LSUDad Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Thoughts? SEC football coaches ranked: 2020 edition AUTHOR: CLINT SWITZER PUBLISHED DATE: MAY 11, 2020 1 COMMENTON SEC FOOTBALL COACHES RANKED: 2020 EDITION Should everything go as expected, the SECwill see four new coaches debut with their respective schools this September. With new coaches added to the mix along with the ever-changing dynamics in college football, 2020 should be an interesting season to say the least. The SEC is, undoubtedly, the great college football conference in America. There is no other conference that boasts the rich traditions, rabid fan bases and the consistent on-field dominance that the SEC does. It is also home to many of the best head coaches in football. Ranking the SEC football coaches 14. Sam Pittman (Arkansas) Pittman is no stranger to coaching or to the SEC. He has been an offensive line coach in college football for more than 25 years including stops at Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas (2013-2015). Pittman is inheriting a complete mess of a program that has now had three head coaches within a 25 month span. He exhibits numerous bizarre behaviors but is known as a solid recruiter. Perhaps he’s just what the Razorbacks are looking for, but at 58, is he really the long-term answer? 13. Derek Mason (Vanderbilt) It’s quite possible that we don’t really know just how good of a coach Derek Mason is given Vanderbilt’s disadvantages in the SEC. His 25-41 record is definitely not good, however, he has led the Commodores to a Bowl game in 2 out of the last 3 seasons. Unfortunately, the momentum has not continued into 2019 as his team finished the season 3-9 with only one conference win to show for it. 12. Eliah Drinkwitz (Missouri) Drinkwitz comes to Missouri as a practically unknown commodity. He had great success (12-1) during his lone season as the head coach at Appalachian State, but he could have a long road to hoe to guide Mizzou back to prominence as he will have to learn on the job at least initially. Drinkwitz has already proven to be a promising young recruiter which will be pivotal as Missouri tries to rise from the mediocrity that Barry Odom left them in. 11. Jeremy Pruitt (Tennessee) This ranking, in particular, is certain in flux and ever-changing. Pruitt looked to be on the edge of complete disaster after a 5-7 season in 2018 followed by a 2-5 start in 2019. A six-game winning streak to end the season followed by a current top-3 recruiting class has many thinking Tennessee is on the rise. The talent level is certainly improving and the time could be right for the Vols to be the program that challenges Georgia atop the SEC East. Or, in the next 24 months, Pruitt could be fired and we could be doing this all over yet again in Knoxville. 10. Will Muschamp (South Carolina) Muschamp received heavy criticism throughout his tenure at Florida and for good reason. Many scoffed at South Carolina for hiring Muschamp back in 2016. His record since then is the definition of ordinary at 26-25. After a 4-8 campaign in 2019, his team must respond or it could be another unceremonious end for Muschamp. Lane Kiffin (Ole Piss) Many believe Kiffin’s hiring at Ole Piss was a slam-dunk. He has a name that re-energizes a starving fan base and (surprisingly) quietly humbled himself while coaching at Florida Atlantic for three seasons. Kiffin has the pedigree and the idefiable energy to have success in the SEC although, as always, in the western division there is quite the hill to climb. 8. Mark Stoops (Kentucky) Credit the University of Kentucky for being patient with Stoops and letting him build the program. Success has not come quickly, but fan support, facilities and recruiting are all on very solid ground. Two years ago, Stoops led UK to its first 10-win season since 1977 and kept the program’s head above water despite major quarterback issues in 2019. It seems unlikely that Stoops will reach that 10-win plateau for quite some time but could remain in Lexington indefinitely with his ability to keep the program on steady ground. 7. Mike Leach (Miss. State) From the dull and boring Joe Moorhead to the always-entertaining Mike Leach, the Mississippi State program has gone through a quick, dramatic change. The college football world is waiting to see what Leach can do in the SEC and it should provide high drama in Starkville. Leach accomplished about all he could at Washington State and this figures to be his last stop at a major university. 6. Gus Malzahn (Auburn) Just when you think you are about to see the end of Gus Malzahn at Auburn, he goes and does something crazy like beat Alabama. Of all coaches in America, perhaps none are as good at circling the wagons as Gus Malzahn. He has lived on the proverbial hot seat for the past few seasons and, when all hope seems lost, he seems to deliver a great season out on the plains of Auburn. He boasts a 62-31 record at Auburn including an SEC title back in 2013 and an appearance in the BCS Championship game that same season. 5. Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) Texas A&M has all the fan support and resources that is required to have an elite program. Luring Jimbo Fisher away from Florida State was a huge coupe for the school and expectations were immediately through the roof. A 9-4 season in 2018 helped send the A&M hype machine into overdrive as the Aggies began 2019 with an admirable top-15 national ranking. The team wound up 8-5, which was certainly a disappointment but the arrow remains pointing way up on Texas A&M’s future. 