The SEC in flux: Four teams could be seeking new coaches
Could the SEC soon see the return of the uneasy rider Bobby Petrino? (AP photo)
The mighty SEC could see a 29 percent change in coaches before November is done. Joker Phillips has already been told he’s out at Kentucky, and Arkansas is conducting a search even as interim John L. Smith lobbies to stay. (Good luck there. Smith inherited a Top 10 team and has gone 4-6. He has also declared bankruptcy, which may be why he needs the job.) And two of the league’s flagships — Auburn and Tennessee — figure to be holding we’ve-decided-to-go-in-different-direction press conferences soon.
Gene Chizik won a BCS title in 2010. In 2012 his Auburn Tigers have gone 0-7 in league play and have lost 63-21 to Texas A&M and 38-0 to Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Matt Scalici of Al.com reports that Chizik is telling recruits he will be back next season, but what’s a coach supposed to say?
After Tennessee lost to Missouri 51-48 in overtime Saturday to fall to 0-6 in SEC play, rumors swirled that Derek Dooley had been fired. Those weren’t accurate, but he did meet with athletic director Dave Hart Jr. on Sunday, which can’t be a good sign. As much as Tennessee might like to keep Dooley, there’s no getting past his career SEC record: It’s 4-18, the victories coming against Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt (twice).
It would be a major upset if either Chizik or Dooley returns, and that would leave the biggest of all football conferences in serious flux. Going alphabetically, here’s a look at what at what could transpire.
ARKANSAS: This is only one of the four jobs for which Bobby Petrino isn’t apt to campaign, given that he just got fired after wrecking both his motorcycle and his career. Gary Patterson of TCU was identified as the frontrunner — he called such rumors “unfounded” — by CoachingSearch.com. It’s believed that Tommy Tuberville, who has already coached two of the seven programs in the SEC West (Ole Miss and Auburn), would have interest. But Tuberville’s candidacy for this or any other job might have been compromised: He was caught yanking the headset off a graduate assistant and has since been reprimanded by the Big 12.
X-factor: Charlie Strong, whose Louisville Cardinals are 9-1, has a sterling SEC history (defensive coordinator at South Carolina and Florida) and Arkansas ties (born in Batesville, played at Central Arkansas), but his name hasn’t been circulating the way Patterson’s has. Maybe it’s because Tom Jurich, the Louisville AD, told Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports he’ll make Strong the highest-paid coach in the land if that’s what it takes to keep him.
AUBURN: Writing for Mr. SEC.com, John Pennington has tabbed Petrino and Jimbo Fisher of Florida State as the leaders in the clubhouse for a job that hasn’t officially come open. (Not that such a thing has ever bothered Petrino.) Fisher made noise this week by complaining that the BCS system, which ranks his once-beaten Seminoles behind three two-loss SEC teams, “stinks.” He also asked: “How retarded is that?” He later apologized for what he called “a poor choice of words.”
X-factor: There has been speculation that Jay Jacobs, the AD who hired Chizik and who handed him a massive raise after Auburn won it all, would be sacked along with his coach. (Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News has advocated as much.) But 247Sports reported that school president Jay Gogue has told board members he plans to keep Jacobs.
KENTUCKY: The least of the four jobs, and the hardest to handicap. Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports reported the Wildcats aren’t considering Petrino, which seems surprising. For all his foibles, the man can coach, and his father told Adam Himmeslbach of the Louisville Courier-Journal that his son “is interested” in Kentucky. Sonny Dykes, who was a grad assistant in Lexington under Hal Mumme and whose Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are 9-1 and ranked 20th in the BCS standings, is seen as a possibility, but it’s not clear if the Wildcats will pay the going rate to hire a Hot Name. (They pay big in basketball, as we know.)
X-factor: Forde also mentioned Dirk Koetter, who’s the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, as a possibility. Koetter hasn’t worked in college since being fired at Arizona State after the 2006 season, but he was the coach who put Boise State on the football map. And Mitch Barnhart, the Kentucky AD, had a history of tapping a man with Northwest roots who last worked for the Falcons: In 2002 Barnhart hired Rich Brooks, once Oregon’s coach and later Dan Reeves’ defensive coordinator here, and Brooks led Kentucky to four consecutive bowls before retiring.
