Best hire, DC division: Tennessee dumped John Jancek for Bob Shoop of Penn State, whose defense was last seen limiting Georgia to 327 yards in the TaxSlayer Bowl, not that Georgia was any great shakes on offense. (See āSchottenheimer, Brian.ā) Shoopās arrival solidifies the Volunteers as the SEC East favorite. Honorable mention to LSU for prying Dave Aranda from Wisconsin to replace the guy weāre about to discuss.
Worst hire, DC division: Kevin Steele was Nick Sabanās defensive coordinator at Alabama in 2007, the year Bama lost to Louisiana-Monroe. Saban then promoted Kirby Smart to DC. The rest is championship-festooned history. Dabo Swinney fired Steele in 2012 after Clemson yielded 70 points to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. Steele spent one year at LSU as John Chavisā replacement ā the Tigers slid to 25th in total defense, their worst showing since 2009 ā before moving to Auburn. Heāll be Malzahnās third DC in four seasons. Under Ellis Johnson, the Tigersā defense ranked 86th in 2013 and 64th in 2014. Under Will Muschamp, it was 71st. If Malzahn is counting on Steele to save his job, he should quit now and save himself the angst.
Combustible hire, DC division: Jeremy Pruitt polarized the Georgia audience. Fans loved him; some who worked alongside considered him a brat. (He should pair nicely with Lane Kiffin, no?) Pruitt is Smartās replacement at Alabama, where the head coach has an idea how defense should be played. The world awaits the great manās reaction to the first third-and-long conversion against Pruittās defenders ā and Pruittās circumspect rebuttal.
Best hire, OC division: Bob Stoops dumped Josh Heupel after the 2014 season to hire East Carolina hotshot Lincoln Riley. On cue, Oklahoma made the playoff. But Heupel is a Missouri upgrade simply because nobody could do less than Josh Henson just did. Mizzou finished 124th among 127 FBS teams in total offense and scored a worst-in-the-nation 15 touchdowns.
Worst hire, OC division: Noel Mazzone has worked under Tommy Tuberville, Dennis Erickson, Chuck Amato (remember him?) and lately Jim Mora. In 17 seasons as a coordinator, Mazzone hasnāt had a top-10 offense. He isnāt what Texas A&M needs. There mightnāt be a cure for what ails the Aggies, whoāve seen three touted quarterbacks ā Kenny Hill, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray ā transfer. Adding to the festivities, athletic director Eric Hyman announced his retirement a day after voicing support for Sumlin. Is College Station the next stop for Tom Herman?
Iffiest hire, OC division: Jim Chaney has worked five seasons as an SEC offensive coordinator. (Three at Tennessee, two at Arkansas.) The aggregate league record of those teams was 7-33. In chronological order, those offenses finished 75th, 104th, 18th, 99th and 60th nationally. Pittsburgh just finished 82nd under Chaney, albeit without running back James Conner, lost in Week 1 to a knee injury. As fate would have it, Georgia was 83rd. Yes, Schotty is among the all-time easiest acts to follow.
Best hire, HC division: No knock on Missouriās Barry Odom, but thereās no competition here. Smart was the DC on four national championship teams. He didnāt get the Georgia job because heās an alum. He got it on merit.
Worst hires, combo platter: South Carolina replaced Steve Spurrier, who won six SEC titles at Florida, with Muschamp, who went 17-15 in SEC play at Florida. Muschamp then hired Kurt Roper as offensive coordinator. With Roper as OC, Muschampās Florida finished 93rd nationally in total offense in 2014. What, if anything, is South Carolina thinking?
Rating the SEC changes: UGA up, Gamecocks down
Worst hire, DC division: Kevin Steele was Nick Sabanās defensive coordinator at Alabama in 2007, the year Bama lost to Louisiana-Monroe. Saban then promoted Kirby Smart to DC. The rest is championship-festooned history. Dabo Swinney fired Steele in 2012 after Clemson yielded 70 points to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. Steele spent one year at LSU as John Chavisā replacement ā the Tigers slid to 25th in total defense, their worst showing since 2009 ā before moving to Auburn. Heāll be Malzahnās third DC in four seasons. Under Ellis Johnson, the Tigersā defense ranked 86th in 2013 and 64th in 2014. Under Will Muschamp, it was 71st. If Malzahn is counting on Steele to save his job, he should quit now and save himself the angst.
Combustible hire, DC division: Jeremy Pruitt polarized the Georgia audience. Fans loved him; some who worked alongside considered him a brat. (He should pair nicely with Lane Kiffin, no?) Pruitt is Smartās replacement at Alabama, where the head coach has an idea how defense should be played. The world awaits the great manās reaction to the first third-and-long conversion against Pruittās defenders ā and Pruittās circumspect rebuttal.
Best hire, OC division: Bob Stoops dumped Josh Heupel after the 2014 season to hire East Carolina hotshot Lincoln Riley. On cue, Oklahoma made the playoff. But Heupel is a Missouri upgrade simply because nobody could do less than Josh Henson just did. Mizzou finished 124th among 127 FBS teams in total offense and scored a worst-in-the-nation 15 touchdowns.
Worst hire, OC division: Noel Mazzone has worked under Tommy Tuberville, Dennis Erickson, Chuck Amato (remember him?) and lately Jim Mora. In 17 seasons as a coordinator, Mazzone hasnāt had a top-10 offense. He isnāt what Texas A&M needs. There mightnāt be a cure for what ails the Aggies, whoāve seen three touted quarterbacks ā Kenny Hill, Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray ā transfer. Adding to the festivities, athletic director Eric Hyman announced his retirement a day after voicing support for Sumlin. Is College Station the next stop for Tom Herman?
Iffiest hire, OC division: Jim Chaney has worked five seasons as an SEC offensive coordinator. (Three at Tennessee, two at Arkansas.) The aggregate league record of those teams was 7-33. In chronological order, those offenses finished 75th, 104th, 18th, 99th and 60th nationally. Pittsburgh just finished 82nd under Chaney, albeit without running back James Conner, lost in Week 1 to a knee injury. As fate would have it, Georgia was 83rd. Yes, Schotty is among the all-time easiest acts to follow.
Best hire, HC division: No knock on Missouriās Barry Odom, but thereās no competition here. Smart was the DC on four national championship teams. He didnāt get the Georgia job because heās an alum. He got it on merit.
Worst hires, combo platter: South Carolina replaced Steve Spurrier, who won six SEC titles at Florida, with Muschamp, who went 17-15 in SEC play at Florida. Muschamp then hired Kurt Roper as offensive coordinator. With Roper as OC, Muschampās Florida finished 93rd nationally in total offense in 2014. What, if anything, is South Carolina thinking?
Rating the SEC changes: UGA up, Gamecocks down