4. Dan Mullen (Florida) Not only is Mullen doing a great job of bringing Florida back to national prominence but he’s also proven his worth at a lesser SEC job (Mississippi State). Mullen helped vault the Bulldogs to #1 in the nation back in 2014 and was considered a home-run hire in Gainesville after the 2017 season. A 10-3 opening campaign followed by 11-2 (and a top 10 ranking) should be enough to springboard Mullen into the coveted top four of SEC coaches. 3. Ed Orgeron (LSU) There were mixed feelings when Orgeron officially became the head coach at LSU back in 2016. Afterall, Orgeron already had a failed stint at Ole Piss under his belt. All he’s done since then is amass a 40-9 record, totally revamp his offense and lead the Tigers to a 15-0 national championship season in 2019. Maybe it’s just really easy to recruit to LSU and the program self-sustains regardless of who the coach is (don’t forget Les Miles won a championship there) but Orgeron has solidified himself as one of the upper-echelon coaches in the SEC. 2. Kirby Smart (Georgia) In both 2017 and 2018, Smart had Georgia on the cusp of a potential National championship. Both times, their efforts were thwarted by Alabama and the Georgia fan base knows that if they are going to become one of college football’s elites, it’s a barrier they are going to eventually have to break down. Smart has been recruiting at a nearly unprecedented level (1st in team recruiting rankings in 2017 and 2018) while at Georgia and it feels all but a certainty that big things are ahead in Athens. 1. Nick Saban (Alabama) Learn it. Live it. Know it. Saban represents the gold standard in college coaching excellence and has proven it time and again. Saban has won five national titles at Alabama and is an insane 152-23 since arriving in Tuscaloosa back in 2007. Alabama missed out on a sixth straight trip to the College Football Playoff in 2019, partly due to star quarterback Tua Tagovaiola’s devastating injury late in the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted May 19, 2020 Author Share Posted May 19, 2020 I wonder about O being third. Smart has his team against us the last two years. Tigers winning both 36-16 and this year 37-10. Both games really wasn’t that close. The last 5 games we’ve played against UGA we are 5-1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 On 5/19/2020 at 3:13 AM, LSUDad said: I wonder about O being third. Smart has his team against us the last two years. Tigers winning both 36-16 and this year 37-10. Both games really wasn’t that close. The last 5 games we’ve played against UGA we are 5-1. I agree this is curious. But I guess the LSU record in O's first season counts against him. If LSU can have a very solid year this year, and I think 10-2 would be solid, O may pass him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 2 hours ago, houtiger said: I agree this is curious. But I guess the LSU record in O's first season counts against him. If LSU can have a very solid year this year, and I think 10-2 would be solid, O may pass him. If Smart was coaching in the SEC West, how well would he do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 LSU Football: Rivals missed the mark with their ranking of Ed Orgeron by Zach Ragan16 hours agoFollow @zachTNT LSU football's Ed Orgeron (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron isn’t ranked quite as high as he should be in a recent list from Rivals. Rivals recruiting director Mike Farrell recently ranked the best coachings hires since 2008 and he somehow doesn’t have LSU footballhead coach Ed Orgeron at No. 1. Farrell’s top 10 is headlined by Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. He has Coach O at No. 2 on his list. The reason for putting Riley ahead of Orgeron? According to Farrell, it’s Riley’s consistency and ability to produce NFL talent that has him at No. 1. I’m sorry, what? Did Farrell completely miss the 2019 season (and the 14 LSU players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft)? LSU football’s Ed Orgeron is undoubtedly the best hire since 2008 There’s no doubt that Riley has been consistent at Oklahoma. Buy Now! The Sooners are 36-6 in three years under Riley. And they’ve finished in the top 10 in each of those three seasons. Definitely impressive. And definitely worthy of being in the top two. But it’s not quite worthy of being at No. 1…..not when Coach O is in the mix. Orgeron is 40-9 in three-plus years at LSU (40-9 in the SEC is more impressive than 36-6 in the Big 12). He’s 3-1 in bowl games (Riley is 0-3). And he just led the Tigers to a 15-0 season and a national championship (arguably the greatest season in college football history). I mean, isn’t the goal in college football to win a national championship? Coach O has accomplished that feat. Riley hasn’t. It’s that simple. But if you need more reasons why Orgeron should be higher on this list than Riley, I have them. Orgeron took over at LSU in the middle of the 2016 season after Les Miles was fired (after a 2-2 start to the season). Coach O had to change the culture in Baton Rouge. He had to change the way the program operated. Riley, however, took over a team that was already a national championship contender. Oklahoma finished 11-2 in 2016 under Bob Stoops. The Sooners were the No. 5 ranked team in the nation when Riley took the helm. He didn’t have to build anything. All Riley had to do was continue in Stoops’ footsteps. That’s not to discount Riley as a head coach. We’ve seen plenty of situations where a coach takes over a great situation and fails (just ask Ray Goff about his time at Georgia when he took over for Vince Dooley). But Coach O didn’t have that same fortune. He had to work a lot harder than Riley to get LSU to the College Football Playoff. And when he got there, Orgeron didn’t bow out in the semifinals as Riley has for the last three years. Coach O belongs at the top of this list. It’s not even close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 I don't have