Reddit Researcher Lists The 20 Most Hated People In SEC Football, Including One No Longer In The League

SEC football fans are a passionate bunch. They wear their hearts on their sleeves each fall, and they’re in it for better or for worse year in and year out.

Emotions often run high across the four-month season. Players and coaches are put under the microscope. Everyone is critiqued. No one is free from judgement.

Those that fail are blasted by fanbases and ridiculed by rivals. Many that succeed are hated even more. It truly does Just Mean More!

One SEC football fan took the time to see which personalities are hated most midway through the 2026 season. Twenty players and coaches made the cut. One is no longer affiliated with the conference. Fans continue to hold a grudge!

Who are the 20 most hated people in the SEC?

X account @gadata88 has researched a variety of different topics from the college football season. Who wants to fire the coach? Which schools support leadership? What team makes the most excuses? It’s definitely worth a follow.

Here, I’ll focus on data collected about the most hated players and coaches in the SEC. Information was gathered through Reddit by way of natural language processing (NLP). Thousands of comments across all 16 SEC team subreddits have been analyzed this season.

The research looks at “Negative sentences naming the person per 1,000 comments, averaged over all 16 fanbases.” These are the results.

20. Kalen DeBoer

I’m actually surprised DeBoer isn’t higher on this list given the criticism received over his first two seasons. The coach is 25-9 at Alabama and made the College Football Playoff last year, but it hasn’t been good enough for the Crimson Tide.

DeBoer has the undesirable task of following Nick Saban, arguably the greatest coach in the history of the sport. Over 17 seasons, he lost just 29 games. He won six national titles. His teams lost more than three games in the same season just once. DeBoer has already done it twice.

This year, however, has been his most successful. Alabama is 5-1 with a close and controversial loss to Georgia. He appears on his way to an SEC Championship appearance and second straight CFP invite.

19. Mike Bobo

Bobo has the distinction of being the only coordinator on this list, coming in at No. 19. He’s been at Georgia for two decades across three different stints. He started as a GA after wrapping up his playing career with the Bulldogs. He’s most known for being the school’s offensive coordinator.

Despite the longevity and Georgia roots, he is criticized often by the fanbase. They hate his play calling. As a Gamecock, I’ve been the beneficiary of a few questionable calls, most notably, a refusal to run the ball at the goal line with Todd Gurley during the fourth quarter of a three-point loss.

This year, Georgia is undefeated and ranked as the No. 1 in the nation. The offense is scoring 46.2 points per game, ranking second nationally. It’s not been good enough to shield him from online attacks.

18. Kirby Smart

This is more likely a case of opposing fanbases hating on the league’s most successful coach. Georgia has been the SEC’s top dog under his reign. They’ve won two national titles, played for another, and secured four SEC championships.

Smart is 123-21 over 11 seasons. He appears to have another national title contender in 2026. Opposing fans are tired of being dominated. Smart’s sideline antics don’t make him any more likeable!

17. Nick Saban

Nick Saban has not been the head coach at Alabama since 2023. He is still despised by every fanbase outside of Tuscaloosa. The numbers prove it.

The seven-time national champ owned the SEC for nearly two decades. He famously spurned LSU to coach at one of its biggest rivals after winning his first championship.

Now, you’ll find him on ESPN each Saturday morning on the set of College Gameday. Just his presence on that pregame show is enough to set SEC fans off.

16. Mark Stoops

Stoops was fired as Kentucky’s head football coach after last season. He was 82-80 across 13 seasons. While he did elevate the Wildcats’ program, many were ready to see him go.

Those critics got their wish this offseason. Stoops was paid nearly $40 million to leave.

Kentucky has been more pleased with his replacement, Will Stein, who has the team off to a 5-1 start in Year 1. Stoops is still in the SEC as an assistant at Texas.

15. Sam Leavitt

Sam Leavitt was viewed as the top transfer quarterback in the portal this past offseason. He was paid as such by the LSU Tigers.

Leavitt garnered a $5 million price tag after transferring from Arizona State. He’s failed to live up to the billing.

The passer leads the SEC in interceptions thrown. The Tigers are 3-2 with losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky. He’s struggled with consistency in the passing game, and his gunslinger mentality has not translated to his new league.

LSU fans are frustrated given the investment. Should the losses continue to pile up, he’ll continue climbing this list.

