Big-time college athletic programs are having less patience than ever with their head coaches in football and basketball.
That said, folks on the First Coast take pride in being part of football country. Few areas have the interest and pride in college football, especially the SEC, and more specifically the Florida Gators.
Already there’s talk in Gator Nation that if Coach Billy Napier does not improve his first season record of 6-7 he’ll be on the hot seat.
Coaches used to get at least four years before worrying about a pink slip. But huge salaries test patience like never before.
With that in mind, I was getting up to date on the upcoming SEC season when I realized I could name only six SEC head coaches off the top of my head: Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops and, of course, Napier. With a little extra thought, I named South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, LSU’s Brian Kelly, and Ole Miss’s Lane Kiffin.
Embarrassingly, I had to use Google for the other five: Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Vandy’s Clark Lea, Arkansas’s Sam Pittman, Mississippi State’s Zack Arnett, and Missouri’s Elijah Drinkwitz.
Could you name all 14? Don’t cheat.
