Start the SEC's 2026 hot seat list with a coach who admits he's under fire

Summary

SEC Football Unfiltered – Episode Summary
“Start the SEC's 2026 hot seat list with a coach who admits he's under fire”
June 23, 2026
Hosts: Blake Toppmeyer & John Adams (USA TODAY Network)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams break down the hottest seats among SEC football coaches entering the 2026 season. Drawing on recent coaching carousels, fiery firings, and the ever-accelerating demands of SEC fanbases, they debate which five coaches are most in jeopardy—and why. The duo combines historical context, current team trajectories, and candid coach admissions to craft a definitive (if slightly stretched) preseason hot seat list, peppered with memorable banter and sharp analysis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Quieter—but Not Silent—Coaching Carousel (00:03–03:23)

• Coaching Turnover Context: Six SEC schools hired new head coaches last year, leading to expectations of fewer firings in 2026—but as Blake says, "quieter does not mean totally silent."
• Buyouts Offer Little Protection: The hosts cite examples like LSU paying a $54 million buyout to Brian Kelly (71% win rate) and Texas A&M’s fortunado payout to Jimbo Fisher as evidence that even winning coaches aren’t safe.
  • Blake (01:34): “Buyouts don’t offer all that much protection at schools like Texas A&M ... and LSU.”
• Acceleration of Hot Seat Status: Both agree that “in the SEC, you can go from feeling good about your career to the hot seat at warp speed” (01:10–01:34).

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#1 – Shane Beamer (South Carolina): "The Inferno Throne" (03:23–12:33)

Why Beamer Leads the List

• John (03:59): “The flames are just leaping all around him.”
• Beamer’s tenure is marked by “yo-yo” performance: a good season followed by a bad one.
• 2024: South Carolina nearly made the College Football Playoff; 2025: fell to 4–8 despite high expectations.
• South Carolina is generally more patient, but year six is a natural breaking point.
  • Blake (06:41): “Year six... You don’t have to be a quick-triggered school to change coaches after year six.”
• The current Athletic Director did not hire Beamer, decreasing job security.

Admission of the Hot Seat

• Notably, Beamer acknowledged his precarious situation in an offseason interview:
  • Shane Beamer, via Blake (09:17): “When you have a 4–8 season when there’s so many expectations ... you open yourself up to criticism and hot seat talk ... [but] it doesn’t change the way I do my job.”
  • Blake counters, noting Beamer’s staff overhaul, including hiring Kendall Briles as OC, signals change.

Why 6–6 May Not Be Enough

• Blake (11:24): “If he goes 6–6 or 7–5, nobody’s going to say progress. They’re going to say, ‘This is the guy that lost a 30–3 lead against Texas A&M. He’s got to go.’”
• John (12:33): “Disasters really linger ... Jeremy Pruitt never lived down the Georgia State loss, and Beamer’s collapse against A&M will stick too.”

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#2 – Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State): Results Required, Quickly (14:01–20:27)

Rapid Turnover in Starkville

• Mississippi State has fired coaches with far better records than Lebby (e.g., Joe Moorhead, 14–12).
• Lebby has only one SEC win in two seasons.
• John (14:01): “Another one—close games, competitive ... but you always seem to find a way to lose it. That’s ... bad coaching.”

Defensive Woes & Short Leash

• Questions persist about Lebby’s capacity to build a full team ("offensive coordinator masquerading as a head coach").
• Zach Arnett returns as DC; his success or failure may determine Lebby's fate.

Expectation Creep

• Both agree: Despite Mississippi State being a tough job, recent histories (Dan Mullen, Mike Leach) show more is possible, raising expectations.
• Blake (19:09): “I think [the school is] in a tough situation ... but two of the most successful coaches came in recent memory, so expectations have shifted.”

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#3 – Brent Venables (Oklahoma): Tradition is a Double-Edged Sword (21:19–30:34)

Program Expectations & AD Factor

• John (21:19): "It almost seems like he's been on the hot seat ever since he was hired."
• Two losing seasons at Oklahoma—unthinkable for decades; even 10–3 and a first-round playoff loss feel subpar.
• Venables is another coach not hired by the current AD.

Defensive Prowess vs. Team Success

• Blake (25:55): “Even with that defense, Oklahoma never felt like a prime contender. And if you don’t have the best defense, you probably won’t even make the playoff.”

The Texas Factor & Schedule Gauntlet

• Poor record against Texas (1–3), with blowout losses, is a significant albatross in that rivalry-driven administrative culture.
• 2026 schedule includes Michigan (road), Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M.
• Blake (28:10): “If Texas is beating Oklahoma again and in the playoff while OU isn’t—that spells coaching change.”

Recruiting as a Saving Grace?

• John (28:10): “Oklahoma’s recruiting really well…so boosters haven't lost confidence—but that can change quickly.”

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#4 – Steve Sarkisian (Texas): A “Justified Stretch” (31:19–39:21)

Rejuvenating Texas—But is it Enough?

• Longest national championship drought since '05 on a program with bottomless resources.
• Significant playoff appearances, but last season’s three losses (notably to Florida) stung after starting preseason #1.
• Blake (33:52): “Texas was the butt of jokes for years...I give Sark a lot of credit...now they’re back to being a force.”

Expectations Render Progress Insufficient

• "Not just make the playoff, but make the championship run."
• The schedule is brutal: Ohio State (week 2), Tennessee (road), Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M.
• John (36:44):"Those are the kind of plays that stick with fans. They say, 'Yeah, he's a good coach, but that's his ceiling.'”

Texas A&M Success Looming Large

• If Texas A&M outpaces Texas, especially head-to-head, pressure will mount.
• Sark’s public complaints this offseason (“crying from the penthouse,” per Blake at 40:11) aren’t gaining sympathy.

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#5 – Josh Heupel (Tennessee) & Pete Golding (Ole Miss): The Reaches (42:04–52:53)

Josh Heupel (Tennessee)

• Turned Tennessee around, ending a decade of dysfunction.
• Still: an 8–5 finish (with no quality wins and an “accommodating schedule”) creates anxiety about “downward trend.”
• Blake (43:20): “If he stacks another 8–5, he goes into 2027 on the hot seat.”

