SEC assistant coaches who should make biggest impact in 2016
By Chris Wright
Published:
We recently discussed which SEC coordinators will be under the most pressure in 2016.
All five need to make an impact in 2016, most notably Cam Cameron, who has enough weapons to average 35 points per game at LSU.
Here are five other assistant coaches, including coordinators, who should make a big impact in 2016.
Sam Pittman, OL, Georgia
Kirby Smart has zero problem forbidding Georgia’s players from going to another SEC school, which seems hypocritical/wrong considering he plucked two key assistants from SEC staffs.
Pittman, architect of Arkansas’ massive ground and pound game, was a huge get. Pittman achieved a similar level of dominance at Tennessee and is viewed as one of the best O-line coaches in the country.
How many football teams put their offensive linemen on the cover of their media guide?
In Razorback Country we put our offensive line on the cover of the media guide. #WoooPig pic.twitter.com/a7x5XxAnja
— Coach Sam Pittman (@CoachSamPittman) July 11, 2015
Sebastian Tretola told Gridiron Now that Pittman was the best coach he’s ever had.
Now Nick Chubb and Sony Michel will get to run behind a line led by one of the top position coaches. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the SEC.
"The game of football starts when you hit somebody."
WATCH >> Sam Pittman mic'd up#93KDay | #CommitToTheGhttps://t.co/lwqJc6ZZi3
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) March 27, 2016
Darin Hinshaw, QBs, Kentucky
Hinshaw and Eddie Gran essentially act as one, developing quarterbacks and improving the passing game. They’ve worked together and work well together.
Hinshaw technically has the title of passing game coordinator. He also has a familiarity with SEC defenses, having worked as Tennessee’s quarterbacks coach for two seasons.
All of which should help hasten the development of sophomore Drew Barker.
Kurt Roper, Co-OC, South Carolina
Will Muschamp almost rebuilt the entire Gamecocks staff, and he brought along Roper, his OC during their final year at Florida.
Roper had success under David Cutcliffe at Duke in developing a game plan around two quarterbacks with different skills. Duke’s offense took on an entirely different look in short-yardage and goal-line situations, when Roper went to Brandon Connette.
He’ll have similar options at South Carolina, where Perry Orth and Connor Mitch are pro style passers and Brandon McIlwain and Lorenzo Nunez add the running threat.
Bryan McClendon, Co-OC, South Carolina
Roper will have more impact on shaping the offense, but McClendon is blossoming as an offensive mind and might have been Muschamp’s biggest hire because of his recruiting acumen.
He was the 2014 National Recruiter of the Year, the key player in getting Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
He was Georgia’s recruiting coordinator in 2014 and 2015, which means he also helped in Jacob Eason’s decision to come to Athens.
Dameyune Craig, WR, LSU
Craig, a former Auburn quarterback, also has a reputation for being an elite recruiter, but LSU doesn’t need much help in that area.
He can have an immediate impact, however, in improving the Tigers’ passing game.
Cam Cameron told reporters that the Tigers are spending more time in practice on the passing game. “Adapt or die,” is how Cameron described the coaching tweak in an interview with NOLA.com.
Craig has more than game experience. He was Auburn’s receivers/co-offensive coordinator from 2013-15 and served as Florida State’s quarterback/co-OC in 2012.
His mission in 2016: Help turn Brandon Harris into a 3,000-yard passer.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
