Just about a month before college football returns, the pressure is starting to turn up on coaches around the SEC. That’s no surprise, though, given that the standard for just about every team in the conference is to at least be competing for the College Football Playoff.
Those high expectations tend to lead to a lot of coaching turnover. Last year, that saw six teams hire new coaches. Five of those came after a coach was fired. One came after a coach, Lane Kiffin, was hired away by a conference rival.
So, expect there to be plenty of shake-up within the SEC again in 2026. Here are two coaches who are already on the hot seat, and two who may go looking to jump to a new job.
No candidate seems more obviously on the hot seat in the SEC than Shane Beamer at South Carolina. Going into his sixth season with the Gamecocks, he’s had losing records in two of his last three, including a career worst 4-8 in 2025.
Making matters worse, that 2025 team had College Football Playoff aspirations. With NFL talent at quarterback, wide receiver and edge-rusher, it was a major disappointment. Beamer ended up making an offensive coordinator change, but if that doesn’t work, the buck stops with him.
It’s no secret that Eli Drinkwitz threw his hat in the mix for other jobs in 2025. In particular, the Florida job. Rumors swirled, in particular, after it became clear Florida was falling behind in the race to land Lane Kiffin. Still, it matters that Florida took the time to vet him before Drinkwitz signed his extension with Missouri.
Drinkwitz is now 46-29 at Missouri, and he has multiple double-digit win seasons in 2023 and 2024. If he feels he’s maxed out what he’s able to do with Missouri’s resources, it might make sense for him to find a program that offers more, particularly in the NIL and transfer era.
Maybe Kalen DeBoer should simply be considered a candidate to leave. After all, he was rumored for the Michigan job a season ago, and fans around Tuscaloosa are frustrated with the team. So, he may even want to get out before Alabama has the chance to fire him.
DeBoer took Washington to play for a national championship in 2023, leaving to replace Nick Saban. Since then, he’s gone 20-8 at Alabama with a CFP appearance. It’s been good, but maybe not good enough. Now, in a very tightly contested SEC, Alabama is the preseason No. 6 in the conference, not the country. That type of finish might be enough to end his tenure amid very high expectations.
Let’s get one thing clear: It’s almost impossible for a college team to hire Steve Sarkisian away from Texas. It’s not impossible, but highly unlikely. What’s less unlikely is that an NFL team comes calling, and he jumps to the NFL.
There have been rumors that Sarkisian may have NFL interest going back to last season. At the time, he was quick to lash out against them. However, that wasn’t enough to completely quash them.
