The SEC is home to some of the best coaches in college football, but not every coach is among the elite. We're here to separate the best from the worst by power ranking all of the coaches in the conference. This ranking is based on both their current resume and what they could do in the coming years. Basically, there is a bit of projection involved, which is why the newest coaches aren't necessarily at the bottom. The difference between the middle of the pack SEC coaches (spots four through eight) is not a large one. With that in mind, here are all 14 SEC coaches ranked:
14) Barry Odom, Missouri
Odom took over a disastrous Mizzou program that needed a HUGE rebuilding effort. He didn't have a lot of work with in his first season in Columbia, but 4-8 and the worst team in the conference is what it is.
13) Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
Winning at Vanderbilt is not easy. Mason has gone just 13-24 in this three years, including a six-win season and a bowl game this past year. However, the offense has been terrible and improvement is needed. If not, Mason could be fired.
12) Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Stoops has slowly rebuilt Kentucky. They went 2-10 in his first year, but he led the Wildcats to their first bowl game since 2010 after being Louisville in the season finale. Stoops isn't on the hot seat, but he needs turn his impressive recruiting into wins soon.
11) Kirby Smart, Georgia
Was anyone else surprised at how mediocre Georgia was last year? UGA fired Mark Richt because they were tired of going 9-3 or 10-3, but Smart went just 8-5 with a very talented team in a winnable SEC East. Another year like that and the Georgia faithful will start to get restless.
10) Bret Bielema, Arkansas
Think Bielema should be higher than this? Well, he's 25-26 at Arkansas and is just 10-22 in SEC games. He gets a lot of credit for what he did at Wisconsin, but he's not the only guy who has been very successful there of late. He needs to start showing some results to match his name.
9) Will Muschamp, South Carolina
Muschamp took over a South Carolina team that went 3-9 and lost to The Citadel in 2015 and took them to a bowl game in his first year. More improvement is needed to shake the reputation he earned at Florida, but his first season with the Gamecocks far exceeded expectations.
8) Butch Jones, Tennessee
Jones gets ripped on for failing to get Tennessee over the hump and have a breakout season, and they really should've won the SEC East last year. Another eight-win season, and Jones will likely be fired. However, it's important to remember that he did rebuild this Vols program from virtually nothing. That gets him some credit.
7) Ed Orgeron, LSU
This is a bit of a stretch to have Orgeron this high considering he only has seven games under his belt at LSU, but the Tigers looked much better under him than under Les Miles. There is some projection involved here, but Coach O looks to be the answer in Baton Rouge.
6) Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Remember when Sumlin and the Aggies took the SEC by storm and Sumlin was linked to NFL jobs? That seems like a thing of the past, as the Aggies have gone from 11-2 in 2012 to three straight 8-5 efforts. With multiple talented QBs leaving A&M, there are questions what exactly is going on in College Station. However, he's still 44-21 during his time with the Aggies, and that's more impressive than many realize.
5) Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
The allegations against Freeze are alarming, and that's why he's not No. 2 on this list. The Rebels were 2-10 before Freeze took over and he led them to a Sugar Bowl in 2015. He has his team in the hunt for an SEC title most years now, and although there are questions about his recruiting tactics, he's proven himself as a coach.
4) Gus Malzahn, Auburn
The Tigers went 12-2 in Malzhan's first season, and nearly won the national title. But in the last three years, Auburn has gone just 23-16 and 11-13 in the SEC in that time frame. Malzahn is a noted offensive mind, and it should be pointed out that he's the only current coach in the SEC other than Nick Saban to win the conference. However, he needs a bounce back season in 2017.
3) Jim McElwain, Florida
McElwain is the first coach in SEC history to go to back-to-back conference championship games in his first two years, but that is more of an indictment on the SEC East than anything else. He's 19-8 in those two years, though he needs his offense to start turning around soon.
2) Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Mullen doesn't have the advantages most of the coaches on this list do, but he's still posted an impressive 61-42 record with the Bulldogs. This might seem high for Mullen, but there's a reason his name keeps coming up when major jobs open; he's a great head coach. I mean, did you think Mississippi State would ever be relevant year after year?
1) Nick Saban, Alabama
You really need a reason? We'll go through them. 114-19 at Alabama. Five SEC titles and four national titles (at Alabama). He's arguably the best coach in the history of the game.
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