With three head coaching spots open in the SEC, we start looking at possible hires and how to evaluate the best candidates.

There are a number of different formulas to consider. Is it better to hire an offensive-minded or a defensive-minded coach? Is it better to hire a coach who is familiar with coaching at a big school or one who specifically has head coaching experience at any size school?

We take a look at how each of these formulas has worked in the SEC lately and the most viable candidates for Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.

But first, let’s look at where the SEC coaches fall in the various categories.

2015 SEC COACHES

Bret Bielema

Before: Head coach at Wisconsin before coming to Arkansas in 2013
Specialty: Defensive background
Arkansas Defense: No. 73
Arkansas Offense: No. 33
Record: 17-20 (46%)
Recruiting: No. 25

Shawn Elliott

Before: Offensive coordinator at South Carolina before serving at the interim head coach from the middle of this season (interim duties ended after Week 13 game)
Specialty: Offensive background
South Carolina Defense: No. 95+
South Carolina Offense: No. 100
Record: 1-4 (20%)+
Recruiting: No. 19

Hugh Freeze

Before: Head coach at Arkansas State before coming to Ole Miss in 2012
Specialty: Offensive background
Ole Miss Defense: No. 55
Ole Miss Offense: No. 11*
Record: 33-18 (65%)
Recruiting: No. 21

Butch Jones

Before: Head coach at Cincinnati before coming to Tennessee in 2013
Specialty: Offensive background
Tennessee Defense: No. 46
Tennessee Offense: No. 50
Record: 20-17 (54%)
Recruiting: No. 5

Gus Malzahn

Before: Head coach at Arkansas State before coming to Auburn in 2013
Specialty: Offensive background
Auburn Defense: No. 89
Auburn Offense: No. 97
Record: 26-13 (67%)
Recruiting: No. 7

Derek Mason

Before: Defensive coordinator at Stanford before coming to Vanderbilt in 2014
Specialty: Defensive background
Vanderbilt Defense: No. 30
Vanderbilt Offense: No. 116
Record: 7-17 (29%)+
Recruiting: No. 48+

Jim McElwain

Before: Head coach at Colorado State before coming to Florida in 2015
Specialty: Offensive background
Florida Defense: No. 5
Florida Offense: No. 104
Record: 32-18 (64%)
Recruiting: No. 23

Les Miles

Before: Head coach at Oklahoma State before coming to LSU in 2005 (survived job scare with Week 13 win)
Specialty: Offensive background
LSU Defense: No. 25
LSU Offense: No. 54
Record: 111-32 (78%)
Recruiting: No. 8

Dan Mullen

Before: Offensive coordinator at Florida before coming to Mississippi State in 2009
Specialty: Offensive background
Mississippi State Defense: No. 57
Mississippi State Offense: No. 34
Record: 54-35 (61%)
Recruiting: No. 16

Gary Pinkel

Before: Head coach at Toledo before coming to Missouri (Big 12 at the time) in 2001 (retirement effective after Week 13 game)
Specialty: Offensive background
Missouri Defense: No. 9
Missouri Offense: No. 124+
SEC Record: 33-19 (63%)
Pre-SEC Record: 85-54 (61%)
Recruiting: No. 27

Mark Richt

Before: Offensive coordinator at Florida State before coming to Georgia in 2001 (pushed out after Week 13 game)
Specialty: Offensive background
Georgia Defense: No. 8
Georgia Offense: No. 76
Record: 145-51 (74%)
Recruiting: No. 6

Nick Saban

Before: Head coach at LSU and Miami (NFL) before coming to Alabama in 2007
Specialty: Defensive background
Alabama Defense: No. 2*
Alabama Offense: No. 51
Record: 97-18 (84%)*
Recruiting: No. 2*

Steve Spurrier

Before: Head coach at Florida and Washington (NFL) before coming to South Carolina in 2005 (retired midseason)
Specialty: Offensive background
South Carolina Defense: No. 95+
South Carolina Offense: No. 100
Record: 86-49 (64%)
Recruiting: No. 19

Mark Stoops

Before: Defensive coordinator at Florida State before coming to Kentucky in 2013
Specialty: Defensive background
Kentucky Defense: No. 61
Kentucky Offense: No. 90
Record: 12-24 (33%)
Recruiting: No. 35

