2025 SEC Head Coach Rankings: Preseason College Football Preview
Coaches like Oklahoma's Brent Venables, Kentucky's Mark Stoops, and Auburn's Hugh Freeze must have great years. The ones handling the projected powerhouses - Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, LSU's Brian Kelly, and Steve Sarkisian of Texas - aren't in any danger of being sacked, but they can't all win the national championship.
But beyond all the overhype and unrealistic expectations, just how good are all these head coaches?All of them are great in their own way, Who's hot, who's not, who has the wins in the tank, and who has the right combination of past glory and present upside? Going into the season - and we'll readjust after the campaign - our preseason head coaching rankings are ...- Predictions of every SEC game
16 Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
Career FBS Win %: 16.7 FBS Wins: 2 Winning FBS Seasons: 0 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 1 Average Wins Per Season: 2.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 0.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 16 Top offensive coordinator at UCF, Ole Miss, and then Oklahoma
15 Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Career FBS Win %: 56.4 FBS Wins: 22 Winning FBS Seasons: 1 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 3 Average Wins Per Season: 7.33 % Seasons With Winning Record: 33.33% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 12 2016 Broyles winner (top assistant); beat Texas in 2023
14 Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Career FBS Win %: 32.7 FBS Wins: 16 Winning FBS Seasons: 1 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 4 Average Wins Per Season: 4.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 25.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 15 Took Vanderbilt to its first winning season since 2013
13 Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Career FBS Win %: 51.3 FBS Wins: 77 Winning FBS Seasons: 7 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 12 Average Wins Per Season: 6.42 % Seasons With Winning Record: 58.33% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 7 2018 SEC Coach of the Year; six winning seasons in last eight
12 Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Career FBS Win %: 49.2 FBS Wins: 30 Winning FBS Seasons: 3 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 5 Average Wins Per Season: 6.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 60.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 14 Longtime star offensive line coach; 3-0 in bowl games
11 Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Career FBS Win %: 62 FBS Wins: 93 Winning FBS Seasons: 9 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 12 Average Wins Per Season: 7.75 % Seasons With Winning Record: 75.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 9 2011 Sun Belt Coach of the Year at Arkansas State; 6-2 in bowls
10 Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Career FBS Win %: 56.9 FBS Wins: 29 Winning FBS Seasons: 3 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 4 Average Wins Per Season: 7.25 % Seasons With Winning Record: 75.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 13 Three winning seasons and bowl appearances in first four years
9 Billy Napier, Florida
Career FBS Win %: 65.6 FBS Wins: 59 Winning FBS Seasons: 4 FBS Conference Championships: 2 Total FBS Seasons: 7 Average Wins Per Season: 8.43 % Seasons With Winning Record: 57.14% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 11 Went 33-5 with two top 16 finishes in his last three seasons at Louisiana
8 Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Career FBS Win %: 63.2 FBS Wins: 24 Winning FBS Seasons: 3 FBS Conference Championships: 0 Total FBS Seasons: 3 Average Wins Per Season: 8.00 % Seasons With Winning Record: 100.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 10 2022 ACC Coach of the Year at Duke; three winning seasons in three years of coaching
7 Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Career FBS Win %: 66.7 FBS Wins: 50 Winning FBS Seasons: 3 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 6 Average Wins Per Season: 8.33 % Seasons With Winning Record: 50.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 8 2023 SEC Coach of the Year; 21 wins over the last two seasons
6 Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Career FBS Win %: 67.3 FBS Wins: 105 Winning FBS Seasons: 10.5 FBS Conference Championships: 2 Total FBS Seasons: 12.5 Average Wins Per Season: 8.40 % Seasons With Winning Record: 84.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 3 2 CUSA championships at FAU; four top 11 finishes; gave Ole Miss its first 11-win season
5 Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Career FBS Win %: 78 FBS Wins: 46 Winning FBS Seasons: 4 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 5 Average Wins Per Season: 9.20 % Seasons With Winning Record: 80.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 4 2023 Coach of the Year taking Washington to a CFP National Championship appearance; won 3 NAIA national titles and went 67-3 at Sioux Falls
4 Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Career FBS Win %: 73.9 FBS Wins: 65 Winning FBS Seasons: 7 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 7 Average Wins Per Season: 9.29 % Seasons With Winning Record: 100.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 6 2022 SEC Coach of the Year; four double-digit win seasons in seven years
3 Brian Kelly, LSU
Career FBS Win %: 72.8 FBS Wins: 195 Winning FBS Seasons: 19 FBS Conference Championships: 3 Total FBS Seasons: 22 Average Wins Per Season: 8.86 % Seasons With Winning Record: 86.36% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 2 2009, 2012, 2018 Coach of the Year; 2 D-II national titles at Grand Valley State; all-time winningest coach at Notre Dame
2 Steve Sarkisian, Texas
Career FBS Win %: 61.5 FBS Wins: 83 Winning FBS Seasons: 8.5 FBS Conference Championships: 1 Total FBS Seasons: 10.5 Average Wins Per Season: 7.90 % Seasons With Winning Record: 80.95% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 5 Two straight CFP semifinal appearances; 25 wins in last two years
1 Kirby Smart, Georgia
Career FBS Win %: 84.7 FBS Wins: 105 Winning FBS Seasons: 9 FBS Conference Championships: 3 Total FBS Seasons: 9 Average Wins Per Season: 11.67 % Seasons With Winning Record: 100.00% 2024 Preseason Conference Rank: 1 Two national titles; 2017, 2021, 2022 SEC Coach of the Year; 8 straight top 7 national finishes- Previews of every SEC team
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