The last time we checked in with the SEC coaching cabal, last season had ended, and Ed Orgeron and LSU were on top of the world.
Since then, things done changed. A lot. The state of Mississippi fired both of their coaches and replaced them with a couple of huge names. The coronavirus arrived and put everything on hold, and then, just when it looked like we might not see SEC football again anytime soon, the SEC returned with a glorious SEC-only schedule.
What does all this mean for SEC coaches? Best as I can tell, two things: One, since they’re playing only SEC teams and not fattening up against smaller programs, we will get to see just how good these guys really are. And two, because we’re in a global pandemic, schools seem less likely than ever to foot the bill for a contract buyout or hiring a new coach.
So, my best guess is that it is what it is. Barring a total disaster of a season by one of the bottom six coaches, these guys are likely going to be in place at least through next season. (And Derek Mason could go 0-10 and keep his job.) Love them or dislike them, this is who we’ve got.
1. Nick Saban, Alabama (postseason rank, 2)
Still the Goat. Yes, the Tide were knocked from their perch a year ago, as LSU jumped up and took their spot as the SEC’s number one stunnas, at least for one season. But this year, early returns seem to suggest Bama is back on top, even if it took Saban putting up a 60-spot against the Rebs. And in a season where random players might miss random games along the way, Saban’s unparalleled ability to stack his roster with four- and five-star recruits could prove even more fruitful than usual.
2. Kirby Smart, Georgia (postseason rank: 3)
One thing I’ve noticed early on in the SEC hyper schedule is just how powerful offenses have looked. Meanwhile in Athens, Kirby Smart has very quietly built a throwback SEC team that speaks defense first, with a vicious defensive line, attacking linebackers, athletic corners and hard hitters at the back. Maybe we just notice UGA’s defense because the offense has mostly been just fair, led by the diminutive Stetson Bennett IV (and don’t sleep on Kearis Jackson, a little-heralded wide receiver who might turn out to be the next AJ Green), but man, this UGA defense might just be what finally pushes Kirby over the top.
3. Ed Orgeron, LSU (postseason rank: 1)
OK, I know we are literally just months removed from Coach O guiding LSU to a shock national title. And since then times have been hard for LSU, as they’ve lost an entire team’s worth of top-shelf players, both to the NFL and to COVID concerns. This season, the Tigers have started 1-2, including losses to Missouri and Mississippi State. Now, I understand that winning a title last season gives Coach O a grace period, but how long a period will that be? Les Miles stuck around a decade after winning a title at LSU. SEC fans have never been known for their rationality.
4. Dan Mullen, Florida (postseason rank: 4)
Every time I think Dan Mullen has turned a corner, he goes and does something to dissuade me of the notion. For instance, this morning I can’t stop thinking about the postgame press conference from this weekend, when Mullen said part of the reason Florida lost to Texas A&M was because there “must have been 50,000 people behind our bench going crazy.” (According to Texas A&M, there were 24,000 people in the entire stadium.) Mullen went on to advocate for filling their home stadium next week with 90,000 fans for their game against LSU, which is just really breathtaking, and I mean that perhaps literally. Florida’s defense hasn’t been able to stop a fart this season, but Mullen thinks the answer is to jam 90,000 people into a stadium. If you need 90,000 people yelling to help you beat this LSU team, maybe you’ve got bigger issues.
5. Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee (postseason rank: 7)
The first few seasons of the Jeremy Pruitt era in Knoxville were… not great. Things started slow, which you could explain away as baby steps, as Pruitt was turning things around. But then last season started and… things were somehow worse? The only thing that made it palatable was the occasional unintended comedy. But then about halfway through last season, something kind of amazing happened: Tennessee got good. They started regularly making plays on the field, and signing some big recruits off the field, and suddenly Pruitt’s low-key approach looked like a guy who knew what he was doing. The Vols have now won 8 of their last 9 and QB Jared Guarantano, in seemingly his 11th season quarterbacking the Vols, finally seems to have found a groove, even putting up 20-plus against a rabid UGA defense. I’m not sure what Tennessee’s ceiling can be under Pruitt, but at least for now, I’m glad they’re in a happy place.
6. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (postseason rank: 6)
I’m not quite sure what to do with Jimbo. I guess listing him here somewhere in the middle is about the right place, considering they’ve consistently hung around the middle of the SEC since Jimbo arrived. This weekend, quarterback Kellen Mond started his 32nd game at quarterback for Texas A&M, which is an incredible number when you consider the usual rate of turnover at most college programs. What’s even more incredible is that Mond has started so many games without ever really being outstanding. But the Aggies and Jimbo have stuck with him, I assume preferring to be pretty good rather than taking a chance at being outstanding with someone else. Has Jimbo met expectations at Texas A&M? No. But he’s also kept them from being terrible. So there’s that, I guess.
7. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (postseason rank: N/A)
The bad boy of SEC coaches isn’t really a boy any longer (he’s 45 years old), but as he showed against Alabama the other night, he can still call a mean game on offense. Kiffin always kind of reminded me of Draco Malfoy, a little smug and self-satisfied and innocuously sinister, but ultimately harmless. Which I suppose makes Ole Miss the Slytherin of the SEC.
8. Mike Leach, Mississippi St. (postseason rank: N/A)
It all started so well! Leach and the Bulldogs beat LSU in the opener, and KJ Costello passed for 600-something yards, and we all thought, Welp, Mississippi State has got it all figured out! And then they started playing teams who weren’t afraid to throw a zone defense at them, and they lost to a not great Arkansas team, and then they scored 2(!) points in a loss to Kentucky(!) this weekend. Leach then capped the day by going to the postgame press conference and talking about “malcontents” in the program. Enjoy the ride, Starkville!
9. Mark Stoops, Kentucky (postseason rank: 9)
Maybe Stoops should be higher, but I don’t know if I can realistically say he has more power within the conference than any of those above him. Stoops always has Kentucky competitive and interesting but never has ascended above mediocrity. Hey, have you seen the Kentucky basketball program?
10. Sam Pittman, Arkansas (postseason rank: N/A)
Pittman’s predecessor at Arkansas, the affable Chad Morris, went 0-14 against SEC competition in two years. Pittman had a very real shot at going 0-10 in just his first season, but then he messed around and pulled the upset over Mississippi State and then should have beaten Auburn, if it wasn’t for a screw job by the officials. Compared to the coaches brought in by the Mississippi schools, the Pittman hire seemed underwhelming. But maybe Pittman can build something long-term in Fayetteville.
11. Gus Malzahn, Auburn (postseason rank: 5)
It’s kind of funny to remember that the top two high school QBs a few years back were Spencer Rattler and Bo Nix. While both guys are clearly talented, neither has shown much at the college level to inspire great confidence. Malzahn has stuck with Nix for over a year now, with middling results. Somehow, Malzahn manages to win just enough every year to keep his job, although every year there’s also discussion about whether or not Malzahn should keep his job.
12. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri (postseason rank: N/A)
I haven’t sat and watched an entire Missouri game this season, but the bits and pieces that I have seen have seemed promising. We can afford to give Drink some time to get this thing going, because the best thing he has going for him is the relative dearth of history in the program to overcome.
13. Will Muschamp, South Carolina (postseason rank: 8)
A recent episode of the excellent “SEC Inside” program on the SEC Network featured South Carolina, and they spent a lot of time with Muschamp behind the scenes as he prepped the Gamecocks for their season opener. And as I watched Muschamp rumble around being coachy, it reminded me just how long Muschamp has been at this. He turns 50 next year, and has been at various SEC schools for decades now, either as an assistant or a head coach. He’s always been good, but never been great. He’s easy to root for, wins big games just enough to keep everyone entertained, and in general he just reminds me of what would happen if Christian Bale was cast in a role as a college football coach. I’m just not sure how much longer Muschamp has on the clock in SC.
14. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt (postseason rank: 11)
I don’t know what the expectations are for Derek Mason. Do you want him to put together a team that can contend for the SEC title? Because given the limitations at Vanderbilt, I’m not sure Nick Saban could pull that off. Do you want Mason to have a team that goes .500 each year? Again, might be impossible. But if you want a coach who works hard and is relentlessly positive and represents your University well? Well, I’m not sure you can find a better candidate than Derek Mason.