If you’re looking for the best young coordinators in college football, the SEC is close to a one-stop shop.
ESPN ranked their picks for top offensive and defensive coordinators younger than 40 years old, and the SEC grabbed five of the Top 10 spots.
1. Lane Kiffin, Alabama OC (39)
2. Kirby Smart, Alabama DC (39)
3. D.J. Durkin, Michigan DC (37)
4. Dave Aranda, Wisconsin DC (38)
5. Sonny Cumbie, TCU co-OC (33)
6. Jake Spavital, Texas A&M OC (29)
7. Barry Odom, Missouri DC (38)
8. Mike Sanford, Notre Dame OC (32)
9. Robb Smith, Arkansas DC (39)
10. Josh Conklin, Pitt DC (39)
11. Justin Wilcox, USC DC (38)
12. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma OC (31)
13. Kalani Sitake, Oregon State DC (39)
14. Mike Norvell, Arizona State OC (33)
15. Rhett Lashlee, Auburn OC (31)
Some of the SEC’s most renowned coordinators — Auburn’s Will Muschamp, for example — are 40 or older. More than half of the coaches on ESPN’s list will turn 40 within two years.
Surprisingly, of the SEC’s coaches on the list, three of the six handle the offensive side of the football, including Kiffin, Spavital and Lashlee. Many of the SEC’s top assistants coach defense, while prominent offensive minds hold head coaching jobs: Steve Spurrier, Gus Malzahn, Kevin Sumlin. This list shows their underlings are well-respected nationally.
Also of note, five of the six SEC coordinators on this list were hired within the last two years. Smart is the exception.
ESPN listed a few more SEC coordinators under 40 in its “others to watch” category: Shannon Dawson, Kentucky OC (37); D.J. Eliot, Kentucky DC (38); Josh Henson, Missouri OC (39); Jason Jones, Ole Miss co-DC (37) and Matt Luke, Ole Miss co-OC (38).
Looking at the Top 15, the Pac-12, with three coaches on the list, is the only other conference with more than a pair of selections. But none of the Pac-12 coaches rank in the Top 10.
It makes sense, then, that so many SEC coordinator jobs came open this offseason. If you want to hire a young, rising coordinator as your program’s head coach, there’s no better league than the SEC to find your man.
Oh, and as much as we praise the couplings of Malzahn-Muschamp and Sumlin-John Chavis, the Nick Saban-Kiffin-Smart trio looks pretty darn good as well.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