Pete Golding (Ole Miss)

• Great goodwill after stepping in post-Lane Kiffin and making the playoff.
• Good players (Trinidad Chambliss at QB, Kewan Lacy RB), but loss of OC Charlie Weis Jr. could expose weaknesses.
• Wide gap between best and worst-case scenarios, considering a tough schedule (LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, Louisville).
• John (49:06): “With Chambliss at QB, I just think that will carry Ole Miss through...he can elevate everyone.”
• But both agree: If this year goes sideways, Golding could move onto the 2027 hot seat early.

Who Else?

• Both hosts agree five is a stretch—there’s a clear drop after the top three.
• Blake (52:53): “Maybe the assignment should have been four names, but we don’t take the easy way out.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• John on South Carolina’s slow trigger (04:16): “I go back...some guys like Brad Scott…two losing seasons, brought him back, he responded by going 1–10. Had to fire after year five.”
• Blake on buyouts (01:34): “Buyouts don’t offer all that much protection at schools like Texas A&M…and LSU.”
• Blake, quoting Shane Beamer (09:17): “When you have a 4–8 season when there’s so many expectations like we had last season, you open yourself up to criticism…”
• Blake on disasters that linger (11:24): “Shane Beamer blowing a 30–3 lead against Texas A&M...that's going to follow him around."
• Blake (44:13): “When your best win is Kentucky, that’s not a great season.”
• Blake (40:11): “Sark’s been kind of crying from the penthouse this offseason...I really don’t think there’s a good argument for him to be talking about Ole Miss’s academic standards."
• John (52:57): “And you know what we don’t do either? We don’t go back and doubt ourselves. That’s just not how we do things.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:03 – Episode intro & context on 2026 hot seat landscape
• 03:23 – #1: Shane Beamer deep dive & coach’s hot seat admission
• 14:01 – #2: Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State’s unforgiving climate
• 21:19 – #3: Brent Venables, Oklahoma tradition, and schedule risk
• 31:19 – #4: Steve Sarkisian’s expectations at Texas and A&M rivalry
• 42:04 – #5: Reaching for Josh Heupel (Tennessee) and Pete Golding (Ole Miss)
• 52:53 – Wrap-up on the challenge of finding five SEC coaches on the hot seat

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Summary Table: 2026 SEC Hot Seat Rankings & Rationale

| Rank | Coach | School | Hot Seat Rationale | |------|--------------------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 | Shane Beamer | South Carolina | Admitted under fire after 4–8 season; year 6; AD didn’t hire him| | 2 | Jeff Lebby | Mississippi St. | 1 SEC win in 2 years; quick-trigger school; defense lacking | | 3 | Brent Venables | Oklahoma | Program tradition; multiple losing seasons; tough schedule | | 4 | Steve Sarkisian | Texas | Restored prominence, but not enough; brutal schedule, big buyout| | 5 | Heupel/Golding | Tennessee/Ole Miss| Trending down/possible exposure post-Kiffin; reach picks |

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Closing Note

The hosts agree that the 2026 SEC carousel might not spin as wildly as last year’s, but tradition, rivalries, and rising expectations keep the seats hot in the nation’s top college football conference. As Blake notes, “Much more to discuss … tough topic once the season begins.”

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For full in-depth banter, play-by-play comparisons, and the latest coaching drama, be sure to tune in or check back next week with SEC Football Unfiltered.

Transcript

[A]

Six SEC schools hired new coaches during last year's college football carousel. That means it will probably be a quieter carousel this season. But quieter does not mean totally silent. So who is on the hot seat in the sec? We will discuss today on this edition of SEC Football Unfiltered, our podcast from the USA TODAY Network. I'm Blake Topmeyer alongside John Adams. John, we did a hot seat edition of the POD last summer and I believe everyone that we had in the top five was fired except one. We had Brent Venables in our top five. He survived. Otherwise we went four out of five in a very active year for the carousel. Do you agree with me that that means a much quieter year this year, or do you think could reload and have another swath of firings in the SEC this season?

[B]

Oh, I, I think it pretty much assures us of having a quieter hot seat conversation, but never silent. And you have to keep in mind in the SEC we that you can go from feeling pretty good about yourself and how your coaching career is going to the hot seat at warp speed in the sec. We didn't have Brian Kelly on a hot seat list, did we? Not last year.

[A]

I didn't know we didn't. We had him out and just sort of on the outside looking in. We thought maybe that buyout would provide him with some protection. And the fact that he was winning more than 70% of his games, well, none of that mattered. LSU fired him after he won 71% of his games and, and he's set to collect a 54 million dollar buyout. So yeah, buyouts don't offer all that much protection at schools like Texas A and M, which paid a fortune to get rid of Jimbo Fisher. And then now what LSU did for Brian Kelly.

[B]

Also when you, you think, well, not even the sec, even those quick on the trigger schools wouldn't fire a guy after one year. But how long did Zach Arnett last at Mississippi State?

[A]

Not long at all. Of course the circumstances were very unique to his hiring at, at Mississippi State. He was, even though he was, he was hired as head coach, he was basically, he was basically the interim coach after Mike Leach died. Zach Arnett was his defensive coordinator. You know, he coaches the bowl game and then is, is the head coach. But yeah, he lasted just 11 games total, including the bowl game. He didn't make it through one full season. But the way that deal was structured, it was a four year deal. But basically if you read the buyout language and could do some math, it was always structured as if he was an interim coach.

[B]

But, but it wasn't sad. They didn't come out and say, hey, we've just hired our new interim coach, Zach Garnett. They kind of, yeah, they tried to

[A]

pretend like he was the real coach and then came apparent swiftly that, yeah, he was not.

[B]

Semantics.

