O’Gara: A post-Nick Saban retirement ranking of SEC coaches heading into 2024
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No longer is Nick Saban the default answer to an obvious question.
Who’s the best coach in the SEC?
On the heels of Saban’s retirement, there’s a new “best in the game.” I’d argue that was at least debatable at this time last year with Kirby Smart. After all, he had just repeated as a national champ after his first title team had 15 players selected in the NFL Draft. That’s the stuff of legend.
Saban was a legend in every way, and it often showed through in ranking coaches. While I don’t like to totally default to “most accomplished coach,” it’s hard to slight the guy with more national championships than anyone who has ever walked on Earth.
But now that Saban has moved on to a retired life — or so he says — we must do something that hasn’t been done since this website was formed back in 2010. That is, rank SEC coaches without Saban.
To do that, I’ll give you both the propaganda and the demerit. Here’s how I’d rank SEC coaches heading into 2024.
16. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
One thing I like — In the past 6 years, Lebby has been part of 4 top-15 offenses and all of his offenses ranked in the top 1/4 in FBS.
One thing I don’t like — This feels like I’m being a hater to have Lebby in this spot, but he’s a first-time head coach who’s entering a conference with 15 coaches who have multiple years of head coaching experience at the Power-5 level.
15. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
One thing I like — In 2021, Lea inherited a program that had exactly 1 SEC win in the previous 2 seasons, and by Year 2, he had the Dores in a bowl-or-bust game to close the regular season.
One thing I don’t like — It’s not fair to take away a coach’s best season, so I won’t mention that Lea is 4-20 and 0-16 in SEC play outside of 2022. I’ll instead mention that a defensive-minded coach hasn’t had a defense rank better than No. 119 in scoring in 3 seasons on the job.
14. Billy Napier, Florida
One thing I like — Hmmmmm. This is tough. He’s 9-4 in The Swamp? Nah, that’s weak. OK, what about this. By landing DJ Lagway, Napier signed Florida’s highest-rated quarterback recruit since Brock Berlin in 2000. Better?
One thing I don’t like — In 2 years at Florida, Napier is 2-10 games that have come after Oct. 14.
13. Sam Pittman, Arkansas
One thing I like — He inherited a program that hadn’t won an SEC game in over 1,000 days and he got the Hogs a Florida bowl victory to clinch win No. 9 in his second season on the job.
One thing I don’t like — Since that impressive Year 2, Arkansas is 4-12 vs. SEC competition and 3-9 overall in 1-score games.
12. Shane Beamer, South Carolina
One thing I like — In 3 seasons as a head coach, Beamer has 7 outright wins as an underdog, and 4 of those wins were as double-digit dogs.
One thing I don’t like — I’ll excuse the fact that Beamer has yet to have a winning season in SEC play and instead point to the alarming trend of not having a run offense/defense that has ranked in the top half of FBS yet.
11. Brent Venables, Oklahoma
One thing I like — If we’re excluding Saban, for my money, it’s hard to argue against a defensive résumé that includes 10 top-30 scoring defenses from 2013-23 with the lone miss being Year 1 at Oklahoma.
One thing I don’t like — In Venables’ 2 years as a head coach, Oklahoma is currently in its worst 2-year stretch since 1998-99.
10. Mike Elko, Texas A&M
One thing I like — In the history of Duke football, no coach had ever recorded more than 13 wins in their first 2 seasons. Not even Steve Spurrier. Then Elko showed up and he won 16 games while bringing College GameDay to the program for the first time.
One thing I don’t like — The Clemson win was an unbelievable moment for Elko. It’s also his only win vs. an AP Top 25 team as a head coach.
9. Eli Drinkwitz, Mizzou
One thing I like — Drinkwitz owns the only BCS/New Year’s 6 bowl victory in program history.
One thing I don’t like — He’s still in search of consecutive winning seasons for the first time as a head coach.
8. Hugh Freeze, Auburn
One thing I like — He has taken 4 different FBS programs to a bowl game, and he improved each program’s win total in Year 1.
One thing I don’t like — As much as Freeze gets credit for beating Nick Saban in consecutive years in 2014-15, his record vs. AP Top 25 opponents after 2015 is 3-13. Those wins came against Year 1 Kirby Smart at Georgia, a 2016 A&M team that finished 8-5 and 2020 Coastal Carolina.
7. Josh Heupel, Tennessee
One thing I like — Tennessee is in the midst of its best 2-year stretch since … 1997-98.
One thing I don’t like — He’s 2-7 against the Vols’ 3 biggest rivals. The 2 wins were by a combined 8 points, and all 7 of those losses were by double digits.
6. Mark Stoops, Kentucky
One thing I like — Since 1978, UK has 2 seasons with a winning record in SEC play, both of which were earned by Stoops in the past 6 years (2018 and 2021).
One thing I don’t like — Only 2 of Stoops’ 35 SEC victories came against teams that finished with a winning record in conference play, and they were 2017 South Carolina (5-3) and 2018 Florida (5-3) in Dan Mullen’s SEC debut in Gainesville (H/T Jack Pilgrim).
5. Steve Sarkisian, Texas
One thing I like — It isn’t just enough to say that he resurrected a traditional power by lifting it to its best season in 14 years and that he’s a top-3 offensive mind in the sport, so I’ll add that Sarkisian has 17 career wins vs. AP Top 25 teams, which is No. 3 among active SEC coaches behind only Brian Kelly and Kirby Smart.
One thing I don’t like — The 2023 season was the first time in Sarkisian’s career as a head coach in which he had fewer than 4 regular-season losses.
4. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
One thing I like — In 2021, he led Ole Miss to its first 10-win regular season, and then one-upped that 2 years later by leading the program to its first 11-win season.
One thing I don’t like — Kiffin is 3-21 lifetime vs. Power 5 teams that finished with at least 9 regular-season wins.
3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
One thing I like — In 4 seasons as a head coach, he’s 12-2 vs. AP Top 25 competition. That’s 2 more wins against ranked foes than Lane Kiffin (10), who has been a head coach for 12 seasons.
One thing I don’t like — He only has 3 years of experience at the Power 5 level, one of which was as an assistant at Power 5 bottom feeder Indiana (I can say that as an Indiana grad).
2. Brian Kelly, LSU
One thing I like — Who now owns the nation’s longest active streak of 10-win seasons? It’s Kelly, who kept that streak alive after taking over a 6-win LSU team that had 39 scholarship players in the bowl game.
One thing I don’t like — Here’s the list of Kelly’s career wins vs. AP Top 5 teams:
- 2020 Notre Dame: W, 47-40 (2OT) vs. No. 1 Clemson (without Trevor Lawrence)
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia
One thing I like — The only active coaches who can say “I beat Kirby Smart” are Gus Malzahn and Tom Herman, neither of whom are still at the schools where those victories happened. In other words, the amount of active head coaches who can claim a single victory against Smart (2) equals the amount of national titles he’s won.
One thing I don’t like — The man widely considered the best coach in the sport — that includes people like me — has 1 conference title in the past 6 seasons.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
