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The SEC is home to some of the best playcallers in the nation, according to ESPN’s Travis Haney. After asking coaches around the nation what makes a great playcaller, Haney ranked his top 10 (Editor’s note: article is behind a paywall) out of head coaches and offensive coordinators around the nation.
Four SEC coaches made Haney’s list: Auburn’s Gus Malzahn at No. 1, Texas A&M offensive coordinator Jake Spavital at No. 6, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier at No. 9 and Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin at No. 10.
Here’s a sampling of what he had to say about each of the SEC coaches on the list.
No. 1 Malzahn:
Even though the Auburn offense is built on the same few basic run plays, Malzahn continues to frustrate defensive coordinators.
No. 6 Spavital:
Coaches believe in Spavital’s aptitude and background, which includes working with (Dana) Holgorsen, (Kliff) Kingsbury, Malzahn and Mike Gundy. Even amid the midseason struggles in 2014, Spavital put the offense in position to win.
No. 9 Spurrier:
When Spurrier is into it, he’s still as creative and bold as anyone.
No. 10 Kiffin:
The consensus on Kiffin is that at Alabama, he was able to get back to what he does well: coaching X’s and O’s.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
