LITTLE ROCK — At a half-dozen SEC schools, coaches calling the plays will be different than in 2018, but only Vanderbilt’s Gerry Gdowski is eligible for the free pass often accorded a newbie to the job.
At Auburn and Mississippi State, Gus Malzahn and Joe Moorhead only added to the scrutiny that comes with being a head coach in the SEC when they assumed the additional responsibility. Dictating the offense, they join head coaches Dan Mullen at Florida and Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M.
Pay, personnel available and the past are among the most prominent pressure points on play callers, and all three apply to Alabama’s Steve Sarkisian.