Alabama Football: Grading the SEC football head coaches
By Ronald Evans
Florida Head Coach: Dan Mullen; A
The Gators are now clearly the best team in the SEC East. All signs point to an SEC Championship contest against the Crimson Tide in a few weeks. Mullen’s Florida offense is nearly as explosive as Steve Sarkisian’s Alabama football offense. The defense has been a disappointment but the Gators are a strong team.
Texas A&M Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher; A
Those of us having written off Jimbo need to admit he has finally built solid footing in College Station. The Aggies might be the second-best team in the entire SEC. Despite the loss to the Crimson Tide, they are not out of contention for the CFB Playoff.
Ole Miss Head Coach: Lane Kiffin; B
The mercurial Kiffin has rescued Ole Miss from the doldrums. Much work remains in Oxford but credit Kiffin for a marked improvement. The 2020 record may not reflect how much better Kiffin has made Ole Miss.
Auburn Head Coach: Gus Malzahn; B
With two gifted wins, the Tigers remain relevant. Gus is doing his usual mediocre work and still getting graded too high for it. Based on his history, Auburn remains a threat to bizarrely win big games.
Kentucky Head Coach: Mark Stoops; B
Mark Stoops has done great work in Lexington. It is likely his strong work cannot achieve higher results at Kentucky.
Georgia Head Coach: Kirby Smart; B-
Kirby is delivering an ‘average’ performance. Given the recruiting advantage the state of Georgia gives him, he should be getting better results. He is a strong recruiter. He is an above-average defensive coach. Still, he has not proven himself as a top head coach at a program with the resources to be elite.