Ranking SEC football coaches by job security

Dan Wolken | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Pressure of rich SEC coaching contracts USA TODAY Sports' Dan Wolken on how big money contracts are affecting coaches in the SEC.

Unlike last season with then-Florida coach Will Muschamp, no SEC football coach enters this season on the hot seat. In fact, seven of 14 SEC coaches received a contract extension and raise after last season.

But on-field success, especially recent success, can mean more than the financial success that is achieved in a boardroom.

The SEC's football coaches, ranked in order of job security entering the 2015 season:

1. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: Short of NCAA violations or some sort of off-field scandal, Mullen is secure in Starkville for a long, long time. Not only has Mullen taken the Bulldogs to five consecutive bowl games, he works for an athletics director in Scott Stricklin who understands the inherent challenges of the job and knows he probably could not hire a better football coach than the one he currently employs.

2. Gary Pinkel, Missouri: The only wildcard in this dynamic is the changeover from longtime athletics director Mike Alden to Mack Rhoades. Longtime Missouri fans have seen enough bad football over the years to appreciate where the program is today under Pinkel and ride out any peaks and valleys that may come. At this point, it's almost a certainty Pinkel will exit on his own terms.

3. Nick Saban, Alabama: It's hard to quantify Saban's job security because of how much money he makes (more than $7 million per year) and how successful he's been. But Saban has often hinted about how exhausting it can be when the mentality is championship-or-bust every season. Alabama is probably Saban's last job. But if he felt slightly unappreciated when he was winning titles, how's he going to feel if the drought extends to three years?

4. Butch Jones, Tennessee: With the Vols showing signs of progress last season and Jones recruiting at an extremely high level, he can still sell tomorrow. At some point, Jones will need to back up that promise with results — and critics can point out that his only significant SEC victories have come against South Carolina — but the decision-makers at Tennessee know their program needs stability more than anything.

5. Bret Bielema, Arkansas: The new deal Bielema signed extends through 2020, and given the strides Arkansas made in his first two seasons, he's quite safe and secure. Bielema established an identity for the program, has recruited well and fits the personality of the state. People like him and the product he's putting on the field — for now.

6. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: Though Ole Miss hasn't been a highly successful SEC program historically, it's factually inaccurate to say it has a lot of patience with coaches. Houston Nutt's consecutive Cotton Bowl appearances didn't buy him much goodwill (he was fired after two losing seasons), and David Cutcliffe was fired one year after a 10-3 season. Freeze better keep winning.

7. Gus Malzahn, Auburn: How volatile is the Auburn job? Gene Chizik overachieved in 2009, overachieved in 2010 (winning the national title) and overachieved in 2011. Then, after one bad season in 2012, he was living the buyout life. That probably isn't going to happen to Malzahn, but if Auburn disappoints in 2015 (following a 1-4 finish in 2014), the narrative around the program isn't going to be positive next year at this time.

8. Jim McElwain, Florida: You'd think the SEC's only first-year coach would be higher than middle-of-the-pack in terms of job security. But given Florida's recent history — both Ron Zook and Will Muschamp were fired after three seasons — it's clear athletics director Jeremy Foley isn't afraid to make a change if he needs to. McElwain won't be under much pressure in Year 1, but 2016 will be crucial.

9. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: Since his 11-2 debut in 2012, Sumlin has been one of the hottest coaches in all of football, rebuffing interest from a bevy of college and NFL teams to stay in College Station at $5 million per year. But that contract comes with much higher expectations than he delivered in 2013 and 2014. If Sumlin doesn't contend for an SEC title in the next two years, he'll start feeling heat for the first time.

10. Mark Stoops, Kentucky: Took over a bad situation, made an initial recruiting splash and has improved the talent level across the board. Still, last season's crash from 5-1 to 5-7 took a bit of bloom off the rose. Kentucky is investing big in football, including a $120 million renovation of Commonwealth Stadium, and Stoops needs to get the Wildcats to a bowl game sooner rather than later.

11. Mark Richt, Georgia: Within the coaching world, there's a strong belief Richt will walk away from Georgia and go do missionary work if he sees the writing on the wall. Despite his consistency over 14 seasons, Georgia fans have largely grown frustrated with perceived underachievement (his last SEC title came in 2005). If he goes a third straight year without winning a weak East, Georgia could start itching for change.

12. Les Miles, LSU: Since 2011, a season that extinguished talk of Miles being on the hot seat, LSU is just 15-9 in the SEC. The Tigers were plagued by quarterback issues last season, and defensive coordinator John Chavis bolting for Texas A&M could be a major setback. Miles, who once seemingly had Saban's number, has lost four in a row to Alabama dating back to the 2011 national championship game.

13. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: There's no chance Spurrier is getting fired, but he's at the point where every season could be his last. That's how it is at age 70, coming off a season in which the Gamecocks plunged to 7-6. Spurrier acknowledged he thought about retirement last year before a rejuvenating bowl win against Miami. If there are more signs the program is headed backward, Spurrier won't need to be nudged to hang up his whistle.

14. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: Following James Franklin turned out to be a pretty tough gig, but Mason simply didn't look ready to be a head coach in Year 1. To his credit, Mason made staff changes and acknowledged that last year's quarterback carousel wasn't a constructive way to run a football team. Still, if Vanderbilt looks as haplessly unprepared as it was last year, don't be surprised if the school tries to quickly correct a mistake.

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