The SEC is a relatively stable place for coaches at the moment. The likes of Tennessee and Arkansas showed great improvements in 2014 while Florida decided to fire Will Muschamp and replace him with Jim McElwain from Colorado State. This means in comparison to many of the other power five conferences, there aren’t many head coaches in the SEC in danger of losing their jobs in 2015. But let’s take a look at the ones who could be on the hot seat:
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
Of all the head coaches in the SEC currently, Derek Mason is easily the most likely to lose his job during the 2015 season.
It was no secret when Mason was hired that he was taking on one of the toughest jobs in college football with Vanderbilt, a school having higher academic standards than pretty much all their rivals while competing in the SEC. He succeeded James Franklin, who went down as one of the greatest coaches in Commodore history with consecutive nine-win seasons.
Coming in from Stanford, Mason tallied only three wins in his first season as head coach (UMass, Charleston Southern and Old Dominion).
Mark Stoops, Kentucky
The Wildcats have certainly seen progress under Mark Stoops. Last season they started 5-1, but fell just short of bowl eligibility after dropping six straight contests to close out the year. Realistically, Stoops should keep his job in the long term as his impressive recruiting record is finally showing results on the field. With that said, however, it’s certainly not unthinkable for Kentucky to win just three or four games in 2015 and part ways with Stoops, who would be sought after elsewhere.
Les Miles, LSU
Few coaches have such a distinguished record as Les Miles does at LSU, including a national title in 2007. But unfortunately for Miles, the Tigers have regressed from 2012 when they were battling Alabama for another national title. After 10 wins in a disappointing 2013 campaign, they fell another two wins last year to finish 8-5 after a weak defeat to Notre Dame. Like Stoops, Les Miles is unlikely to be canned by LSU unless they take a big backward step in 2015, but it’s clear the diehard fan base in Baton Rouge is losing patience with the Tigers being also-rans in the SEC.
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Spurrier is a bit like Miles in the sense that he’s built up enough goodwill over the years for him not to be forced out easily. He’s only one year removed from an 11-win season with the Gamecocks, but there have been questions over how long Spurrier really wants to continue coaching, and another season around six or seven wins might push him towards retirement. South Carolina will navigate a tough schedule in 2015 that features non-conference games against North Carolina, Central Florida and Clemson as well as the usual gauntlet of playing in the SEC East.
