Phew, that was exhausting.

It’s not easy ranking the SEC’s coaching staffs top to bottom. Everyone’s opinion differs from head coach on down to special teams coordinator.

‘What have you done for me lately’ holds great meaning considering we grade these teams — and staffs — week in, week out during the regular season.

RELATED: Ranking SEC head coaches | Ranking every SEC job

We’ve included a ‘Big Three’ on each staff in addition to references some of the others who are pivotal to each team’s success. Placement in this ranking comes as a result of overall value, recruiting strength and the current state of the program.

RANKING EVERY SEC COACHING STAFF

14. Vanderbilt (Derek Mason, Andy Ludwig, Kenwick Thompson) — Derek Mason’s decision to take over defensive play-calling duties this season will benefit the Commodores — assuming his unit isn’t forced to stay on the field after continuous three-and-outs from the offense. That’s where Andy Ludwig comes in, Vanderbilt’s new OC who replaced Karl Dorrell after a dreadful first season. Mason did a fantastic job convincing four-star quarterback Kyle Shurmur that Vanderbilt’s football future isn’t as dark as it appeared following last fall’s demise, but he’s running out of time to convince others that he’s the right man for the job.

13. Kentucky (Mark Stoops, Shannon Dawson, D.J. Eliot) — Now that Mark Stoops has named Patrick Towles his starting quarterback, it’s time for former West Virginia Air Raid specialist Shannon Dawson to get to work on the possible 3,000-yard passer. Towles has been the front-runner all along, but now the keys are his. In 2014, defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot helped the Wildcats finish second in the SEC in turnover margin and post a school-record six defensive touchdowns — an unheard of number in Lexington. Without bookends Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith however, production could drop this fall. You have to applaud Stoops for the job he’s done on the 2016 recruiting trail. Next year’s class is shaping up to be one of the program’s best ever and the 2017 group is off to a solid start. This staff moves up a few notches with a bowl berth this season.

12. Mississippi State (Dan Mullen, Billy Gonzales, Manny Diaz) — Is the Bulldogs’ success sustainable? That’s a key question concerning the future and as a result, the overall value of this staff. Coaxing Billy Gonzales to join him in Starkville after the 2012 season was a major get for Dan Mullen. The two worked on three different Urban Meyer staffs at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. It didn’t take long for the Mullen-Gonzales partnership to pay off: the duo engineered the SEC’s top offense in yards per game last season via Heisman candidate Dak Prescott. Mullen’s decision to extend his contract through 2018 for $4.2 million per year shows his loyalty to the program and the Bulldogs’ eagerness to keep him. Mississippi State hopes Manny Diaz is an upgrade from Geoff Collins on defense, but considering the personnel losses, Diaz will have his work cut out for him during his second stint with the team.

11. South Carolina (Steve Spurrier, G.A. Mangus, Jon Hoke) — We’re not ready to discredit the Head Ball Coach after one disappointing season in Columbia, but to say he’s among the elite head coaches in college football right now is stretching it a bit. Yes, he wins the media. And yes, he still brings great exposure to the Gamecocks, but it’s clear his career is nearing its end. He admitted as much at the tail end of last season. The addition of Jon Hoke as his co-defensive coordinator — we’ve been told Lorenzo Ward isn’t handling the play-calling whatsoever on that side of the football — will benefit a unit that struggled last fall. Judging from the Gamecocks’ first fall scrimmage, Hoke has already improved this defense’s tackling technique.

10. Florida (Jim McElwain, Doug Nussmeier, Geoff Collins) — It won’t be long before Jim McElwain and Doug Nussmeier have one of the SEC’s most exciting offenses in Gainesville. First, they’ll have to acquire some players that fit the scheme. Many believe Will Grier is Florida’s quarterback of the future, but 2015 four-star Ricky Town’s pre-existing relationship with Nussmeier from his Alabama days makes for an intriguing story line to watch. Town was a third-teamer at USC who requested a transfer. McElwain won’t turn things around this fall, but by 2017, the Gators should be back in the Top 25 with staying power.

9. Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze, Dan Werner, Dave Wommack) — Another SEC program that has improved in a hurry through National Signing Day, Ole Miss believes it found its head coach for the next decade in Hugh Freeze, one of college football’s hottest names in 2014. Most preseason coaching lists rate Freeze somewhere in the 5-7 range, about where he deserves to be after improving the Rebels’ overall record by a game in each of the last three years. Tempo means touchdowns at Ole Miss and Freeze has a home-run coordinator in Dan Werner. Cut from the same cloth, Werner’s been with Freeze since Day 1 in Oxford, directing an offense that’s finished in the top half of the league three straight years. Wommack takes on an additional role this season as linebackers coach, moving from the secondary group to make room for Corey Batoon. Wommack has 35 years of coaching experience and is arguably the Rebels’ best evaluator of talent on staff.

8. Arkansas (Bret Bielema, Dan Enos, Robb Smith) — The Razorbacks discovered a diamond-in-the-rough with Robb Smith, who in his first season as defensive coordinator directed the league’s second-stiffest unit overall. A longtime assistant of Greg Schiano’s at Rutgers and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (during the 2013 campaign), Smith’s aggressive style led to 24 takeaways last fall — third in the West behind Ole Miss and Auburn. Bret Bielema hopes he found another gem in Dan Enos, the Razorbacks’ new offensive coordinator who has promised to put a greater emphasis on big plays down the field without jeopardizing the team’s run-heavy scheme.

