Which SEC coach will break through 2018

[ToomersStreet 795]

All opinions wanted.  Not counting Gus, Smart, or Saban, which coach or coaches will have a major year in the SEC. 

I do not believe Mason, Morris, Luke, Orgeron, or Odom will be doing anything special.  Fisher, Stoops, Muschamp, Mullen, Pruitt, and Moorhead are all very intriguing. I don't think A&M has a good QB situation. Pruitt inherited a talented UT program with no heart.  Stoops has been building a respectable program as well as Muschamp.  

 

Thought?

[bigman334 56]

i think Fisher will have a surprise or 2 in his first season.

[Jgarrett7 957]

I say Muschamp. In fact, I believe USCe will win the east after stunning UGA

[AUBwins 10,069]

21 hours ago, bigman334 said:

i think Fisher will have a surprise or 2 in his first season.

I agree, just hope we aren't one of them

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

I think Jimbo Fisher is going to do at Texas A&M what Bobby Petrino did at Arkansas. He's going to take their program to the next level. Ever since R.C. Slocum stepped down at Texas A&M, they've largely been a middle of the road program. They just haven't been able to get over the hump. Even with Johnny Manziel, A&M wasn't able to win the SEC West. 

I'm not saying that Texas A&M will win the NC or anything but I do think Fisher is going to do better than A&M's last few coaches have done. It wouldn't surprise me in A&M were to win an SEC title within the next couple of years.

[bigbird 60,441]

I believe Mullen will do well.

[DAG 33,957]

Definitely Dan with UF

[AU64 10,122]

Give me a list of the top QBs and I will tell you which coaches will have good seasons.   I still stick to my philosophy that outstanding quarterbacks make successful coaches.

[AUwent 3,747]

14 hours ago, Auburnfan91 said:

I think Jimbo Fisher is going to do at Texas A&M what Bobby Petrino did at Arkansas. He's going to take their program to the next level. Ever since R.C. Slocum stepped down at Texas A&M, they've largely been a middle of the road program. They just haven't been able to get over the hump. Even with Johnny Manziel, A&M wasn't able to win the SEC West. 

I'm not saying that Texas A&M will win the NC or anything but I do think Fisher is going to do better than A&M's last few coaches have done. It wouldn't surprise me in A&M were to win an SEC title within the next couple of years.

I see them having a similar win total to Mark Richt's Georgia squads during Fisher's time...which is still pretty good, mind you, but I don't know if it's what Aggie fans are looking for.

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,290]

Biggest positive surprise: Pruitt. Beats USC AND either Bama, UGA, or Auburn and finishes 2nd in East. That roster is actually loaded, just needed a philosophy change.

Biggest negative surprise: Fisher. Losing record this year. Close losses, but losses. Defense isn't ready yet.

[AUsince72 11,084]

16 hours ago, DAG said:

Definitely Dan with UF

Not a fan of his as I feel he had a hand in AU's 2010 colonoscopy but with a solid program now behind him, as long as he does like Gus and hires a solid defensive staff, he can dominate the East.

[DAG 33,957]

34 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Not a fan of his as I feel he had a hand in AU's 2010 colonoscopy but with a solid program now behind him, as long as he does like Gus and hires a solid defensive staff, he can dominate the East.

I just think since he does have experience at UF, plus the ability to coach up he will be good for the gators . They will have the talent coming in and he is already bringing in needed JUCOs for immediate impact. More importantly , we need the east to get a little more competitive. I am hoping for both Tennessee and UF to start playing up to their potential.

[AUwent 3,747]

55 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Not a fan of his as I feel he had a hand in AU's 2010 colonoscopy but with a solid program now behind him, as long as he does like Gus and hires a solid defensive staff, he can dominate the East.

I'm hoping he can make life a bit harder for Kirby.

[Tiger 8,818]

No idea if Pruitt is going to be a good HC over the long haul (if a man has never heard of asparagus until his 30s or 40s I just don't see that as a promising quality) but Tennessee has been stock piling talent over the last 5 years or so and a cultural change like he Pruitt will undoubtedly be implementing could wake up the program and get the ball rolling over there in the short term possibly.

I think Jimbo can make a quicker splash there than he's being given credit for. It's not like TAMU had been struggling to recruit during the Sumlin era.

[aujeff11 6,243]

The shoes lol. 

FTR: I only wear tennis shoes if I’m at the gym or doing lawn work (oldest pair of shoes.)

I am a sperry or loafer man. No crocs also. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Jimbo and Mullen for sure. Guys who have won or been a major part of championships. Guys that know how to run a program. Talented QB coaches. Schools that have massive recruiting advantages. Charismatic guys who can work the booster circuit and manage the media. At least one guy who will put his Heisman QB on the field no matter what. 

I'd be big on Champ if he weren't at 1) USC in the middle of 2) a historic run for Clemson and 3) a potentially resurgent East. 

I don't see Pruitt getting there this season, but that might just be me getting used to ignoring Tennessee in a post-Fulmer world. 

[Tiger 8,818]

2 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

The shoes lol. 

FTR: I only wear tennis shoes if I’m at the gym or doing lawn work (oldest pair of shoes.)

I am a sperry or loafer man. No crocs also. 

Gotta give it to Mullen.

If a pickup game breaks out he is READY.

[aujeff11 6,243]

4 minutes ago, Tiger said:

Gotta give it to Mullen.

If a pickup game breaks out he is READY.

I bet he has his headband hanging on his rear view mirror just waiting for the perfect unexpected opportunity. 

[weagl1 1,782]

Mullen is going to completely turn UF around.  I’ll say 8 wins this year with steady improvement over the next 3 years. 

