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Serious discussion about SEC Coaches strengths, weaknesses, and futures: Next 6 coaches

Posted on 2/1/24 at 2:43 am
Posted by TrendingRight
Mentone
Member since Jul 2017
619 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 2:43 am
Kentucky - Mark Stoops: Good guy doing his best. Mark has been at Kentucky for 11 loooooong years. He's has lost 61% of the SEC games played with no improvement year over year. Kentucky could be a contender with the right coach. Mark Stoops peaked at Kentucky the day he got the job - but the fanbase seems content with mediocrity and that's what they'll continue to get under Stoops.
Grade C-
Pessimistic - despite recruiting improvement I doubt Stoops will or can improve much. Expect a HC change at Kentucky soon unless Stoops has a breakout campaign.

LSU - Brian Kelly: BK has been winner everywhere he's coached with substantial improvement year over year at every stop. Kelly (at 62) remains extremely ambitious, organized, dedicated, and open to new ideas across the board. He's never had the talent he has now and that means he's more dangerous than ever.
Grade: A
Optimistic Kelly will put the pieces together and make a run at a NC soon.

Mississippi State - Jeff Lebby: MSU got lucky to get him. Lebby is smart, creative, and primed to do something special. He's got a great handle on his talent and schemes to it's best attributes. Jeff could have held out longer and got a better first HC gig. But - as good as Jeff is MSU is the wrong job. There's too much working against him (or any coach) at MSU. Miracles do happen - but it's an extremely long shot - but if it's possible Lebby is one of very few coaches who could bring hysteria to Stark Vegas.
Grade: A
Optimistic Jeff will drastically improve MSU - pessimistic he'll stay long. Bigger, better pastures ahead for Lebby.

Missouri - Eliah Drinkwitz: Some schools are just dead ends no matter who coaches them. This guys impressive. He's smart, dedicated, and progressive. Recruiting was the problem at Missouri for Eliahs first 3 years. But he's working harder than ever to put the pieces together - and succeeding.
Grade B+
Optimistic Drinkwitz will field better, more talented & competitive teams - pessimistic Mizzou (the school) will ever attract enough talent to win big - but if anyone can win at Mizzou - it's Eli.

Ole Miss - Lane Kiffen: Lane is an offensive guru capable of scheming as well as anyone in college football. Unfortunately he's a spoiled brat. He avoids coaching his own defense because he hates doing it. To make matters worse he's a loose cannon who burns bridges in a sport with a water hazard on every hole. His offensive talent has kept him employed - his lack of defensive focus is his why he hasn't won anything worthwhile.
Grade: B
Optimistic Kiffen will work NIL and the portal well enough to win 10 games once in a while - if he can shut up.

South Carolina - Shane Beamer: Competent, hard working guy. Shane has been around a lot of winning programs and worked for some great mentors - but it hasn't metabolized in his HC career. The jury is still out on SB. He's in a spot that could become a contender. SC has a rabid fanbase that want's a winner and is willing to pay for it. So far - Shane hasn't done much to crow about. At age 46 it's time to do something - or not.
Grade: C
Pessimistic Shane will improve much in the next two years - but South Carolina has high hopes and they're willing to give him another year or two before they kick him to the curb.
Posted by pankReb
Defending National Champs Fan
Member since Mar 2009
64465 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 2:58 am to
quote:

Ole Miss - Lane Kiffen: Lane is an offensive guru capable of scheming as well as anyone in college football. Unfortunately he's a spoiled brat. He avoids coaching his own defense because he hates doing it. To make matters worse he's a loose cannon who burns bridges in a sport with a water hazard on every hole. His offensive talent has kept him employed - his lack of defensive focus is his why he hasn't won anything worthwhile.
Grade: B
Optimistic Kiffen will work NIL and the portal well enough to win 10 games once in a while - if he can shut up.


Damn you sound pissy as hell.

quote:

Lane is an offensive guru

quote:

He avoids coaching his own defense because he hates doing it.


I would really suggest you read the above two quotes several times and think about them.
Posted by TigerLunatik
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Jan 2005
93656 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 4:29 am to
quote:

Kelly (at 62) remains extremely ambitious, organized, dedicated, and open to new ideas across the board.

I will say it again. Regardless of what anyone thinks of his ability to coach on the field, this is exactly what LSU needed after what Orgeron left. Forget the "cultural fit" bullshite that people try to spew. The guy knows how to build a program, how to teach people to be professional at every level and approach every day with a mindset to be accountable and productive. People really underestimate how badly LSU was missing that when he took over.
Posted by Wolfhound45
Hanging with Chicken in Lurkistan
Member since Nov 2009
120000 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 5:33 am to
quote:

I will say it again. Regardless of what anyone thinks of his ability to coach on the field, this is exactly what LSU needed after what Orgeron left. Forget the "cultural fit" bullshite that people try to spew. The guy knows how to build a program, how to teach people to be professional at every level and approach every day with a mindset to be accountable and productive. People really underestimate how badly LSU was missing that when he took over.
Posted by WilliamTaylor21
2720 Arse Whipping Avenue
Member since Dec 2013
35930 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 5:38 am to
quote:

Ole Miss - Lane Kiffen:
Grade: B

quote:

LSU - Brian Kelly:
Grade: A

Booyah!
Posted by ClaimToFame
Member since Nov 2017
1573 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 5:40 am to
The grades seem fairly accurate except for Lebby. He might end up being a great HC, but assigning an 'A' to someone who has never been a HC before...is reaching.
Posted by kywildcatfanone
Wildcat Country!
Member since Oct 2012
118986 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 6:19 am to
We need to fire Cal and hire Beard before Louisville does.
Posted by ibldprplgld
Member since Feb 2008
24964 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 6:24 am to
Yup, Orgeron decimated the program and his off-field antics were a serious problem. On top of that, he had no idea how to successfully manage and navigate NIL.

