Ranking SEC Coaching Carousel: What is Top Job?
Auburn’s firing of head coach Hugh Freeze on Sunday marked the fourth SEC head coaching vacancy that has been opened … and it’s only November.
Hugh Freeze joined Sam Pittman, Billy Napier and Brian Kelly in search of a new home for the 2026 season on Sunday. With an overwhelming amount of top-tier programs making changes midseason, the competition for top coaches becomes increasingly more competitive.
This season has already seen Indiana, Nebraska, and SMU sign their head coaches to multi-year extensions in order to ward off possible poaching from other schools. The question now becomes: which vacancy is the most appealing to possible targets?
- LSU (5-3; Fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26)
The Tigers are in search of both a new head coach and athletic director this offseason. Despite this, the Tigers are arguably the hottest job in college football, not only this offseason, but even since Alabama and Michigan’s openings two seasons ago.
The championship standard in Baton Rouge is nearly unmatched. LSU joins Ohio State and Alabama as the only teams with three or more national championships since the adoption of the BCS system in 1998. The Tigers have also had two Heisman Trophy winners since 2019; Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels.
LSU is also rated 12th in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Their upcoming class is headlined by the top overall recruit in the class, 5-star DL Lamar Brown, who the Tigers will look to retain with a new head coach.
The biggest concern with the LSU opening is the lack of certainty surrounding the vacant athletic director role after Scott Woodward’s firing. Despite the uncertainty, LSU is undoubtedly the top job on the market right now for coaches looking for championship opportunities.
2. Florida (3-5; Fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19)
The Gators are another program that hold themselves to a championship standard. Florida has won three national championships since 1996, but they haven’t reached a championship game since their 2008 championship nor have they qualified for the College Football Playoff. Along with this, Florida is searching for their fifth head coach since Urban Meyer stepped down in 2010.
The ceiling for the Gators is playoff caliber, although recent results have not shown much success. Florida brought in a top-seven recruiting class in 2025, according to 247 Sports, and currently holds the 14th-rated class in 2026. The Gators will need to retain top young talent, such as DJ Lagway and Jadan Baugh, through the transfer window.
Despite their ceiling, the Gators have finished below .500 in three of the past four seasons. Expectations have stayed high, however, as Florida saw a peak ranking as high as No. 13 this season.
Florida is reportedly pursuing Lane Kiffin heavily for their opening, which could swing the Gators’ momentum in a big way in 2026. Other names to look out for are Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz and Washington’s Jedd Fisch.
Loading ...3. Auburn (4-5; Fired Hugh Freeze on Nov. 2)
The most recent opening in college football is one that comes with a solid ounce of intrigue for potential candidates. Auburn has a national title as recently as 2010, but shares the recent instability with Florida.
Auburn is now searching for their third head coach since firing Gus Malzahn in 2020. The Tigers have also not had a season with more than six wins since 2019 and have struggled to keep pace in a new-look SEC. Despite this, Auburn is still a high-level job opening for prospective candidates.
There is no lack of talent at Auburn, most notably WR Cam Coleman, who they will need to keep away from the transfer portal this offseason. The Tigers will also look to keep five-star safety Bralan Womack committed to the team for 2026.
Auburn may choose to deviate from the candidates that LSU and Florida are fighting for, which would open up their pool of candidates. A leading name for the Tigers could be Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, who is arguably the biggest name outside of the Power Four.
4. Arkansas (2-7; Fired Sam Pittman on Sept. 28)
Arkansas was the first opening in the SEC and is now the least appealing of the four jobs that have come open. The Razorbacks have only had one AP Top-25 finish since 2011 and have not reached a conference championship game since 2006.
Unlike the past two teams on the list, Arkansas has not seen a coaching change since Chad Morris was fired in 2019. They also only have two losing seasons since 2020. Despite this, Arkansas has not had a winning record in conference play since 2015.
Whoever the Hogs hire, they will be tasked with rebuilding a program that is very senior-heavy and does not hold a top-50 recruiting class for 2026. The program is not necessarily in a win-now state, but the potential for growth is definitely present in Fayetteville.
Other Power Four Openings
Penn State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Stanford will join these four teams on the carousel this offseason. Penn State is the most competitive job outside of the SEC and will be searching for a championship-caliber head coach after firing James Franklin.
The hot seat in the SEC seemingly shifts to Mark Stoops at Kentucky, despite his steep buyout of $38 million. Eliah Drinkwitz and Lane Kiffin have been at the forefront of coaching searches, which could possibly bring openings to Missouri and Ole Miss as well.
The 2025 coaching carousel is still in full swing with many dominos still set to fall before kickoff next season.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
