Top SEC defensive coordinators at getting their teams off the field the fastest

Outside of giving up points, getting off the field as quickly as possible is the ultimate goal for a defense.

CBS Sports recently contracted Sport Source Analytics to analyze every defensive coordinator in college football over the last three years and see how quickly that coach’s defenses were able to turn the ball back over to their offenses.

The basic parameter to determine efficiency was a defense’s ability to hold opponents to six plays or less per drive.

The SEC is home to three of the top 10 defensive coordinators in the nation when it comes to getting their units off the field the fastest. However, all three are in their first seasons with their respective schools, including Dave Aranda at LSU, Jeremy Pruitt at Alabama and Bob Shoop at Tennessee.

Here’s a look at the top five coordinators in the SEC that have served under the same title for the last three years, how quickly their defenses get off the field and the prognosis for maintaining or improving that ranking in the 2016 season.

DAVE ARANDA, LSU

National rank: 3, 66.5 percent

Dave Aranda joins Les Miles’ staff at LSU this season after spending the last three years as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator. During that tenure, the Badgers’ defense got off the field faster than all but two teams in the country, including No. 1 Clemson. Aranda’s squads held offenses to drives of six or fewer plays 66.5 percent of the time over that three-year span. As a result, Wisconsin boasted the nation’s No. 2 overall defense in 2015.

The cupboard is stacked for Aranda to work his magic on the bayou. The Tigers return most of the parts from a defense that ranked No. 25 in the country in 2015 under former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, now at Auburn. LSU is backed by arguably one of the NCAA’s top secondaries, leaving Aranda to focus on what he does best: wreaking havoc on offensive linemen with an aggressive front attack.

Between Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux along the interiors, and Lewis Neal and Arden Key applying pressure off the ends, Aranda is going to find that he probably has even more talent about 1,000 miles south of Madison down the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge. Whether he can elevate the Tigers defense to the same lofty levels as Wisconsin might take some time, but the parts are in place to expedite the process.

JEREMY PRUITT, ALABAMA

National Rank: 4, 64.9 percent

Alabama shouldn’t experience a setback when it comes to replacing its former defensive coordinator, and new Georgia head coach, Kirby Smart. In fact, as scary as it might sound, the Crimson Tide might be even better than (or at least just as strong as) the unit that finished with the third overall defense in the country last year.

That’s thanks to the addition of Smart’s replacement Jeremy Pruitt. The two men flip-flopped schools this offseason, with Pruitt taking over defensive coordinator duties for Nick Saban.

Pruitt’s Bulldog defense was the fourth-best nationally over the last three years at getting its defense off the field quickly and tops in the SEC. Georgia was particularly strong defending against the pass in 2015, ranking first in the country. That’s a prospect that should thrill both Saban and Tide fans, considering that Alabama boasts one of the most talented secondaries in the FBS.

BOB SHOOP, TENNESSEE

National rank: 8, 61.7

Bob Shoop returns his quick defenses back to the SEC after a two-year hiatus from the conference. Over the last three years — two with Penn State and one with Vanderbilt in 2013 — Shoop’s defenses have gotten off the field the eighth fastest in the country, holding opponents to no more than six plays per drive 61.7 percent of the time.

His Nittany Lions’ squads the last two seasons finished Nos. 14 and 2 in the nation in overall defense. At Tennessee he inherits a defense that returns basically its entire starting lineup, one rife with both talent and experience.

If the Volunteers can stay healthy, it stands to reason that Shoop should be able to lift the Vols from their No. 36 overall and middling SEC defensive rankings.

DAVE WOMMACK, OLE MISS

National rank: 20, 59.1 percent

Dave Wommack tops the list of SEC coordinators that have held their current roles with their respective schools for at least the last three years when it comes to getting their defenses off the field in a timely manner. Ole Miss gave up its share of yardage through the air in 2015 but finished ranked No. 32 in the nation in scoring defense.

Injuries forced several players to gain valuable experience along the defensive line last year, enough so that the Rebels shouldn’t feel too much of a pinch when it comes to replacing Robert Nkemdiche at defensive tackle, most likely with Breeland Speaks. The secondary loses rover Trae Elston and nickelback Mike Hilton but returns playmaker Tony Conner.

Wommack also has a passel of talent arriving in Oxford via the 2016 recruiting class. The defensive coordinator has proven over the last three years that his teams can clamp down, and there’s nothing to suggest that they’ll begin to slow down in 2016.

JOHN CHAVIS, TEXAS A&M

National rank: 34, 57.7 percent

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin admitted that he lured John Chavis away from LSU because he couldn’t beat the Tigers and their defensive coordinator. And with good reason.

Chavis gets his defenses off the field fast. The coordinator’s defenses rank No. 34 in the nation over the last three years — one with the Aggies and the other two with LSU — when it comes to getting its offense back on the field. That number could improve drastically in 2016, especially given the return of defensive end Myles Garrett, who might be arguably the best player in the SEC.

Chavis has vowed that his defense (Ranked No. 51 overall) will be improved this year, thanks to the maturation and return of seven starters, among them star safeties Justin Evans and Armani Watts, as well as Daeshon Hall at defensive end opposite fellow junior Garrett. Look for that national rank to improve.

RANKING THE REST

Here is how the balance of the SEC defensive coordinators rank over the last three years when it comes to holding offenses to six or fewer plays per drive.