Who's the SEC's most annoying football coach? Readers respond with venom | Adams

Win or lose, some SEC football coaches annoy fans more than others. So, I decided to survey a small sample of my emailers on the question.

They responded swiftly and humorously. And some of their answers surprised me.

Marie writes: Jimbo Fisher. No contest.

Won the national championship at Florida State with a QB who should have been in an orange jumpsuit picking up trash on I-10 instead of on a football field. Then he’s paid a zillion dollars to go to TA&M, which shouldn’t even be in the SEC, and the only thing he can run appears to be his mouth (5-7 in 2022). He makes Nick (Saban) look cultured and laid back; Kirby (Smart), relaxed and fun; Lane (Kiffin), a candidate for SNL; Brian (Kelly) a southerner. And that’s saying something.

My response: Maybe, you will like him more after he has been punched out by new Aggies offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino during a play-call disagreement.

Robert writes: Fullip filmer and his home improvement ads. (A neighbor just got an estimate from Fulmer's latest company that was twice as much as that from a competitor.)

Seriously, probably the Florida coach (Billy Napier).

My response: I don’t have a problem with your first pick. Fulmer doesn’t have to be coaching to be thought of as a coach.

Remember that video of him as UT athletics director when he was coaching the offensive line? The NCAA was not amused.

Britney writes: Easy answer: Shane “the drama king Beamer.” Hate that smirk.

There are so many pictures of his smirk. I could send you thousands of pictures of it.

Didn’t those metal pointed belt ends go out in the 2000s?

My response: I had one of those belts – black with silver tip – but thought they met their demise in the 1990s.

Smirks never go out of style.

David writes: Easily at the front of the pack – Shane Beamer. In spades. Jimbo makes honorable mention.

My response: Another anti-smirker.

Darryl writes: The most obvious choice for annoying SEC coach would be Nick Saban or Lane Kiffin, but I’ll go in a different direction.

To me, Shane Beamer is annoying because his Gamecocks knocked UT Football out of a chance at the College Football Playoff last year, and he acts like a young (Josh) Heupel clone.

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My response: Josh Heupel and Beamer have gone head-to-head twice. And neither game was close.

But there were a lot of touchdowns.

Tennessee beat South Carolina 45-20 in 2021, and the Gamecocks beat the Vols 63-38 last season. Add up the scores, and the teams are even: 83-83.

Vols Mark writes: The most annoying SEC Football Coaches are by far Nick Saban and Kirby Smart but the winner-winner Bama dinner goes to Saban.

And why not?

(Editor’s note: Sarcasm alert).

First, who doesn’t like a good underdog story? I mean, who doesn’t enjoy seeing the same team win championships over and over again?

Secondly, Saban’s recruiting skills. How lucky can one guy be? It’s not like he has any skill set that would attract top talent. Plus, he’s made it clear how he feels about NIL, so it can’t be pouring out thousands of dollars through those funds’ sources. No, it’s just plain and simple Alabama luck.

Thirdly, coaching style and demeanor. It's a joy to watch him on the sidelines, his stern face radiating warmth and compassion toward his coaches and players. Especially things like a muffed punt return. Most coaches would convulse at the stupidity but not Nick. Comforting and supportive, Nick discussed with the player the understandable mistake. I thought I read his lips during the Tennessee game, ‘let’s not try to do that ever again.’

Lastly, those rivalries. It’s truly understandable why he is so revered. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy your beloved team getting trampled every season? With a slight, all-knowing grin, we shake our heads as we exit the stadium and say, ‘Oh, that darn ole Saban…’

My response: If you look closely after some of those drubbings Saban orchestrates, you might see a hint of a smirk.

Kevin writes: Nick Saban. To see him on ESPN trying to lobby to get into the college playoffs was bad after having lost to UT, a 4-loss LSU team, and not being SEC West champs. What is worse is ESPN didn’t ask him about his UT loss.

Do you think that Saban only agreed to do the interview if not asked about UT or was the ESPN reporter just really bad? The one-sided interview only allowed Saban to speak of his close losses and not how Texas nearly beat him.

My response: He also probably didn't mention that the Tide almost lost to an injury-depleted Aggies team that finished 5-7. But give him credit. Is anybody better at using the media to disseminate his messages?

Robert writes: He's worth over $75 million, headed to the Hall of Fame, owns three Mercedes dealerships, hangs around sports all day, is madly in love with himself, never smiles and chews tobacco. Nick Saban annoys me.

My response: But I've never seen him wearing a metal-pointed belt. Maybe, Britney has.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Who's the SEC's most annoying football coach? Readers unload.