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The coaching life can be hard. There are long hours and the job security is always tenuous, at best.
There are those coaches that carves out a niche in a program, sometimes one that they can be comfortable in regardless of head coach. Today, we swing around the SEC to check out the longest-tenured assistant coach at each program.
- Alabama — Burton Burns, running backs/associate head coach: Burns came to Alabama along with Nick Saban in 2007 and is regarded as one of the best position coaches and recruiters in the country.
- Arkansas — Jim Chaney, Randy Shannon, Sam Pittman, Barry Luney Jr., Michael Smith, Joel Thomas: Arkansas cleaned house before Bret Bielema came in, with many of his assistants in their second year with the team as well.
- Auburn — Entire staff minus Will Muschamp: Gus Malzahn brought in a whole new crew of assistants when he took over for Gene Chizik, and kept his staff together for two years with the exception of replacing Ellis Johnson with Muschamp.
- Florida — Mike Summers, running backs: Jim McElwain is expected to bring in an entirely new staff after the bowl game, but Summers was this year’s most experienced assistant, having been at Florida since 2009.
- Georgia — Tony Ball, wide receivers: Ball joined Mark Richt’s staff in 2006 as running backs coach, moving to coach receivers in 2009.
- Kentucky — All but two coaches on Kentucky’s staff came in with Mark Stoops and just finished up their second year with the Wildcats.
- LSU — Tommy Moffitt, strength and conditioning: Moffitt’s time at LSU dates back to Nick Saban’s tenure. The strength and conditioning coach is finishing up his 15th season with the program.
- Mississippi State — John Hevesy, Tony Hughes, Greg Knox, Scott Sallach: Dan Mullen’s longest-tenured assistants all came with him when he became head coach at Mississippi State in 2009.
- Missouri — Andy Hill, associate head coach/quarterbacks: Hill’s time at Missouri pre-dates Gary Pinkel; Hill joined the coaching staff in 1996 as a wide receivers coach, with Pinkel taking the job 2001.
- Ole Miss — Derrick Nix, running backs: Nix has coached the Rebels running game since 2008, coaching several NFL players along the way.
- South Carolina — Steve Spurrier Jr., wide receivers: Steve Spurrier brought his son along when he came to South Carolina, and he’s gotten to work with a handful of NFL talent.
- Tennessee — Entire staff: Butch Jones brought in a new staff when he became head coach, and his entire crew of assistants just wrapped up their second season in Knoxville.
- Texas A&M — Clarence McKinney and Terry Price: None of Kevin Sumlin’s assistants at Texas A&M predate him, but he still has two left that he brought with him when he joined the Aggies in 2012.
- Vanderbilt — Entire staff: None of James Franklin’s assistants stayed on at Vanderbilt, leaving first-year head coach Derek Mason with the opportunity to build his own staff. The Commodores fired four coaches after the 2014 season.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