[A]

Yeah. All right, John, let's. We're going to go through a top five. Now. We're not required to match each other's picks here. This is not a collective top five, but I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of overlap here within our top five on our, on our hot seat list. So normally I kind of go from 5 to 1 on lists like this, but I want to go straight to the scalding hot seat. Let's go. Who's on the hottest seat in the entire sec? Who's. Who sits on the Inferno throne?

[B]

Oh, Shane Beamer's. He's there. He's got, he's. The flames are just leaping all around him. They, they started leaping in the second half against Texas A and M last year when that. 30 to 3, we got him. We got this one 30 to 3 halftime lead on the AG. He's didn't hold up and, And South Carolina suffered a humiliating one point loss. Yeah, he's the, the one thing in Shane Beamer's favor is South Carolina. Isn't that, isn't that quick to fire coaches. It's. It's one of the slower schools, I think, in the sec. I go back, I was looking back some guys, because you weren't covering the SEC then, but some guys like Brad Scott, he was. He had two losing seasons. First four years they brought him back and he responded by going 1 in 10. So they kind of had to fire him after his, his fifth year. Same thing with Sparky Woods. Two losing seasons in first four years, bringing back another season. Sparky had to go.

[A]

Poor Sparky.

[B]

Yeah. No, he.

[A]

You got the world of him, did you not?

[B]

I did. I, I didn't have a problem with Brad Scott either. I didn't expect much from South Carolina football at the time. Then Steve Spurrier kind of changed things. But now in Shane Beamer, what's on about Shane Beamer is, is the up and down nature. You think this guy, he can't get it done. I mean, we'll go back. I thought he was a, I always thought he was a surprising hire. I wouldn't have hired him. But did he does things that make you think, well, this guy might work out okay, and then there'll Be that, you know, then you'll fall down again. He reminds me of years ago of Paul Pascalone at Syracuse, who must have been there, it seemed like 12 or 15 years. And just when he was getting to the hot seat, be like a free agent, A free agent, you know, in his contract year. He has a good year and you say, okay, well let's give him another shot. Then the downward trend would start again and then you'd have, and then there would be that one season and made you think no success is possible. But it's going to be, it's going to be hard for Shane Beamer because the schedule is not that easy. Is particularly second half of the season very difficult.

[A]

Yeah, and you're right, I mean Beamer's kind of had that yo, yo tenure, good season followed by a bad one. And that's exactly what it's been the last couple years. You remember in 2024, they were on the doorstep of the college football playoffs, sort of had a case, the committee saw differently. Then they go on to lose their bowl game. And then last year four and eight season of high expectations. You remember all the buzz Lenora Sellers was getting in the preseason and the offense was a disaster. 4 and 8 was the worst year of his, of his tenure. And you're right, South Carolina is not as quick triggered as most SEC schools are to change coaches. But where I think Shane Beamer runs into trouble is this is year six. So you don't have to be a quick triggered school to change coaches after, after year six. And if you remember, John Will Muschamp was fired at South Carolina in a Covid year where, you know, we were told that schools were going to be more frugal with making fires. But that didn't happen in the SEC, including at South Carolina. Will Muschamp hired in his fifth season in that pandemic year in 2020. So year six. Yeah, I agree with you. I think Shane Beamer is on the hottest seat in the sec. He's also working for an athletic director who is not the AD who hired him. I always look at scenarios like that and think they have less job security. You know, if it's the AD you hired you sometimes you're kind of linked together and the AD works out well for him if, if they show some patience and you ultimately have success. But if you're not, if you're not the, the guy who hired him, you just fire him and say, hey, I wasn't responsible for, for this guy. I got a winner on the hook and it was interesting. John, our colleague Lulu Kessen, who works for the Greenville News, part of the USA Today network, she had an off season sit down with Shane Beamer recently. And you know how those off season sit downs usually go. I mean, it's all rays of hope and sunshine, you know, in June. Very optimistic usually. I mean that's, that's pretty much the formula for one of those offseason stories. I've written several of those. Most people in the industry, that's, that's what you write when you get one of those offseason sit downs. What are you going to criticize a coach about in June? Well, the tone of, of Lulu's piece in the Greenville News was much different and I give her credit because there was no denying the elephant in the room. You get a, you get a one on one with Shane Beamer, you have to ask him about the reality of the hot seat. And that's really the way the entire story was framed was this man's on, on the hot seat. He's coaching for his job. And Shane Beamer said, quote, when you have a 4 and 8 season when there's so many expectations like we had last season, you open yourself up to criticism and hot seat talk and all of that. Shane Beamer said, he said, but it doesn't change the way that I do my job. Well, I don't agree with that last part because Shane Beamer cleaned house in his offensive coaching staff after last season, it did change the way he approached at least his staff. He's got Kendall Briles in now to run his offense. And you know, this is a very obvious last call at the last chance saloon. When you know you got one more go at this, what do you do? You change your coordinators or at least one of them like Shane Beamer has done. Bring in Kendall Briles to run his offense. He's got Lenora Sellers back. And it either works with Kendall browse running the show as OC or it doesn't. And Shane Beamer is collecting a buyout check. There's no denying it. Like I said, you can't read that Greenville News piece and come away thinking anything other. This man is on a very hot seat and he knows it.

[B]

One thing that might help him, South Carolina was so bad last year. I mean sometimes you can be bad in your record isn't bad as you actually were. But South Carolina was 4 and 8. So if he could go 6 and 6 and make a bowl game, it would show forward progress. Not saying that would save his job Maybe it wouldn't, but it would least be improvement.

[A]

I would buy that, John, in year three. I don't buy that in year six. There's a nice try, though.

[B]

Well, I like to keep Shane around because I enjoy him. I like watching him on the sidelines and pumping his fist and he's got that confident look. I can still see him during the first half of that Texas A and M game when the Gamecocks were just running wild and Shane's over there, like, what'd you expect? Here we are right where I thought we'd be.

