Most Indispensable Assistant Coaches in College Football for 2016
Have you ever noticed that, after national signing day, a quick surge of assistant coaching hirings are made? Head coaches get all the credit (and blame), but a great staff of assistant coaches goes a long way as well. And it can be a cut-throat business trying to put it together.
In reality, no coach is every truly irreplaceable—they come and go all the time—but there are many who are critical to a program's success. These are college football's indispensable assistant coaches. In the follow slides are assistants who excel in at least one of the following areas: recruiting, on-field results (i.e. stats) and longevity/loyalty (in other words, if they've been with the same coach for years).
By rule, we're eliminating assistant coaches entering their first full year with their new program since their value with that particular team has yet to be determined. For example: LSU's new defensive coordinator, Dave Aranda, isn't eligible because he just switched jobs. However, given what Wisconsin accomplished defensively over the past few years, Aranda would seem like a natural choice.
So check out our list of the most indispensable coaches. Have one of your own? Make your case in the comment section below.
Alabama Defensive Line Coach Bo Davis
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Last year, Alabama's most indispensable assistant would have been defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, but he just left to become the head coach at Georgia. Still, head coach Nick Saban has some loyal assistants. One of them is defensive line coach Bo Davis.
Davis actually left Alabama after the 2010 season to coach the defensive line at Texas for three years. He returned to Alabama in 2014 and will be entering his third season of his second stint with the Tide.
The 2015 Tide defensive front needs no additional hype. This was simply the most dominant front in college football last season. As B/R colleague Christopher Walsh noted last November, the D-line was getting production in sacks, too, which can be difficult in a 3-4 base defense. Alabama not only led the nation in sacks, but in run defense as well.
During Saban's time in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has been known for stingy defenses. Those start up front, meaning Davis has played a big role in that.
Davis' top recruit could have an impact next year as a freshman too. Linebacker Ben Davis was the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama.
Baylor Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles
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Father-son combinations in coaching can be tricky, but Baylor has pulled it off with Art and Kendal Briles. The younger Kendal has been on his father's staff since 2008, Briles' first year in Waco, Texas, and has worked his way up.
In 2015, he began his first year as the offensive coordinator (he had previously served as passing game coordinator). The Bears finished the year with the No. 1 scoring offense (48.1 ppg) despite numerous injuries to quarterback Seth Russell, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, receiver Corey Coleman and others. By the Russell Athletic Bowl against North Carolina, Baylor was essentially running the single-wing offense out of necessity.
Briles is also an outstanding recruiter. He ranked second among top recruiters in the Big 12, per 247Sports, and is responsible for landing players like Stidham, receiver KD Cannon and 2016 commit Devin Duvernay.
Kendal Briles is a name to watch for head coaching jobs in the not-too-distant future. For now, he's leading prolific offenses and recruiting at a high level. And he hasn't even come close to reaching his coaching ceiling.
Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables
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Brent Venables finished his fourth year with Clemson after spending a majority of his career with Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and is now one of college football's most coveted assistants.
In 2014, Venables coached the Tigers to the No. 1 defense in yards per game allowed. Following that season, however, Clemson replaced a majority of its starters, including the entire defensive line. Replacing that group, the '15 Clemson defense still finished among the top ACC defenses in major categories.
Venables will now be tasked with another overhaul. Clemson must replace its top edge-rushers (Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dogg) plus cornerback Mackensie Alexander and safety Jayron Kearse. But thanks to Venables' recruiting strengths, Clemson pulled in the No. 10 class for '16. Venables was also named the top recruiter in the ACC by 247Sports.
Clemson continues to be known for offense—next season's could be the best ever under head coach Dabo Swinney—but Venables has the Tigers playing outstanding defense. He's also helping put together a star-studded roster that will keep competing for national championships.
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Florida State Offensive Line Coach Rick Trickett
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First of all, any coach who celebrates signing day with a nice cigar gets instant consideration. But offensive line coach Rick Trickett is Jimbo Fisher's best assistant on this Florida State staff.
Trickett has been with Fisher since Fisher was an assistant under Bobby Bowden, and he's produced some tough offensive lines. The 2013 Seminoles offense became the most prolific all time in total points scored (723) and the '14 group featured all but one of those starters.
Trickett has also shown off his recruiting chops by being ranked as the third-best recruiter in the ACC behind Venables and fellow Seminoles assistant Tim Brewster.
In those ways, Trickett checks off all three major boxes: program stalwart, on-field results and recruiting.
LSU Defensive Line Coach Ed Orgeron
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Ed Orgeron is always one of those names that pops up during the coaching silly season. As it pertains to this list, it's a bit ironic that Orgeron would be considered indispensable considering he's coached at numerous stops.
