If you want to check resumes, there’s not much debating which coach is the best in the SEC. He also happens to be the best coach in college football and, perhaps, the history of the sport.
Nick Saban has won seven national championships, six at Alabama, and has clearly shown that he can adapt to most any environment and just keep on winning. However, he’s 70-years-old. So if you’re looking for longevity, Saban probably isn’t your man. Father Time will eventually chase him off of the sidelines, probably sooner rather than later.
Therefore, if you’re starting a college football program tomorrow, Saban isn’t as easy of a pick as his success might lead one to believe. With Saban getting long in the tooth, Kirby Smart, 46, is the next choice and, probably, the right one. He won his first championship as a head coach at Georgia last season. It certainly looks like he’ll win more. However, Georgia fans thought the same thing when former Bulldog coach Vince Dooley won his national championship in 1980. Despite coaching eight more seasons, Dooley never won another one.
Brian Kelly had championship-contending success at Notre Dame. The 60-year-old is a proven winner. He’ s just never had enough elite talent to consistently beat the same SEC teams he’ll now face as the head coach at LSU.
There are also other coaches that deserve consideration due to their age and previous success. Florida’s Billy Napier, 43, and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, 44, should be in the mix. Like Smart, they are both young, but haven’t yet had the success that Smart has had yet. However, either could be the next great SEC coach in waiting.
Dave Hooker and Amanda LaFratta debate which coaches are best suited to lead a program into the future.
All things considered – and staying in the SEC, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher may be the best coach to lead a program for the foreseeable future. Fisher, 56, has won a national championship and seemingly has at least a decade of coaching left to tackle. However, if you’re looking for someone that is even younger, talented and can be a long(er)-term solution, Heupel should be considered.
Tennessee has seen enough of Heupel to be believers. After a ho-hum response to his hiring, Heupel has won UT’s fan base over and has the Vols poised to accomplish even more after a surprisingly successful first season.
Let’s be clear: Heupel is no Saban. Neither is Smart, nor Fisher nor Napier. However, if you’re looking for a coach with great upside, there’s reason to believe that Heupel could be that guy. Heupel won 10 or more games twice at Central Florida before finishing 6-4 in the bizarre Covid season in 2020. Then, the Vols came calling.
This much we know: Heupel is young, enthusiastic, has a penchant for putting high-scoring offenses on the field and has shown he can at least hold his own in recruiting. That’s a good start. That’s also good reason to make a case that he would be a great coach to lead any program. Tennessee fans should be quite pleased. They’ve been kicked around for far too long.