14. Ryan Silverfield

Silverfield has been in the SEC all of six games, but that’s been long enough to gain a negative following. His Arkansas team is 2-4 with blowout losses to Utah, Georgia, and Texas A&M. He has yet to record a conference victory.

Silverfield’s introduction as head football coach was met with backlash. Fans protested his hiring before season’s start.

He’s done little to win the fanbase over. He’s turning highly rated recruits away, too. If things continue in this direction, his tenure in Fayetteville won’t last long.

13. Jon Sumrall

Sumrall is another SEC newcomer, though he did spend his playing days in the league at Kentucky. After head coaching stints at Troy and Tulane, he buoyed success into a job at Florida.

If this poll was taken two weeks prior, he likely doesn’t appear on this list. The Gators got off to a 4-0 start, headlined by a blowout of Ole Miss in The Swamp.

Since, the program has been in a downward spiral. Florida was manhandled by Missouri on the road. It followed it up by being blasted at home by South Carolina, on Steve Spurrier Day nonetheless.

Things unfortunately won’t get any easier for Sumrall. They’ll next face Texas before a rivalry clash with top-ranked Georgia. Criticism will continue should the Gators’ losing streak extend to four games.

12. Byrum Brown

Similar to previously mentioned Sam Leavitt, Brown was a highly touted transfer quarterback this past offseason. He followed head coach Alex Golesh from USF to Auburn. Production has been middling in his first SEC season.

The fifth-year senior has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns. He has the Tigers off to a 3-2 start. Auburn is in the midst of a gauntlet that includes a four-game stretch against Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss. The season will end with Alabama.

Auburn has a realistic chance to miss a bowl game with its veteran signal caller. The fanbase has already started to turn.

11. Clark Lea

This is a name I didn’t expect to see so high on the list given his success across the last two seasons. He had the Commodores knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff with Heisman trophy candidate Diego Pavia just last year.

With that said, there is reason for criticism. Vanderbilt is off to a 3-3 start. It should probably be 2-4, but NC State refused to kneel on the final play of a Week 3 matchup to hand over a win.

More of the criticism, however, could be tied to his handling of the quarterback situation. He successfully secured the signature of Jared Curtis in the offseason, the highest-rated Vandy recruit ever. He then put him on the bench to start the season.

Curtis has since split time with Blaze Berlowitz, whose camp has also taken issue with the QB rotation. While Lea if far from the hot seat, he’s clearly lost some support.

10. Alex Golesh

Golesh is one of five newcomers making their debuts as SEC head coaches. He is the third to make his way onto this list.

Golesh is 3-2 with an Auburn team made up of Group of 6 transfers. He brought a number of highly productive USF players with him from his previous stop. They’ve been unable to find success.

The Tigers have losses to Tennessee and Florida. They still have to face Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. The path to the postseason is a difficult one. The fanbase won’t be satisfied with missing bowl games.

9. Jeff Lebby

This is another coach that probably doesn’t make the list if research was done a few weeks earlier. Mississippi State got off to a 4-0 start with wins over South Carolina and Missouri. Quarterback Kamario Taylor has put the Bulldogs on a national stage.

Unfortunately, the program came crashing back to reality in a 33-point loss to Alabama. Taylor was injured. His status for an upcoming matchup with LSU is up in the air.

I don’t think the criticism is warranted, here, given the success. Some may have come during the first half of that win over the Gamecocks after Mississippi State fell behind 16-0. The Alabama loss was obviously dejecting.

Still, the program appears to be trending upward. Of course, there may be a few Ole Miss rivals boosting his numbers in this scenario.

8. Mike Elko

We’ll move from one unlikely coach to another that’s earned his spot on this list of hate. Mike Elko won 11 games last year with the Aggies. He was expected to compete for an SEC title in 2026. It won’t happen.

Texas A&M is 3-3 through six games. They’ve lost to Kentucky, LSU, and Missouri, with the last two setbacks coming in blowout fashion.

Making matters worse, he blasted the fanbase publicly after his latest defeat. That’s the quickest way to land a spot in these standings.

7. Eli Drinkwitz

This is likely a mix of the Missouri fanbase’s frustrations and SEC rivals’ criticism. Drinkwitz makes himself an easy target. His antics are annoying.

He enraged Tennessee fans with a corny swipe at Josh Heupel in 2023. He’s been seen on multiple occasions cussing out opposing players.