[A]

John, something. You said you covered Jeremy Pruitt's tenure. You can call it a tenure, you could call it a disaster up close for the Knoxville News Sentinel in your role as the, as a columnist there. And one thing you said at the time, and you continued to write this throughout Jeremy Pruitt's tenure, was that he would never live down the loss to 26 point underdog Georgia State to start his second season. I mean, you, you must have written it in columns about 50 times throughout the course of Pruitt's tenure. Was, this is the guy who lost a 26 point underdog Georgia State. And I think in a similar way, Shane Beamer blowing a 33 lead against Texas A M, Right? Like that's going to follow him around. So if he goes 6 and 6 or 7 and 5, nobody's going to say progress. They're going to say, this is, this is the guy that lost a 30 to 3 lead against Texas A M. He's got to go. So to me, nothing, you know, nothing short of a major turnaround, something More major than 6 and 6 allows Shane Beamer to keep his job this year.

[B]

Well, you make a good point there, because disasters really linger and they stick in your mind. But all these football games is as many as we cover, as many as I've covered for decades. They all just kind of run together. I don't remember plays or games usually, but I can remember plays from that Georgia State upset of Tennessee to begin Jeremy Pruitt's second season. It was just so stunning. It's like, are you kidding me? They, they're really lined up that way defensively. They're going to run right there. And sure enough, they did. And they made, they made yards. And he was supposed to be a defensive guru. So get things like that stick with you. And going back again to last season with the Texas A and M game is just something. Anytime you struggle subsequently, that always comes back. It just has a cumulative effect. Well, he's the guy that did this. Jeremy Pruitt was the guy that lost to Georgia State and didn't look that great on the sideline doing it.

[A]

He surely did not. All right, so we're in agreement. Shane Beamer's number one on the hot seat list. John, who do you have in the number two spot, the second hottest seat in the sec?

[B]

Well, it sounds hasty, but Jeff Levy's only been there two years at Mississippi State, but my gosh, he's only won one SEC game. And I think you talk about things that stick with you. Another one, you could credit him for being close and competitive in games. That's one way to look at it. But then you think, well, the game was that close and you always seem to find a way to lose it. That's, that's soft. Yeah, that often goes under bad coaching on the bad coaching line. You put that, you mark that one close game, couldn't finish the deal. Look like he would beat Tennessee, look like he might win some other games, but just couldn't close the deal. And the other thing against him, he's an offensive minded guy. So you wonder about, well, can he assemble a defense? We know he can coach an offense. Can you assemble a defense, have a complete team and the defense has too often been horrendous. So yeah, he's, I know, just two seasons at a school that doesn't win big, but you still got to put him on the hot seat.

[A]

Oh, absolutely. And his, his buyout would be chump change by SEC standards. And, and you look at Mississippi State, you know, they are a co, A school that has shown a quick trigger over the years. I mean, Joe Morehead, you know, he wasn't at Mississippi State long. Zach Arnett, we just mentioned it. He didn't even last one full season Mississippi State after replacing Mike Leach. And Zach Arnett went 4 and 6 before he was fired in that one year and he won one conference game. I mean, if you're firing a guy who goes 4 and 6, aren't you thinking about firing a guy who Last year went 5 and 8 in year 2 and in year 1 went win 10 as Jeff Levy did? Now speaking of Zach Arnett, John, who's back to coordinate the defense at Mississippi State this year, who says you can't go back to Starkville again? Zach Arnett brought in by Jeff Levy to run the defense. And I mean, hey, credit to Zach Arnett for knowing what he is and who he is. Right. I mean, he really had no choice but to become the Head coach at Mississippi State after Mike Leach's death, before the bowl game, you know, Mississippi State needed to kind of promote from within in that situation. He led him to a win in the bowl game. Credit to him. There's. He coaches 10 games. I don't know if he really ever wanted to be a head coach or thought that he should be a head coach. It's just the circumstances dictated he got moved up the ladder and lo and behold, here he is a couple years later back as Mississippi State's defensive coordinator. And really his success, or lack thereof in that role, I think to your point, will determine whether Jeff Levy is fired or retained as head coach for another year. Because, you know, we've seen it in Mississippi State's offenses under Levy. They can score some points, they just usually can't keep the opponent out of the end zone. And that's what I see when I look at Jeff Levy, John. I see an offensive coordinator, which ultimately I think was Zach Arnett's swift downfall as a head coach. Everybody looked at him and said, this guy's a defensive coordinator masquerading as a head coach. I really think the same is probably true of Jeff Levy. He's an offensive coordinator sort of masquerading as a head coach. He's got one more chance to prove me wrong this season. If he doesn't, I think he's gone. He gets three years. You don't get any more than that.

[B]

Well, how about this? Since we've established that Jeff Levy can run an offense and Zach Arnett's a good defensive guy, things don't go great this year. Make Zach Arnett head coach for defense, Jeff Levy, give him a pay cut and make him the head coach for offense. Basically have coordinators and no head coach. And maybe hire another assistant, a quality control guy or gm. That's fashionable today.

[A]

Now, here's what I do, John, is tell Jeff Levy if he wants to stay on staff, he can be. Go be the offensive coordinator for the next head coach. Never mind having co head coaches just say, hey, you want to. You want to be employed here? Well, maybe. Maybe the new head coach will keep you around as offensive coordinator.

[B]

I was checking on this and I looked at Joe. Joe Morehead's record. Maybe I read it wrong, but I had him at 14 and 12.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

Mississippi State.

[A]

Got fired.

[B]

Anyway, he had a winning record at Mississippi State and Friday. I remember at the time I thought he was a bad fit for Mississippi State, but that's such a nebulous term. And to say bad fit. But when they fired him, that came up in conversation. He was kind of a bad fit

[A]

for any coach at Mississippi State, John. I think they're in a tough situation because it's one of the hardest jobs in the conference. But also we can all remember two coaches winning there. You know, Dan Mullen had great success at Mississippi State. Had them ranked in the middle of a season, number one in the rankings with Dak Prescott that year. It would have made the College Football Playoff that year. And then Mike Leach comes around after Joe Moore had. And Mike Leach has success up until, you know, his, his sudden passing. So. So, you know, yes, it is a really difficult job, but two of the most successful coaches in program history come in recent memory. So I think, like, the expectations are for it not to look like one of the hardest jobs in the sec. Now, I don't know that anybody reasonable at Mississippi State feels like the standard is Alabama or Georgia or Texas, but I do think there's some belief that, that, hey, Dan Mullen had success there. Mike Leach had success there. Not national championship success, but more success than what Jeff Levy or Zach Arnett had. So, you know, I, I don't think you get a ton of security, even though it is one of the tougher jobs in the sec.

