Can you agree that Kirby Smart should be the No. 1 SEC football coach, especially after Nick Saban retires?
Better discussion: How to rank SEC schools when evaluating football coaches plus Their boys basketball coach. Can Georgia, backed by Smart, maintain its No. 1 ranking in these rankings? What about Alabama? Where does Tennessee make an impact?
On this edition of USA TODAY Network's “SEC Football Unfiltered” podcast: blake topmeyer and john adams Ranking the top 8 schools in the SEC from a football perspective plus Men's basketball coach.
In some cases, schools' football and basketball coaches each rank near the top of the SEC. In other cases, one coach may do the heavy lifting.
The schools that made it into the top eight are as follows: Please note that these rankings are based on a combination of soccer coaches. and Men's basketball coach.
Alabama
coach: Karen DeBoer (soccer); Nate Oates (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.1
Adams ranking: No.2
analysis: Alabama's advance to the Final Four provided the basis for Oats to be named the SEC's men's basketball coach of the year. Although the University of Alabama is not a traditional basketball powerhouse, Oats has advanced to the Sweet 16 or higher in three of the past four seasons. DeBoer is a newcomer to the SEC, but his reputation shines. He just won a national runner-up.
georgia
coach: Kirby Smart (soccer); Mike White (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.3
Adams ranking: No.1
analysis: Smart is clearly doing the heavy lifting here as the nation's best coach in the SEC's signature sport. He has consistently positioned Georgia as a favorite to win the national championship. White isn't elite, but it's solid. He has Georgia hoops trending.
tennessee
coach: Josh Heupel (soccer); Rick Barnes (men's basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.2
Adams ranking: No.3
analysis: Neither coach will serve in a bad season. Heupel did a great job of rebuilding the program that was in the dump. Barnes is a regular in the NCAA Tournament and just finished in the Elite Eight. Neither coach can lead Tennessee to a national championship, but the Vols will never be independent of either coach.
Ole Miss
coach: Lane Kiffin (soccer); Chris Beard (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.4
Adams ranking: No.4
analysis: It remains to be seen whether Beard will be successful in the SEC, but he has won at a high level elsewhere and the Rebels showed some growth in his first year. Kiffin is the best football coach at Ole Miss since Johnny Vaught. He elevated the Rebels from concurrent status to CFP contender. Impressive work.
kentucky
coach: Mark Stoops (football); John Calipari (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.5
Adams ranking: No.5
analysis: Calipari doesn't do very well in the “what he's done for me lately” department, but you can't completely ignore his body of work. He's still one of the top coaches in SEC basketball. Stoops has been a consistent performer. He continues to punch above Kentucky's weight, but he seems to have plateaued.
auburn
coach: Hugh Freeze (soccer); Bruce Pearl (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.6
Adams ranking: No.6
analysis: Both coaches are proven winners who have proven themselves in multiple games. Pearl's performance at Auburn is especially impressive considering the program's history. He is responsible for Auburn's only Final Four.
Texas A&M
coach: Mike Elko (soccer); Buzz Williams (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.8
Adams ranking: No.7
analysis: Elko's performance at Duke and previously as the Aggies' defensive coordinator gives reason for optimism about his tenure. Williams regularly makes teams eligible for March Madness, even if they are behind in the deepest runs.
texas
coach: Steve Sarkisian (soccer); Rodney Terry (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: No.7
Adams ranking: It's not in my top 8. Not sold on Terry.
analysis: In just a few years, Sarkisian transformed the Texans from a punchline to a playoff-caliber team. He's a great recruiter, a great play-caller and an overall great coach. His program is progressing. The bigger question is the direction of basketball under Terry. He did a great job leading Texas to the Elite Eight in 2023 after Beard was fired mid-season. The program took a step back this season.
LSU
coach: Brian Kelly (soccer); Matt McMahon (basketball)
Top Meyer rankings: It's not in my top 8. Kelly is solid, but she is judgmental against McMahon. Check her out next season.
Adams ranking: No.8
analysis: Kelly wins everywhere and at a high level. His 20-win record in two seasons at LSU suggests that the Tigers' big expense to lure him away from Notre Dame may soon pay off in the form of national championship contention. There is. As for McMahon, he was successful at Murray State. It remains to be seen if he can accomplish that at LSU, but his sophomore year was better than his freshman year.
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Blake Topmeyer is the SEC columnist for the USA TODAY Network. john adams He is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