It gets downvoted to oblivion here, but it can never be overstated just how bad things were when Kelly took over. To get LSU back to back 10 win seasons coming off of that is stunning.

Now that things are stabilized, and the staff has been re-tooled with fantastic recruiters…
Posted by Smokeyone
Maryville Tn
Member since Jul 2016
15894 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 8:16 am to
Kiffin. It’s Lane Kiffin.
Posted by TigerLunatik
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Jan 2005
93656 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 9:07 am to
quote:

Orgeron decimated the program and his off-field antics were a serious problem. On top of that, he had no idea how to successfully manage and navigate NIL.

It gets downvoted to oblivion here, but it can never be overstated just how bad things were when Kelly took over. To get LSU back to back 10 win seasons coming off of that is stunning.

Could not agree more.
Posted by MetryMauler
Member since Sep 2016
7132 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 9:18 am to
These are good write-ups. I think Lebby has to be an I (Incomplete) until we see him coach.
Posted by bamameister
Right here, right now
Member since May 2016
14002 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 9:35 am to
quote:


Mississippi State - Jeff Lebby:


You are handing out an A to head a coach who hasn't coached his first game, ever. You must be clairvoyant on your mother's side. Do better.

Lane Kiffin is getting the NIL money to support his roster. Very surprising, I never would have thought Ole Miss cared enough about modern football to fork over that much dough. With that much invested, I could see the Lane Train operating under real SEC pressure to perform. Who would have thunked it?

Mark Stoops is just way too conservative in his offensive approach to make a real run at the SEC. He will always want to play to his defense and that is mostly why he has the same record every year.

Brian Kelly has not come close to duplicating his success at Notre Dame in 2 years. I still haven't seen an LSU team as scary as some of the Les Miles products he put on the field. And yes, he had better get to that level, and soon, or the purple natives will get very restless. Frankly, Kelly's program is more Ole Miss/Tennessee than BAMA or Georgia at this point. That isn't a compliment at LSU.

I will go ahead and mention Drinkwitz, just because he passed Tennessee last season in the east for the second-best program and how surprising was that? If he can keep good coordinators, he has a chance to do something special from time to time. I would put him in the Ole Miss, LSU, and Tennessee, coaching tier.

Shane Beamer is dead man walking. But he's so entertaining it will take SC a while to get at it.
Posted by SidewalkTiger
Midwest, USA
Member since Dec 2019
52414 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:05 am to
quote:

Frankly, Kelly's program is more Ole Miss/Tennessee than BAMA or Georgia at this point. That isn't a compliment at LSU.



Bama's entire staff just changed, who knows what we'll get from them going forward.

At this point, Kelly has the second highest winning percentage in the conference.
Posted by bamameister
Right here, right now
Member since May 2016
14002 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:12 am to
quote:

Bama's entire staff just changed, who knows what we'll get from them going forward.

At this point, Kelly has the second highest winning percentage in the conference.


Kelly has done nothing remarkable. And certainly not in comparison to some of the recent LSU teams. Right now, Ole Miss has bragging rights over your Kelly lead program. Coaching one side of the football field does not an SEC juggernaut make.
Posted by SidewalkTiger
Midwest, USA
Member since Dec 2019
52414 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:14 am to
quote:

Right now, Ole Miss has bragging rights over your Kelly lead program.


Kiffin is 1-1 vs Kelly at LSU and has an all time losing record to him.

quote:

Coaching one side of the football field does not an SEC juggernaut make.


Alabama is fricked then.

Washington's defense was only marginally better than LSU's last year.
Posted by bamameister
Right here, right now
Member since May 2016
14002 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:19 am to
quote:

Washington's defense was only marginally better than LSU's last year.



Kelly's defense was much worse than Pete Golding's Ole Miss version. Bo Pelini was laughing at your product.
Posted by WildTchoupitoulas
Member since Jan 2010
44071 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:20 am to
quote:

LSU - Brian Kelly: BK has been winner everywhere he's coached with substantial improvement year over year at every stop. Kelly (at 62) remains extremely ambitious, organized, dedicated, and open to new ideas across the board. He's never had the talent he has now and that means he's more dangerous than ever. Grade: A Optimistic Kelly will put the pieces together and make a run at a NC soon.

- Alabama Fan

Wait, what board is this again?
Posted by SidewalkTiger
Midwest, USA
Member since Dec 2019
52414 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:21 am to
quote:

Kelly's defense was much worse than Pete Golding's Ole Miss version. Bo Pelini was laughing at your product.


No doubt, that's probably why the entire defensive staff was fired.
Posted by WildTchoupitoulas
Member since Jan 2010
44071 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:27 am to
quote:

Coaching one side of the football field does not an SEC juggernaut make.

You mean like Saban with defense?

Idiot.
Posted by Dallaswho
Member since Dec 2023
800 posts
Posted on 2/1/24 at 10:31 am to
Really? Stoops has made Kentucky a dangerous team and he is getting more talent every year. Competing in the SEC is hard. I’m sure there are a hundred FBS schools that would love to have him. There is a lot more to college football than just the elite.
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