3 SEC coaches on hot seat before week 1 of 2024 season ft. Billy Napier 

The college football season is already upon us and the SEC (Southeastern Conference) is still one of the top conferences to watch.

With the arrival of the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 12 due to conference realignment and expansion moves, the SEC has retained its place as a premier football powerhouse in the NCAA.

Several coaches will be under scrutiny for their performances this season after poor records last year. Specifically, these three coaches will be on the hot seat going into 2024.

#3. Clark Lea (Vanderbilt Commodores)

The Vanderbilt Commodores had a horrible end to the 2023 season, losing their last 10 games under coach Clark Lea, who will have the attention of Vandy fans on him this coming season.

Lea has a 9-27 record in charge of the Commodores and a repeat of just two wins from last season puts him under lots of pressure.

USA TODAY analyst Scooby Axson recently detailed the difficulty of Lea's job at Vanderbilt.

"It's tough to win at Vanderbilt," Axson wrote. "Maybe they are in the wrong conference, but when coaches take this job, they are fully aware their time on the sideline, at least at this school, could be short," he added.

#2. Sam Pittman (Arkansas Razorbacks)

The Arkansas Razorbacks only won four games last season and a repeat of the same this upcoming season could see the end of the Sam Pittman era in charge of the SEC team.

Arkansas lost the services of stars like Raheim Sanders and KJ Jefferson, which will make Pittman's job even harder.

Pittman hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator to supercharge his offense next season and Razorbacks fans will hope that will provide the magic to jumpstart the team.

#1. Billy Napier is the SEC coach under immense pressure

Napier has gone 11-14 in his first two seasons as head coach of the Gators, something that's not good enough for a program of its status.

It won't help Napier's cause that Florida's schedule includes games against the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, the Ole Miss Rebels, the Florida State Seminoles, the Texas Longhorns and the LSU Tigers.

Considering the resources available to the Gators and the prestige of the program, Billy Napier is sitting on perhaps the hottest seat in college football. It has been three consecutive losing seasons for Florida and another season with no Bowl eligibility will leave Napier standing on the ledge.

These three coaches will hope that they have the teams to navigate the new, expanded SEC in a way that will not ultimately cost them their jobs.