will see if Freeze can right the ship in 2025.
Brian Kelly, LSU
Brian Kelly has not been shy about what his aspirations are at LSU. Put simply, it is about competing for championships. Since reaching the SEC Championship in his first season at LSU, the Tigers have fallen short of expectations.
One of the great bugaboos of the Kelly era has been season openers. LSU has lost three straight season openers under Kelly, something Tiger fans know all too well. Kelly and the Tigers have a big opportunity to right that wrong this season with a victory in their top ten matchup at Clemson. It appears that message is being promoted heavily within the program.
Getting to 1-0 would certainly ease any doubts within the LSU fanbase, but another season-opening loss, while not crippling, would cause a stir in Baton Rouge.
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One response to “SEC Hot Seats 2025”
Great article but which SWAC coaches do you see on the hot seat for this season? Who is your favorite to win the conference?
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