Ranking SEC head coaches entering the 2019 season – 247Sports

14. Chad Morris, Arkansas — The grass isn’t always greener for hot-shot assistants turned head coaches and Morris is feeling the effects of that since his progression into program leader status. Since leaving Clemson’s OC spot for an opportunity as SMU’s head coach in 2015, he is 16-32 as a head coach including a 2-10 faceplant last all during his first campaign with the Razorbacks. It’s a “show me” season in 2019 for Morris, who hopes an impressive signing class and multiple transfer quarterbacks leads to immediate wins.

13. Matt Luke, Ole Miss — Luke is 4-12 against the SEC over his first two seasons with the Rebels and a few of those losses have been extremely lopsided. Ole Miss hasn’t fared well in big games, mainly due to a defense that hasn’t looked prepared against some of the better teams on the schedule. Perhaps fortunes turn a bit this season for Ole Miss, who has a legitimate shot at starting the season 4-0 prior to traveling to Alabama if Matt Corral is the real deal at quarterback.

12. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt — Over the past three seasons, the Commodores seem to be stuck in the just below .500 realm, finishing 17-21 with two bowl appearances. Has the program peaked under Mason? He has hasn’t been able to put together a winning season in Nashville and his best opportunity may have just passed with a senior quarterback and a number of other veteran playmakers in 2018. Progress and upward trajectory is key in coaching and right now, Mason seems to be stagnant in the bottom tier of the East. Vanderbilt is hoping talent at the skill positions — notably running back and wide receiver — is enough to surprise some teams this fall.

11. Barry Odom, Mizzou — Since stumbling out the gate as Gary Pinkel’s emergency replacement prior to the 2016 season, Odom has won eight of his last 12 games in SEC play and should field his best team this season with Tigers, who will undoubtedly benefit from a soft schedule (by SEC standards). Mizzou missed out on nine wins last fall with a loss to Oklahoma State in the bowl game, but did manage to snap a lengthy skip vs. Top 25 teams against Florida.

10. Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee — One of the coaches on the shortlist to succeed Nick Saban at Alabama whenever the SEC’s titan decides to hang it up, Pruitt is well-respected as a defensive guru and ace recruiter within the profession. But his first season as a head coach flatlined in November as the Vols squandered a bowl opportunity down the stretch. Depth is a serious issue that can’t be fixed at a program in the SEC over one offseason. We’ll have a better idea on how Tennessee looks value-wise under Pruitt when 2019 is in the books. Vegas oddsmakers believe the Vols could win seven, which puts Tennessee within striking distance of finishing three games better than it did last fall with a bowl victory. Pruitt is making strides on the recruiting trail, but on gamedays, the margin remains razor thin.

9. Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State — There’s a bit of a wait-and-see vibe emanating right now from Starkville heading into Moorhead’s second season with the Bulldogs after a somewhat disappointing 8-5 record last fall with a senior quarterback and star-studded defense. In fact, Mississippi States defense was rated No. 1 nationally. One of the the more interesting storylines heading into the 2019 campaign is Moorhead’s situation at quarterback and how he’s going to handle Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens and Keytaon Thompson. Moorhead is arguably the toughest coach to rank heading into fall and probably should be a little higher.

8. Will Muschamp, South Carolina — With 10 consecutive losses vs. nationally-ranked teams with the Gamecocks, Muschamp’s tenure has been marred by his team’s ineptitude in big games, an element that could change this season with ample opportunity to shift attention with his best roster yet. He has brought stability back to the Gamecocks after Steve Spurrier left the program in an awful situation after bailing toward the middle of the 2015 season and has completely flipped a roster that wasn’t SEC-level in Columbia upon his arrival. In spite of the talent discrepancy early, Muschamp has more wins than any coach in team history over his first three seasons.

7. Mark Stoops, Kentucky — I contemplated moving Stoops up a notch or two in this ranking following last season’s historic 10-win season, likely as good as it gets in the Bluegrass. He flexed his coaching prowess last fall in Lexington, earning SEC Coach of the Year accolades after leading the Wildcats to nine regular-season victories for the first time in 41 years, including a 5-3 mark in SEC play — the team’s first winning league record since 1977. He did so with dominance on defense and a ground-and-pound approach offensively that led to several marquee victories. If Stoops manages the same level of success this fall, it’s time we consider him a Top 20 head coach nationally.