a problem with O being ranked #2 behind Riley. O could be a one hit wonder. It was a hell of a great hit, the 2019 season, but O has to prove he can keep the program at the top. Riley has been in the CFP 3 years in a row. If O can do that, he can pass Riley up, but to me, O has to earn that, it should not be given to him based on one great year. Just my opinion. If you look at O's recruiting the last couple of years, he has a good chance to keep the program hot, but they have to translate that to wins on the field. Let's see how O does this year without a Heisman QB, and how he replaces the LB corp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Question? Can Derek Stingley get better at CB this year? He was the best freshman corner I ever saw, so he was pretty good. Patrick Peterson got better, he was better as a junior than as a freshman. Patrick just looked a bit bigger, more physical, and more confident. His battle with Julio Jones was epic, as good as it gets in college football. Last year Kristian Fulton was on the other side and folks thought they'd take a shot at Derek. He had a lot of balls come his way, and he played them well, had a few great interceptions. His ball skills are excellent. Who will start at the other corner, and I suspect teams will try to work on the other corner since he won't have the year of experience that Derek will have. Could Derek not look so good because teams steer away from him? What kind of improvement do you think we can see in Derek this year? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchertiger Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 1 hour ago, houtiger said: What kind of improvement do you think we can see in Derek this year? I'm not saying he wasn't physical last year but you have to believe after having more time and opportunities to get stronger that he will be even more physical this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 A corners best friend is the DL, we will put pressure on the QB. Giving them less time in the pocket. Johnny Football never beat us, never had a NFL career to speak of. What we did, kept him in the pocket. Where he wasn’t good. You have to be able to throw from the pocket. In the NFL, 7TD’s and 7Ints. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchertiger Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 5 minutes ago, LSUDad said: Johnny Football Quote If I never pick up a ball again it’s all love. I was the most lit, most relatable college football player to ever do it. Did things my way and made it way further than I ever could of imagined. The game gave me life and I’ll forever be grateful — Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 8, 2020 Hey Johnny, while you were "lit" and all that, how many championships did your team win? Asking for a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houtiger Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 1 hour ago, Hatchertiger said: I'm not saying he wasn't physical last year but you have to believe after having more time and opportunities to get stronger that he will be even more physical this year. By the way, sorry I got this in the wrong topic, I thought I was on a team 2020 topic. I think Derek can get smarter through experience. The second long TD in the InbredGumps game, to D. Smith, Derek got beat. That is going to happen sometimes. He focuses so much on playing the position perfectly that he doesn't realize, sometime when you are beat, to prevent a TD, just interfere with the guy. Tackle him. Taking a penalty is better than giving up a long TD. I have seen guys do that to LSU receivers, and they do it in the pros. The objective is not to play the position perfectly, it is to win the game within the rules. You can interfere, and take the penalty, and it can be the smarter option. Derek made first team all american as a freshman, at cornerback. That doesn't happen very often. Casanova did his first year of varsity as a soph back in the day and he later became a pro bowl corner. So, he can't get a LOT better. But he can get better. I think he has the mentality to realize he can get better, and a desire to excel, so he's going to work on it. He doesn't seem to be swell headed, and that will clear the way mentally to work on improvement. It will be very interesting to watch Derek develop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 I think he will improve throughout his career. The staff is high on the guys that came in last year. Flott, Ward and Raydar, all came in around the upper 160 lb range. Whoever lines up opposite Sting, he’s going to see a bunch of balls thrown his way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSUDad Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 Florida coach Dan Mullen on 2020 goals: 'I expect us to go undefeated this year' Adam Spencer | 7 hours ago The Florida GayTurds have a lot of buzz surrounding them heading into the 2020 season, with many thinking they will win the SEC East. On Wednesday, coach Dan Mullen joined the “Pat McAfee Show” and outlined his expectations for the season. Per CBS Sports, Mullen said he expects the GayTurds to go undefeated, but he didn’t make that a guarantee, pointing out that the GayTurds had losses when they won titles under Urban Meyer: “I expect us to go undefeated this year,” Mullen said. “I’m not guaranteeing it, because I’ll be honest with you, I have two national championship rings here at Florida and we didn’t go undefeated in either of those two seasons. We still won a national championship.” https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/florida-coach-dan-mullen-on-2020-goals-i-expect-us-to-go-undefeated-this-year/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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