[keesler 5,924]

On 4/16/2018 at 1:50 PM, McLoofus said:

Jimbo and Mullen for sure. Guys who have won or been a major part of championships. Guys that know how to run a program. Talented QB coaches. Schools that have massive recruiting advantages. Charismatic guys who can work the booster circuit and manage the media. At least one guy who will put his Heisman QB on the field no matter what. 

I'd be big on Champ if he weren't at 1) USC in the middle of 2) a historic run for Clemson and 3) a potentially resurgent East. 

I don't see Pruitt getting there this season, but that might just be me getting used to ignoring Tennessee in a post-Fulmer world. 

Two of the most experienced HC's the conference has seen since NS was snagged from Miami over a decade ago.

IMHO, the SEC again loaded with proven coaching talent.  When you replace Spurrier/Miles/Petrino/Meyer with Muschamp/Orgeron/Bert/McElwain it just doesn't improve the conference overall.  While Mullen/Freeze improved over their predecessor's they couldn't pull a noticeable improvement, not to mention trading Pinkle for Odom or Franklin for Mason... 

[ToomersStreet 795]

On 4/18/2018 at 2:01 PM, keesler said:

Two of the most experienced HC's the conference has seen since NS was snagged from Miami over a decade ago.

IMHO, the SEC again loaded with proven coaching talent.  When you replace Spurrier/Miles/Petrino/Meyer with Muschamp/Orgeron/Bert/McElwain it just doesn't improve the conference overall.  While Mullen/Freeze improved over their predecessor's they couldn't pull a noticeable improvement, not to mention trading Pinkle for Odom or Franklin for Mason... 

Vandy really came up short on the transition.  I like Mason, as far as his preseason interviews,but I don't think he realizes what conference he is in. 

Currently I am disappointed with Mullens current recruiting class.  Only seven three stars.  I am going to  pick Muschamp coming in second behind Smart this year.

West?  Gus or Saban depending on which Gus shows up.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

9 hours ago, ToomersStreet said:

I like Mason, as far as his preseason interviews,but I don't think he realizes what conference he is in.

He's in the Vanderbilt conference... low expectations, lots of conference money. Oh, and keep those grades up.

[meh130 1,043]

I think the SEC East is going to get very interesting over the next few years. I think Muschamp is close to making something happen at USCe. Mullen will make good things happen at UF. Certainly Kirby did better things with Richt's players than Richt could do, and Kirby has been recruiting  lights-out.

But I think Kirby at UGA has made Muschamp that much more intense, I think Mullen will be a much better recruiter at UF than a Moo State, and Pruitt is known as an excellent recruiter. All of this will put pressure on Smart at UGA.

I do think USCe may have a breakout year this year taking UGA to the wire for the East, I think UTK may pull of at least one major upset (UGA or Bama), and I think UGA may have a let-down year (not unusual after a big emotional year).

My hope is we are in a position to beat UGA in Athens this year, and as a result cause UGA to come in second in the East to USCe.

As for the West, I think it will take Jimbo a couple of years to get aTm back. I think Chad Morris is the right guy for Arkansas, but at best he will be like Dan Mullen at Moo State. Good enough, an occasional upset of a big team, but never quite getting over the hump.

Will Bama have a let-down? Honestly, last year was a let-down year for Bama. The suffered their worst loss since the 2014 season Sugar Bowl last year. They were not nearly as strong as prior years, but they got a declining Clempson team in the playoffs, and an exhausted UGA team in the CFP championship. If Bama had faced Oklahoma, and UGA had faced Clempson, perhaps the championship would have been different. With Smart, and now Pruitt gone, can Bama keep recruiting the way it has? Will a QB battle this summer cause one of the two QBs to transfer? Or will Saban fix the problems he had last season, reload the defense, and win it all again?

As for Auburn, I would like to think we are at a point where we can get better each year. By better I mean less inconsistency, fewer lopsided losses, fewer recruiting busts, more effective preparation resulting in better early season performance, etc. Auburn has performed poorly in early season games since the Dye years. Wild inconsistency is a feature, not a bug, of the Auburn football program. The musical chairs that was our offensive line in the early part of last season was unacceptable and inexcusable for a major SEC program. I am hoping Grimes fixes that.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

35 minutes ago, meh130 said:

fewer lopsided losses

Fewer than 1...

35 minutes ago, meh130 said:

fewer recruiting busts

Didn't realize this was a problem for us. We don't seem to have more than anyone else.

37 minutes ago, meh130 said:

Auburn has performed poorly in early season games since the Dye years.

Auburn has performed poorly in early season games since Tubbs left, except for the VERY rare years... ok year... when we aren't breaking in a new QB (i.e. 2014). Even in 2010, we struggled to find an identity until the 4th game of the season when it was finally evident what Cam could do.

38 minutes ago, meh130 said:

The musical chairs that was our offensive line in the early part of last season was unacceptable and inexcusable for a major SEC program. I am hoping Grimes fixes that.

Agreed and he was actually just quoted as saying that he is working on fixing that.

[meh130 1,043]

On 5/4/2018 at 5:27 PM, lionheartkc said:

Fewer than 1...

Didn't realize this was a problem for us. We don't seem to have more than anyone else.

Auburn has performed poorly in early season games since Tubbs left, except for the VERY rare years... ok year... when we aren't breaking in a new QB (i.e. 2014). Even in 2010, we struggled to find an identity until the 4th game of the season when it was finally evident what Cam could do.

Agreed and he was actually just quoted as saying that he is working on fixing that.

Regarding recruiting busts, I include discipline problems like 5-Stars Michael Dyer and Zeke Pike, total busts like 5-Stars Byron Cowart and Kiehl Frazier and 4-Star Jeremy Johnson, under-performers like 5-Stars Kris Frost and Roc Thomas, and I could probably go on.