One of the more polarizing coaches in the SEC this season, Malzahn’s national championship game appearance in 2013 feels so long ago at a program trying to swim past the waters of mediocrity by its own standards. His extremely costly buyout, fifth-most nationally, made last season’s 3-5 stumble in SEC play difficult to digest. Since winning the West in his first season as coach, Malzahn has posted one 10-win campaign in five years and is just 21-19 overall against league competition. Auburn’s 10-win season in 2017 may have delayed the inevitable for Malzahn, who simply hasn’t been consistent enough at one of the SEC’s premiere programs to warrant a move off the hot seat and better ranking amongst his peers. Entering his seventh season on the Plains, Malzahn is taking over play-calling duties and hopes to inject some life into an offense that never got going last fall.

It hasn’t taken long for LSU’s base to rally around Orgeron, who has increased the Tigers’ win total each of the past two seasons. Last season’s 10-win finish was the bigger surprise after many projected the program to slide from the top-tier of the SEC a bit. In Baton Rouge, you’re judged by what you do against division rivals and the recent track record against Alabama leaves a lot to be desired. At some point, he’ll have to end the lengthy losing skid vs. the Crimson Tide to continue his ascension in these rankings, but he is taking the necessary steps in doing so with Tigers by reloading talent and retaining one of the nation’s top assistants in Dave Aranda. it appears LSU made the right hire with Orgeron after turning away from Les Miles and this program should be situated inside the Top 15 and competing for titles in the SEC West for many years to come.

Did Mullen hit lightning in a bottle with Jim McElwain’s leftovers in 2018 or is the former Mississippi State coach already morphing the Gators back into national contender status? It’s hard to argue with the results for Mullen, who parlayed notable success during the latter stages of his tenure in Starkville into instantaneous notoriety nationally with the Gators last fall — winning his 10th game with a beatdown of Michigan during bowl season. He managed to hit double-digit wins only once at Mississippi State with lesser talent, meaning Mullen’s new setting in Gainesville could be the perfect spot to showcase his ability. Florida hired Mullen with promise that he would bring the Gators back to prominence and it’s already happening after a Top 10 finish. Expectations are high again for a program only two years removed from back-to-back SEC Championship Game appearances that has noticeably fallen behind Georgia in the SEC East since. What does Florida have in store for an encore as a preseason Top 10?

So far, so good for Jimbo Fisher in College Station. By all accounts, the former Florida State coach is ahead of schedule with the Aggies and should enter his second season as a Top 15 program in the upcoming preseason Top 25. Texas A&M invested $75 million over the next decade into this man and the early returns are already extremely positive. Many believe he’s the next titan in the SEC West once Alabama comes back down to earth following Saban’s exit in the coming years, evidenced by the Aggies’ better-than-expected finish during his first season in 2018. With a career head coaching record of 92-27, Fisher knows what it takes to win and has done so at an elite level. How long will it take Texas A&M to see breakthrough and find itself in Playoff contention? I’m saying it’ll happen in 2020.

Slotting Smart ahead of a head coach with a national championship ring won’t sit well with some, but it’s nothing short of jaw-dropping what the former Alabama defensive coordinator has been able to accomplish in three years with the Bulldogs. He’s winning at an elite level — SEC Championship, national title game appearance — and has pushed the pedal to the floor in recruiting with three straight Top 3 classes. Smart has the job in Athens as long as he wants it and for now, is doing all he can to get over the hump and beat Alabama. This is what Georgia looks like when the Bulldogs reach breakthrough, something that rarely happened under the previous regime. If there’s a team capable of ending Saban’s winning streak this fall against former assistant, Georgia has the roster to do it.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well dozens of FBS head coaches have tried — and failed — to mimic Saban’s ‘Process’ at their respective programs over the years. He is the standard in modern coaching. No coach in the SEC is more consistent year to year and he is the most meticulous best at his craft. Many thought the six-time national champion may have lost a step in recruiting before Alabama landed another top-ranked class in the 2019 cycle, the Crimson Tide’s unprecedented eighth No. 1 haul in nine years. Alabama has played in the College Football Playoff national title game four consecutive seasons and is one of the overwhelming favorites to get back. Saban has already reached legendary status in his profession and won’t come down from college football’s throne until he decides to do so on his own time. Now in his 13th preseason camp in Tuscaloosa, Saban’s competitive fire still burns.