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New coaching hires show trend in promoting SEC assistants
By Keith Farner
Published:
If this year’s hiring season offers any indication for next year, Geoff Collins’ resume is set for an upgrade.
Kirby Smart and Barry Odom, two of the top seven assistants as ranked earlier this season have become head coaches — not including former Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp at South Carolina.
At defensive coordinator at Florida and Mississippi State the last two seasons, Collins led two of the nation’s top defenses.
Collins’ coaching career began at his alma mater, Western Carolina, and the Georgia native went on to coach at Albright College, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Central Florida and Florida International. He coached at Mississippi State for four seasons before leaving for Gainesville.
In 2014, the Bulldogs in 2014 led the country in red zone defense and were 10th in scoring defense yielding 19.4 points per game. This year, the Gators were eighth in scoring defense nationally at 16.5 point per game.
But Collins isn’t the only assistant to receive notice. Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos already drew interest from new Georgia coach Kirby Smart, although an SEC non-compete clause in his contract nixed any plans of a move. Enos was Central Michigan’s head coach before he came to Arkansas.
Arkansas has the 28th-ranked scoring offense in the country at more than 35 points per game, second in the SEC behind Ole Miss’ 40.3.
Another offensive coordinator, Mike DeBord of Tennessee, guided the No. 3 SEC offense this season. DeBord is a former Central Michigan head coach from 2000-03 and returns a Heisman candidate next season in QB Joshua Dobbs.
DeBord, who went 12-34 at Central Michigan, was the offensive coordinator on Michigan’s 1997 national championship team.
The success of coordinators is unpredictable. Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith is an example.
In 2014, the Razorbacks improved from 76th to 10th nationally, earning Smith a new contract. But this season, Arkansas was last in the SEC in scoring defense and slipped to 75th nationally.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
