The SEC is arguably the best conference in college football because it has some fantastic head coaches. However, some coaches have different levels of experience because they have a head coach for different periods of time. Who is the SEC’s longest-tenured head coach?
Who Are the SEC’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches?
Some fans might be surprised when thinking about the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC. The obvious answer before his retirement was legendary head coach Nick Saban.
Now, the longest-tenured coach is Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, who is about to enter his 13th season in Lexington. Stoops spoke with ESPN’s Matt Barrie earlier this week about his long tenure in the SEC.
Kentucky Football coach Mark Stoops with @MattBarrie on being the longest-tenured coach in the SEC after 12 seasons 👀
“Feels like dog years.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/UaEAchLtZz
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) February 11, 2025
The former SEC Coach of the Year has guided his team to eight bowl appearances, elevating the Kentucky program to consistent heights they haven’t seen before. After Stoops comes Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who is entering his 10th season in Athens.
The multi-time national champion has built one of college football’s best programs in Athens.
Then, the group of Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, and Arkansas’s Sam Pittman are about to enter their sixth season at their respective schools. Kiffin has been the most successful of those names, with three 10-win seasons in the last four years.
Next on the list are South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, who will each be entering their fifth season at their respective schools. Tennessee made the College Football Playoff last year, while South Carolina was right on the doorstep of the playoff, and Vanderbilt upset Alabama in 2024.
LSU’s Brian Kelly and Florida’s Billy Napier are entering their fourth season at their schools, but they could be under the most pressure as their teams have underperformed in recent years.
Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, who is in the midst of his second stint at an SEC school (Ole Miss; 2012-2016), will be going into his third season with the Tigers but will have to start to produce as his team has churned out back-to-back losing seasons.
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Finally, a large group of SEC coaches are coming off their first conference season.
That group includes Texas’s Steve Sarkisian, Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, and Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby. Sarkisian had led Texas back to college football prominence, as he has led the Longhorns to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
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