Ranking SEC coaches: Kirby Smart is No. 1, but who is No. 2 after Nick Saban retirement?

If you couldn’t have Kirby Smart coaching your team, which SEC coach would you want?

As of a month ago, the answer should have been obvious: Nick Saban. But, the retired GOAT is out of the equation, leaving Smart all alone on the top tier of college football coaches.

Within the SEC, who forms the second tier?

On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams draft SEC coaches in an attempt to collect the best group of coaching talent.

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It’s no mystery who’s going off the board first: Smart, the Georgia boss with two national championships to his name. Then, the debate gets interesting.

Drafting SEC football coaches

Coaches were selected snake-draft style, with each host getting to choose four coaches. Each coach could only be selected once. Here’s how they drafted:

Toppmeyer Pick 1: Kirby Smart (Georgia) – Elite recruiter, excellent motivator and skilled in X’s and O’s. The total package.

Adams Pick 1: Brian Kelly (LSU) – A career winner. He took Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship and twice to the College Football Playoff. He’s tallied 20 wins in two seasons at LSU despite inheriting a less-than-ideal situation. And he hasn’t hit his peak.

TOPPMEYER: Don’t mess with Steve Sarkisian’s Texas football, even if you’re the mighty SEC

Adams Pick 2: Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) – The “Portal King” is made for this era of athlete free agency. His performance at Ole Miss is especially impressive when you consider the program’s history.

Toppmeyer Pick 2: Steve Sarkisian (Texas) – Texas is back, and Sarkisian took center stage in the revival. He proved himself as a play-caller as Saban’s offensive coordinator, and he’s proven himself a recruiter and a talent…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-sec-coaches-kirby-smart-120020592.html

Author : Athens Banner-Herald

Publish date : 2024-01-31 12:00:20

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