The SEC is getting a head start on the coaching carousel this year, with the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers already in the market for new head coaches.
It seems likely that the SEC isn’t done making coaching changes, and those changes might happen in a number of ways. We could have a couple more firings (looking at you, Auburn and Kentucky).
Could we see a record number of fresh faces in new places when SEC Media Days 2026 kicks off in Tampa on July 20?
First, some background.
Based on some great research put together by my colleague, Spenser Davis, it appears the most new coaches we’ve had in the SEC coming into a season since 1987 is 5. That happened back in 2018, when Dan Mullen made his Florida debut, Joe Moorhead was a first-year head coach at Mississippi State and Arkansas (Chad Morris), Tennessee (Jeremy Pruitt) and Texas A&M (Jimbo Fisher) all had new head coaches, as well.
Having 6 new head coaches this cycle wouldn’t be that difficult to reach. But could we get to 8 (or more) new head coaches in the SEC for 2026?
Let’s take a look at how this unlikely, but not totally impossible, chaos scenario could take place.
At risk of getting fired
Candidates: Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Mark Stoops (Kentucky)
I don’t think we’re quite done with the firings this year in the SEC. I’m aware that Mark Stoops has a massive buyout at Kentucky that might not be palatable, but this could end up being a situation where both parties feel the need to move on and something is negotiated that allows Stoops to leave for another job. Things aren’t going well at Kentucky and it seems like a change is needed.
I do expect Auburn to eventually fire Hugh Freeze. At this point, though, there’s not really a rush to do it until after the regular season. If both of these jobs open up, that gets us to 5 openings.
Change of scenery
Candidates: Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Eli Drinkwitz (Mizzou), Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Mike Elko (Texas A&M)
Here’s where I need to make myself clear — I’m not predicting that any of these guys will actually leave their current schools. I do believe Lane Kiffin is happy at Ole Miss. It would take a lot for Shane Beamer to move on from South Carolina (though I would be nervous the longer the Virginia Tech job stays open and the longer South Carolina continues to flounder). (I’d also be nervous about Beamer wearing out his welcome the longer he stands by Mike Shula as the OC, but that’s s different conversation.) I personally think Mike Elko would be insane to leave what he has at Texas A&M for a job at Penn State, but crazier things have happened.
The guy that worries me the most is the head coach at my alma mater, Eli Drinkwitz. The odds keep trending toward the Mizzou head coach taking the Florida job, which has me worried. The fine folks in Las Vegas aren’t setting out to lose money. If even 2 of these 4 guys end up heading to new schools, that gets us to 7 openings.
NFL possibility?
Candidate: Steve Sarkisian (Texas)
I’m a firm believer in the “where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire” theory. The report that came out that Steve Sarkisian was open to NFL offers had to come from somewhere. There haven’t been any reports published about Lane Kiffin being interested in an NFL gig. There haven’t been any reports about Dan Lanning, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day or any other top-tier college football coaches being interested in the NFL.
Sarkisian has blasted the original reporting, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Texas down the stretch this season and what Sark decides to do in 2026 and beyond.
Wildcard Scenario
Candidate: Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)
Again, I’ll start this section with a disclaimer so y’all don’t yell at me online: I don’t think Clark Lea is going anywhere. The only scenario that would worry me is the (very unlikely) situation where Marcus Freeman leaves Notre Dame for LSU, Penn State or Florida. Again, I don’t think that’s happening.
But if Notre Dame were to open up, Clark Lea would have to be on the shortlist there, right? What he’s done at Vanderbilt the past couple of years is nothing short of amazing. Vanderbilt is a school with high academic standards. So is Notre Dame. On the 0.1% chance Freeman leaves Notre Dame, keep an eye on Lea.
Prediction
I do think we’ll set a record with 6 new SEC head coaches heading into 2026. If I had to guess right now, I’ll take Arkansas, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Kentucky and Mizzou to all have new faces leading their programs at 2026 SEC Media Days.
Hopefully I’m at least wrong about Mizzou, but we’ll see what happens. We still have 5 weeks left in the 2025 regular season and in the SEC, things change quickly. There’s still a non-zero chance that the chaos scenario I’ve laid out above takes place.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.