TENNESSEE: There has been a goofy cyber push for Jon Gruden, but it’s easier to see the ESPN analyst coaching the Philadelphia Eagles next season. Tuberville figures to be in play, and maybe Petrino. Both Pennington of Mr. SEC and Knoxville blogger Tony Basilio mention Miami coach Al Golden, whose Hurricanes are trying to hold off Georgia Tech in the ACC Coastal, and former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio.
X-factor: He’s bright, he’s brash and he has won more SEC games in two seasons than Dooley has in three. Trouble is, James Franklin has done his winning at Vanderbilt, which Tennessee barely deigns to acknowledge. Franklin is clearly bound for big things at a bigger program — VandySports.com reported he spurned an overture from North Carolina State — but for the Big Orange? That’d be like Georgia hiring Paul Johnson.
By Mark Bradley
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269 comments Add your comment
Chip 'The Dixie Dove' Shirley
November 15th, 2012
6:45 pm
THE SEC RULES
We beat each other up!
http://thesecrules.blogspot.com/
Current Top Ten teams Played by Current Top 10- NCAA FOOTBALL
Here’s the list of how many teams, currently in the top 10, that each of the current top ten have played.
These are from the BCS poll. It says to me that it’s a crime for an SEC team not to be in the big game.
1. Kansas State- 0
2. Oregon- 0
3. Notre Dame-0
4. Alabama-2… (and still have #5 Georgia to play).
5. Georgia-2…(and still have #4 Alabama to play).
6. Florida-4… (and still have #10 Florida St. to play).
7. LSU-4
8. Texas A&M-3
9. South Carolina-3
10. Florida State-0…(and still have#6 Florida to play).
Skeptic
November 15th, 2012
6:53 pm
What’s up with this electronic fishwrapper?
‘Covers Dixie Like the Dew’ and nobody here is bragging on their potential Boone & Crockett? Are all of you vegans or something?
Get outside tomorrow morning and help the GA DNR manage all those Odocoileus Virginianus azalea-eaters. Then, come in and ignore beer-drinking time rules and watch CFB at 1200. What a great country!
concern
November 15th, 2012
6:58 pm
Smarts time may have come and gone.
JB
November 15th, 2012
6:59 pm
@6:53….. What?
JB
November 15th, 2012
7:00 pm
Concern…………No…The appetite for winning never goes away. The opportunities will be there every year.
techfan
November 15th, 2012
7:01 pm
If Tennessee drops Dooley, I bet they talk to David Cutcliffe who coached Peyton and has Duke (Duke!) rolling.
concern
November 15th, 2012
7:03 pm
Did i miss something did Bama play any of the top 3 SEC EAST teams this year?
JB
November 15th, 2012
7:04 pm
Kirby may end up at Georgia eventually anyway. Richt just doesn’t look or sound like his heart is in it.
His wife has finished her nursing degree ( see didn’t get it to supplement their income). I’m thinking he’s laying the ground work for Promise Keepers part 2.. Hang on.
Skeptic
November 15th, 2012
7:12 pm
“JB @ 6:59–What?”
Bullseye
SEC FOOTBALL
November 15th, 2012
7:19 pm
Jon Gruden will be the next coach at TN. They reached agreement on a deal for Gruden to hire his stafff and Raheem Morris will be the new DC under Gruden. Chaney-OC, Graham-RBs, and Pittman-OL will stay as coaches. This will not be announced until the week after the Kentucky game.
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
7:20 pm
I hope Dooley gets a lifetime contract and so does Chizik. You get what you deserve when you hire guys with losing records at lesser programs. It’s simply not rocket science.
JB
November 15th, 2012
7:20 pm
I think Cutcliff maybe all Tenn can afford. Don’t think he;s their first choice, but would build on what Dooley has already done. He’s a much much better coach than Dooley. He would be a comfortable hire and could be had for the 2 mil per year range. Big time coach will cost them 4+ per. They could let him continue to rebuild the brand and swing for the fences down the road. I hate to say it, But Derek is riding his Daddy’s coat tails. He’s a fine smart young man, but a very average coach.
Steve
November 15th, 2012
7:20 pm
You are right JB, Richt cares nothing about winning and does not have his heart into it. He could lose Saturday, and to Tech, and to Bama, and in the bowl game and he would not care at all. WOW you are a moron!
