One of the most talked about narratives in college football year after year is which coaches are on the hot seat, who’s gonna keep their job, and which teams ultimately will be looking for someone new at the helm of their program.
This year is no different, and the seats in the best conference in college football are extremely warm.
In a list of the hottest seats in college football revealed by Ari Wasserman of On3, coaches in the SEC littered the top of the list. In fact, all four of the top spots were occupied by SEC leaders:
2025 Hot Seat: College football coaches feeling the most pressure this season
Column: https://t.co/bNS0YNUl97 pic.twitter.com/BXaRt3nrbJ
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) July 30, 2025
In a bit of a surprise, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier takes the top spot. If the list were a year ago, this would not have been a surprise, and frankly less than halfway through the year it felt like Napier being gone from Gainesville was a virtual certainty.
Florida was able to turn it around though and Napier was given the vote of confidence by his bosses. In Wasserman’s eyes though, he is going to have to do it all again versus what is once more one of the toughest schedules in the country. Conventional wisdom would suggest Napier has coached his way off the warm chair, but nothing about college football is conventional.
No. 2 being that high is a bit of a surprise as well in Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables. Since taking the job before the 2022 season, Venables has a record of 22-17, but Oklahoma’s rabid fanbase expects more.
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In defense of the list, Venables does supposedly have his quarterback and offensive coordinator figured out now after a huge offseason, so if the Sooners don’t win now, it stands to reason he may not be the man for the job.
Beyond the top-two, there is not much surprise to see Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman.
Freeze is in a similar boat as Venables with a big offseason, except he does not have the same results from the last three years.
The Tigers are in now or never mode and Freeze’s seat is scorching. One could make the argument that Freeze is under way more pressure than either of the two ahead of him on the list.
As for Pittman, it’s frankly a surprise he’s still in Fayetteville. With a 30-31 record over the years, Pittman has saved his job with a couple nice bowl wins. While he may have the support of his bosses, the fanbase is not thrilled, and another subpar season for the Razorbacks will make the noise around him even louder.
Chances are, at least one or multiple of these SEC programs are going to be looking for a new head coach by the time the season comes to a close.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.