3 SEC coaches on hot seat entering Week 9 of college football season ft. Billy Napier
The SEC, as the most unforgiving league in college football, will have some coaching changes this offseason. While some of the league's less popular coaches are too new at their spot to get dumped (Jeff Lebby, Hugh Freeze), others aren't so lucky.
In an unforgiving league, it's only natural that some fan bases have been increasingly upset.
Here are 3 SEC head coaches who are on the hot seat heading into Week 9.
3 SEC head coaches on the hot seat entering Week 9
#3. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Yes, Venables, by all rights should be on the list of coaches who are too new to go. After all, he's been at his job for just three years, only a year longer than Hugh Freeze at Auburn. Auburn is even worse than Oklahoma this year.
But Venables couldn't have factored on the move to the SEC. And Oklahoma not only isn't winning in the SEC, they aren't even competing. At present, ESPN's FPI only gives them a 61.8% chance of even squeaking out six wins and bowl eligibility.
Venables is by far the least likely of these three coaches to be moving on, but the hot seat will be turned up a large notch if OU ends up 5-7 or 6-6 in 2024. Two such seasons in three years isn't exactly the standard OU football expects, and the recent firing of his offensive coordinator does not bode well for Venables.
#2. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Kentucky's having an ugly 3-4 season with the least productive offense in the league. And while Mark Stoops is the longest-tenured coach in the league, he's not immune from criticism. Kentucky was already coming off two straight 7-6 seasons and looks fairly likely to miss a bowl for the first time since 2015.
More serious than his record has been Stoops's demeanor. He seems burned out as a coach, having been publicly critical of coaches' expanded roles in the new NIL era. It's hard to imagine Kentucky firing their most productive coach since Bear Bryant, but it's not hard to imagine Stoops moving along one way or another.
#1. Billy Napier, Florida
Yes, the Gators took down Kentucky (for the first time in four years). But Napier is 15-17 and is about to endure the toughest November schedule in recent memory. It would probably take seven wins or more to save Napier's job, but the UF coach is incredibly likely to be canned at the end of 2024.
Even if he somehow were to keep his job, Napier would keep it while being subject to the hottest of hot seats. His tenure at Florida has been an abject disaster and the Gators are continuing a lengthy post-Urban Meyer cold streak.
Which SEC coaches do you think are on the hot seat as 2024 winds down? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.