SEC Football Q&A: Assistants Departing a Sign of Impending Doom for Gus Malzahn?
Spring practice is just around the corner, but the coaching carousel hasn't stopped spinning.
The biggest news over the weekend was the move of former Auburn quarterback and current co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig from his alma mater to LSU to coach wide receivers.
Kodi Burns was hired to replace Craig and becomes the fifth new assistant out of the nine total on-field coaches to join the Auburn staff since the end of the 2015 season.
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Is the massive coaching turnover a reason to panic on the Plains? That question and more are answered in this week's SEC Q&A.
It's likely going to be painted that way publicly due to Craig's move, along with the move of former defensive backs coach and player for the Tigers Travaris Robinson's move to South Carolina to be Will Muschamp's defensive coordinator.
Don't fall into that trap.
Muschamp went from defensive coordinator to SEC head coach. That's a step up. Robinson went from position coach to coordinator in the SEC. That's also a step up. New offensive line coach Herb Hand is an upgrade from J.B. Grimes, so don't include him in this discussion either.
The two somewhat curious decisions are with former linebackers coach Lance Thompson moving to Columbia with Muschamp and Craig's somewhat lateral move. Thompson didn't get the defensive coordinator job at Auburn after serving in that capacity on an interim basis for the Birmingham Bowl, so can you blame him for opting for the familiarity of working under Muschamp rather than new coordinator Kevin Steele—who has plenty of SEC experience—at Auburn?
I can't.
Craig is the big shocker because of his ties to Auburn. But what gets lost in the noise of offseason hysteria is that a coach's alma mater (and this applies to those in the media industry too) is secondary to the loyalty to self. Craig is looking out for Craig, plain and simple.
He was stuck in a rut after three years in the same role with very little chance for upward mobility at Auburn behind head coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. What's more, it's no secret that Auburn has to win for the staff to stay employed.
LSU head coach Les Miles and his staff finds itself in the exact same boat. So if you're Craig, do you want to learn something new with a new staff that could bring a different perspective to things in 2016 or do more of the same at Auburn?
That's a rather simple question to answer.
Coaches are loyal to themselves, as they should be.
No, I don't think it's a sign of impending doom at Auburn, nor is it a sign that the ship is sinking. That sign came in the form of last season's 7-6 record. The ships at Auburn and LSU are both taking on water, and what happens next fall is going to determine if either sinks. For Auburn, that starts at the top with Malzahn and Lashlee figuring out who to play at quarterback and what identity the offense will take.
Nothing that happens during the coaching silly season is going to change that.
It is hard to believe that, had it not been for former Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry's lateral prayer, a perfect bounce to former running back Alex Collins and the Hogs' ridiculous 4th-and-25 conversion against Ole Miss, that Alabama likely wouldn't have made the College Football Playoff.
You never know what games or plays will sway the balance of power one way or the other.
The easy answers are Alabama at Ole Miss in Week 3 and Tennessee at Georgia in Week 5, because I think both will determine the participants in the 2016 SEC Championship Game.
Let's dig a little deeper, though. You know, past the other obvious picks like Florida at Tennessee, Alabama at LSU, LSU at Auburn and others.
Keep an eye on Ole Miss at LSU on Oct. 22.
This comes two weeks after the Rebels' bye week, so they'll have a chance to recover from some of the early-season injuries that are sure to occur. Meanwhile, LSU will be at the tail end of a stretch in which they play eight straight games to open the season.
Whatever happens in the Rebels' game with Alabama earlier in the year and whatever happens in LSU's contest two weeks after hosting the Rebels likely won't matter for the loser of this game, and it will define the final month of the season within the SEC West.
Georgia shouldn't be picked to win the SEC East this year based on the coaching turnover, and the uncertainty at key positions like wide receiver and quarterback. That doesn't mean Georgia can't win it, just that it's a little aggressive to pick the Bulldogs preseason—especially with a Tennessee roster that is absolutely loaded in 2016.
Second? That's not hype around Georgia. Rather, it's an indictment of the rest of the division.
If people want to put Florida there instead, that totally makes sense. The Gators have Georgia's number, have a proven track record of replacing key defensive pieces with eventual stars over the last decade and have a head coach in Jim McElwain who proved in Year 1 that he can find a way to overcome adversity and lead his team to a division title.
The Gators aren't without questions, though.
The quarterback battle taking place this offseason among Luke Del Rio, Austin Appleby and Feleipe Franks is incredibly important, there's no proven No. 1 at running back and the offensive line sputtered down the stretch last year.
Elsewhere, South Carolina and Missouri are breaking in new staffs just like Georgia and don't have anywhere near the talent of Georgia, Vandy has to find a way to stretch the field and Kentucky's trend of November tailspins is incredibly concerning.
Georgia was picked 16th in our Bleacher Report post-national signing day top 25, which is right where it should be. Running back Nick Chubb and the rest of the running game is set, the defense returns a ton of experienced players and the schedule sets up great.
Anything more than "middle of the pack" in preseason top-25 rankings is a bit too aggressive based on the roster makeup, and anything less might be a bit too pessimistic. After all, Georgia did win 10 games a year ago.
A lot of people don't realize this, but Vanderbilt finished fourth in the SEC East last year at 4-8 (2-6 SEC) thanks to the head-to-head win over Kentucky.
The Commodores have a very good ground game with Ralph Webb, who rushed for 1,152 yards and five touchdowns in a woefully predictable offense. The defense, which was led by star linebacker Zach Cunningham, finished sixth nationally in third-down defense (28.16 percent) and fourth nationally in red-zone touchdown defense (38.78 percent).
Vandy will make a bowl in 2016 and go 6-6.
I think the Commodores beat South Carolina at home in the opener, top Middle Tennessee, Kentucky, Tennessee State and Missouri and spring an upset along that way over Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky or somebody else.
The defense will keep the 'Dores in games, and the offense will take a slight step forward. That's all head coach Derek Mason needs to become bowl-eligible.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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