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Jackson's SEC head coaches power rankings. Read the rankings and analysis for all 16 SEC head coaches for the 2025-26 NCAA College Football season.
16. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
Record At School: 2-10
To be fair, expectations were low in 2024 for Jeff Lebby. Coaching the Bulldogs is one of the toughest jobs in the SEC, but he failed to meet the low expectations in Year 1. Losing nine games, including a blowout against Toledo is unacceptable. He’s in the No. 16 spot as a result.
15. Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Record At School: 30-31
Sam Pittman saved his job with a 7-6 season last year, and the campaign included a shocking upset over a top-five team (Tennessee). However, the Razorbacks went 0-5 against all other ranked foes. Overall, Pittman hasn’t been exceptional, and he has just one season over seven wins in five years with the program.
14. Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Record At School: 11-14
Hugh Freeze had a strong run at Ole Miss that included two straight wins over Alabama and Nick Saban. Through two seasons at Auburn, things aren’t looking promising. The Tigers regressed by one win from 2023 to 2024. 2025 could be his last season if he doesn’t pull some big victories.
13. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Record At School: 22-17
Brent Venables was a perfect fit on paper after Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC. The 54-year-old spent over a decade on the Oklahoma staff under Bob Stoops, and he was brought in to get the Sooners ready for the physical SEC. He’s had some success on defense, but offensive woes were a big issue in 2024 as the Sooners went 6-7. Oklahoma is a proud program that won’t tolerate another down year.
12. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Record At School: 67-73
Many lists like these likely have Mark Stoops lower in the rankings. Yes, his 4-8 campaign in 2024 was a disaster, but it’s important to remember that he led the Wildcats to eight consecutive bowl games from 2016 to 2023 after a five-year drought. Kentucky is another tough job when it comes to recruiting against the rest of the SEC, so Stoops cannot be ranked any lower unless he lays another egg next year.
11. Billy Napier, Florida
Record At School: 19-19
Billy Napier was near the bottom of the SEC coaches pecking order for a long time. However, the Gators navigated the toughest schedule in the country in 2024 and ripped off four consecutive wins to close the campaign. With true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway at the helm, the Gators defeated No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss in its final SEC games. Momentum is building heading into next year, so Napier could climb this list or dramatically fall back down.
10. Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Record At School: 8-5
It was a solid year for Texas A&M under head coach Mike Elko, and without much to go off of, he’s in the middle of the SEC coaches list. Elko is known for his strong defensive teams and physical units on the line of scrimmage, which is a recipe for success in the conference. Year 2 under second-year starting quarterback Marcel Reed should be a fun one for the Aggie faithful.
9. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Record At School: 16-33
Throw the overall record out of the window for Clark Lea. At arguably the toughest job in college football, a 7-6 season that included a win over No. 1 Alabama and a bowl victory is remarkable. The Commodores return quarterback Diego Pavia in 2025, so it will be interesting to see what Lea’s ceiling is in Nashville.
8. Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Record At School: 29-22
After starting 3-3 last season, it looked like Shane Beamer could be headed toward the hot seat. Not so fast! The Gamecocks rattled off six wins to close the regular season with a 9-3 record, and three of those victories came against ranked opponents. The road win at Clemson, who went on to become the ACC Champions, was likely the final piece of evidence the university needed to extend Beamer’s contract through 2030.
7. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri
Record At School: 38-24
Eli Drinkwitz started 17-19 through his first three seasons at Mizzou. Over the last two years, he has compiled a 21-5 record. Sure, the Tigers had the easiest schedule in the SEC last season, but the program has now outperformed expectations two seasons in a row. The 41-year-old will now be tasked with replacing quarterback Brady Cook, but the schedule sets up nicely once again for the Tigers.
6. Brian Kelly, LSU
Record At School: 29-11
29-11 isn’t a horrible record, but it’s not good enough for LSU fans or the university. LSU expects to be in the thick of the national title conversation every year, and Kelly has not delivered. However, his track record at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame speaks for itself, so he gets the benefit of the doubt here. However, if LSU flops once again in 2025, it’s time to start admitting he doesn’t have what it takes to compete at the highest level.
5. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Record At School: 9-4
Entering last season, DeBoer likely would’ve taken the No. 2 spot in these rankings. That said, a 9-4 season with a loaded roster of talent cannot go unnoticed. DeBoer has a 113-16 record as a head coach and will have a better opportunity to build the program his way next season, but another season without double-digit wins will be cause for concern.
4. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Record At School: 44-18
Lane Kiffin took his lumps as a coach early in his career with the Raiders, USC, and Tennessee. Now, he’s one of the better coaches in America despite a few inexcusable losses last season. The Rebels were primed for a playoff appearance, but losses to Kentucky and Florida proved to be their undoing. Still, Kiffin just led Ole Miss to consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time since 1959-1960.
3. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Record At School: 37-15
Josh Heupel took over a program in deep turmoil ahead of the 2021 season. The Vols were 3-7 in 2020 (all wins vacated) and were handed scholarship restrictions. The former National Championship quarterback at Oklahoma immediately went to a bowl game in Year 1 before posting an incredible 11-2 campaign in 2022. Heupel is 30-9 over the last three seasons, and he could have Tennessee back in the playoffs for the second straight year in 2025.
2. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Record At School: 38-17
Steve Sarkisian had modest success at Washington in the early 2010s before an up-and-down tenure at USC. A decade after leaving USC in 2025, he’s now viewed as one of the nation’s elite coaches at Texas. ‘Sark’ has led the Longhorns to two consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal games, making Texas the only program in the country to have reached the “final four” in each of the last two years. Will he get over the hump and win it all with Arch Manning under center? It’ll be fun to find out.
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
Record At School: 105-19
Kirby Smart had no prior head-coaching experience when he took the head job in Athens in 2016, which makes his rise even more impressive. The former Georgia defensive back has led the Dawgs to seven SEC Championship Games appearances, three SEC Championship Game wins, three National Championship Game appearances, and two ‘Natty’ wins in just nine seasons at the helm. Is he the next Nick Saban, or is the Georgia program going to keep falling just short moving forward?
