SEC Football Head Coach rankings and early COTY
By Ronald Evans
- No. 11 – Florida, Billy Napier – This ranking for Napier is unfair. He inherited a depleted Florida roster and his Gators got an early, big win over Utah. There has been little progress since, except for a couple of close losses and a thumping of South Carolina.
- No. 10 – Kentucky, Mark Stoops – In 10 seasons at Kentucky, Stoops has done an outstanding job. But the Wildcats have gone backward this season, dipping from 10 wins in 2021 to maybe seven in 2022.
- No. 9 – Arkansas, Sam Pittman – The Hogs were 9-4 in 2021 and have only six wins so far in 2022. Injury problems for QB, KJ Jefferson have been a factor. Three of the five losses came from a total deficit of eight points. An argument can be made Pittman deserves to be one spot higher.
- No. 8 – Mississippi State, Mike Leach – Leach is hard to rank, but his third season in Starkville provides little indication the Bulldogs are better this year than last.
- No. 7 – Tennessee, Josh Heupel – Yes, the Vols have improved dramatically this season. But there is no excuse for so much promise imploding against South Carolina.
- No. 6 – Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin – Kiffin did a masterful job using the Portal to fill holes in the 2022 roster. But Ole Miss had a very favorable schedule and like Heupel’s situation, the one-sided loss to Arkansas cannot be excused.