IMO, I think if you have a large NIL budget - which most SEC teams do - the expectation is extremely high from the very beginning because you can basically go out and buy a team. For instance, Kiffin has a 40M budget, so I expect him to win a lot, challenge for SEC championship and make the playoffs at the very least.

I'm not saying all new SEC HCs have to win a NC, but a 10-win season or something very close is a must. Of course, I do give teams like Vandy, South Carolina and Missouri a little break because they simply are not the football factories most SEC teams are and don't have the massive NIL budget of other SEC teams.

What are your thoughts?

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Posted by SidewalkTiger

Member since Dec 2019

72516 posts

Posted on 7/20/26 at 4:56 pm to riseabovethenoise

I think it's hard to use an NIL budget as any type of gauge for expectations because none of us know what actual NIL budgets are.

It's all based on rumors.

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Posted by LVag1997

Member since Jun 2021

943 posts

Posted on 7/20/26 at 5:49 pm to riseabovethenoise

You need a large NIL budget for 3 years running. Buying a team in Year 1 doesn't get you backups due to injury. You need to stack good recruiting classes.

That's what Saban did and what Kirby has done. Its what Elko is working on.

Just my thoughts.

This post was edited on 7/20/26 at 5:50 pm

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