There was some substantial coaching turnover in the SEC this offseason with 10 of the 14 programs in the conference bringing in at least one new coordinator. We also saw a number of head coaching openings, which indicates that the SEC – long deemed the powerhouse of college football – has a little bit of weakness.
That trend could continue in 2017 with the pressure to win now greater than ever. We often talk about head coaches on the hot seat but rarely mention the coordinators behind them that must deliver. Here is a look at four SEC coordinators that are on the hot seat heading in to the 2016 season.
OC – Rhett Lashlee
Auburn Tigers
The Tigers’ offense stalled last year under Lashlee’s watch as Auburn finished 10th in the SEC in total offense with an average of 370 yards per game. Quarterbacks Jeremy Johnson and Sean White combined to throw as many interceptions as touchdowns with 11 each and the Tigers ranked 10th in the SEC in passing yards per game as well. That’s astounding. Remember that Gus Malzahn is an offense-minded head coach and we saw what the team was capable in his first year on the job. What happened last year was not only shocking, but unacceptable.
Offense has been Auburn’s biggest strength under head coach Gus Malzahn so the pressure will be on Lashlee to turn things around. Whoever starts between Johnson, White and junior college transfer John Franklin III in particular will need to be better at the quarterback position. If not, Lashlee could be on his way out following the 2016 season.
OC: Noel Mazzone
Texas A&M Aggies
Mazzone earned a reputation as one of the rising stars in the coaching ranks at UCLA where his tempo-based power-rushing attack produced 1,000-yard running backs in three of his four seasons as the Bruins’ offensive coordinator. However, Mazzone’s success has not translated over to Texas A&M where he will have a ton of pressure to perform on him this season. The Aggies played well in Kevin Sumlin’s first year on the job but have been in decline ever since.
The Aggies will break in a new quarterback in Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight so he will need his running backs to step up with Oklahoma transfer Keith Ford and veteran reserve James White leading the way. Texas A&M can’t afford another sub-par season on offense and it will be on Mazzone to turn things around. If not, both him and Sumlin might be looking for new jobs next season.
OC: Cam Cameron
LSU Tigers
LSU enters this season with extremely high expectations but it will be on Cameron to make sure the offense doesn’t stall the way it did towards the end of last year. The Tigers’ offense is built around one of the most dominant running backs in the country in Leonard Fournette, but they will need more out of their quarterback Brandon Harris in order to prevent opposing defenses from committing eight and nine defenders into the box. Cameron has been viewed as an offensive guru in his career but fixing the LSU offense has been a challenge for him. The passing game has been extremely feeble in recent years and it’s hard to remember the last quality quarterback that the Tigers had under center.
LSU has the potential to challenge for SEC West supremacy but not if their quarterbacking hasn’t improved. That’s on Cameron and anything less than a serious run at the SEC crown could lead to a major shakeup with the coaching staff.
OC: Lane Kiffin
Alabama Crimson Tide
Kiffin has done a masterful job getting the most out of the pieces that the Crimson Tide have assembled on offense over the past couple of years and his work is a big reason why Alabama enters this season as the defending national champion. However, there will be as much pressure as ever on Kiffin to get the most out of this year’s group with a ton of turnover again including a new quarterback and a new No. 1 running back following Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry’s move to the NFL. The Tide have done an excellent job recruiting and Kiffin will have a ton of talent at his disposal so it will be on him to put all of the pieces together and make sure the offense doesn’t miss a beat in 2016.
