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There are three new coaches in the SEC this year and two of them already have their nose to the grindstone on their campus, getting ready for 2016. Barry Odom is hard at work at Missouri, prepping to replace Gary Pinkel, and Will Muschamp has slid behind Steve Spurrier’s desk at South Carolina.
Now that’s not to say that new Georgia coach Kirby Smart isn’t working. Heck, he could be the busiest man in America these days. Aside from laying the groundwork to replace Mark Richt at Georgia, Smart is also still coaching the Alabama Crimson Tide defense in the national championship game Monday night. That’s some serious double duty.
When it’s all said and done, he’s hoping he can celebrate another national championship … and then get right to work in Athens the next day.
All three have full plates, of course, because you don’t make coaching changes for no reason. Here are the three things each coach needs to get to in a hurry:
Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs
Abandon the idea of a honeymoon period immediately: Georgia went 10-3 this year and finished on a five-game winning streak, so it’s not like the cupboard is bare in Athens. And what’s sad – and Nick Saban will back me up on this – if Smart goes 10-3 next year, there are still going to be plenty of unhappy Bulldogs fans. Everyone is expecting immediate greatness from Smart, so he better be prepared for that.
Keep pounding the recruiting trail: Georgia already had a great recruiting class before Smart got there and, to his credit, he’s done a fantastic job of keeping it all together, especially all the big names at the top of the list. When Smart and hit the recruiting trail again at the end of the week, look for him to be a big closer between now and National Signing Day on Feb. 3. The man knows how to work a living room.
Don’t cede anything to Florida and Tennessee just yet: It’s Florida that’s the defending SEC East champion and it’s Tennessee that’s driving the 2016 hype machine right now. Both tagged Georgia with losses this season – as did Alabama – but this isn’t the time for Georgia to think it has suddenly become third in the pecking order. The Bulldogs need to get to work from Day 1 thinking they are going to win the SEC East next year.
Barry Odom, Missouri Tigers
Get the most out of the quarterback situation: Maty Mauk had a big hand in Missouri winning back-to-back SEC East crowns, which is why it was so shocking that Mizzou fell to 1-7 in the league last year. Mauk is back off his suspensions – yes, plural – and vows to be a new man. Meanwhile, freshman Drew Lock struggled in his debut, but the potential is there. One of the two needs to step up and take control of the offense.
Offensive line and wide receivers: These two groups were massive disappointments in 2015, which was surprising because they’ve usually been good position groups for the Tigers through the years . It’s fair to say that the offense struggled in 2015 more because of these guys than the quarterbacks. Odom needs some big hits in recruiting, maybe even from the junior college level where a few guys can step in ASAP.
Get back to being a lockdown defense: The Tigers clawed their way to the top of the SEC East after arriving in the league in 2012 because their defense could play with anybody. They need to get back to the attitude, and fast, because we know it’s probably going to take a while for the offense to catch up. There’s plenty of talent returning on defense, so the potential to be good is there.
Will Muschamp, South Carolina Gamecocks
Be the new Will Muschamp: Muschamp’s four years as head coach had to be considered a failure and last season as Auburn’s defensive coordinator wasn’t much better. Muschamp needs to learn from his mistakes and reinvent himself a little bit if he’s going to be successful in Columbia. He’s certainly proven through the years that he knows football. He just needs to translate that knowledge better.
Let the offense be creative: Kurt Roper spent a year with Muschamp at Florida and the results weren’t very good. Roper, who spent a year with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns after leaving Gainesville, is reuniting with Muschamp at South Carolina and he needs to hit the ground running there. There is some talent on that side of the ball, so they need to push the envelope right away and better at least a middle-of-the-pack SEC offense.
Re-energize the fan base: This is going to be a tough one, trying to replace Steve Spurrier. Not only did Spurrier have epic success at Carolina – those 11-win seasons are rare – but he also knew how to turn a good one-liner or two now and then. That’s not necessarily Muschamp’s style, but he was pretty funny at his first press conference. He needs to keep his wife around a lot.
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