[B]

Jeff Lebby doesn't make it this year, you go try and bring back Dan Mullen.

[A]

I don't think he would do it. Is if you're at UNLV having success as Dan Mullen is, do you want to go back to Mississippi State? I think I'd hold out if I'm Dan Mullen. And if nothing better comes along. Well, there's worse places to live than Las Vegas, Nevada.

[B]

Unless you have a gambling problem. Well, I'm not saying he does.

[A]

You can gamble anywhere now. Aspirin and source.

[B]

Well, that's true. Yeah, that's. That was ridiculous.

[A]

All right, so we get. We are in agreement, the top two coaches. Number one, Shane Bieber. Number two, Jeff Levy. Let's see if we can go three for three here. John, who do you have number third on your hot seat list in the sec?

[B]

He's a returning starter on our depth chart of Oklahoma. We made our hot seat seat list last year and we welcome him back. It almost seems like he's been on the hot seat ever since he was hired there for the seventh. Seven years. Prior to Venables hiring, Oklahoma never lost more than two games. Seven seasons, never lost more than two, didn't win any national titles like the Sooners had done. In the past under different coaches in Lincoln, Raleigh. But it's having a lot of success. Brent Venables is. We talk about Shane Beamer being up and down. Well, Shane Beamer's yo, yo and back and forth too. He's, he's had two losing seasons in Oklahoma. That's. I know he did well last year, made the playoff against a tough schedule, giving me a lot of credit for that. But look at big picture Oklahoma, you're just more is expected there.

[A]

And another guy, John, who is not working for the AD who hired him. And that's not everything, but it is something when you're a head coach who has not met the historical standard. Now meeting the historical standard at Oklahoma is awful dang lofty. But Brent Venables knows that. He coached at Oklahoma for a long, long time. His defensive coordinator there, he knows the standard. He knows what he signed up for. The standards is, is a heck of a lot higher than 6 and 7, which to your point, two of his four seasons at Oklahoma have finished with a 6, 7 record. And frankly the standard Oklahoma is higher than 10 and 3, which is where he finished his other two seasons at Oklahoma. And you know, we talk about John as the playoff expands and it hasn't expanded yet beyond 12. But these are the types of jobs Oklahoma and others we're going to the first round of the playoff and losing does not buy you a ton of job security. And that's what happened to Brent Venables last year. Yes, that was enough for him to retain his job last season. But in year five, now I don't know that they would fire him after another playoff appearance if it didn't, even if it ended in the first round. But you know, think about 9 and 3 or 8 and 4. It's very conceivable at a school like Oklahoma that 8 and 4 gets you fired in year five. Again, ask Brian Kelly. Brian Kelly won 71% of his games in four seasons at LSU. That was good enough to get thrown overboard. And that's it. Now Brent Venables has made a playoff. Brian Kelly didn't. But they're not hanging banners or throwing parades in Oklahoma or first round playoff losses in a 12 team playoff.

[B]

Also, when you talk about Oklahoma tradition, Oklahoma history. Yeah, you talk about so many, just prolific, high scoring, entertaining offenses. Just way back in the day when Barry Switzer there and they had that wishbone flying like nobody ever did. And then under Lincoln Riley with the Heisman Trophy candidates at quarterback and just feel like, yeah, you know, you need to score 45 points to beat them. They bring in a coach who's, again, we're looking at a proven guy as a defensive coordinator, even more so than Jeff Levy was proven as an offensive coordinator before getting the head job in Mississippi State. So you're looking at a proven DC and so your question is, okay, he can run a defense. He's really good at that. He's been good at it at Oklahoma. But then you say, well, but can he run a team? Can he build an entire team? And you look at that offense and it really raises questions. That was a. That was a better defense, probably better than anyone Lincoln Riley ever had, but it still didn't. It still couldn't contend for a championship. And, and I think that's a question, people. This question, this will pop up again and again. If he's not winning up to Oklahoma standards, is the. Is the offense.

[A]

That's right, John, because I think, you know, by the stats and by the eyeball test, I think you could make a case that Oklahoma last year had the best defense in the sec. But I agree with you, even with that defense. Now, part of it was, you know, the injury to John Mattier, quarterback. He wasn't the same caliber of quarterback after that hand injury as he was before. Of course, the competition also stepped up. That might have had something to do with it. But, you know, even with having the best defense in the conference, you just never really felt like Oklahoma was a prime contender to win the national championship. And so what happens if you don't have the best defense in the conference? You know, you have the best defense in the conference and you're losing the first round of the playoff. What if you have the third or fourth best defense in the conference, probably won't even make the playoff. And then you look at this schedule for Oklahoma, John, and I think it's. I think we're in the range. Maybe you disagree, but I, I see a path to Brent Venables keeping his job. He. He survived the hot seat last year. I think there's a path to him keeping it this year, but I think it's very plausible that he doesn't. You look at the schedule, I count five opponents who very well could be ranked in the top 15 of the preseason rankings, certainly top 20. Talking about a road game at Michigan. And then inside the sec, Oklahoma has Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A and M. Those are all certainly top 15 preseason teams. Michigan probably top 15 or top 20, and that's a road game at Michigan. This is not. This is. This is a pretty stiff schedule for a coach who's coaching for his job, I think. And as we said, it's not the AD who hired him. The buyout is big, but not so big that Oklahoma wouldn't think of doing it. One more thing, John. Brent Venables record against Texas 1 and 3. That includes two humiliating blowout losses. If Texas is, you know, beating Oklahoma again this year, if Texas in the playoff and Oklahoma isn't, that to me spells coaching change.

