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As with each season the coaching carousel was in full motion again following the 2015 campaign. Here’s a quick look at the new faces from SEC West programs.
Alabama – Derrick Ansley
After a two-year stint as a graduate assistant (2010-11) at Alabama, Ansley returns to the school to become the Tide’s defensive backs coach for 2016. He spent the last four years secondary coach at Tennessee (2012) and more recently at Kentucky (2013-15). He inherits a plethora of talent in safeties Eddie Jackson and Ronnie Harrison, along with corners Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey, among several other young players. That group collectively has started 56 games and ranked eighth nationally last year in pass efficiency defense and 10th in the nation with 19 interceptions.
Arkansas – Paul Rhodes (defensive backs), Reggie Mitchell (running backs) and Kurt Anderson (offensive line)
Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema snapped up Rhodes to lead the team’s secondary. Rhodes was the head coach at Iowa State the last seven seasons and also had coaching stints at Pittsburgh (2000-07) and Auburn (2008) as a defensive coordinator.
Mitchell has 30 years of coaching experience and comes to Arkansas from Kansas where he was the Jayhawks’ running backs coach the last six seasons. He was also the recruiting coordinator the last two years. Bielema went to the NFL to pluck Anderson from the Buffalo Bills where he was the team’s assistant offensive line coach. Anderson spent five seasons at Eastern Michigan where he was tight ends coach and also run game coordinator.
Auburn – Kevin Steele (defensive coordinator), Kodi Burns (wide receivers/co-offensive coordinator), Wesley McGriff (secondary/co-defensive coordinator), Herb Hand (offensive line) and Travis Williams (linebackers)
The Auburn coaching staff went through a shake-up in the offseason with several new faces on campus.
Steele, the new defensive coordinator, has worked in the same capacity at LSU, Clemson and Alabama. Working with him will be McGriff (secondary), who coached the New Orleans Saints secondary the last three seasons, and Williams (linebakers), a former Auburn linebacker (2001-05) who previously worked as a graduate assistant and defensive analyst.
Burns, also a former Auburn player (2007-10), comes back to the Tigers after coaching stints with Samford (2014) and Middle Tennessee State (2015).
LSU – Dave Aranda (defensive coordinator), Jabbar Juluke (running backs) and Dameyune Craig (wide receivers)
Head coach Les Miles was thrilled to bring in Aranda, who produced top 10 defenses while at Wisconsin the last three years. Under his guidance, the Badgers defense ranked among the top 5 in the nation in scoring, total yards, passing yards, and rushing yards. Prior to that, Aranda was the defensive coordinator at Utah State and Hawaii.
On the offensive side of the football, Juluke comes to LSU from Louisiana Tech (2013-15) where he also coached running backs. He briefly went to Texas Tech before returning to Louisiana.
Craig comes to LSU from Auburn where he was not only the Tigers quarterback (1994-97) but also returned to be their wide receivers/co-offensive coordinator (2013-15). He is also considered an excellent recruiter, named the ACC Recruiter of the Year in 2012 as Florida State’s quarterback/co-offensive coordinator. He was a graduate assistant at LSU in 2004.
Mississippi State – Peter Sirmon (defensive coordinator/linebackers), Terrell Buckley (secondary/recruiting coordinator), Brian Baker (defensive line) and Maurice Linguist (safeties)
Head coach Dan Mullen revamped his defensive staff, pulling Sirmon from Southern Cal where he spent the last two seasons as linebackers/associate head coach. He was the interim defensive coordinator in the Trojans’ 2015 Holiday Bowl game against Wisconsin. Prior to that the former NFL linebacker coached linebackers at Washington (2012-13) and Tennessee (2011).
Buckley is a former 14-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion after a brilliant collegiate career at Florida State. He coached cornerbacks at Akron (2012-13) and Louisville (2014-15) before making the move to the Bulldogs. Baker brings 30 years of coaching experience to Mississippi State, including 19 of those in the NFL. Linguist spent the last four seasons as defensive passing game coordinator at both Buffalo (2012-13) and Iowa State (2014-15).
Ole Miss – None
The Rebels coaching staff remains intact for the 2016 season.
Texas A&M – Noel Mazzone (defensive coordinator), Jim Turner (offensive line) and David Turner (defensive tackle/defensive run game coordinator)
Head coach Kevin Sumlin looks to inject a spark into the offense with the hiring of Mazzone and his up-tempo style. The former UCLA offensive coordinator the last four years, Mazzone brings a lot of experience to the table. An assistant coach in the NFL, Mazzone has also been an offensive coordinator in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten, and the SEC (Ole Miss, Auburn).
Jim Turner will take the offensive line in his return to Texas A&M. He was the Aggies’ offensive line coach from 2008-11.
David Turner comes to the Aggies after two stints at Mississippi State as the Bulldogs’ defensive line coach.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
