SEC Football: Ranking SEC Coaching Hot Seats for ’22

SEC Football West Division Hot Seats

1. Bryan Harsin – Auburn Tigers – No explanation is needed. Fairly or unfairly, all Harsin gained from Auburn’s bungling was a short reprieve.
2. Mike Leach – Mississippi State Bulldogs – In two seasons in Starkville, Leach’s teams have gone 4-7 and 7-6. Another seven-win season might keep him employed or it might not if he loses a third straight Egg Bowl to Lane Kiffin.
3. Jimbo Fisher – Texas A&M Aggies – With strong recruiting classes and backed by mega-dollars, beating Alabama once is not enough for Jimbo. If he loses in Tuscaloosa and finishes lower than second in the division, the environment in College Station will get tense.
4. Brian Kelly – LSU Bengal Tigers – They expect to win big again – immediately in Baton Rouge. After Orgeron, Kelly will have some leeway, but he could also have the SEC’s shortest honeymoon in a long while.
5. Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss Rebels – Lane, unless he self-destructs, is in a solid position in Oxford. He can even afford to have a rebuilding year.
6. Sam Pittman – Arkansas Razorbacks – Pittman is loved by the Hogs and he has earned it. The bowl win over Penn State was big. Pittman is secure, even if the Hogs don’t match last season’s nine wins.
7. Nick Saban – Alabama Crimson Tide – Coach for Life in Tuscaloosa, even if his contract does not specify that term. He has earned it – and more.

Note: Team and coaching records for this post were provided by sports-reference.com

The ‘Hot Seat’ situations of all the 14 SEC coaches should be stable until the season begins. After that, some seats could warm quickly.