Ad Disclosure
The SEC has been busy with coaching changes in the offseason.
Though the conference’s three new head coaches each came from the ranks of defensive coordinators, they needed to hire coaches to lead their offenses.
Here’s a top 10 list of new SEC offensive coaching hires:
10. Missouri TE coach Joe Jon Finley: The former All-Big 12 tight end at Oklahoma and NFL player joined Mizzou from Baylor where he was an offensive quality control specialist and worked with tight ends. An Arlington, Texas, native, the 2007 Oklahoma graduate should be a strong recruiter in Texas, which coach Barry Odom is reemphasizing as a recruiting spot for the Tigers.
9. South Carolina TE coach and co-coordinator Pat Washington: Though his last season at Missouri was highly forgettable with a horrible receiving corps, his first two were strong. Bud Sasser and Jimmie Hunt were major reasons why the Tigers won back-t0-back East championships. The former Auburn quarterback coached receivers for 11 years at Tennessee, producing three first-round NFL Draft picks and six NFL players. The 50-year-old Washington also coached at Auburn and Mississippi State. He coached Green Bay star Jordy Nelson at Kansas State.
8. Arkansas OL coach Kurt Anderson: When Kirby Smart snagged Razorbacks’ OL coach Sam Pittman, Bret Bielema was forced to find a replacement at a relatively late date. Anderson was an assistant line coach with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. The former college center worked at Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Indiana State. As a player, he was a member of Michigan’s 1997 national championship team.
7. Missouri OL coach Glen Elarbee: The offensive line coach and co-coordinator for an Arkansas State team that won the Sun Belt with an undefeated conference record, Elarbee has six years experience as an offensive line coach. Elarbee has also served as offensive line coach at Houston and Middle Tennessee. The Georgia native is expected to be a strong recruiter in Texas from his knowledge acquired at Houston and as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State and LSU.
6. South Carolina WR coach, co-coordinator Bryan McClendon: The former Georgia receiver worked in several areas of the offense as a coach with the Bulldogs, where he also served as recruiting coordinator. Promoted to assistant head coach for the 2015 season, McClendon was chosen by Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity to be interim head coach when Mark Richt was fired. His coaching versatility and recruiting track record make him a valuable addition for Will Muschamp.
5. South Carolina RB coach Bobby Bentley: An innovative offensive coach at the high school level in South Carolina, where his Byrnes High program earned a national reputation, Bentley should help the Gamecocks’ recruiting in their home state. Bentley served as head coach for two years at FCS member Presbyterian College in South Carolina. For the last few years, he served as a school district athletic director and public information officer.
4. Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney: As former offensive coordinator at Tennessee and Arkansas, Chaney knows the conference. Chaney also coached offense with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. While working with Joe Tiller at Purdue, Chaney helped develop the spread offense. Chaney was on the Purdue staff when Drew Brees ran the spread offense. He was one of the coaches consulted by Urban Meyer after Meyer took the head coaching job at Bowling Green.
3. Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel: The national championship-winning quarterback and Heisman runner-up for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Heupel was a long-time offensive coordinator for the Sooners. His difficult task is to rebuild a Missouri offense that was one of the nation’s worst in 2015, loses most of its offensive line and has no established playmakers at running back or receiver. Heupel has strong recruiting ties to Texas. He was offensive coordinator at Utah State in 2015.
2. Georgia OL coach Sam Pittman: As OL coach at Arkansas, Pittman produced strong run blocking units with huge players. A key hire for Kirby Smart, Pittman will be expected to provide strong blocking for the Bulldogs running game and provide solid pass protection. Since 2013, eight of Pittman’s Arkansas linemen were drafted by the NFL. Pittman’s lines have produced a steady succession of 1,000-yard rushers, including two — Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams — in 2014 at Arkansas.
1. Texas A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone: The veteran Mazzone will try to give the Aggies offensive some stability, especially at quarterback. An offensive coordinator at eight schools, including Ole Miss (twice), Auburn and Texas A&M, Mazzone was Jim Mora’s offensive coordinator the last four seasons at UCLA. In 2015, he helped Josh Rosen have a successful freshman season at quarterback.