JB
November 15th, 2012
7:22 pm
Beast, How do you think we match up with Bama? It’s gonna happen
Black Reality(And This Aint Obama)
November 15th, 2012
7:22 pm
The obvious choice with a 9-1 record at L’VILLE would be Charlie Strong to take over at Tenn, but like most coaches his Reality is he’ll be a second to third choice. Even though he’s taken a team Steve Kragthorpe couldn’t do anything with and turned into a power again. Kelvin Sumlin has clearly proved that he can coach in the SEC, and yet Black Coaches are still questioned and given less of a chance.The best Coach for Arkansas should be Steve Adazzio from Temple or the coach at UL MONROE, who can clearly coach, but needs talent.The SEC will clearly not wake up to getting more Black Coaches until they get less Black Players.
JB
November 15th, 2012
7:24 pm
Gosh Steve, it’s an opinion, not a news story. And Yes he wants to win, but other signs point to him having another calling near.
C'mon man
November 15th, 2012
7:24 pm
That be like Georgia hiring Paul Johnson? I don’t think so Mark. PJ is a heck of a lot better coach than Mark Richt. Yea I said it Rednecks. Laugh all you want but u know its true. Just imagine what he could do at Georgia with there players. Nice try Mark
JB
November 15th, 2012
7:28 pm
Johnson is a one dimensional over paid egotistical hillbilly who is just about out of tickets to the fair.
Steve
November 15th, 2012
7:30 pm
This blog really does get dumber and dumber. Johnson is a better coach than Richt? Good lord that’s the worst one I have ever seen. How many ACC Championships has Johnson won that counted? How many bowl games has he won with Tech? How many times has he beaten UGA? Wow.
1eyedJack
November 15th, 2012
7:33 pm
“PJ is a heck of a lot better coach than Mark Richt. Yea I said it Rednecks. Laugh all you want but u know its true. Just imagine what he could do at Georgia with there players. Nice try Mark”
In three years he’d have the same players he’s got right now and,…..wait a minute. Georgia would have already fried his fish.
C'mon man
November 15th, 2012
7:33 pm
Wow Steve you got me there. How many National Titles does Mark Richt have at Georgia? How many big games has he won against Alabama, UF, and LSU?
JB, quit drinking the uga kool aid brother. You are on some love affair with with cool tan Richt.
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
7:35 pm
JB,
If I was a betting man I would put my money on Bama but it would not surprise me if UGA was able to pull it out. If you can stop their run game, then you have an excellent shot. Looking forward to seeing which UGA team shows up. The one that laid down in Columbia or the one we’ve seen since then. It’s truly like two different teams. Shawn Williams for mayor in Athens????
C'mon man
November 15th, 2012
7:36 pm
And the Georgia fans get more obnoxious and clues less than ever. One dimensional? yea scoring 68 points is really one dimensional. WOW
Neslon
November 15th, 2012
7:38 pm
I’m curious but why do Georgia fans call him Fish Fry? Did he work at Captain D’s at one point? I didn’t get the memo :/
Or St. Richt? Where did that come from?
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
7:38 pm
C’mon man,
No dog in this fight, but I don’t see Johnson’s name being tossed around for any better gigs, do you? He CANNOT recruit well enough to be a consistent top 25 coach. He can coach, but you cannot win consistently without quality players. Tech just doesn’t have enough of them.
Skeptic
November 15th, 2012
7:39 pm
JB
Johnson is a one dimensional over paid egotistical hillbilly who is just about out of tickets to the fair.
—————————————————
Now, THAT is funny.
Yet, you don’t understand my benediction for an ingathering at a deer camp? If not, perhaps you don’t really know what a ‘hillbilly’ is.
Cdpridg
November 15th, 2012
7:42 pm
Cmon….i dont think you really want to go there…Richt owns every team or program he has coached against with the exception of UF which he has now turned the tide….to argue the points or facts by you is just asinine…
C'mon man
November 15th, 2012
7:45 pm
Because the “football factories” are afraid to hire someone who uses his offense yet it scores lots of points. I really don’t get it. I won’t argue the recruiting but that’s always been an issue at Tech.
ARdawg
November 15th, 2012
7:46 pm
Beast
He’ll never win consistently at the upper level with that HS offense either
Bill
November 15th, 2012
7:47 pm
Roll Tide!
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
7:47 pm
It scores a lot of points in the ACC. Other than FSU, who plays defense in that league?
Steve
November 15th, 2012
7:49 pm
C’mon man, really? Let’s see.
Richt vs Bama 3-1
Richt vs LSU 3-2
Richt vs Tech – Do I need to list it?
