The days are long but the years are short. 

Man, isn't that the truth. 

2029 seems like a million years from now in some senses, but it's really just around the corner. The end of the decade will be here before we know it. 

With the Tennessee Vols on a bye this week, I have a little extra time on my hands. So I decided to take a shot at predicting what job each current SEC head coach will have in five years. 

Here's what I got: 

Kirby Smart — Georgia Bulldogs

5 years from now: Still the head coach at Georgia. Smart is the best coach in college football and I don't see him slowing down anytime soon. I think the NIL era and the transfer portal has helped teams catch up to him, so I doubt we see a Nick Saban-like run from Smart where he wins seven national championships. But the Bulldogs will be a regular participant in the College Football Playoff as long as Smart's at the helm. 

Brian Kelly — LSU Tigers

5 years from now: The head coach at Michigan. Brian Kelly was always going to be an odd fit at LSU. He's a good coach, but it just doesn't feel natural. I think he'd leave Baton Rouge in a quick minute if he's ever offered the Michigan job. 

Kalen DeBoer — Alabama Crimson Tide

5 years from now: The head coach at Boise State. It's still too early to know how the DeBoer era will go at Alabama, but I have a feeling that folks in Tuscaloosa aren't going to give DeBoer the time it takes to rebuild the program in his image. He'll probably get cut loose before he should. He's a better fit out west anyway. 

Steve Sarkisian — Texas Longhorns

5 years from now: Still the head coach at Texas. I think Sark's got a good thing going at Texas. And as long as he keeps recruiting well and landing elite quarterbacks, the Longhorns will be in the championship/playoff hunt. Texas is a destination job so it's not like anyone is going to swipe him from the Longhorns

Lane Kiffin — Ole Miss Rebels

5 years from now: Head coach at Florida. Kiffin has a nice thing going at Ole Miss, but I'm not sure he can win a natty in Oxford. This year was supposed to be his best chance and it looks like the Rebels might not even make the playoff. Kiffin is a great recruiter and an elite play caller. He would be dangerous at Florida. 

Josh Heupel — Tennessee Vols 

5 years from now: Still the head coach at Tennessee. Heupel is proving this season that he doesn't have to have an electric offense to win big games. A couple of wins against Alabama and Florida have given Heupel some equity with the fan base so he can afford a lean year here and there without Vols fans getting too restless. 

Eli Drinkwitz — Missouri Tigers

5 years from now: Still the head coach at Missouri. We like to make fun of Drinkwitz's cringe factor, but he's a pretty good coach at the end of the day. He's stayed the course at Mizzou through some tough early seasons and he's now 17-3 in his last 20 games. It's not easy to win at Missouri, but he's finding a way. It'll be tempting for Drinkwitz to take a better job if he continues to be successful, but he'd be wise to keep it going at Mizzou. 

Mark Stoops — Kentucky Wildcats 

5 years from now: Still the head coach at Kentucky. I'm not sure Stoops wants to leave Lexington at this point and why should he? Stoops has brought incredible stability to Kentucky. He's not going to get fired after a random 5-7 year. And he delivers some exciting wins from time to time (like earlier this season against Ole Miss). It's not easy to win at Kentucky, but Stoops has been fairly successful. He'd be foolish to leave and UK would be foolish to fire him. 

Mike Elko — Texas A&M Aggies 

5 years from now: Still the head coach at Texas A&M. It's still early in Elko's head coaching career, but he did a nice job at Duke and he's going a great job with the Aggies so far. He gets the benefit of the doubt for now. 

Hugh Freeze — Auburn Tigers

5 years from now: Coaching high school football in Mississippi. If Freeze is eventually fired by Auburn, and that seems likely now that he's 8-12 in his first 20 games with the Tigers, it's hard to see him landing another big-time college football job. And I'm not sure any college program will come calling now that his star is dimming. I could see him going back to coaching high school football in Mississippi/Memphis. 

Brent Venables — Oklahoma Sooners 

5 years from now: Defensive coordinator at Tennessee. It doesn't look like Venables is going to be the longterm answer at Oklahoma. But he shouldn't have a problem finding a defensive coordinator job. Venables is one of the best defensive coordinators in the business and he's very loyal. If it doesn't work out at Oklahoma, I could see him joining his good friend Josh Heupel's staff at Tennessee (assuming current Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks lands a head coaching gig). Venables would essentially be the head coach of the defense and he seems like a natural fit in Knoxville. 

Shane Beamer — South Carolina Gamecocks

5 years from now: Head coach at Virginia Tech. Beamer is a bit quirky, but he's managed to make it to a fourth season in the SEC as a head coach at a program that isn't known for being a contender. That's no easy task. Beamer's ceiling at South Carolina, however, is probably as a 10 win team in a best-case scenario. But at Virginia Tech, where his father was a legendary head coach, he could compete for conference championships. If the Hokies eventually come calling, would Beamer really say no? 

Billy Napier — Florida Gators 

5 years from now: Head coach at Arkansas State. There's no chance that Napier is still at Florida in five years. He probably won't be at Florida in five months. But while Napier hasn't fared well in Gainesville, it doesn't mean he's a horrible coach. He was 40-12 in four seasons at Louisiana. He should get another shot in the Sun Belt. And Arkansas State could be a good spot after Butch Jones is inevitably fired. 

Sam Pittman — Arkansas Razorbacks 

5 years from now: Offensive line coach at Georgia. Pittman seemingly lives on the hot seat at Arkansas, even though he's delivered some nice wins. Eventually, though, the Razorbacks will make a change. And when that happens, it would make sense for Pittman to head back to Athens to coach up the offensive line for Kirby Smart. 

Clark Lea — Vanderbilt Commodores 

5 years from now: Head coach at Notre Dame. Lea has quickly flipped the narrative on how he's viewed as a head coach thanks to Vanderbilt's 5-2 start this season (and that win against Alabama). Winning at Vandy is tough — especially in the portal era. Lea is a Nashville guy and he played college football at Vanderbilt. But if Notre Dame offers, I'm not sure how Lea turns it down (Lea was the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 2018 to 2020). 

Jeff Lebby — Mississippi State Bulldogs

5 years from now: Offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. It seems like the Sooners prefer to keep it in the family when they can. Lebby went to college at Oklahoma and has spent time on the Sooners' staff, serving as the program's offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2023. If things don't work out at Mississippi State, and it's not off to a great start, I could see him landing back in Norman .

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