Ranking all 14 SEC coaching situations from worst to first
When people think of college football, they think of the SEC. The winning tradition, the fanbases, or even the gameday atmospheres. Whatever the case may be, people will always support the SEC and their favorite teams.
Historically, the SEC has featured some of the best coaches in college football. Several names that come to mind are Bear Bryant, Vince Dooley, Steve Spurrier, and Robert Neyland. All were successful in their own right.
As we enter the 2023 college football season, the SEC still has some of the best coaches in the entire country.
Roll Tide Wire ranks the coaches in the SEC from worst to first heading into the 2023 season.
Zach Arnett - Mississippi State
Career HC Record: 1-0
Following the tragic passing of former Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach, the Bulldogs promoted defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach. Arnett will be entering his first season as a head coach at any college level. Several Power Five programs were expected to pursue Arnett as their future defensive coordinator. However, the Bulldogs administration decided to make an “in-house” hire with Arnett. With Arnett having virtually no head coaching experience, he will come in at No. 14 on the list.
Clark Lea - Vanderbilt
Career HC Record: 7-17
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea was confident that the trajectory of the program would change upon his arrival. Lea does have the program trending in the right direction. After the Commodores finished 2-10 in 2021, Lea was able to regroup and finish 5-7 in 2022. Altogether, he seems like a good fit for the Vanderbilt football program. His head coaching career has been underwhelming from a production standpoint, however.
Eliah Drinkwitz - Missouri
Career HC Record: 29-20
Drinkwitz became Missouri’s head coach in 2020. He was formerly the head coach at Appalachian State. Since arriving in Columbia, Drinkwitz has a 17-19 record. The transition to the SEC has taken a little time to adjust to for Drinkwitz. He could be on the hot seat if the Tigers do not show significant strides of improvement in 2023.
Billy Napier - Florida
Career HC Record: 46-19
Billy Napier is another coach that transitioned from the Sun Belt to the SEC. From 2018 to 2021, Napier served as the head coach at Louisiana. In 2021, the Gators hired Napier to be the team’s next head coach. After a 6-7 finish to the 2022 season, some Gators fans began to question the hiring of Napier. He has proven to be a good recruiter and has shown signs of a promising rebuild. Only time will tell in the Swamp.
Shane Beamer - South Carolina
Career HC Record: 15-11
South Carolina may have made a home-run hire in 2021 after bringing in Oklahoma associate head coach Shane Beamer. Beamer is slowly but surely building something special in Columbia. In 2023, the Gamecocks finished the regular season with upsets against Tennessee and Clemson. Beamer and the Gamecocks are hopeful that those two wins will propel them to a new level in the future.
Mark Stoops - Kentucky
Career HC Record: 66-59
It is hard to believe that Mark Stoops has been Kentucky’s head coach since 2013. Stoops has led the Wildcats to six seasons with eight or more wins. In 2018 and 2021, the ‘Cats won 10 games. The last time that Kentucky won 10 games under a different head coach was in 1977. The Wildcats finished 10-3. Altogether, Stoops has done a good job in the Bluegrass state.
Sam Pittman - Arkansas
Career HC Record: 19-17
The Arkansas football program has been under the direction of Sam Pittman since 2020. Overall, Pittman has done a fair job in Fayetteville. The last time that Arkansas had a 10-win season was in 2011 when Bobby Petrino was the head coach. While Pittman has done enough to remain in Fayetteville, there are some questions surrounding the program going into 2023. Pittman’s name could be on the hot seat if the Razorbacks do not live up to expectations.
Hugh Freeze - Auburn
Career HC Record: 74-47
Hugh Freeze will enter his first season on the Plains in 2023. Freeze’s most recent stops have been Ole Miss and Liberty. He had sustained success at both programs and will look to carry that over to Auburn. Freeze is commonly known for having high-octane offenses. In Oxford, he was able to defeat Alabama twice. He will have his work cut out for him in year No. 1 at Auburn. However, Freeze has assembled one of the top transer portal classes in the country and has brought in some proven assistant coaches along the way.
Josh Heupel - Tennessee
Career HC Record: 46-16
While Josh Heupel does not have a huge sample size as a college head coach, he has shown enough to be a top-six coach in the SEC. Heupel served as UCF’s head coach from 2018-2020. Heupel is an offensive mastermind and has proven that in just two seasons in Knoxville. Tennessee knocked off No. 20 LSU, No. 19 Kentucky, No. 10 Clemson and No. 3 Alabama. In each of those games, the Volunteers scored 31 or more points. Heupel is an up-and-coming head coach that has already made a name for himself in the SEC.
Lane Kiffin - Ole Miss
Career HC Record: 84-46
Lane Kiffin has coached for several programs during his coaching career. Kiffin had previous stints at USC, Tennessee, and Florida Atlantic. Since serving as an assistant coach at Alabama, Kiffin has rekindled his coaching prowess and has created a winning culture at Ole Miss. In three seasons in Oxford, Kiffin has a 23-13 record. While he has not won a lot of big games, he has established the foundation for success in Oxford.
Jimbo Fisher - Texas A&M
Career HC Record: 122-44
Jimbo Fisher is mainly remembered for the success that he had during his time as Florida State’s head coach. With that said, he has had success at Texas A&M. There is no questioning that. Fisher is one of the more proven offensive playcallers in the country and seems to always had success on the recruiting trail. However, he has not posted a 10-win season since he became the Aggies head coach in 2018. Overall, he is certainly near the top of the SEC when it comes to coaching rankings.
Brian Kelly - LSU
Career HC Record: 273-100-2
Many people questioned the LSU decision to hire Brian Kelly from Notre Dame. Those people were proven wrong in 2022. Kelly won 10 games and led the Tigers to the SEC Championship. While Kelly has never won a national title, he has proven that he can win in the regular season. The last team that was unable to win 10 games under Kelly was in 2016 when Notre Dame finished 4-8. Kelly is an elite recruiter and seems to always have ultra-competitive teams year in and year out. I would not be surprised to see LSU contend for a national title in the years to come.
Kirby Smart - Georgia
Career HC Record: 81-15
Kirby Smart has established himself as one of the best coaches in college football. Since Smart was hired to be Georgia‘s head coach in 2016, he has yet to coach a team that won less than eight games. The only other coach in the SEC that can has done that consistently is Nick Saban. Smart has established a winning culture and is destined to be one of the greatest coaches in program history. In 2023, Smart’s Bulldogs will be looking to win its third consecutive national title.
Nick Saban - Alabama
Career HC Record: 280-69-1
It doesn’t matter what fanbase you are a part of when asked who the greatest football coach of all-time is. The common answer is Nick Saban and rightfully so. In 16 seasons as Alabama’s head coach, Saban has a 194-27 record. He has helped the Crimson Tide win six national titles and eight SEC Championships. Remarkably, he has been named the SEC Coach of the Year four times while at Alabama. Saban rebuilt the Alabama football program into one of the most successful programs in the entire country over the last decade and a half. For these reasons, Saban comes in at No. 1 on our SEC Coaching Rankings.
