SEC Football Coaches Facing the Most Pressure in 2015

Pressure comes in various shapes and sizes in all facets of life, and it's no different for several SEC football coaches.

At least one is facing a must-win situation in 2015. Others have demanding fanbases who want a breakthrough. Then there are a couple of coaches who've done well in short time spans but are about to be expected to take a huge step toward competing for the division.

Coaching in the SEC is a high-profile, high-dollar position, but with it come high stakes.

With the job come major demands, and with the league on a two-year hiatus from winning a national championship, some are beginning to wonder if those dollars are justified for the men at the top.

Following James Franklin's success at Vanderbilt, Derek Mason didn't endear himself with a 3-9 first season. While Butch Jones and Kevin Sumlin have fostered goodwill at Tennessee and Texas A&M, respectively, the grace periods are over for the duo. It's time to win.

There are various stress points depending on each situation across the league.

At first glance, the conference appears wide-open. That means pretty much every team's fans are optimistic heading into the season. That's a perfect climate for the pressure cooker to turn up as the weather cools off.

All SEC coaches have plenty of pressure all the time, so this is nothing new. But let's take a look at five coaches who will be facing a little extra once things kick off in '15.

Butch Jones, Tennessee

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It's been a long honeymoon for Butch Jones in Knoxville.

The third-year head coach punctuated his first two seasons with two top-10 recruiting classes (Nos. 7 and 4, respectively), impressive player development and a late-season run a year ago that culminated with a 7-6 record and a TaxSlayer Bowl victory.

That win worked wonders for a fanbase that was starving for anything positive. It also proved the necessary progress that any coach of a proud program needs in a rebuild.

But it also has woken up a monster.

National pundits everywhere are calling the Vols a dark-horse contender, and UT is on several way-too-early Top 25 rankings.

While it isn't unrealistic to expect the Vols to take another big step forward this year, there's still a gulf between struggling for seven wins and playing in the SEC Championship Game.

The SEC East is up for grabs, however, and UT does have plenty of talent in key positions with quarterback Joshua Dobbs, running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara and a deep, experienced defense.

It may be jumping the rebuilding process by a year, but there is a large number of UT fans expecting the Vols to contend for the conference title this year. That's why Jones is facing a year with a little more pressure than normal.

There's no danger at all in him losing his job, but the expectations are getting higher, and that's something Jones embraces.

Last year was a nice step considering the Vols hadn't finished with a winning record since 2009 nor won a bowl since '08, but TaxSlayer Bowls aren't going to be celebrated for long on Rocky Top.

Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

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Perhaps it isn't fair to mention former Vanderbilt and current Penn State coach James Franklin every time Derek Mason is discussed.

But it's essential to do so considering Franklin took VU to program heights not experienced in the modern era during his tenure, actually turning the Commodores into a mid-level SEC East program that convinced quality recruits to head to Nashville.

During his one season, Mason failed to reach that same plateau. Instead, Vandy reverted back to league bottom-dweller, sinking to a 3-9 record with wins over Massachusetts, Charleston Southern and Old Dominion in 2014.

Though VU had flashes of competitiveness against Missouri and Tennessee, it was an otherwise forgettable year. And Mason's recruiting classes aren't instilling much confidence, either.

Those are viable reasons why Mason was listed as one of 247Sports' Connor Tapp's five coaches on the hot seat entering 2015 (along with South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, which is a bit of a reach). Tapp wrote:

"

How in the world do you end up on the hot seat after your first year coaching Vanderbilt? Lose all of your conference games by double digits, almost losing to UMass and Charleston Southern, and firing both of your coordinators at the end of the season. That's how. Mason doesn’t need to restore to restore the Commodores to Franklin era adequacy in 2015, but he does need to provide some ray of hope that the SEC isn't going to chew him up and spit him out.

"

Mason took desperate measures by firing his coordinators and seemingly took an even more risky approach by electing not to hire a defensive coordinator and instead calling defensive plays himself. Prior to coming to VU, he was Stanford's defensive coordinator.

There are several coaches facing pressure this year, but Mason's is real. It may be the difference in having a job in 2016 or not.

Les Miles, LSU

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Let's get this out of the way: LSU coach Les Miles is not on the hot seat nor should he be.

