It just means more. S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C. We’ve all heard it. We’ve looked at the top returning coaches in the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC. Now we turn to the Southeastern Conference. The SEC has earned the title of the modern-day “Conference of Champions.” Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, the SEC conference has secured 14 out of 25 national championships. Almost half of the schools in the conference, six to be exact, have won at least one national championship. Four schools have won multiple championships. Alabama leads the way with six, while Georgia, LSU, and Florida have two. Auburn and Tennessee have one championship apiece. This year, Georgia, Alabama, and LSU are all favored to play for and win a national championship. With kickoff only a few short weeks away, here are the SEC’s Top Returning Coaches for the 2023 season.
Missed the Cut
We had seven names for the top five spots when compiling our list. Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) and Josh Heupel missed the final cut. Fisher does have a couple of national championships on his resume, one as the offensive coordinator at LSU and one as head coach of Florida State. But, what has he done for the Aggies lately? Well, in 2022, he had a 5-7 season, a loss to Appalachian State, and an offense that seemed allergic to crossing the goal line. A large buyout kept him around for 2023. Fisher also brought in Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator. Petrino is one of the top offensive minds in college football, but it remains to be seen how he and Fisher will coexist during the season.
When announced as the next head coach at Rocky Top in 2021, Heupel might not have won the press conference. However, his team’s play on the field rallied Vol Nation behind him. Capitalizing on a solid first season, Heupel led the Vols to an impressive 11-2 season in 2023. Securing key wins over LSU on the road, Alabama at home, and Clemson in the Orange Bowl. All eyes are on Heupel and the Vols this season to see if they can recreate the same 2022 magic and challenge Georgia.
SEC’s Top Returning Coaches
#5 Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss
Lane Kiffin is a perfect fit at Ole Miss. While defense may be optional, his offense will ensure you always have your popcorn ready. Kiffin has shown to be adept at using the Transfer Portal to build his roster off the field. Realizing he and Ole Miss cannot compete consistently with the likes of Georgia and Alabama in recruiting four and five-stars, Kiffin has used the portal to fortify his roster. This season Kiffin brought in two transfer quarterbacks, Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Walker Howard (LSU). They will compete with Jaxon Dart for the starting quarterback position. Dart transferred to Ole Miss last year from USC.
#4 Mark Stoops – Kentucky
Mark Stoops has carved out his niche at Kentucky. While the Wildcats are not perenially contenders to win the conference or make the playoff, Stoops has brought stability to the team. Kentucky had a losing season in 8 of the 13 seasons before Stoops’ arrival. Stoops has brought consistency to Lexington. After losing a season in each of his first three years, Kentucky has gone to seven straight bowl games. This season, Stoops brings back Liam Coen as offensive coordinator. Coen helped lead Kentucky to a 10-3 record in 2021 and one of the best Wildcat offenses in recent years.
#3 Brian Kelly – LSU
Brian Kelly is a lightning rod in college football. College football fans (even his own fan base) either love or hate him. There is no in-between. Regardless, if you love or hate him, it’s hard to argue that he is not one of the SEC’s top Returning coaches. He has won everywhere he has been. Kelly won two D2 national championships at Grand Valley Stae before taking Central Michigan and Cincinnati to the next level. While SEC fans (Alamaba) will quickly point out that Kelly has never won a national championship, that is short-changing what Kelly did at Notre Dame.
Kelly then brought Notre Dame to national relevance, playing for two national championships and playing in another college football semifinal. Kelly answered the questions about his “fit” by beating Alabama and playing Georgia in the SEC Championship in his first season in Baton Rouge. Kelly will look to have the Tigers dancing again in 2023, as they are favorites to challenge Alabam and Georgia at the top of the SEC.
#2 Kirby Smart – Georgia
Kirby Smart has reached the pinnacle of the college football coaching profession. His first seven seasons in Athens have been impressive. Winning the SEC East five times, winning two SEC titles. He’s won back-to-back national championships, the only team to do it in the CFP era, and is a blown coverage away from a third title. Smart has helped Georgia realize their recruiting and on-field potential to turn them into one of the top programs in the nation. Smart has shown a knack for having a room full of analysts to replace staff as they find new jobs. Staff continuity and a strong recruiting class make Georgia a favorite to win their third straight championship in 2023.
#1 Nick Saban – Alabama
Nick Saban is undoubtedly the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.). Throughout his career, he has honed “The Process” to achieve remarkable results: seven national championships, eight SEC championships, and producing an impressive 49 first-round picks (with 44 coming from Alabama). Despite some saying that the 71-year-old coach has lost his edge and that Kirby Smart has surpassed him, his former offensive assistant, Lane Kiffin, eloquently points out that makes Saban tick.
“That’s why we have Finebaum,” Kiffin continued, sparking laughter, “so he can motivate him every other year and say, ‘Oh, his dynasty’s over, and this is the end of Saban,’ and we’re like, ‘Hey, thanks a lot for pissing him off.” Even with the challenge of dealing with two new coordinators and a quarterback in 2023, most coaches would feel overwhelmed, but Saban is no ordinary coach; he has repeatedly proven that he can handle whatever comes his way.