However, Orgeron has a track record of results on the recruiting front and has coached some dominant defensive lines at USC during the Pete Carroll era. With assistant Frank Wilson off to coach Texas-San Antonio, the Tigers need a strong recruiter. LSU dominated its in-state recruiting battles, getting 11 of the top 13 players. As Footballscoop.com noted on Twitter, Orgeron has a big influence in that department.
Maybe Orgeron lands another head coaching job in the near future. But with his strong recruiting ties and defensive line experience, he's a perfect fit at LSU. The Tigers return their entire D-line from last year too.
Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Luke Fickell
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Former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano just joined Ohio State's staff as a defensive coordinator. But the Buckeyes' other defensive coordinator, Luke Fickell, is a longtime assistant in the program, having coached away from Columbus for only two years in his career. The fact head coach Urban Meyer kept Fickell on the staff after Fickell served as interim coach in 2011 speaks to how much Meyer respects him.
Fickell shared coordinator responsibilities in the past with Chris Ash, now the head coach at Rutgers, with a ton of success, so how Fickell and Schiano collaborate is critical. Make no mistake, though, this is still Fickell's defense.
“Luke is the defensive coordinator,” Meyer said in December, per Tim May, the Columbus Dispatch.
Additionally, Fickell is a tremendous recruiter. Some of his big-name recruits include defensive ends Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington and linebacker Raekwon McMillan.
TCU Co-OCs Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie
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The pair of inside receivers coach Doug Meacham (pictured) and quarterbacks coach Sonny Cumbie has transformed TCU's offense into one of the best units in the country. The 2014 season, the first for Cumbie and Meacham, saw the Frogs score 21 more points per game. This past season, TCU finished seventh in scoring offense, which was impressive considering all of the injuries.
But it's not just the raw numbers that make Cumbie and Meacham indispensable. They have shown an ability to adapt a game plan on the fly. Without star quarterback Trevone Boykin (suspension), TCU rallied from 31 points down to beat Oregon in the Alamo Bowl 47-41 in overtime. Backup quarterback Bram Kohlhausen threw for 351 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Meacham has been connected, at least loosely, to a number of head coaching jobs, and Cumbie was reportedly tied to the Texas offensive coordinator position. It's no surprise both have been considered for other jobs. What they've done for the TCU offense elevated the program back to national relevance.
Texas A&M Defensive Coordinator John Chavis
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John Chavis' numbers as a defensive coordinator over the years speak for themselves. Chavis has orchestrated stiff defenses at LSU and Tennessee, and he's now tasked with turning Texas A&M's defense around.
Chavis' first year in College Station had mixed results. A&M was one of the top teams in the SEC in pass defense—the Aggies allowed the fewest passing touchdowns—but struggled mightily against the run (5.01 yards per carry). And in the run-heavy SEC West, that's a problem.
However, A&M returns a talented group featuring edge-rusher Myles Garrett. If Chavis brings A&M to the top of the SEC in major stat categories for 2016, he could very well save head coach Kevin Sumlin's job in the process—assuming the offense can get turned around. That would continue to prove Chavis is one of the top defensive minds in college football.
USC Offensive Coordinator Tee Martin
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We'll find out soon enough if Tee Martin has what it takes to be an offensive coordinator at USC. The fifth-year assistant has coached wide receivers and served as a passing game coordinator for the Trojans, but this is his first promotion to a full-time OC position.
If Martin succeeds as a play-caller, his coaching stock will soar. He's already well regarded as a recruiter, being named the Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com (h/t USCTrojans.com). Keeping USC's offense potent will show Martin is more rounded, though.
Still, head coach Clay Helton had to promote Martin sooner or later. Otherwise, he probably would have received that promotion elsewhere, and then USC would be down its best recruiter. In other words, this was a natural progression for Martin as he rises up the coaching ranks.
That should show you how valuable Martin is.
Virginia Tech Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster
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Bud Foster is the textbook definition of an indispensable assistant. He coached under Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech since 1987. He was retained by new Hokies head coach Justin Fuente, which speaks volumes about what Foster means for the defense and the program as a whole.
In fact, athletic director Whit Babcock admitted when he hired Fuente that Foster was important to the program.
“I made it very clear if we feel strongly enough about you being the head coach, you can pick your guys,” Babcock told Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “But then I did say, ‘If it’s not Bud you better have a darn good one you bring in here.’”
Foster is a Virginia Tech staple and almost as synonymous with the program as Beamer himself. There aren't many loyal, longtime assistants in the game like Foster.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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