The SEC has been a coaching carousel in the past few seasons. Out of the twelve members, nine have replaced their head coaches in the past four years. A popular option for replacing coaches is to hire a former SEC coach who all ready understands the special pressures of heading a southern football program. This has worked especially well for Alabama but has given South Carolina and Ole Miss mixed results. This year, three schools have chosen to reach outside the conference, or even to candidates with no head coaching experience. Going in to the final stretch of the season, how are these non-traditional hires working out?
The first coach forced out was Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer. Despite a ranking among the most winningest active coaches, numerous SEC titles, and a national championship on his resume, in an early November press conference, he announced he would not be returning for the 2009 season. Though the rest of the nation questioned the ousting of a veritable institution such as Fulmer, Vol Nation was irate over the increasing number of losses against ranked opponents, disappointing play in the post-season, and the possibility of a second losing season in just three years. Not all fans agreed removing the head coach was the answer, but everyone met the announcement of his replacement with a raised eyebrow.
Lane Kiffin had no college head coach experience and his most recent job was as head coach of the dismal Oakland Raiders. Though he had impressive results as offensive coordinator at Southern Cal, his instant stirring of the hornet’s nest eliminated any goodwill that could be gleaned from his past. However, he has been able to back up his talk with victories and close losses against the nation’s top teams. More importantly, he has brought the swagger back to Rocky Top and energized the fan base. The Vols agree athletic director Mike Hamilton brought an upgrade to the program.
Tommy Tuberville’s resignation was announced immediately after the 2008 season. He had led the Tigers to an SEC championship, a perfect season in which the Tigers should have competed for the national championship, and numerous bowl victories. However, he tried to fix what wasn’t broken by installing a new offensive scheme. The failure of players and staff to adjust quickly enough led Auburn to its first losing season since 1992. Not even his winning record against arch-rival Bama could save him.
His replacement raised as many questions as his firing. Few had heard of Gene Chizik, a former Auburn defensive coordinator who was currently on the hot seat at Iowa State. Tiger fans were outraged the administration would hire a coach who had just gone 2-10 at a minor Big 12 school. Chizik quickly silenced his critics with a 5-0 start and gave them room to talk with a three game losing streak. In his latest conference game, his team decisively beat Ole Miss, but the season ending Iron Bowl will reveal his ability to hold his own in the SEC. The jury will remain out until all the evidence is in.
Sylvester Croom voluntarily resigned from Mississippi State after the most lopsided against Ole Miss in history. Though everyone was sad to see him go, no one could say it wouldn’t be better to give someone else a chance. Croom had coached in some huge upsets, including two against the Florida Gators, and done well considering the difficult of recruiting in Starkville, but he still had a lone winning season. The Bulldogs hired Florida’s offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen. His style has given the team a spark, but they’re still sitting at 4-5 and in imminent danger of yet another losing season. This appears to be a lateral move.
It has been posited the shelf life of a college football coach is ten years; the statistics give credence to this theory. If this is indeed Mark Richt’s final season at Georgia, as many believe it is, Damon Evans will have to weigh the advantages and risks of a non-traditional hire.
