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There’s a lot of SEC football left to be played. Still, as we march toward Halloween, it’s becoming clearer which coaches will deserve the most praise by the end of the season.
We set out to monitor and rank the most effective SEC coaches this year, regardless of position or title. That’s not an easy task. Ranking the head coaches alone leads to great consternation. It’s not a task for the thin-skinned.
Still, we feel good about our list. To this point in the year, we are touting just three head coaches in our estimation of the 10 best. Of the remaining seven, six are defensive assistants. Rest assured that 2015 is not the Year of the Offense in the SEC. But part of that is because of how effective some of these coaches have been at doing their jobs.
Here are our top 10 SEC coaches as we transition to the second half of the season:
1. Les Miles, LSU head coach
If he can find a way to beat Bama — perhaps while chewing on some Bryant-Denny Stadium grass — Miles will put himself into the lead position for National Coach of the Year. We’ve already detailed the numerous issues that LSU faced entering this season. But with Brandon Harris flashing some ability at quarterback, the Tide are going to have to account for the run and the pass on Nov. 7. I don’t foresee Alabama going all out to stop the run, instead trusting its front seven. Oh, and by the way, LSU is a close No. 2 in the 247Sports composite team recruiting rankings for 2016.
2. Barry Odom, Missouri defensive coordinator
The piranhas are out. That’s what happens when you win back-to-back SEC East titles, then potentially don’t even get to six wins and bowl eligibility. But it wouldn’t be a farce to attach flowery adjectives like “brilliant” to the job done by the Mizzou defense. Defensive lineman Rickey Hatley very nearly scored the team’s only touchdown Saturday against Vanderbilt, but officials eventually ruled in favor of the Commodores on that play. Despite the continued strain applied to the unit by an offense that is one of the worst in the country, Odom’s defense is fifth in the country in points per game allowed.
3. Mel Tucker, Alabama defensive backs
Eddie Jackson. Minkah Fitzpatrick. Cyrus Jones. Marlon Humphrey. Alabama’s run defense is peaking this year, but it’s among the national leaders annually. The secondary has played much better in 2015. And that has keyed a return to the form that spearheaded three national championships for Nick Saban’s teams in Tuscaloosa. Alabama’s defense is tied for fifth in the country with 12 interceptions, and teams no longer can complete deep pass after deep pass in hopes of outscoring the Tide. Tucker deserves a lot of that credit.
4. Frank Wilson, LSU running backs
It appears that there’s hope for LSU quarterback Brandon Harris and the passing game. But, early in the season, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron jumped on the back of Leonard Fournette, the offensive line and the other ball-carriers. The directive, it seems, was for the running backs to win games. So far, it’s worked. And it’s hard to believe, but every meaningful running back on LSU’s roster, including Fournette, is an underclassman.
5. Jim McElwain, Florida head coach
If LSU loses at Alabama and Florida beats Georgia, McElwain becomes the favorite to win SEC Coach of the Year. He also can start dreaming about meeting his former boss Nick Saban in the SEC Championship Game. All that despite a myriad of personnel issues, particularly at quarterback and offensive line. If McElwain can just leverage this season to secure a few more upper-tier recruits, the turnaround project in Gainesville would be (remarkably) near completion.
6. Geoff Collins, Florida defensive coordinator
His aggressive, blitz-happy approach has been a great marriage with the athletic front seven of the Gators — and especially the strong defensive backfield. McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier have provided more support than anticipated, but the defense still is the driving force behind this year’s SEC East title push. Perhaps Will Muschamp was right all along about the talent he left behind, especially on this side of the ball. And Collins has put it to good use.
7. Nick Saban, Alabama head coach
It was the best of jobs. It was the worst of jobs. In some ways, both are true in Tuscaloosa. Resources and the ability to win are unsurpassed, as are expectations. But, despite yearly proclamations of the demise of Alabama as a top 5 team, Saban always has his team in the national championship picture into November, and usually beyond. This year is no exception, and that’s a tremendous accomplishment considering the parity in the SEC and the talent the offense lost from 2014. If he can beat LSU at home, the Tide will be on everyone’s short list of teams contending for a College Football Playoff spot.
8. Craig Kuligowski, Missouri defensive line
Does anyone doubt that he’s the best in the country as a defensive line coach? He’s got two options: accept a defensive coordinator job after the season, or hitch himself to Barry Odom for another few years and then become Odom’s defensive coordinator whenever the up-and-coming coach gets a head coaching job. Charles Harris and Walter Brady are tied for third in the SEC in sacks. Not to downplay their talent, but at this point, one can essentially pencil in “Mizzou” near the top of that list each year regardless of the names.
9. Ed Orgeron, LSU defensive line
Orgeron has developed Lewis Neal into one of the best pass rushers in the SEC. Arden Key has contributed as a freshman. And, perhaps most crucially with the style that LSU prefers to play, his defensive line has keyed a run defense that’s second in the SEC to Alabama. He may not have gotten a major head coaching job, or even a big defensive coordinator option. But at this point Orgeron is a veteran asset to any coaching staff in the country, especially as an assistant.
10. John Chavis, Texas A&M defensive coordinator
This spot was difficult for me to sort. Manny Diaz and Dan Mullen, among others, got heavy consideration for this spot. Chavis hasn’t fixed the defense completely. But it is allowing almost 60 yards and four points fewer per game. Those are modest improvements against lousy 2014 totals. But the defensive line is capable of getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and the rest of the team is playing more physical and aggressive. By the end of next season, I expect a top 5 or 6 SEC defense in College Station.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
