Cowbell Corner

SEC Football Coaches on the Hot Seat: Mississippi State Set With Jeff Lebby

Zach Arnett lasted just 11 games as MSU's head coach, but the administration will be patient with first-year head coach Jeff Lebby.

Rich Cirminiello

Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby on the sidelines against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby on the sidelines against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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Forget the 1-5 start or even the ugly Week 3 loss to Toledo. Mississippi State believes it has its head coach in Jeff Lebby, and it's prepared to be patient with him.

Unlike Zach Arnett or Joe Moorhead a few years earlier, Lebby appears to be the right fit in Starkville, especially with true freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. leading the offense. And his offensive ingenuity meshes nicely with a program whose best years were with innovative offensive leaders.

While Lebby can build without looking over his shoulder in the second half of the season, these five SEC coaches will be under intense pressure to deliver.

Not all of these coaches are in imminent danger of getting fired. REPEAT, NOT ALL OF THESE COACHES ARE IN IMMINENT DANGER OF BEING FIRED. But if they don't turn things around, they could be coaching for their jobs in 2025.

5. Hugh Freeze, Auburn

Auburn is committed to Freeze, who's only in Year 2. However, this is Auburn, where 8-11 coaching starts will not be tolerated for very long. The bump that was expected this season has not happened, with the Tigers sitting at 2-4 and poised to regress from a year ago.

4. Brent Venables, Oklahoma

Venables isn't going anywhere. Still, folks in Norman are getting restless. Rival Texas is top-ranked and just knocked the Sooners out of the Top 25 with a 34-3 Red River rout. Venables' QB of the future, Jackson Arnold, was benched and there's a sense OU has lost momentum this fall.

3. Shane Beamer, South Carolina

The Gamecocks would be crazy to part with Beamer. He's well-liked, recruits well, and he's been a giant-killer. But he's also 23-21 and could be looking at back-to-back losing seasons. If 3-3 South Carolina finishes under .500 this year, 2025 will be a big year for Beamer.

2. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Just don't collapse, coach. Pittman, who began the season on the hot seat, has rallied with a 4-2 start and an upset of No. 4 Tennessee. Still, he's just 27-27 overall, and after going 4-8 last year, he can ill-afford a poor second half.

1. Billy Napier, Florida

No one's seat is hotter than Napier's. He's 14-17 in Year 3 and about to begin one of the wickedest second-half slates in college football history. Napier has a $26 million buyout and a rookie QB, DJ Lagway, whose development in the next few weeks could dictate his future in Gainesville.

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Rich Cirminiello
RICH CIRMINIELLO

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