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re: SEC football coach rankings
Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:08 pm to theCAW
Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:08 pm to theCAW
quote:
I think I said to you in a different thread that you might be able to view the situation more objectively than me but I just have a hard time buying into someone that the UAA and Gary Condom is pumping so hard to the fan base right now
Dude, Sumrall was probably the best hire of the offseason.
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Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:10 pm to Landmass
quote:
Dude, Sumrall was probably the best hire of the offseason.
Truth, brother Landmass
Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:18 pm to Boomer00
By what criteria would you say Venabals is better than Drinkwitz?
In Venables 4 seasons as a head coach he is 32-20 for a win % of 61.5% and his teams never finished higher than #13 in the AP poll (#10 in Coaches). He is 1-1 head to head against Drinkwitz.
Drinkwitz in 7 seasons as a HC is 58-30 for a win % of 65.9% and has finished #8 in both AP & Coaches.
If you want to throw in the CFP appearance, remember OU made it in a 12 team field. In 2023 Mizzou wouid have easily made the CFP had the CFP been expanded to 12 by then. So that's a wash.
Ummm...see 2023 (11 wins) and 2024 (10 wins) and if you like you can add 12 wins at Appalachian State but I'm not hanging my hat on that one.
There is no objective criterion to support your assertion.
In Venables 4 seasons as a head coach he is 32-20 for a win % of 61.5% and his teams never finished higher than #13 in the AP poll (#10 in Coaches). He is 1-1 head to head against Drinkwitz.
Drinkwitz in 7 seasons as a HC is 58-30 for a win % of 65.9% and has finished #8 in both AP & Coaches.
If you want to throw in the CFP appearance, remember OU made it in a 12 team field. In 2023 Mizzou wouid have easily made the CFP had the CFP been expanded to 12 by then. So that's a wash.
quote:
but drinkpiss and other coaches who can’t win 10 games are better?
Ummm...see 2023 (11 wins) and 2024 (10 wins) and if you like you can add 12 wins at Appalachian State but I'm not hanging my hat on that one.
There is no objective criterion to support your assertion.
This post was edited on 6/16/26 at 1:29 pm
Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:30 pm to tigersbh
Based off of current HC-to-resource records, it'd have to go something like this.
1. Kirby
2. Lane
3. Clark Lea (most likely to drop quickly post Pavia)
4. Sarkisian
5. Deboer
6. Heupel
7. Elko
8. Drinkwitz
9. Venables
10. Sumrall (my pick to move up quickly)
11. Beamer
12. Golesh
13. Silverfield
14. Golding
15. Lebby
16. Stein (No reference for HC)
Tempted to move Sark down. I don't think very highly of him. People will yell at me because Venables has made the playoffs and Drink hasn't but Drink would have in 2023 and that's recent enough. Venables has been inconsistent so far.
Golding has as many wins against SEC schools in 1 game as Lebby has in 2 seasons and his win was far more impressive.
1. Kirby
2. Lane
3. Clark Lea (most likely to drop quickly post Pavia)
4. Sarkisian
5. Deboer
6. Heupel
7. Elko
8. Drinkwitz
9. Venables
10. Sumrall (my pick to move up quickly)
11. Beamer
12. Golesh
13. Silverfield
14. Golding
15. Lebby
16. Stein (No reference for HC)
Tempted to move Sark down. I don't think very highly of him. People will yell at me because Venables has made the playoffs and Drink hasn't but Drink would have in 2023 and that's recent enough. Venables has been inconsistent so far.
Golding has as many wins against SEC schools in 1 game as Lebby has in 2 seasons and his win was far more impressive.
This post was edited on 6/16/26 at 1:41 pm
Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:31 pm to Boomer00
I agree. The only argument in favor of Drink is if someone perceives the ceiling being so low at Mizzou that he has done the impossible of making multiple bowl games.
Gary proved Mizzou can compete and get 10+ wins in any 3 year stretch.
I think Brent has done more. I watched Drink pee down his leg last year in Norman and refuse to win a game OU begged Mizzou to win.
But truly, If the programs traded coaches I think they’d both be about the exact same programs. At the end of the day we are arguing about upper middle class homes.
Gary proved Mizzou can compete and get 10+ wins in any 3 year stretch.
I think Brent has done more. I watched Drink pee down his leg last year in Norman and refuse to win a game OU begged Mizzou to win.
But truly, If the programs traded coaches I think they’d both be about the exact same programs. At the end of the day we are arguing about upper middle class homes.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 1:38 pm to BurgTiger
quote:
The only argument in favor of Drink is if someone perceives the ceiling being so low at Mizzou that he has done the impossible of making multiple bowl games.
