Grading each SEC football head coach ahead of the 2025 season

USA Today

06-06-2025

Grading each SEC football head coach ahead of the 2025 season
With the 2024 season now in the past, it is time to sharpen the pencils and break out the playbooks for the Southeastern Conference's head coaches.
Once again, there is no shortage of genius playcallers in the conference this season. From head coaches looking to prove they can compete with the best teams in the league to successful masterminds aiming to reach the apex of college football, every coach is looking to make a long-lasting impression in 2025.
Last year, the conference saw a record-breaking 13 of 16 teams appear in the postseason, with three of them making the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Now, a new season looms on the horizon, and with that comes the opportunity to showcase why the SEC is the most dominant conference in the country. With nine programs ranked in the top 10 strength of schedule rankings via ESPN, the league's coaches will have their work cut out for them this year.
Here are the back-to-school rankings for every SEC head coach as we near the 2025 campaign:
Kirby Smart, Georgia (A+)
The cream of the crop in the SEC starts with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Entering his 10th year with the Bulldogs, his resume speaks for itself. He's helped bring three SEC Championships and two College Football Playoff National Championships to the program, while also sending 52 players to the NFL.
Last season, he led Georgia to an 11-3 (6-2 SEC) record and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, where the Fighting Irish eventually defeated the Dawgs 23-10 to eliminate the program from the 2024 College Football Playoff. Smart will be laser-focused on rewriting the wrongs from last year's ventures and bringing UGA back to the top of the mountain.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas (A+)
Love or hate him, it does not matter. With just one year under his belt coaching in the SEC, Steve Sarkisian has propelled himself and the Texas Longhorns program into the elite category in the conference. Heading into his fourth year in Austin, Texas, Sarkisian boasts a 71-49 overall record with one SEC Championship appearance and a bid to the CFP last year.
Sarkisian will have his work cut out for him this year, however. Texas lost many integral players to the 2025 NFL Draft, like Quinn Ewers, Kelvin Banks Jr. and Matthew Golden. If Sarkisian wants to secure his first SEC title as a head coach, it will take developing quarterback Arch Manning and pulling out all the stops to renovate the offense.
Brian Kelly, LSU (A)
He may display cringeworthy antics at times, but there is no denying what Brian Kelly can do with the headset on and the playbook in hand. As the winningest coach in the conference, Kelly has accrued 313 total wins in his head coaching career.
For Kelly, it is all about getting over the hump this season and leading the LSU Tigers back to where the program should be. That begins with the first game of the year on the road against the Clemson Tigers, who will also be extremely talented this season under tenured head coach Dabo Swinney. LSU has dropped five consecutive season openers, including three under Kelly. If he wants to get over the hump and keep the Tigers fanbase happy, it all starts with winning one game at a time.
Josh Heupel, Tennessee (A)
Possibly one of the greatest quarterback developers in the conference, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel does not get enough credit for the work he has done with the Volunteers over the last three years. After defeating Alabama for the second time in three years and reaching the 2024 College Football Playoff, there is no denying that Heupel is one of the elite coaches in the SEC and the country.
Everything will be earned by Heupel's Vols this season, however. Multiple departures, including the loss of quarterback Nico Lamaleava, caused many holes in the projected starting lineup for Tennessee this season. Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar brings a plethora of experience, and under Heupel's system, has the potential to become one of the most underrated signal-callers in the conference this season.
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama (A-)
As much flak as Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is catching for not reaching the playoffs, you would believe that he is one of the worst coaches in the country. However, that is far from the truth, as DeBoer boasts an overall record of 113-16 in his head coaching career, including an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship with the Washington Huskies.
Alas, the Crimson Tide fanbase is ready to break out the pitchforks and torches, without taking a second to realize the shoes that had to be filled following Nick Saban's retirement from coaching at Alabama. If DeBoer does not make the playoffs, you can bet it will become more hostile in Tuscaloosa. He's a better coach than most give him credit for, and he could very well lead the Crimson Tide back to where they belong this season with a plethora of talent on the roster.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (A-)
Whether he is hurling clipboards into the air or telling folks to get their popcorn ready, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has brought the Rebels out of the SEC gutter and into the national spotlight. His mastermind coaching ability has led to 28 players being drafted out of Oxford, including a program record of eight in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, there are some places that Kiffin needs to improve if he seeks to get the Rebels into the CFP this season. Like Kelly, Kiffin struggles when it comes to getting over the hump. There have been multiple instances in which Ole Miss had the opportunity to lock down a position in Atlanta, but just could not find a way to come up clutch, including winning five consecutive games to start last season before losing to Kentucky at home. The lack of a clutch factor is one of the only things stopping Kiffin from being among Smart and Sarkisian at the top of this list.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri (A-)
Eli Drinkwitz is one of the most underrated coaches in the country for what he's done for the program in CoMo. For the third time in program history, Drinkwitz led his Missouri Tigers to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2024, which was capped off with a 27-24 victory over Iowa in the Music City Bowl.
The Tigers have a very favorable schedule again this year, which could spell much success for Drinkwitz and company in 2025. However, multiple losses like experienced quarterback Brady Cook and exceptional wideout Luther Burden III leave the Mizzou offense looking for answers this offseason. The addition of former Penn State backup gunslinger Beau Pribula is nice, but only time will tell if Drinkwitz can lead this team to a CFP appearance for the first time in school history.
Shane Beamer, South Carolina (B+)
Through four years with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Shane Beamer has showcased his ability to take the program back to the top of the mountain. He has won more games (29-22) through four seasons than any other head coach in school history, while also leading the Gamecocks to three bowl appearances in four years and two wins over in-state rival Clemson Tigers.
