SEC Football Head Coach rankings and early COTY
By Ronald Evans
Early in rivalry week is not too early to not only rank SEC football coaches but also predict an SEC Coach of the Year (COTY). One more week of games, plus the SEC Championship game will have minimal on the rankings provided below.
After the final game in Atlanta for Georgia and LSU, an update will be provided.
One prediction about this post is it will meet with much disagreement. Such rankings are subjective and most fans tend to value the coach of their team higher and devalue the coaches of their team’s main rivals.
This effort has hopefully not been tainted by a view through crimson-tinted glasses.
Before Saturday night, I had already done a preliminary ranking. I confess, begrudgingly it rated Josh Heupel as the SEC’s best coach for the 2022 season. Now I am not sure Heupel deserves votes for the SEC COTY.
One more note before diving into the Head Coach rankings is that they are relative. Relative, as in, the job each coach has done in the context of tenure with their current program, and that program’s financial and player talent resources.
SEC Football Head Coach 2022 Ranking
Note: Media standard, reverse-order drama is used here.
- No. 14 – Texas A&M, Jimbo Fisher – The Aggies are 4-7 and will likely finish the season at 4-8. As I wrote a few days ago never in CFB history has so much money been spent for such little return.
- No. 13 – Former Auburn coach, Bryan Harsin – Bad fit or bad coach or both? All that matters is Harsin set Auburn back to a lower than late-Malzahn level.
- No. 12 – Missouri, Eli Drinkwitz – Three seasons is long enough for Drinkwitz to have improved the Tigers. From 6-7 last season, Missouri is 5-6 this season. Bad luck cost them a win over Auburn. The Tigers were competitive in losses to Georgia, Florida and Kentucky, but respectable losses are not good enough in the SEC.