Richt vs Florida in the past 6 years, 3-3. What else ya got?
Ole Big Dawg
November 15th, 2012
7:55 pm
Let the Big Dawg eat!!
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
7:56 pm
Steve
November 15th, 2012
7:49 pm
C’mon man, really? Let’s see.
Richt vs Bama 3-1
Richt vs LSU 3-2
Richt vs Tech – Do I need to list it?
Richt vs Florida in the past 6 years, 3-3. What else ya got?
——————-
In the past 6 years. LMAO!
Steve
November 15th, 2012
7:57 pm
I’m waiting “C’mon man.” Oh and one of your questions was asking about winning big games against those teams? How about this year against #2 Florida? Maybe against LSU in the SEC Championship? How about winning at Bama as well?
Steve
November 15th, 2012
7:58 pm
Beast from the East, I don’t get it? What’s funny? Don’t like facts? Did Florida own UGA from 2001 -2006 whe Richt was there? Yup.
Cdpridg
November 15th, 2012
7:59 pm
Beast……the pendulum has swung….may want to check your moniker….that pendulum swung as well
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
8:07 pm
Steve,
Why not just say he’s undefeated against the Gators….the last 2 years. Just find it hilarious that anyone would have to leave out the Zook years to prove a point.
Coaching Hires
November 15th, 2012
8:11 pm
Butch Davis to either Arkansas or Tennessee. If you don’t think ole’ Butchy Boy is ready to coach again….think again…and with his academic record, he’ll fit right in with those SEC boys….
KevinM
November 15th, 2012
8:30 pm
Butch Davis gets shut down by Kentucky…if he’s not wanted there, then he’s not going to HC any other SEC team.
Strong to UK? Bold, but a reach at best.
Petrino will be shocked if he isn’t on a SEC sidelines this fall.
Fulmer becoming more chatter in Lexington as a realistic choice.
Tuberville to Knoxville makes sense. Or Patterson….another home run.
My choice to move this offseason would be Chris Peterson of Boise…..he does more with marginal talent than anyone and has the best W-L record in FCS for 100 games+. Boise to the Big East is no big deal IMO.
Ole Big Dawg
November 15th, 2012
8:31 pm
Beast…what I find hilarious is with the way things stand….future doesnt look that good for you guys..lol
JB
November 15th, 2012
8:37 pm
I’ll answer the Johnson Fish fry nick name. The ACC title Tech and Johnson used to have before being stripped by the NCAA and the Jackets put on a 4 year probation ( more for being smug than the crime) Johnson’s team ( I believe it was his second year) Was headed for the ACC title game AND a BCS bowl game. Well, low and behold, a worn out average Georgia team beat them at Grants Tomb and spoiled their party….and ranking….and all Johnson had to say AFTER THE GAME TO THE PRESS WAS ” We’ve got bigger fish fry”…LOL……. Keep in mind they had the score put on their rings for a 3 point win the year before……They got beat, as usual in their bowl game, so they couldn’t use that score…LOL…. It’s been coach fish fry ever since.
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
8:38 pm
Ole Big Dawg
November 15th, 2012
8:31 pm
Beast…what I find hilarious is with the way things stand….future doesnt look that good for you guys..lol
—————–
Yeah, a second year coach that has his team at 9-1, with 3 wins over top 10 teams despite a terrible offense. Bleak future, indeed.
BigDave
November 15th, 2012
8:40 pm
As a Tennessee fan I would be happy with TCU Coach Gary Patterson or Baylor Coach Art Briles
JB
November 15th, 2012
8:42 pm
BigDave………..We are hearing Cutcliff down here……
Ole Big Dawg
November 15th, 2012
8:42 pm
I am hoping that the UF..UT..AU and GT coaches are signed up for the next dozen or so yrs
JB
November 15th, 2012
8:44 pm
Knoxville will go nuts if they bring Dooley back for one more chance
Beast from the East
November 15th, 2012
8:44 pm
And we are ALL hoping Richt gets a lifetime contract.
JB
November 15th, 2012
8:45 pm
Beast, you don’t have to hope. He’s got one. What would change in 12 years to push for change? He’s such a nice guy and all.
Ole Big Dawg
November 15th, 2012
8:45 pm
Beast….I like your thinking…I like the on my heels defense…2nd yr coach is doing great…break the bank my boy and prop him up long term. I hope this is the consent of the powers at be within the floridia program