Beamer Ball is making huge waves throughout the conference, making South Carolina a team nobody wants to face, especially on the road. LaNorris Sellers returns as one of the most athletic and talented quarterbacks in the country. At the same time, the Gamecocks' defensive unit under Beamer in 2025 looks to be one of the best the Gamecocks have displayed on the gridiron in a long time. However, it will take consistency, despite a challenging schedule, to secure a spot in the CFP.
Mike Elko, Texas A&M (B+)
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko walked into Bryan-College Station, Texas, in his first year and made an immediate impact on the program. Instantly, he turned the Aggies into a contender for the SEC Championship. If it were not for a couple of late slip-ups, he would have become just the third head coach in the conference's history to lead their respective teams to the SEC title game in their first season at the helm.
That is just hypothetical, however. Elko is a brilliant mind who knows how to recruit and develop players, as evidenced by the rapid growth of quarterback Marcel Reed toward the end of the 2024 campaign. Elko will have another shot to rewrite the wrongs against the likes of Notre Dame and Texas on the road this season. If he can get the Aggies rolling, he could shoot up this list in a hurry.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn (B)
There are some people, including the members of the Auburn Tigers fanbase, who believe that Hugh Freeze's stint at Auburn has been disappointing so far. At a program that believes in success and invests so much into making superstars on the gridiron, the expectations are high, as they should be.
Since being named the head coach, Freeze has went 11-13 with a 5-11 league record, including losses against New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. That is a sentiment to his inconsistency so far on the Plains. However, Freeze has recruited well and this year's team looks to be the best one in a while for the Tigers. There is no more excuses, it is time for him to win at Auburn.
Billy Napier, Florida (B-)
When a coach inherits a program like the Florida Gators, the expectations of success are to be competing for titles. For the last couple of years under head coach Billy Napier, the program has been lucky just to reach six wins, much to the disappointment of the entire fanbase. He holds a 19-19 record with just eight conference wins since he was hired in 2022.
There were signs of a potential turnaround at the end of last season, as the Gators claimed huge victories over Ole Miss and the school's first bowl game win since 2019 against Tulane in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Napier has one of the most athletic quarterbacks in DJ Lagway returning for his sophomore year in Gainesville. The potential of the roster could secure Napier another season, but if the Gators are not able to get back to winning more than six games, the writing could be written on the wall for his tenure at Florida.
Brent Venables, Oklahoma (B-)
Brent Venables' third year at the helm for the Oklahoma Sooners was filled with ups and downs. Positives? The program stunned the Crimson Tide in Norman last season, which provided Venables with one of his biggest victories of his head coaching career so far. Negatives? Inconsistency on both sides of the ball and poor coaching in moments led to a 6-7 record and a 21-20 loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Point being, the Sooners have not been able to break the glass ceiling and reach the apex of college football in a few years. Venables' decisions, specifically involving the quarterback position, put the program in a bad position throughout the entirety of last season. Now, it is time for Venables to face the music and take the talented roster back to success. If he is not able to achieve such a feat, we could see the end of the Venables era before we know it.
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (C+)
If there is one coach on this list who deserves his flowers for what they have been able to do at the helm, it is Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea. With the helpful addition of signal-caller Diego Pavia last season, Lea helped lead the Dores to a historic win over No. 1 Alabama and the school's first bowl game victory since 2013, in a 35-27 win over Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl.
Is there more magic left in the tank in Nashville? That is still to be seen. However, Lea has done an excellent job establishing a talented roster in preparation of the upcoming season, including retaining Pavia for one more year. The defensive unit still needs some work, but SEC teams should beware of the Dores in 2025.
Arkansas, Sam Pittman (C-)
The Sam Pittman era at Arkansas has been anything but spectacular. His inconsistency has led to a rapidly increasing dissatisfaction among the Razorbacks' fan base, who are clamoring for an opportunity to break through in a revamped era of college football finally.
Pittman has yet to truly find his footing with the Hogs, despite finding a way to reach nine wins in 2021. The type of consistency, or lack thereof, produced by Pittman might be allowed or even celebrated in other conferences, but this is the SEC. If he wants to stay in Fayetteville for longer, he will need some help to take Arkansas to the next level. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino definitely could help, but it might be too late for Pittman.
Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State (D+)
After finishing 2024 with just two wins, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby received more hatred than well-wishes from fans. The Bulldogs may not be a blue-blood program in football, but they do produce a plethora of talent and always finish amongst the middle of the pack in the conference. Usually, this is a team that most fear playing, especially on the road.
That has not been the case lately, however. Lebby has been tasked with revamping a program that has gone through more hardships and adversity than any other in the conference, bar none. He has a sneaky-good offensive roster, with an experienced group of transfers blocking for the returning gunslinger, Blake Shapen. It might not be this year, but Lebby will find a way to get the Dawgs back to complete form in the next couple of years.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky (D)
Finally, we reach the bottom of the list with Kentucky's Mark Stoops. Well, we have some work to do. The complete decline of this program has been one of the most disappointing things to watch. Have you ever felt such dissatisfaction when your favorite movie starts to end? Sometimes, you almost just want to restart the movie entirely because you love it so much.
That is how it feels watching Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats. This is going to be a rough season in Lexington, and it will likely be one that the program will want to forget forever. Stoops is on one of the hottest seats in America, which will likely ignite into a wildfire if he is not able to turn this ship around.
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