Throughout his career on the bayou, he led the Tigers to regular league contention with some seasons of national prowess sprinkled in. He won a national title in 2007, and though there were some harder times in '08 and '09, he bounced back by winning the league title in 2011.

But expectations in Baton Rouge are high, especially when a former head coach is entrenched at a division rival and regularly atop the college football landscape.

Miles has long moved beyond Nick Saban's shadow, but he is not sheltered from scrutiny from LSU fans who demand winning. Simply put, 8-5 won't cut it at LSU considering the hot bed of talent that Louisiana houses and the way the program has gotten used to high victory totals.

The biggest issue for the Bayou Bengals remains finding a competent quarterback. That was the biggest reason for the struggles a season ago, along with the mass exodus of juniors who left for the NFL following the 2013 season.

There will be a little more roster stability in '15 with ultratalented workhorse running back Leonard Fournette returning and a nasty secondary leading the defense. The way Miles and the Tigers are tearing it up on the recruiting trail again, the shelves will be stocked for the future.

A major step forward this year is possible, and Miles needs to start concerning himself with more quarterback consistency or he'll have some difficult decisions to make with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

After defensive coordinator John Chavis left for Texas A&M, Miles hired veteran Kevin Steele. While Steele led some very good defenses in the past, the hire was viewed as underwhelming by some. There will be plenty of scrutiny if Steele's group doesn't perform with all that talent.

So, there are some pressure points for Miles in '15…just not enough to merit any job concerns.

Mark Richt, Georgia

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The reasoning behind any pressure Georgia coach Mark Richt could face in 2015 is extremely similar to Miles' situation at LSU.

There's no question that Richt is going to win, but how much is he going to win? With a gold mine of talent, the SEC's elder statesman as far as coaching tenure at his institution posts victorious campaigns each year.

But the Dawgs are hungry for their first national title since 1980, and if Richt loses his first big game (or two), there will be those same old grumblings coming from between the hedges. The groans of "Richt can't win the big one" will chorus through college football circles again.

After several years of defensive mismatches, Richt has finally gotten it right with the hiring of coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who should have a deep, talented unit entering his second year in Athens.

There is some worry, though. After years of Aaron Murray and a 2014 that saw steady fifth-year senior Hutson Mason lead the offense, UGA is trying to bridge the quarterback gap between what it has now and elite prospect Jacob Eason, who is arriving in 2016.

With uncertainty at quarterback, the offense is a question mark, even with a stable of running backs led by Nick Chubb.

Also, Richt lost his right-hand man this offseason when offensive coordinator Mike Bobo left to replace Jim McElwain at Colorado State. Richt thought outside the box in hiring longtime NFL assistant Brian Schottenheimer, but will that scheme translate to college?

Richt is mixing things up, trying to find a championship concoction. Recruits are certainly responding, and there's plenty of talent already in place at Georgia.

If everything works, Richt may finally get over the hump. If not, the same old questions will linger.

Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

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For the past several years, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin has been lauded as an offensive mastermind.

There's no disputing that, but the biggest problem with that is you also have to play defense and special teams to win football games. The Aggies have been atrocious recently on the defensive side.

So, while Sumlin left a successful run at Houston to come to College Station, he has steadily posted fewer wins in each of his first three seasons. After bursting onto the scene in 2012 with an 11-2 record fueled by Johnny Manziel, A&M went 9-4 in 2013.

Then last year, the Aggies were 8-5 and won only three SEC games.

Sumlin's star hasn't faded so much that he has any concern over his job in the least, but he went out and spent a ton of money to hire one of college football's best defensive coordinators in John Chavis. Not only is Chavis now an Aggie, he was plucked from a division rival. So, it was a win-win.

Now, they just have to win on the field.

The Aggies have recruited plenty of defensive talent during the past couple of seasons, so there is the potential to be improved over there. With Kyle Allen an emerging star at quarterback and a stable of receivers to throw to, the Aggies could be poised for a strong year.

It's kind of expected for them to win because they pump so much money into the program. If Sumlin doesn't start doing that at a higher clip, there will be some concern about whether he can get A&M to the level where it can compete for the SEC West title.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise noted. All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted. Quotes and observations gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.