Will John Chavis or Will Muschamp Have Most Success in SEC in 2015?
From one end of the SEC West to the other, Auburn and Texas A&M find themselves in similar situations entering 2015.
Both teams have potent offenses. Both teams have hopes of rising to the top of one of the nation’s toughest divisions and have experienced plenty of success in the very recent past.
And both teams have one major problem separating them from true elite status: their defense. Both teams struggled to stop potent opponents in 2014, which is why both teams made headline-grabbing moves to hire elite defensive coordinators.
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Auburn made sure that Will Muschamp wasn’t unemployed long after his firing as Florida’s head coach. And A&M raided SEC West and regional rival LSU for the services of John Chavis, long considered one of the nation’s top defensive coordinators.
It’d be stunning if both Chavis and Muschamp weren’t ultimately successful in their new homes. Their track records are too long and impressive, and both programs have access to the kind of talent and resources that will place them among the nation’s elite, especially when a skilled defensive coordinator is in charge.
But which coordinator will enjoy more success in 2015? Good question. Let’s examine which program will fare better this fall with its new high-profile coordinator in charge.
Auburn clearly needed to move on from defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. The Tigers allowed at least 31 points to each of their final seven FBS foes and gave up 26.7 points per game overall, ranking No. 62 nationally.
Their pass rush was particularly anemic. Auburn ranked No. 95 nationally in sacks per game, and linebacker Kris Frost and DaVonte Lambert shared the team lead with 3.5 sacks apiece.
Auburn returns seven starters from 2014’s defense, but it’ll be fascinating to see just how much influence Muschamp can exert in a single offseason.
The secondary gave up its share of big plays last season, and it sustained several notable losses with cornerback Jonathon Mincy, safety Jermaine Whitehead and linebacker Robenson Therezie (who often lined up in slot coverage) all departing.
That anemic pass rush should be much better this season. Defensive end Carl Lawson, a Freshman All-American in 2013, returns after missing last season with a torn ACL and should give the defensive line a major boost. Montravius Adams and Gimel President are also formidable forces, and Muschamp scored big in the recruiting process by beating out Florida for the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit, defensive end Byron Cowart. Cowart is a great pass-rusher who could serve as a hybrid linebacker. Fellow Sunshine State defensive end Jeffery Holland could also contribute early.
Muschamp will also need early production from a group of freshmen defensive backs signed from the Miami area. Tim Irvin has already enrolled and, along with Carlton Davis, could contribute as a safety. Javarius Davis and Jeremiah Dinson could see early time as cornerbacks.
Ultimately, however, Auburn’s defensive progress this season might be determined by Muschamp’s defensive acumen. His best defenses dominate at the line and win battles up front while exploiting opponents’ weaknesses.
There’s no questioning his defensive acumen: In five seasons as an SEC defensive coordinator, Muschamp’s units were among the top 10 nationally in total defense and top 15 in scoring defense every year.
The only question is how much he’ll be able to do this fall with an Auburn secondary that might be a very inviting target for opposing passers.
Even without Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel, offense wasn’t a problem for Texas A&M last fall. Quarterbacks Kenny Hill and later Kyle Allen stepped in and ran Kevin Sumlin’s Air Raid system very efficiently. With a stacked group of receivers, A&M was No. 12 nationally in passing offense and No. 28 in scoring offense, averaging 35.2 points per game.
The issue was with Mark Snyder’s defense. The Aggies allowed 28.1 points per game, No. 77 nationally and No. 11 in the SEC. A&M yielded 450.8 yards per game, No. 102 nationally, and 216 yards per game on the ground, No. 109 nationally.
It was no surprise that Snyder was fired, and Sumlin pulled off a major coup by luring Chavis away from LSU. He has spent the last 26 seasons as an SEC defensive coordinator and established himself as one of the nation’s elite coordinators, running the same 4-3 base that Snyder left behind.
The Aggies are young (they had 15 freshmen and sophomores on 2014’s Liberty Bowl defensive two-deep), but there’s no question that talent and potential exists.
Last season, defensive end Myles Garrett broke Jadeveon Clowney’s freshman SEC sack record, and seven true freshmen started at least one game. Freshman safety Armani Watts had a team-leading three interceptions and also broke up eight passes, consistently making impact plays.
Watts will have to carry an even bigger leadership role as a sophomore since the defense’s top two tacklers (safety Howard Matthews and corner Deshazor Everett) are gone, but he can handle it.
Chavis told ESPN.com’s Sam Khan Jr. that he has plenty of talent to work with:
"We’ve got talent, there’s no question about that. The first thing we need to do is get our guys confident that they’re good enough to play and good enough to win in the SEC. Once they feel that way — and I think we’re well on the road to being there — they’re going to be able to compete. Sure, they had some struggles. That was last year and we’re not going to talk about last year. We’ve got some core principles that we believe in and we’re going to apply those and have applied them and we think it'll get us to the situation where we're going to be very, very competitive.
Now we've got a lot of work to do, don't kid yourself. I'm not kidding myself. But the talent is here and we're going to put the work in.
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Let’s face it: It’d be hard for the A&M defense to be any worse than it was in 2014. And with Chavis’ defensive acumen, expect the Aggies to take a big step forward this fall. The defensive line also should benefit from the presence of 5-star recruit Daylon Mack, rated as the nation’s No. 2 defensive tackle by 247Sports and an immediate-impact recruit. Junior college enrollees like linebacker Claude George and safety Justin Evans will also add crucial depth.
The talent exists for Chavis to mold in his image, and the young players should be better for enduring what was a sometimes-painful experience last fall.
A&M appears to have a slightly better overall defensive front, and while Chavis and Muschamp are pretty equal, Chavis appears to be walking into a slightly more amenable situation. While both will find plenty of success long-term, Chavis has an easier road this fall.
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