NFL Writer Says Two SEC Coaches are on the Hot Seat

NFL.com writer Mike Huguenin did his annual 15 coaches who are on the hot seat list and he named two coaches from the SEC to that list and both may come as a surprise.

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Huguenin said that Derek Mason of Vanderbilt and Les Miles of LSU, are may be in trouble if they don’t have a successful season. Mason may come as more of a surprise than Miles since this will only be his second season with the Commodores.

But former head coach James Franklin set the bar so high for the program, it may be impossible for Mason to live up to such lofty expectations.

“Yes, he has been at Vandy for only one season. But the Commodores looked woefully unprepared in every SEC game last season, losing all eight of their league games by an average of 22.5 points per contest. Any momentum the program had gained from the James Franklin years came to a dead stop. If the Commodores look that bad again, can school officials afford to keep Mason?”

It may be silly for Miles to be on this list too, but Huguenin said there are reasons why he may be in trouble.

“It’s hard to imagine LSU getting rid of Miles, who has averaged 10 wins per season and has won a national title. But SEC programs are notoriously quick on the trigger, and while all SEC fan bases are demanding, LSU’s is especially so. LSU is coming off an 8-5 season, which is tied for the worst mark during Miles’ tenure. Miles recruits at a high level, especially on defense. But the Tigers’ offense has struggled the past few seasons. LSU was 4-4 in conference play last season, and the last time the Tigers had back-to-back seasons of .500 or less in SEC games was 1998 and 1999. The coach was Gerry DiNardo, and he was fired late in the 1999 season. Again, it’s extremely difficult to imagine that fate for Miles, but if LSU goes 8-5 again (or, heaven forbid, worse)…

Huguenin made some good points about both coaches, but for Miles to get fired, it would probably take several back-to-back 8-5 seasons or worse before he is let go. Who would LSU hire if they decide to let Les Miles go especially if the next coach sees they must be successful right away or else.

As for Mason, anything is possible, but again I ask who will take the Vandy job if the administration only gives you a couple of years to be successful. Vandy administrators are probably willing to be more patient than say LSU.

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