SEC Football: Ranking Every Team by 2016 Coaching Staff
A good head coach is only as good as his staff, and the SEC boasts some of the best coaching staffs in the country.
From Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, the conference is loaded with experienced assistants who either have been head coaches before or are on the fast track to running a program.
Which staffs are the best? We rank them based on production, recruiting and success in this slideshow.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
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Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason made a wise move last offseason when he hired a new defensive coordinator.
Himself.
That worked out well, as Vanderbilt ranked in the top six nationally in both third-down defense and red-zone touchdown defense, according to CFBStats.com.
Andy Ludwig is an ultra-conservative offense coordinator who wants to win in an old-school, overpowering way. That works when a team has the pieces, but Vanderbilt simply hasn't out-recruited the SEC heavyweights up front. If a team is going to employ that style, it has to have the bodies up front to make it work.
Some of the new coaching additions have potential, including defensive line coach C.J. Ah You and inside linebackers coach Chris Marve, but the Commodores have an offensive philosophy that limits their upside and several unproven assistants who might be solid but are still unknown.
13. Missouri Tigers
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The Barry Odom era at Missouri will also include a staff that's essentially new to the program.
Josh Heupel comes in as the new offensive coordinator after stints at Utah State and Oklahoma. Utah State finished 81st in the nation in yards per play last year under Heupel. In 2014 Oklahoma didn't live up to expectations after Trevor Knight regressed at quarterback, finishing 51st in yards per play in 2013, according to CFBStats.com.
Defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross has a long track record in college and the NFL but only one as a co-defensive coordinator—last year at TCU. The Tigers defense will still be Odom's baby, so that will certainly give Cross a bit of a buffer as he transitions to his new surroundings.
The biggest issue with Missouri is up front. A big reason why the Tigers earned the moniker "D-Line Zou" was the presence of Craig Kuligowski, who spent nearly a quarter-century with the program before jumping to Miami. Simply put, new defensive line coach Jackie Shipp has big shoes to fill.
12. Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is his own best employee. The head coach of the Bulldogs doubles as the primary offensive coordinator in Starkville, along with co-offensive coordinators Billy Gonzales (WRs/passing game) and John Hevesy (OL/running game).
That part of the equation is set. The offensive staff has proved over the last few years that, despite several key roster departures up front, the loss of running back Josh Robinson in 2014 and Chad Bumphis in 2012, that the team can plug and play players and be just fine.
Defensively, things could get sketchy this year.
The entire on-field defensive staff turned over from last year, and those new coaches are without former star linebacker Beniquez Brown and monster defensive linemen Ryan Brown and Chris Jones. The new defensive staff led by Peter Sirmon could be solid, but the transition leaves it as one of the biggest mysteries in the SEC.
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11. Kentucky Wildcats
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Kentucky upgraded at offensive coordinator when head coach Mark Stoops replaced Shannon Dawson with veteran, versatile coordinator Eddie Gran—who has experience not only in the SEC but recruiting in the South.
Gran, along with Stoops, tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow and others have put an emphasis on recruiting.
D.J. Eliot has potential as a defensive coordinator, but after the Wildcats defense has finished 10th or worse in the conference in total defense every year under Stoops, improvement has to happen soon.
While the talent level has improved in Lexington under Stoops, it's a slow process. Time could be running out.
10. South Carolina Gamecocks
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Clearly, South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp has hired a staff that can recruit.
Muschamp's efforts combined with stud assistants Travaris Robinson, Bryan McClendon, Lance Thompson and the rest of the crew helped the Gamecocks convince dual-threat quarterback Brandon McIlwain to pass on Major League Baseball and secured the commitment of early enrollee wide receiver Bryan Edwards during the 2016 cycle.
But what that staff will actually be on the field is the great unknown.
Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper can make his hurry-up, no-huddle system work, so long as Muschamp—a defensive coach who prefers a pro-style system—will allow him to work his magic. Will that happen? We have to wait until the season to find out for sure.
Defensively, Muschamp struggled last season at Auburn until the final month of the season when Carl Lawson returned, and Robinson has never been a defensive coordinator before.
