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The SEC was abundant with top-tier assistant coaches this season.
When head coaching vacancies opened, SEC programs didn’t look far to fill their voids.
Let’s take a look at the best SEC assistant coaches in 2015:
Kirby Smart: Alabama finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in total defense under Smart. The Crimson Tide seemed to peak after the Ole Miss game and its defense was a major part of its success. It was a unit that only allowed 74 rushing yards per game and 258 yards through the air. The longtime speculation about Smart returning to Georgia, his alma mater, came true.
Jeremy Pruitt: Pruitt was highly sought after when Georgia fired Mark Richt. He ultimately landed in Tuscaloosa to fill the void left by Smart. The Georgia defense finished No. 5 in the country allowing 151.1 yards on the ground per game. Pruitt might not be far from landing a head coaching gig, but next season he will attempt to keep the Tide defense atop the SEC.
Lane Kiffin: Kiffin had unsuccessful stints in the NFL and at Tennessee but found a home at Alabama. At least for now. Kiffin should be highly sought after in the offseason if he wants to leave. Alabama finished 48th in the country in total offense, but was anchored by a rushing attack that finished 26th.
Barry Odom: It wasn’t surprising that Odom landed the head coaching job at Missouri. His defensive unit single handedly kept the Tigers in games throughout the season. Missouri’s defense finished ninth in the country, allowing only 16.2 points per game and holding 10 of 12 opponents to 21 points or less.
Will Muschamp: Muschamp’s Auburn defense ranked near the bottom of the SEC in most categories this season. But if you watched Auburn toward the end of the year, you saw a group that was playing physical and beginning to buy in to Muschamp’s system. Muschamp built his defensive reputation years before at LSU, Auburn and Texas. Now, he is headed to South Carolina.
Sean Labar is an SEC football contributor for Saturday Down South.