Really? That's the ONLY argument? See my post above.
Sounds like you're not much of a Drinkwitz fan. Believe me, I've had my own issues with Drink over the years (particularly last season), but on an objective basis, there are a number of reasons to rank Drink higher.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 2:03 pm to VFL67
quote:
his metrics are better than more than half the coaches in the league.
There will be six new HC at SEC schools out of 16 so that’s not saying much.
quote:
Sarks and Kiffin's numbers when you break them down like that are not impressive either.
These are not the same. Sark at Texas is 12-15 (44.4%) against final AP Top 25 opponents. Kiffin at Ole Miss was 11-11 (50%). Heupel at 7-15 (31.8%) and trending down is not in the same league as those other two.
quote:
By his career and numbers, he is a top 5 coach in the league.
Again there are only 10 returning coaches at their schools in 2026. Kirby, DeBoer, Sark, and Kiffin are worlds ahead of Heupel. If you consider trajectory, Elko and Venables should be rated ahead as well.
quote:
He is not going to get fired unless he has a losing season this next year
Yes I agree which says more about the state of Tennessee football in this era than it does about Heupel himself.
Heupel’s win% against ranked opponents (31.8%) is significantly worse than a lot of Big 6 coaches who have been fired. Les Miles (52.6%) and Ed Orgeron (47.8%) were both fired by LSU. Gene Chizik (43.5%), Tommy Tuberville (40.4%) and Gus Malzahn (32.5%) were fired by Auburn despite all having won an SEC Championship and all having a better win% against ranked opponents than what Heupel has now through five seasons at Tennessee.
Auburn gets a bad wrap for having coaches continually on the hot seat, but I guess it’s good we don’t put up with mediocrity like Tennessee seems to be okay with nowadays.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 2:08 pm to tigersbh
Another random opinion to the care not much about.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 2:15 pm to tigersbh
Heupel wishes he had the gut of Elko.
Better load up on beer and brisket.
Better load up on beer and brisket.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 2:27 pm to CelticTiger
quote:
By what criteria would you say Venabals is better than Drinkwitz?
Is this some type of joke? Every criteria.
#1 Trajectory
Oklahoma went to the playoff last season. Missouri has gone two consecutive seasons without beating a ranked opponent (0-7 in such games).
#2 Big Wins
Venables is 5-15 against ranked opponents (25%). Not good at all but again he seems to be trending better. Drinkwitz is 4-18 (18.2%) and is going in the opposite direction.
#3 Beating the teams you’re supposed to beat
Venables is 27-5 against opponents finishing UNRANKED (84.4%). You really need to be above 80% or so at a minimum. Drinkwitz is 42-11 (79.2%) in this stat. Not great.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 2:36 pm to Landmass
quote:
Dude, Sumrall was probably the best hire of the offseason.
Sumrall is highly overrated IMO.
Against ranked power 4 opponents, Sumrall is 0-3 all-time (using final AP rankings). That’s not good but considering he was at Troy/Tulane the record was to be expected. However, it’s the lack of competitiveness in those games that raises numerous red flags. His teams lost those games by 29, 31, and 35 points. That’s not good.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 2:39 pm to Quicksilver
quote:
3. Clark Lea
This is batshite crazy. Clark Lea is 1-18 against ranked opponents since he got to Vandy. I understand grading folks on a curve sometimes, but this is ridiculous.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:02 pm to AUTiger789
Feel free to make your own.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:03 pm to AUTiger789
quote:
This is batshite crazy. Clark Lea is 1-18 against ranked opponents since he got to Vandy
Who’s the 1?
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:20 pm to AUTiger789
You are simply cherry-picking some stats.
You mean this trajectory...
2022 6-7
2023 10-3
2024 6-7
2025 10-3
Based on his past performance his "trajectory" has him due to go 6-7 in 2026.
You are drilling down into minutiae here...but 7 wins over teams ranked at the time he played them.
These statements are nothing but your opinion. Not objective criteria:
You fail to include his time at Appalachian State which makes his numbers 54-12 for a 81.8% (or higher than your made up subjective 80% threshold)...and before you dismiss that season, realize that he took a Sun Belt team and finished 19th in the nation that year. Quite an accomplishment for any head coach.
quote:
#1 Trajectory
You mean this trajectory...
2022 6-7
2023 10-3
2024 6-7
2025 10-3
Based on his past performance his "trajectory" has him due to go 6-7 in 2026.
quote:
#2 Big Wins:
You are drilling down into minutiae here...but 7 wins over teams ranked at the time he played them.