South Carolina's staff can recruit, but the coaching aspect of the equation is still a mystery.
9. Arkansas Razorbacks
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In three offseasons as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, head coach Bret Bielema has lost a total of eight assistants to other jobs, according to Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com.
Some of those were upgrades—like the move from Jim Chaney to Dan Enos at offensive coordinator. Others weren't—like the loss of linebackers coach Randy Shannon to Florida.
The loss of offensive line coach Sam Pittman was the latest and perhaps most important loss of the group. After all, Arkansas' offensive line is its identity, and the Razorbacks have to replace several pieces on last year's group including guard Sebastian Tretola and tackle Denver Kirkland.
Enos has proved himself to be a great offensive coordinator, but Robb Smith's defense struggled last year. The secondary was the worst in the SEC (275.2 yards per game), and new defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads has to fixed that with some new personnel in 2016.
8. Auburn Tigers
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Auburn replaced five assistants from last year's staff, some by necessity and some by choice.
The good news is that veteran offensive line coach Herb Hand has reunited with head coach Gus Malzahn after stints at Vanderbilt and Penn State with James Franklin. Hand has a track record of success in the South, and his familiarity with the system will help him adjust to the new digs.
But Dameyune Craig, Will Muschamp, Travaris Robinson and Lance Thompson bolted, with Kodi Burns (WRs), Kevin Steele (DC), Wesley McGriff (secondary) and Travis Williams (LBs) taking their places, respectively. For the most part, the old group was best suited for recruiting, while the new assistants might be more effective from the standpoint of X's and O's.
Will it work?
The shake-up is a high-risk, high-reward move for Malzahn. Burns and Williams are Auburn alums who are well aware of the program's inner workings. Steele wasn't stellar at LSU but has lower expectations at Auburn, and the personnel on Auburn's roster should lead the team into the SEC West conversation in early November.
It's far from a certainty, though.
7. Tennessee Volunteers
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From a defensive standpoint, the 2016 Tennessee Volunteers are set.
They upgraded from John Jancek to former Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop in the offseason, which was one of the most important coaching moves of the offseason. Shoop produced the Big Ten's best defense in terms of yards per play in 2014 (4.27) and landed Vanderbilt second in the SEC in the same category in 2013 (5.07).
When he arrived in Knoxville, he found a loaded roster that includes linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, corner Cam Sutton, one of the best defensive lines in the country and a unit that finished second in the nation in third-down defense in 2015 (27.60 percent), according to CFBStats.com.
From an offensive standpoint, though, there are questions. The Vols couldn't get things going in the passing game last year, and it wasn't due to lack of talent. Joshua Dobbs is an established threat at quarterback, and the talent at wide receiver has been on Rocky Top for a half-decade. Is that the fault of offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni or somebody else's?
That remains to be seen. But it's a coaching problem more than a personnel problem.
6. Georgia Bulldogs
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Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has put together a solid staff in his first season in Athens, including versatile offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, veteran offensive line coach Sam Pittman, special teams ace Shane Beamer and holdover defensive staff members Tracy Rocker and Kevin Sherrer.
Pittman was a monster with Arkansas. Chaney knows how to get the ball in the hands of playmakers in space (something previous Bulldogs offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer struggled with), and the older staff members know the recruiting landscape like the back of their hands.
The one question will be with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, whose last stint as a college coordinator was as Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator in 2004. There have been some stops in the NFL since then, but the college game is much different than the pros and has evolved since 2004.
How will Smart and Tucker communicate? What responsibilities will Smart put on himself? Those questions remain unanswered.
But if that's the biggest issue, then Smart set up his staff nicely.
5. LSU Tigers
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Great defensive coordinator? Check.
New staff member Dave Aranda, who guided a national top-seven defense at Wisconsin in each of the last three seasons, is there to lead a talented group of Tigers.
Great defensive line coach? Check.
Ed Orgeron is back to get down and dirty up front and continue his monster recruiting efforts.
Great new addition? Check.