7. Tennessee (Butch Jones, Mike DeBord, John Jancek) — It takes players to reshape a program and it’s been a group effort from Jones and his staff corralling some of high school football’s best under the brick-by-brick mantra. Tennessee picked up serious momentum by winning its first bowl game since the 2007 season. Mike DeBord replaces Mike Bajakian as the Vols’ offensive coordinator, a hire most fans in Knoxville have deemed an upgrade. Known for his prowess through the air, DeBord’s philosophy fits Joshua Dobbs’ skill set along with Tennessee’s wealth of wideouts. Entering his third season as Tennessee’s DC, John Jancek will field his most complete unit this season led by star power at all three levels of the defense.

6. Mizzou (Gary Pinkel, Josh Henson, Barry Odom) — In fear of underrating the SEC’s most underrated staff (ha), the Tigers belong in the top half of the league from a coaching standpoint. Pinkel’s has done a great job running with #MizzouMade, molding players who aren’t highly-recruited into premier talents and future draft picks in a tough conference. He knows what works. Half of Pinkel’s assistants have been on staff since his Mizzou tenure began in 2001. Odom replaces Dave Steckel as Mizzou’s defensive coordinator, and while he isn’t a carbon copy, he’ll bring even more pressure up front with additional blitzes. Josh Henson enters his third season as Mizzou’s play-caller and has been beside Maty Mauk every step of the way.

5. LSU (Les Miles, Cam Cameron, Kevin Steele) — The Tigers lost a major piece on their coaching staff after John Chavis left for College Station abruptly after the 2014 season, but Miles isn’t expecting his star-studded defense to take a step back under former Alabama linebackers coach Kevin Steele. It’s LSU’s other coordinator, Cam Cameron, who will be in the crosshairs if the Tigers struggle offensively. Blessed with a senior quarterback in Zach Mettenberger and two NFL wideouts on the outside, Cameron’s offense was efficient — and at times lethal — during his first season in 2013 before getting stuck in the mud last fall. He hasn’t developed Anthony Jennings or Brandon Harris to an extent Miles is comfortable with during the last year and change. Both Steele and Cameron are strong recruiters (the Tigers are loaded this year and next) and obviously Miles’ reputation as a big-game coach precedes him.

4. Georgia (Mark Richt, Brian Schottenheimer, Jeremy Pruitt) — He may be viewed unjustly as an underachiever nationally, but Mark Richt has done his homework the last two years with two substantial coaching staff hires. Bulldogs fans at least temporarily held their collective breath when record-setting play caller Mike Bobo left for Colorado State after last season. Insert Brian Schottenheimer, Danny Wuerffel’s former backup at Florida with an NFL coaching pedigree. Year 2 should be fabulous for Jeremy Pruitt, one of the game’s most respected defensive minds. Equipped with the nation’s most athletic core of outside linebackers, Pruitt’s attacking scheme could be championship-caliber this fall if the Bulldogs stay healthy. As always, if Georgia falls short of lofty expectations, ultimate blame falls on Richt.

3. Texas A&M (Kevin Sumlin, Jake Spavital, John Chavis) — We know Kevin Sumlin needs to win, having backtracked in back-to-back years since Johnny Manziel led the Aggies to 11-2. but you can’t ignore the potential powerhouse he’s building in College Station. The team now is competing with TCU and Baylor for state supremacy (sorry, Longhorns). His sexy Air Raid offense works when the Aggies have the weapons, and the cupboard’s stocked this season with several playmakers worthy of All-SEC mention including Josh Reynolds and Speedy Noil. OC Jake Spavital is among the game’s best young recruiters (he’s only 30) after welcoming a five-star quarterback to campus each of the last two seasons. The system is player-friendly and Spavital knows how to handle quarterbacks. John Chavis, we call him Chief, was perhaps the SEC’s most important free-agent landing of the offseason. He’s been tasked with renovating a unit ranked at the bottom of the conference back-to-back years. His presence will pay dividends for the Aggies early.

2. Auburn (Gus Malzhan, Rhett Lashlee, Will Muschamp) — Much like Spavital at Texas A&M, Rhett Lashlee has made a name for himself thanks to an ability to keep defenses off balance with a break-neck pace. A grad assistant under Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn in 2006, Lashlee familiarized himself with Malzahn’s playbook and tendencies, benefiting him later under the same title on Auburn’s 2010 national championship staff. Malzahn hand-picked former Florida coach Will Muschamp, a fiery defensive genius, as Ellis Johnson’s replacement in the offseason. Not only did Muschamp give the Tigers an instant recruiting edge over neighboring rivals, he brings the #FastPhysical moniker Auburn’s tried to meet since his arrival. Muschamp’s defenses rarely lose head-to-head battles at the line of scrimmage and play with extreme toughness.

1. Alabama  (Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart) — Lane Kiffin will earn his paycheck this season. The former Oakland Raiders, Tennessee and USC head coach turned sidekick is tasked with matching last season’s production in yards per game at 484.5, the best of the Nick Saban era. That’s without an experienced starting quarterback, the SEC’s best offensive player in Amari Cooper, three starting offensive linemen and depth concerns in the backfield. If anyone can do it, it’s Kiffin. The Crimson Tide have talent waiting in the wings. No introduction is needed for Saban, who’s been the SEC’s best coach since Urban Meyer quit at Florida. His top assistant Kirby Smart has stayed by his side nearly a decade. It’s a bit of a surprise he hasn’t accepted a head coaching gig elsewhere.