The long offseason has been filled with doubts about Alabama and Kalen DeBoer. National media have fueled doubts, and even some Alabama fans have embraced a gloomy perspective.
Contrary to the negative opinions, it is hard to find any ranking of top college football coaches that does not have DeBoer in the top 10. In the 2026 season, the SEC has few coaches in legitimate 'hot seat' status. Kalen DeBoer's seat might be warm in Tuscaloosa, but it is not hot. With a somewhat criticized contract extension, Alabama AD Greg Byrne put DeBoer on sound footing in 2026 and likely 2027 as well.
Kalen DeBoer ranked highly again
CBS Sports recently published a ranking of SEC head coaches. DeBoer was No. 3, behind Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian. Five of the bottom seven were new SEC head coaches. The only slight exception is that three games coached last season make Pete Goldin not exactly new.
The SEC's bottom seven were: No. 10 Jon Sumrall, No. 11 Shane Beamer, No. 12 Alex Golesh, No. 13 Pete Golding, No. 14 Ryan Silverfield, No. 15 Jeff Lebby, and No. 16 Will Stein.
Among the seven, Lebby and Beamer are the SEC head coaches with the hottest seats. Beamer has five seasons as a head coach, all at South Carolina. His record is 33-30, far below the least-stringent demand for an SEC head coach. After the Gamecocks went 4-8 last season, Beamer will need at least eight wins to get a sixth season in Columbia. Season three as a head coach could be a tipping point for Lebby. What it was believed he would bring to Mississippi State, a potent offense, has not happened. The Bulldogs' offense has been middling, and last season the Mississippi State defense was near the bottom of the SEC.
The 2026 season will be 'put up or get gone' time for Beamer and Lebby and perhaps prove foreboding for another SEC head coach. If the CBS rankings are accurate, Pete Golding could be at risk of limping into the 2027 season. Some projections have the Rebels as a Playoff team. Golding is the SEC's least-proven head coach, and if Ole Miss falls short of the Playoff field, he will have much to prove in 2027.
One other observation about the CBS rankings is the irony of Auburn's Alex Golesh at No. 12. Golesh could prove to be Auburn's best hire in many years. Tigers' faithful are boldly optimistic, but the CBS rankings suggest too much is being expected of him too soon.
Note: Data provided by Sports Reference and College Football Stats
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