Ole Miss Football head coach Lane Kiffin has questions to answer this season. However, his job is much safer than others in the Southeastern Conference. Here are four SEC head coaches who will face Ole Miss during the 2024 college football season and could face the hot seat.
Billy Napier, Florida
The obvious name on most lists like these is Florida head coach Billy Napier. Having spent a successful four seasons as Louisiana, with a record of 40-12 and two Sun-Belt Conference titles, Napier was appointed Florida head coach for the 2022 season.
In his two seasons with the Gators, Napier is yet to have a winning season, with an overall record of 11-14. His team missed out on a bowl game in 2023, the first time Florida hasn't appeared in one since the 2017 season.
It's not the performances on the field that is the only issue. Napier lost a handful of top 2024 recruits, flipping their commitments in December. However, he did manage to keep hold of five-star QB DJ Lagway. and DL LJ McCray despite late pressure from rival teams to flip their commitments.
Napier had recently received backing from Florida AD Scott Stricklin, which we know doesn't always mean your job is safe.
Florida will face Ole Miss in week 13, right after a run of Georgia, Texas and LSU. It's not ridiculous to think Napier may not be taking on Lane Kiffin in November if the season turns into a disaster.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
The arrow was truly pointing upwards in Fayetteville after a 2021 season that saw Pittman deliver a 9-win season. In 2022, that dropped to 7 wins, but Pittman still delivered a bowl win. However, 2023 was poor, winning just one Southeastern Conference on the way to a 3-win season.
Arkansas ran several teams close, losing five games by one score or less. Their last two SEC losses weren't pretty, going down by a combined score of 96-24.
Pittman has done enough in the two seasons before to warrant a return in 2024. However, the Razorbacks 2024 schedule is rough, with Ole Miss, Texas, LSU and Missouri the best of a strong SEC schedule. Will another poor season end the well-liked Pittman's time as head coach of Arkansas?
Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Beamer's first two seasons as head coach of South Carolina were successful, including an 8-win season in 2022. However, 2023 started slow, losing six of their first eight games. Beamer pulled it back with wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky but still missed out on a bowl game.
If the Gamecocks can bounce back to above .500 season, it would be a step in the right direction for Beamer. However, they have lost a bunch of talent to the NFL and transfer portal. Quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receivers Xavier Legette and Antwane 'Juice' Wells have left the program. The players that Beamer has acquired from the portal do not look to have improved the roster, with it perhaps in a worse state than the start of the 2023 season.
Beamer does not have the hardest SEC schedule in 2024, but it's sure not the easiest. Their first four Southeastern Conference games are Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama. If they fail to pick up at least one win from those, the fourth-year head coach could be playing for time at South Carolina.
Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Venables had a much better second season as head coach of Oklahoma, going 10-3 and beating Texas in the Red River rivalry game. However, back-to-back losses against Kansas and rivals Oklahoma State resulted in missing out on the Big 12 Conference title game.
Despite that, you would suspect Venables's job would be safe during the 2024 season. However, the Southeastern Conference is stronger than the Big 12, with the Sooners handed a tough SEC schedule. Venables will play Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn on the road, while at home, they play Tennessee, Alabama and Texas at the Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma's more difficult games come near the back end of the season, so a fast start is needed for Venables. If they are under .500 by the time they roll into Oxford in week 9, it could be a disaster of a season. Would that be enough for the Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione to believe Venables is not the guy to take the Sooners forward in the SEC?