Five of the seven SEC East teams hired at least one coordinator since the season ended.

Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina all hired new head coaches, so those schools boast of revamped staffs and renewed hope.

National Signing Day always is significant, but for the 2016 season, these eight hires may be just as, if not more, important. How does each of the hires grade out?

TENNESSEE DEFENSE: BOB SHOOP

Grade: A

The feeling here is that John Jancek didn’t deserve to lose his job. Bob Shoop is an upgrade and one of the best coordinator hires in the country this offseason. But not a huge upgrade. Jancek led the Vols to 16th in the country in scoring defense. Shoop led the Penn State Nittany Lions to 26th. Perhaps something happened behind the scenes that we don’t know about, but if so, Tennessee hasn’t divulged it. That said, Shoop did an excellent job at Vanderbilt and Penn State under coach James Franklin. He’ll help in recruiting and he’ll be an asset as UT tries to make the small, but giant leap in closing out teams like Alabama and Oklahoma.

GEORGIA DEFENSE: MEL TUCKER

Grade: B+

The defensive line, the linebackers Kirby Smart, Nick Saban and the secondary got credit for Alabama’s inspiring defense during the 2015 season, probably in that order. But it wasn’t until the Tide hired Tucker to develop a talented but failing secondary that the unit really blossomed. He has never held the defensive coordinator title in college — the closest he came was co-defensive coordinator for Ohio State in 2004 — but spent 2008-14 as an NFL coordinator. He won’t have quite the same level of talent in Athens that he left behind in Tuscaloosa, but all indications are he instills discipline and knows how to develop players.

SOUTH CAROLINA DEFENSE: TRAVARIS ROBINSON

Grade: B

Muschamp and Robinson have a symbiotic relationship. The Gamecocks head coach has elevated Robinson’s career, completing the heist on Auburn’s defensive staff by elevating him to his first coordinator job. In return, Robinson has made Muschamp look like an even better recruiter, particularly in the prime real estate that is South Florida. The younger man has proven to be a good on-field coach, but Muschamp’s defenses are going to be anywhere from respectable to great no matter who is the coordinator. If Robinson blossoms in this role and can do more than be an elite recruiter, it will prove to be an even greater hire.

GEORGIA OFFENSE: JIM CHANEY

Grade: B-

This was and is a huge hire for Smart, whom you have to figure will make sure that the Bulldogs field a winning defense. The team also has had no trouble running the football in the last several years between Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb, and the latter remains on the roster. The key for Georgia’s offense is to develop true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason and the passing game. And Chaney is no Lane Kiffin or Dan Enos, two SEC offensive coordinators who excelled at doing that in 2015. To pigeonhole him as a run-oriented coach based on some years at Arkansas and Pitt is an oversimplification. But he should run a rather conservative offense, which Georgia is used to doing. The big questions are whether he’s the right guy to develop Eason and whether enough will change. That was the point of getting rid of Mark Richt, right?

KENTUCKY OFFENSE: EDDIE GRAN

Grade: B-

Let’s face it, this hire isn’t so much about Gran as it is that Mark Stoops was bold enough to jettison Shannon Dawson after just one season. It wasn’t working out. Patrick Towles’ development at quarterback stalled before he eventually transferred. Despite a growing wealth of young skill players, Dawson didn’t seem to have an answer for the receiver drops, and probably didn’t involve Boom Williams enough. Gran’s biggest task, in addition to those, may be to hide the weaknesses in the offensive line until a tremendous 2016 class develops at the position.

MISSOURI OFFENSE: JOSH HEUPEL

Grade: C

This is one of those hires that can be framed within much different narratives, depending on your personal taste. The good: He won a national title as a quarterback in 2000, coached Sam Bradford to a Heisman Trophy in 2008 and is a strong recruiter. The bad: He got fired by Oklahoma after the 2014 season and the Sooners immediately got much better on offense, transforming from 8-5 to a College Football Playoff team. He and Barry Odom seem to work well together. If he can develop Drew Lock and the team’s young pass-catchers, this will turn out to be a better hire than it looks like right now.

MISSOURI DEFENSE: DEMONTIE CROSS

Grade: B

First-year Missouri head coach Barry Odom and Cross both played defense on the Tigers’ 1996 team. Cross holds a strong resume, mostly working with linebackers and on special teams before earning a co-coordinator title at TCU under coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs played a 4-2-5 defense, while any move that Mizzou makes likely will be toward a 3-4 alignment. But Odom and Cross should be able to work well together considering their relationship as former teammates. And Cross should help the program make recruiting in-roads in the state of Texas. Plus, the defensive personnel already is good, and Odom will help. There isn’t much downside with this hire.

SOUTH CAROLINA OFFENSE: KURT ROPER

Grade: C

Perhaps coach Will Muschamp handcuffed Roper at Florida in 2014. Didn’t let him turn it loose. Whatever the reason, it clearly did not work out then. Muschamp faces a (strong) stigma about his ability to preside over anything other than a mediocre conservative offense. Rather than engineer a clean break from his time in Gainesville, he chose to hire the offensive coordinator that he worked with during the season that ultimately got him fired. That’s a bold move. Roper does have a strong history as an assistant, particularly as an offensive coordinator under David Cutcliffe. But Roper and Muschamp likely are going to have to endure some criticism in 2016 after South Carolina lost all its best playmakers from what was already a bad offense.