These statements are nothing but your opinion. Not objective criteria:
quote:
but again he seems to be trending better.
quote:
is going in the opposite direction.
quote:
#3 Beating the teams you’re supposed to beat
You fail to include his time at Appalachian State which makes his numbers 54-12 for a 81.8% (or higher than your made up subjective 80% threshold)...and before you dismiss that season, realize that he took a Sun Belt team and finished 19th in the nation that year. Quite an accomplishment for any head coach.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:22 pm to AUTiger789
quote:imo from the g5 ranks moving up I thought Golesh and Chesney were the best hires. But admittedly I didn’t follow Sumrall much at all until Florida hired him and can’t say I knew much about him to really say much one way or another about him. My main skepticism about him is that Scott Stricklin hired him and Gary Condom
Sumrall is highly overrated IMO.
Is a huge fan, which is giving me serious Napier 2.0 vibes.
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:25 pm to AUTiger789
quote:
There will be six new HC at SEC schools out of 16 so that’s not saying much.
Yes, and none were as successful at the Group of 5 as Heupel lol
quote:
Les Miles (52.6%)
Got fired because he was a creep and had been the coach for over a decade, and was obviously not going to compete for a natty again
quote:
Ed Orgeron (47.8%)
Got fired because he was .500 last two years and had a losing season
quote:
Gene Chizik (43.5%)
Got fired because he literally went 3-9
quote:
Tommy Tuberville (40.4%)
Got fired because he went 5-7
quote:
Gus Malzahn (32.5%)
Got fired with a way lower winning percentage than Heupel, and y'all would trade your nuts to have not done that lol
If anything, your post proves how little those metrics matter compared to a coach's success. All those coaches had more success against ranked teams, yet all bottomed out worse than Heupel has even come close to. That just shows how little importance that stuff has. You are also retarded if you think any of those coaches were fired because of their ranked winning percentage. All those coaches, except Les Miles, were fired following a disastrous losing season, where everything fell apart dummy
quote:
I guess it’s good we don’t put up with mediocrity like Tennessee seems to be okay with nowadays.
Says the program that hasn't had a winning football season in 5 years, hired and retained a coach's son with no HC experience, who couldn't make the NCAA tourney after a final 4 season, and has kept Butch Thompson around for 11 years despite 3 losing seasons, no SEC titles, and no natty appearance lol
Auburn hired Heupel's old OC, who wasn't even as successful in the AAC as Heupel. Keep being little bro to everyone, you will never not be the face of mid in this conference
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:41 pm to VFL67
quote:
Yes, and none were as successful at the Group of 5 as Heupel lol
Meanwhile, in the real world:
Sumrall at Tulane & Troy - 43-12 .782
Heupel at UCF - 28-8 .778
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:46 pm to SidewalkTiger
Highest Ranked finish:
Sumrall at Tulane & Troy: 18
Heupel at UCF: 11
Looks like the voters disagree with you, both AP and Coaches
And Sumrall even had one more year to surpass Heup and couldn't lol. Either way, I don't see Auburn's latest "savior"
Sumrall at Tulane & Troy: 18
Heupel at UCF: 11
Looks like the voters disagree with you, both AP and Coaches
And Sumrall even had one more year to surpass Heup and couldn't lol. Either way, I don't see Auburn's latest "savior"
This post was edited on 6/16/26 at 3:48 pm
Posted on 6/16/26 at 3:47 pm to Quicksilver
quote:
Feel free to make your own.
I’d love too, however I think you need to break them into five tiers. Let’s be honest… we all just want a coach who can win big games and compete annually for championships.
Right now there are five coaches who seem to fit that bill… another 5 returning head coaches who we’ve seen enough from to conclude they don’t fit that bill…
We’ve got 3 new coaches that show a lot of promise. Call me crazy but I’d rather go with one of these in hopes they could be great over someone who’s been at their school 5+ years and never been close to championship caliber.
Tier 1: Proven solid coaches
1. Kirby
2. Sark
3. DeBoer
4. Kiffin
5. Elko
Tier 2: Completely unproven in the SEC but show solid potential
6. Sumrall
7. Golesh (I prefer Golesh but do acknowledge Sumrall has a better record albeit Sumrall walked into much better situations both stints)
8. Silverfield
Tier 3: mediocre coaches capable of building a decent program but have proven they aren’t likely ever going to be elite.
9. Venables
10. Beamer
11. Heupel
12. Drinkwitz
13. Lea
Tier 4: completely unproven and hard to see them having major success
14. Golding
15. Stein
Tier 5: Enough of a stint to see this is going nowhere
16. Lebby
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