With that being said, he has seen success. While the Tigers have not sniffed the College Football Playoff under his reign, they have won 10 or more games in two of the last three seasons. He could add another in 2026 with the team off to a 5-1 start.

Winning, combined with personality, have earned Drinkwitz his Top 10 ranking.

6. Steve Sarkisian

It wouldn’t a true list without some hate directed towards the Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian has been able to irritate the Texas fanbase, rivals, and even sideline reporters across six years in Austin.

Sarkisian has experienced success, making two College Football Playoff appearances, both of which ended the game before the national title. He missed out on a third invite despite leading the team to 10 wins last year.

Some, however, don’t believe he’s been able to maximize talent. He’s had one of the sport’s most expensive rosters in each of the last few seasons. He has no hardware to show for it.

Combine that with hate received from Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and it’s no surprise to see Sarkisian on the list.

5. Brent Venables

Venables has been leading the Oklahoma football program since 2022. His tenure has been a roller coaster ride. Last year, the Sooners won 10 games and made the College Football Playoff. They then blew a three-score lead to Alabama in the postseason opener.

Venables also guided the program to a 10-win season in 2023. That was sandwiched in between a pair of losing campaigns.

This year, the heat is cranking up a bit. The Sooners were expected to compete for a national title. Instead, they’ve been a mess. The offense is bad. Starting quarterback John Mateer has regressed. The team is 3-2 with losses to Georgia and a bad Michigan team. It barely beat New Mexico.

Venables was able to win back some of the fanbase by upsetting Texas in the Red River Rivalry. That probably won’t be enough to meet preseason expectations.

4. Arch Manning

Manning has entered each of the last two seasons with immense hype. He’s failed to live up to it. Last year, he struggled to start the year. Texas started 3-2 to effectively eliminate itself from playoff contention.

This year has been more of the same. He looked bad in the first half of a win over Ohio State in which the Longhorns fell behind 20-3. He threw an unforgivable interception to seal his team’s fate in a loss to Oklahoma.

Texas is still 4-1 despite his inconsistency. It’s not been enough to keep the online heat away. Fans are frustrated in Austin. Rivals are adding to Top 5 hate ranking with social media ridicule. He is still the biggest name in college football, deservingly or not. That’s always going to land a few critics.

3. Shane Beamer

Shane Beamer cracks the Top 3 despite pulling out a massive upset in The Swamp last weekend. He entered the year on the hot seat. The temperature is only cranking up.

South Carolina started SEC play with three straight losses. In two, they held 16+ point first half leads before collapsing. Beamer promised success after bringing back highly rated stars LaNorris Sellers and Dylan Stewart. He’s failed to deliver.

A loud portion of the Gamecock fanbase would like to see him fired. Right now, the expense may be too high.

That could mean angry fans are stuck with the head coach for one year longer, regardless of if he’s able to spark a turnaround. If things don’t improve, and he’s back on the sidelines next season, his name will likely be atop this list again in 2027.

2. John Mateer

We’ve already mentioned Mateer’s head coach, Brent Venables. The quarterback takes the honor of being the most hated person from Oklahoma.

Mateer signed with the program last year and made instant waves. He guided the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. There was an expectation that he’d return to the national championship race in 2026.

It won’t happen. Oklahoma has already lost two games, and the offense has looked bad in a pair of wins. Mateer has shouldered a brunt of the criticism.

Oklahoma fans are upset given the hype. Rivals are taking every opportunity to ridicule. As a result, he is the most hated player in the SEC to this point in the season.

1. Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin tops the list. He is the most hated person in the SEC. It should shock absolutely no one.

Kiffin set the stage for his run to the top before the conclusion of the 2025 season. He bailed on Ole Miss right before the College Football Playoff to take the job at LSU. He then solidified his standing with controversial offseason antics.

Kiffin attempted to add pro players to the Tigers’ roster in the fall. He spent $40 million on a roster full of transfers, finding ways to circumvent the salary cap in the process.

The head coach is known for pushing and bending the rules. He tests every limit. Many thought he’d changed during his time with the Rebels. He proved them wrong by bolting to Baton Rouge.

His debut season with the program has not gone as planned thus far. LSU is 4-2 with losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky. He found a way to jab his former fanbase in Oxford despite losing.

Kiffin’s personality will always have him near the top of these types of rankings. He is famous for his online trolling of rivals. He took things to another level in 2026. Nobody is surprised to see him at No. 1.