[B]

Yeah, if you look back at the history of that rivalry, it works the same way on both sides. You lose that game a lot and you don't stay around. I just one thing that surprised me about Oklahoma though, because I view Brent Venables as being on the hot seat. Oklahoma's recruiting really well. We're only about halfway through the the recruiting cycle for the 27 class, but he's got, I think a top five class right now. Commitments. I know it doesn't mean as much with the transfer portal since that's so prominent now in acquiring players, but the fact that he's done that well tells me Oklahoma boosters haven't lost confidence in him there. You got to come up with nil money to be able to land these four and five star players. And Oklahoma is getting commitments from them right now. Now that could change quickly, of course, but it's something that's to consider. But unless maybe, I wonder this too is. You don't see this happening that often, but a program that's had great success suddenly just its fan base accepting, well, we're just not who we used to be. I, I never see hear that, you know.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think Oklahoma's at that point. I mean, at some point you may have to face reality. Do you think Nebraska is there yet? Maybe, maybe. Maybe Nebraska's at the point they've accepted it. But I think Oklahoma is a long way from accepting that. And they were just in the playoff last year. Right. I mean, then they didn't win a game there. The lost in the first round. But they were in the playoff at 10 and three last season. So there's no reason for Oklahoma to have to feel that way. And so if Brent Venables, you know, can't get it done this season, I don't think that's an argument for, well, just accept going 8 and 4. To me it's an argument of, hey, this is, this is still a place that has plenty of support, plenty of resources. If Brent Venables can't get it done, don't Accept that hit. Hit the coaching carousel, especially in a year where it might be a little bit quieter. If Oklahoma opened this year, John, I could see a scenario where it's the best job on the market.

[B]

Yeah, I agree.

[A]

All right, go ahead.

[B]

Well, maybe it won't come to that. Maybe Venables, he dodged our, he dodged the Flames last year from our hot seat.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Maybe you go 2, 0.

[A]

All right. Number four on the list, John. We haven't, we haven't broke ranks so far. We're seeing this eye to eye. I think we both see Beamer and Levy on scalding hot seats. Brent Venables, it's warm. Could go either way. Who's number four on your list is much tougher. By the way, as we're filling this out as compared to last. Last year, I felt like I had too many options for five spots almost. This year it's, it's different after all the coaching changes we had a year ago.

[B]

Yeah, I think it really gets this. You have to stretch a little bit now to get a hot seat candidate. However, those hot seat candidates can pop up in the middle of the year. Somebody like Brian Kelly last year with that dreadful game in Tiger Stadium against Texas A and M. But I think you have to look at Steve Sarkeesian at Texas simply because of tradition, history, and Texas hadn't won a national championship since 2005 under Mack Brown. So back to what I said earlier. I'll bring this up again. Do you think Texas fans are thinking, well, maybe we just need to lower our standards? No, not, not the way they're spending money. So, yeah, I think Steve Sarkeesian needs to, needs to really make a run at a championship here. It's all kind of set up, set up for him. He's an offensive minded coach, really good play caller. He's got the quarterback, he's got the receivers, he's got the running backs. Did a lot of work in the portal. Got a lot of name, guys. It's all set up for him. So he needs to produce. And by produce I don't mean just make the playoff.

[A]

How about just make the playoff semifinals? Because he's done that twice, John.

[B]

Once. It. Yeah, once. Washington, I guess.

[A]

Well, no, he did. In back to back.

[B]

No, he did it. Yeah, that's right.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, once in the 14th. Washington.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

You're sending him back to Washington.

[B]

Sending him back to Washington. You maybe. No, I mean, it's hard to say he's on the hot seat, but if when you look at everybody else in the league. Our assignment was to come up with four or five guys. Got to pick somebody.

[A]

That's right. I don't know that he's on the hot seat now, but I would have him number four on my list too, because you could see a scenario where he finds the hot seat. You know, I give Steve Sarkeesian a lot of credit for restoring Texas to big boy status. I mean, it was bleak there. Texas was the butt of the jokes for several seasons. You know, every year is, say sarcastically, texas is back. Texas is back.

[B]

As they say, they're all hat, no cattle.

[A]

That's right. For years that was Texas. And so I give Sarka a lot of credit for restoring Texas to being a force within college football. He has those back to back semifinal runs in the. In the playoff. Well, one wasn't a run in the playoff. It was a 14 playoff. But he got in the playoff. He beat Alabama that year and, and was a playoff semifinals in the final year of the 14 playoff. And then the following year, 2024 goes to the semifinals again, loses to eventual national champion Ohio State in, in that semifinal game. And what I think in many ways to me felt like the de facto national championship game. You had Penn State, Notre Dame on the other side of the bracket. But in a lot of ways, I felt like Ohio State, Texas was, was kind of the national championship game. And the way Ohio State had an easier time with Notre Dame, Notre Dame rallied, you know, in the second half, but had more of its hands full with Texas in that semifinal. So Sark's done a lot of good things there last year. Didn't meet the expectations. That was hard to do. Preseason number one. That flop at the Swamp was really costly. I thought Texas had one of the best 12 teams in college football last year. No doubt. But, you know, the three losses, including the loss in the Swamp, the committee felt was too much to overlook. Now, on the other hand, they had some of the best wins in college football throughout the regular season as well. They beat Oklahoma, they beat Vanderbilt, they beat Texas A and M. They had a pretty good resume other than, you know, what happened in the Swamp there in October. But now it's like you said, they're fully invested in this program. There's no real excuse for not succeeding with Arch Manning as your quarterback and everything that they've poured into this roster, including getting Cam Coleman, the transfer wide receiver from Auburn. Then you look at the schedule, though. There's Ohio State there in week two. There's a September road trip to Neyland Stadium there's Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A& M. And this is a murderer's row of a schedule. You could see a scenario where Texas loses a few, misses the playoff. Again, the buyout is huge, but Texas is a school where a huge buyout doesn't matter. Sark's got the biggest buyout of anybody on this list that we're mentioning. Texas also doesn't matter, just like Texas A and M a few years ago, 77 million to Jimbo Fisher. So I don't know, I think it's a bit of an exaggeration for us to say Sark is on the hot seat at this point, but he could get there. And like you said, we assigned ourselves coming up with five coaches on the hot seat. He has to go on the list.

