Ranking SEC coaches: Kirby Smart is No. 1, but who is No. 2 after Nick Saban retirement?
If you couldn't have Kirby Smart coaching your team, which SEC coach would you want?
As of a month ago, the answer should have been obvious: Nick Saban. But, the retired GOAT is out of the equation, leaving Smart all alone on the top tier of college football coaches.
Within the SEC, who forms the second tier?
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC coaches in an attempt to collect the best group of coaching talent.
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It’s no mystery who’s going off the board first: Smart, the Georgia boss with two national championships to his name. Then, the debate gets interesting.
Drafting SEC football coaches
Coaches were selected snake-draft style, with each host getting to choose four coaches. Each coach could only be selected once. Here’s how they drafted:
Toppmeyer Pick 1: Kirby Smart (Georgia) – Elite recruiter, excellent motivator and skilled in X’s and O’s. The total package.
Adams Pick 1: Brian Kelly (LSU) – A career winner. He took Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship and twice to the College Football Playoff. He’s tallied 20 wins in two seasons at LSU despite inheriting a less-than-ideal situation. And he hasn’t hit his peak.
TOPPMEYER: Don't mess with Steve Sarkisian's Texas football, even if you're the mighty SEC
Adams Pick 2: Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) – The “Portal King” is made for this era of athlete free agency. His performance at Ole Miss is especially impressive when you consider the program’s history.
Toppmeyer Pick 2: Steve Sarkisian (Texas) – Texas is back, and Sarkisian took center stage in the revival. He proved himself as a play-caller as Saban’s offensive coordinator, and he’s proven himself a recruiter and a talent developer at Texas. Unlike some predecessors, he insists on instilling a culture of physicality. Texas isn’t “soft” anymore.
Toppmeyer Pick 3: Kalen DeBoer (Alabama) – He’s won big everywhere he’s been, so why shouldn’t he win big at Alabama, too? DeBoer’s coaching acumen is proven. Can he recruit in the SEC? It’s early, and the jury is out. Give him an ounce of patience, and I think he’ll prove himself in that department, too.
Adams Pick 3: Josh Heupel (Tennessee) – He’s never had a losing record in six seasons as a coach. He’s one of the SEC’s best offensive minds, and he’s a better recruiter than the reputation he had upon his hire by UT.
ADAMS: The NCAA wants a fight with Tennessee. Good luck with that
Adams Pick 4: Hugh Freeze (Auburn) – Sure, his Auburn tenure got off to a lackluster start, but I trust Freeze’s track record. He knows offense, and he knows how to attract talent.
Toppmeyer Pick 4: Mark Stoops (Kentucky) – I could risk it with someone from the stock-rising department like Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz or Texas A&M’s Mike Elko. Instead, I’ll go with a coach whose floor and ceiling are more defined. Stoops won’t elevate a program to greatness, but he’ll avoid debacle, too. He’s consistent. That’s as good as I can expect with the eighth overall pick.
Votes are in
Toppmeyer's four-man SEC coaching roster: Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian, Kalen DeBoer, Mark Stoops
Adams' four-man SEC coaching roster: Brian Kelly, Lane Kiffin, Josh Heupel, Hugh Freeze
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. John Adams is the senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. You can subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ranking SEC coaches: Kirby Smart No. 1, then Brian Kelly or Lane Kiffin?
