Ad Disclosure
The SEC could look a little different next year as 10 of the conference’s 14 teams will field a new defensive coordinator, a new offensive coordinator or both next fall.
Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss are the only programs to have retained their respective offensive AND defensive coordinators from the 2015 season.
League defensive coordinators is where the most change occurred, as eight schools, including perennial national power Alabama, will have new faces calling their defenses in 2016.
Some of the new hires are already familiar names in the likes of Jeremy Pruitt, the newly-minted Alabama defensive coordinator who simply moved to a new destination within the league after spending two seasons as Georgia’s defensive coordinator. Others still like former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda will be entirely new to the SEC after succeeding the departed Kevin Steele at LSU.
Pruitt, a former Alabama defensive back who has previously coached under Nick Saban, succeeds Kirby Smart, who leaves to become the head coach at Georgia. Known as a tireless recruiter and an excellent defensive guru, Pruitt became a sought-after commodity following coach Mark Richt’s dismissal in Athens. He figures to be an excellent addition to a deep and talented Crimson Tide defense that is annually among the nation’s best.
Georgia and Mississippi State have yet to formally fill their defensive coordinator vacancies.
Here’s a look at the rest of the new defensive coordinator faces in new places starting this fall.
| SCHOOL | NEW DC | OLD DC |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Jeremy Pruitt | Kirby Smart |
| Auburn | Kevin Steele | Will Muschamp |
| Georgia | TBA^ | Jeremy Pruitt |
| LSU | Dave Aranda | Kevin Steele |
| Mississippi St. | TBA# | Manny Diaz |
| Missouri | DeMontie Cross | Barry Odom |
| South Carolina | Travaris Robinson | Jon Hoke |
| Tennessee | Bob Shoop | John Jancek |
^Reports are that Georgia is ready to hire Alabama defensive backs coach Mel Tucker, who previously was defensive coordinator at the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Ohio State Buckeyes. Tucker would neither confirm nor deny that Saturday during media day.
#Former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads has been linked to the Mississippi State opening. Previously, LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron was linked to the job, but he supposedly will remain in Baton Rouge.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