[B]

Do you think it matters those, those playoff losses you talk about is making the semifinals against Washington and then against Ohio State? He's a terrific offensive coach and he's perched on the goal line against Washington and can't quite push it in, can't come up with that game winning play. Then Ohio State, the goal line disaster where the whole game turned around with the, the sack, strip sack, fumble, touchdown in the game was suddenly over. To me, those are the kind of plays that stick with fans. And they say, yeah, he's a good coach, but that's his. He's hit his ceiling. He just can't win those kind of games like Kirk Signetti can in Indiana with everything. That championship game, when Indiana got out on the go line, it pushed it in against Miami with the game on the line. I, I don't know. I just think some Texas fans would look at him that way if this season doesn't go as well as expected.

[A]

Well, I think the other thing too is, John, with everything they have pulled forward into that program, I mean, Kurt Signetti kind of ruins it for a lot of coaches. A lot of programs out there, I mean, deserves all the credit in the world. But now every pro, every school, every fan base, every booster class thinks, why can't we be Indiana? Why can't we be Kurt Signetti?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Well, sure. I mean, it's great to hope and maybe you can, but the deck is still stacked against certain schools more than others. Texas, the deck's not stacked against them at all. They hold the trump cards. There's, especially in this buy a player culture, right? This pay per play world with Texas's war chest. They have their location, their recruiting, access. I mean, everything was already set up for Texas to succeed and they weren't but now you add in pay for play. There's no reason why Texas cannot pursue greatness. And I, I think, Tex, I'm, I'm not out on Steve Saran. He's got to go on this list. Because when you're starting to look around at options for a hot seat list. Six new coaches in the sec. Yeah, it makes sense. Sark didn't meet the standard last year. He's going to be on this list, but I'm not out on Steve Sarkeesian. However, if they're not in the playoff this year, with everything that they have at Texas, all the resources, you could see it getting to a point where he's on the hot seat,

[B]

no doubt about it. And, and I think Texas A and M success last year, I know Texas beat it. And that was a big win. The worst case scenario for Steve Sarkeesian might be going into the A and M game again. Playoff bid on the line in the lose to the Aggies. That, that would mean something too. So that's a treacherous schedule, no doubt about it. And we. It's as though Sark's been making excuses this off season. Took some shots at Ole Miss, took a shot at Texas Tech. I mean, what was that about? It's almost like he's trying to say, hey, everything. We don't have all the advantages that you're saying we do, but he can.

[A]

Yeah. And nobody's buying that.

[B]

No, you still got somebody that you can call on the phone and he writes a check and signs it.

[A]

Right. Sark's been kind of crying from the penthouse this, this offseason, and I really don't think there's a good argument for him to be talking about Ole Miss's academic standards. I mean, come on, you got the, you got one of the best war chests in college football. So give me a break, you know. And week two last year, Texas had ready made explanations for losing to Ohio State on the road. First of all, score wasn't that bad. Texas was, was right in it there till the end. But you had the, you know, you had the excuses lined up if they wanted to use them. You know, it was on the road in the horseshoe. Arch Manning, you know, he new starting quarterback. Sure, Ohio State was starting a new quarterback too, but, but, but so, so was Texas now Arch Manning back, you know, the weapons that are around him, home game in Austin, you know, if Ohio State comes down there and whoops them, people are going to be asking the question of why are, why is Texas not Ohio State? Why can Texas not Be what the Buckeyes were a couple years ago when they won the national title. You lose to Ohio State back to back years, you. You start asking questions of why aren't we Ohio State? Because frankly, there's no reason why Texas shouldn't be or couldn't be on Ohio State's plane. All right, John, that leaves us with number five. And here it gets really, really tricky. I admit we're really having to reach a little bit as we come up with number five on our hot seat list. But who are you reaching for? And is maybe this a look ahead to 2027?

[B]

Yeah, I guess it would have to. I mean, I go down the list and Josh Hyple at Tennessee, Josh Hybels turned around the program. He's, I mean, just a series of bad hires, losing results. Jeremy Pruitt, Butch Jones, Derek Dooley, all those guys. And he comes in and he's had five straight winning seasons. So he's completely elevated the program. However, he dropped off last year, and he went to 8 and 5 against a very accommodating schedule. I don't think he'll end up on the hot seat. But with a tougher schedule and an uncertainty at quarterback, if you got to find a fifth coach to be on the hot seat in the sec, he would be my pick. Because if, worst case scenario, things go badly and he drops, he drops off from last year's 8 and 5 record, then you got a downward trend going. He begins. He wouldn't be fired, but he could begin 27 on the hot seat.

[A]

