Takeo Spikes and Alyssa Lang, on SEC Network’s “Out of Pocket”, discussed the SEC coach of the year race with the regular season winding down.

Both feel that the frontrunners for the award will be Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz. Lang stated that “equal arguments” can be made for all 3, but Spikes’ pick was Smart based on the Bulldogs’ performance and preparation despite getting “the opposing team’s best shot” amid a lengthy winning streak.

“Listen. This dude has been outstanding building a program pretty much from scratch, bringing in a whole new recruiting theory, a way of being able to say ‘This is how we’re going to conduct business, this is how we’re going to build a program from scratch’,” he said.

While Lang was considering Smart, she decided to give a nod to Drinkwitz based on the Tigers’ remarkable season following a 17-19 mark over his first 3 years.

“They have brought talent, kept talent, put it together. Oh, and by the way he’s made some dang good coordinator hires as well” in DC Blake Baker and OC Kirby Moore with Drinkwitz ceding offensive play-calling duties, she said.