Kevin Sumlin

Before: Head coach at Houston before coming to Texas A&M in 2013
Specialty: Offensive background
Texas A&M Defense: No. 42
Texas A&M Offense: No. 49
Record: 36-15 (71%)
Recruiting: No. 10

*currently the best in the SEC
+currently the worst in the SEC

HIRING FORMULAS

Defensive-minded approach: Alabama head coach Nick Saban leads the SEC with a winning percentage sitting at .850 while in Tuscaloosa, but the other coaches from this group have the three worst winning percentages in the SEC. Saban and Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason are the only defensive-minded coaches in the SEC to produce a Top 50 defense in 2015. This group houses the most successful head coach in the SEC, but there’s not much besides him.

Offensive-minded approach: This group has won 62 percent of its games, and Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze has translated his offensive background to earn the No. 11 offense in the country. The same can’t be said for the rest of these hires, because Freeze, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen are the only coaches in this category to produce a Top 50 offense this season, while Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel has the worst offense in the SEC and the fourth worst in nation.

Hiring from a big school: Both Saban and former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier won national championships at LSU and Florida, respectively, before trying their hands at the NFL. The three best coaches in the SEC are in this group, but so are the four worst, which brings their winning percentage to just 54. With the moves this season, we lose one from the top (former Georgia head coach Mark Richt), one from the bottom (former South Carolina interim head coach Shawn Elliott) and one from the middle (Spurrier).

Hiring from a small school: Overall, this group does a good job adjusting from smaller schools to larger ones, winning 64 percent of its games. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and Florida head coach Jim McElwain both served as coordinators at SEC schools before getting their first head coaching position at smaller, out-of-conference schools.

Hired from an assistant position: This hiring formula has the worst marks with a combined winning percentage of just 43. Mullen and Richt are the only coaches in this group with winning records. Richt and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops both served as coordinators at Florida State before entering the SEC as head coaches, but their results are on opposite ends of the spectrum, while Elliott and Mullen are the only ones to have SEC experience before becoming a head coach in the conference. It looks like having your first head-coaching job be at an SEC school is a bit too much for some.

Hired from a head coach position: This would be a considered a pretty successful formula if it weren’t for the results brought by Jones and Arkansas head coach Brett Bielema. Still, all but one of these coaches have a winning record in the SEC, and Saban, Miles and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin have been very impressive in their time with the Tide, Tigers and Aggies, respectively.

OPEN JOBS

Georgia Bulldogs: One of the winningest coaches in the SEC, Mark Richt, was let go over the weekend, leaving a vacancy for a program that has huge potential.

Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is at the top of the short list for this opening. Smart was a defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995 to 1998, and he started his coaching career in Athens as an administrative assistant. After a year with the Bulldogs, he spent two years at both Valdosta State and Florida State before coaching under Saban while he was at LSU.

When Saban entered the NFL coaching realm the following year, Smart returned to his Bulldogs to coach their running backs. It was just a single season before Saban brought Smart on with the Dolphins, and Smart has been Saban’s right hand since then.

Relieving Richt of his coaching duties was a bold decision after he completed his eleventh 9-plus-win season for the Bulldogs. We heard the message loud and clear, and we’re sure Smart did, too. If you want to coach at Georgia, you’ve got to consistently contend for the conference and national title. You’ve got to be great, not just good.

Mullen’s name also has been thrown into the hat for the opening in Athens.

Missouri Tigers: Missouri defensive coordinator Barry Odom is the most obvious choice to replace Pinkel. There are reports that Odom was offered the head coaching position at Memphis, but if that’s the case, he still has not accepted it. Odom already knows Missouri football, and his players want to play for him.

Temple head coach Matt Rhule  is also in the conversation for Missouri.

Whomever takes over in Columbia, one thing is sure: the offense needs an overhaul. So whether it’s Odom or Rhule or someone else entirely, Tigers offensive coordinator Josh Henson will need to be replaced, and the players agree. Finding a new leader for the offense will be first on the agenda for the new head coach.

South Carolina Gamecocks: Smart is one of the leading candidates for the South Carolina job as well. Mullen and Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora are also among the contenders. Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt emerged as another rumored candidate on Tuesday.

After this disastrous season, the next coach for the Gamecocks will honestly just need to get the team bowl eligible in his first years in order to be considered successful.