I, I think you're right, particularly about 27. I, I think Josh Hypo could certainly be on the hot seat in 2027, which is. That's not to take away what he's done for Tennessee. You're spot on. They were, they were in the desert of dysfunction for a decade plus. They're just, you know, one bad coach after another kept getting worse and until it got to Jeremy Pruitt, arguably the worst coach in program history, when you consider what happened on the field combined with what happened off the field. So certainly Josh Hypo proved he was the man for the hour. But if they don't go to the playoff this year, you do have to start to wonder, I think at some point, is he still the man for the hour or with Tennessee's resources, his fan base? You know, Hypo elevated things, but maybe he's not the guy to get them to the highest plane. I think, you know, in 2027, at the very least, that Question could start to be asked. And you look at last year, John, you're right, they had an accommodating schedule and what did they do with it? Not much. I mean they go 8 and 5 but when you start breaking down that 8 and 5, Tennessee's best win last year, a road win at Kentucky. When your best win is against Kentucky, that's not a great season. Kentucky went 5 and 7 last year. But find a better win that Tennessee got. I mean here are their wins last year they beat Syracuse, East Tennessee State, uab, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico State and a bad Florida team. There's no good wins on that resume. So credit to them for not losing any of those games. Right, but they didn't beat anybody either. And. But last year you had the baked in explanation of well Nico, I am. Aliaba backed him into a corner in the spring. I think there was some understandingness of what happened last year. And Hypo had built up so much goodwill for all of his success that he had in year two with Hin and Hooker and then taking Tennessee to the playoff in 2024. But now you look at it and, and the end of that 24 season they got the break speed off him by Ohio State in a playoff game. Then they go 8 and 5 last year don't beat a single good team. Now this year you can't use the Nico excuse anymore. I don't think Josh Hyple anything happens with him this season. But if he stacks up another 8 and 5 record this year, I agree with you. I think he goes into 2027 on the Hot seat. I'm going to offer you someone else though as a reach, John, and this one is a reach considering what he did last season in tough circumstances. But Ole Miss hired Pete Golding to a five year contract. The buyout is manageable now. He's got tons of goodwill right now and he's got Trinidad Chambliss back at quarterback, he's got Kewan Lacey back at running back. There's a scenario, very believable scenario where Ole Miss is one of the best teams in the SEC this year. They're back in the playoff this year and Ole Miss fans are still eating out of the palm of Pete Golding's hand and saying who needs Lane Kiffin? We love this guy. You know we're going to build the statue of Kiffin if he stayed. Let's build the statue of this guy instead. That's all very realistic. On the other hand though, Charlie Weiss Jr. Is gone. He was the OC throughout the end of last season. He stayed as the OC and the play caller throughout the end of last year. What if Pete Golding is exposed on that side of the ball this year? And we start to ask the question, you know, is this guy best suited as a defensive coordinator? And he's really exposed not having Charlie Weiss Jr. Calling the offense because again, there's every reason for him to be successful this year with Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacey back. But you look at that Ole Miss schedule, pretty tough. Along with all these other guys on this list, tough schedule. Ole Miss has an opener against Louisville. I think that'll be a top 25 Louisville team inside the SEC. It has LSU, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma. Those will all be top 15 preseason ranked opponents. It's also got a road game at the Swamp. New coach and John Sumrall. The difference between the floor and the ceiling this year for Ole Miss, I think is huge. It's huge. It's as big as of a gap as I think any school in the conference. The gap between Ole Miss's floor and ceiling. Now, Pete Golding has so much goodwill built up from what he did in the playoff last year after Lane Kiffin left that program high and dry. It really bends the mind to think that this could go so sideways this year that Ole Miss is, is opening up a coaching search. But ask yourself, John, would any other sec, any other SEC school had. Would, would they have hired Pete Golding as their head coach last year? The answer is no. Now, he did a great job given the circumstances, and I think it's a, it's a leap to think that he finds himself on the hot seat this year. But like Josh Hyple, I think there's a situation where Pete Golding could find himself on the hot seat in 2027.

[B]

I agree. But I do think it's a long shot in the. My main counterpoint to that is Trinidad Chambers at quarterback. I look at Ole Miss's team and see a team that could be pretty good, but one of the best quarterbacks in the country. A player, I think, who can elevate the play of everybody around him. One of those. Those kind of guys that don't come around that often at quarterback. I think he can do that. And that to me, gives Ole Miss a chance. He's such a playmaker. He can turn a bad play into a really good one.

[A]

You just find it very unlikely. You believe so much in Trinidad Chambers, and I'm not saying you're wrong, but, but if I'm interpreting correctly. You believe so much in him. You don't think he's going to regress this year even without Kiffin and, And Charlie Weiss? And if he doesn't regress, you think Ole Miss is going to remain very, very good this season?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, they're going to. I mean, what if ole Ms. Went 8 and 4? That's.

[A]

Yeah, 8 and 4 doesn't put him on the hot seat.

[B]

No. And, and I just think with Chambliss at quarterback, he's really accurate and he's accurate throwing on the run. He can play in big game, high pressure situations. I just really like him as a quarterback and I know he had a good play caller and maybe won't have as good a play caller this go round, but again, he takes bad plays or mediocre plays and make them, make them look better than they are. And he also can hand the ball to Kawan Lacey. He's one of the top running backs in the country. That combination, I just think that will carry Ole Miss through. And I think the main thing is in some of those big games where they're. You, you ticked off that schedule. Some very tough games. I think Ole Missile win one or two of those games because of Chambers. You know, it could. I wouldn't be shocked if it beat lsu. LSU is a better team on paper, certainly. But Trinidad Chambers to me gives Ole Miss an edge in those kind of games sometimes.

[A]

What if Ole Miss loses the opener to Louisville and then gets blown out at home by LSU and Lane Kiffin in week three?

[B]

You fire him right there.

[A]

I don't think that. No, no, but you, no, you don't find right then. But, but I'm saying I don't think they're going to lose to Louisville and then get blown out week three. But it's, but it's not crazy.

[B]

But you're right what you say about the enormous difference between floor and ceiling with these guys, you just don't. And you could say that Ole Miss had kind of a charm life last season. Things worked out for, for the most part and you know, it was, it was right there knocking on the door against Miami. It wasn't like it didn't have a chance to advance to the championship game. And it did that amid, amid all the tumult of losing your, your head coach and some assistance. So we'll see. But I just, I guess if I had to pick somebody else, so I would pick Pete golden. Other than when I look at all these other coaches, you just not have to fire first year coach or put him on the hot seat, you give him somewhat of a chance even in the sec. So. Yeah, but when you're, when you're trying to come up with five guys, I can see why you would put him on there.

[A]

Maybe the assignment should have been four names, John. But we don't take the easy way out.

[B]

So and, and no. And you know what we don't do either? We don't go back and doubt ourselves. That's just not how we do things.

[A]

No reason to start now. All right. Thanks for listening to this edition of SEC Football Unfiltered. Much more to discuss. I have no doubt on the hot seat. Tough topic once the season begins. But for now, we'll leave there. Thanks for listening. We'll be back with you next week.