According to his 247Sports bio, wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig has recruited some of the best, including Jameis Winston and Chris Casher to Florida State and Nate Craig-Myers and Tre' Williams to Auburn.
The one holdup is offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who was successful in 2013 with pro-style quarterback Zach Mettenberger but hasn't had the same type of success with former Tiger Anthony Jennings or dual-threat quarterback Brandon Harris.
LSU's staff is solid, but head coach Les Miles has been infatuated with dual-threat quarterbacks for the better part of a decade. Those quarterbacks—including Harris, Ryan Perrilloux and Jordan Jefferson—don't fit his philosophy, which is more traditional than most in the SEC and includes three-receiver sets and plenty of two-back power.
The Tigers need more synergy on the offensive side but are set on defense.
4. Ole Miss Rebels
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Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze gets plenty of the praise for his team's success over the last four years, the last two of which included trips to New Year's Six bowl games.
But a head coach is only as good as his staff, and Freeze has assembled a great one in Oxford.
Dave Wommack's defenses have become the identity of the Rebels, after his unit has finished in the top five in the SEC in yards per play in each of the last three seasons, according to CFBStats.com. Dan Werner's work with quarterbacks Bo Wallace and Chad Kelly has been the catalyst of the offense's success, despite prolonged absences by wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil over the last two seasons.
Recruiting? That's not an issue either. The Rebels' success in 2013 set the tone for a four-year run that has served as a talent injection for the program, led by Chris Kiffin and Maurice Harris.
A team is only as good as its leaders, and Ole Miss has some of the best in the conference.
3. Texas A&M Aggies
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Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin will enter the 2016 season on one of the hottest seats in the country after failing to contend for the SEC West for three straight seasons.
He can't blame his assistants, though, because his staff is stellar this year.
Sumlin upgraded at offensive coordinator from quarterback destroyer Jake Spavital to spread/power guru Noel Mazzone, upgraded at offensive line coach from Dave Christensen to veteran Jim Turner and still has "The Chief" John Chavis manning the defense.
Terry Price is a veteran SEC defensive ends coach, and David Turner has plenty of experience with defensive tackles. The staff's SEC experience and style fit Sumlin's attacking philosophies on both sides of the ball.
If Sumlin is unemployed at the end of the season, it won't be because of his staff. This is a crew that should get the job done in College Station.
2. Florida Gators
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Florida head coach Jim McElwain, an offensive-minded coach, put together a solid, defensive-heavy staff in Year 1 that included himself, defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, linebackers coach Randy Shannon and defensive line coach Chris Rumph.
That crew helped the Gators finish third in the conference in yards per play in 2015 (4.65) and paced the team to the SEC East title.
It got even better this offseason when McElwain lured Torrian Gray from Virginia Tech. According to Florida's website, Gray's Hokies secondaries gave up just 185 passing yards per game and a 106.5 passer rating and allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete just 50.4 percent of their passes over the last decade. An entire decade of success.
With a defensive staff like that and McElwain calling the shots on offense, Florida's staff is solid.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
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Two-time defending SEC champion Alabama stockpiles player talent ever year, and that is not exclusive to high school talent on the recruiting trail.
The Lane Kiffin experiment has worked out quite nicely, after Kiffin produced the most prolific offense in program history in 2014 (484.5 yards per game) and followed it up with a national title and Heisman Trophy winner in running back Derrick Henry.
Defensively, the Crimson Tide have to make the transition from Kirby Smart to Jeremy Pruitt, but both coaches come from the coaching tree of head coach Nick Saban, and Pruitt's 3-4 scheme is virtually the same as the one Smart employed.
Tackles/tight ends coach Mario Cristobal is a veteran former head coach who recruits South Florida heavily. Tosh Lupoi is a recruiting machine who moved back to the field last year with plenty of success with his outside linebackers. Plus, newcomer Brent Key's ties to the Orlando area, coupled with his success coaching UCF's offensive lines, are incredibly valuable.
Alabama's staff is simply loaded, which is par for the course for basically everything else within the program.
Quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, 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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