ESPN: Way-Too-Early College Football Coaching Hot Seat Tiers

ESPN College Football reporter Adam Rittenberg recently previewed the upcoming coaching carousel with a "way-too-early college football coaching hot seat tiers" list.

Two of the coaches in Rittenberg's list were South Carolina's Shane Beamer and Mississippi State's Jeff Lebby:

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We want this to work:
Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks

Beamer has undeniably improved South Carolina's profile, recording AP Top 25 finishes in 2022 and 2024, and beating top-12 Clemson teams in both seasons. But memories are short in the SEC, and the Gamecocks backslid last season, finishing 4-8 with just one conference victory. Beamer and the staff did good work in the offseason, retaining quarterback LaNorris Sellers, defensive end Dylan Stewart and other key players, and adding Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator. The 48-year-old Beamer often talks of his affinity for South Carolina and sees the job as more of a destination than other coaches would. But a repeat of 2025, especially with Sellers back, would be difficult to overcome. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati did not hire Beamer.

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Progress needed:
Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Lebby's team took a step forward from Year 1 to Year 2, especially in nonleague play, where the Bulldogs went 4-0 and stunned then-No. 12 Arizona State, the defending Big 12 champion. Mississippi State struggled in SEC play at 1-7, and although it lost two games in overtime and another by two points, it was outscored 128-67 in the final three league games. Athletic director Zac Selmon hired Lebby, who engineered some improvement on offense last fall. But at 1-15 in SEC games, Lebby must deliver some meaningful results this fall to ensure a third season in Starkville.

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