SEC football head coach rankings: Alabama HC Nick Saban, Georgia HC Kirby Smart and more
The SEC is the most dominant conference in college football. Their six College Football Playoff championships are twice as many as other conferences combined. Furthermore, their 16 wins are ten more than the second-ranked conference and more than every other conference combined.
The 2023 NCAA football season is inching closer as spring camp is already under way. This year will mark the final season of the current College Football playoff format. While the field has had four teams since its inception, it will grow to 12 in 2024.
The expanded field will give more SEC head coaches the opportunity to stand out by reaching the postseason. Take a look at the five head coaches who stand above the rest of the conference.
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide HC Nick Saban
Nick Saban is easily the most successful college football coach of the modern era. The Alabama Crimson Tide head coach has a record of 285-69-1, including 194-27 at Alabama.
He has led the Crimson Tide to seven College Football Playoffs and six College Football Playoff National Championships, winning three. Each mark represents the highest in the sport. Overall, Saban has won seven National Championships.
#2 Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart
Despite becoming a head coach in 2016, Kirby Smart trails only Nick Saban and Clemson Tigers HC Dabo Swinney in College Football Playoff National Championship appearances and is tied with the latter for the second-most titles.
The Georgia Bulldogs head coach has a record of 81-15. Georgia has made three appearances in the College Football Playoff, reaching the National Championship each time, winning twice.
#3 LSU Tigers HC Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly had a successful run as the HC of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, leading the team to two College Football Playoff appearances as well as one BCS Championship Game.
Kelly has a record of 176-66, including a 10-4 record in his first season as the head coach of the LSU Tigers.
#4 Tennessee Volunteers HC Josh Heupel
Josh Heupel has been successful in five seasons as head coach. The Tennessee Volunteers HC has a record of 46-16, including an 18-8 record in two seasons with the Volunteers.
Heupel led Tennessee to the top-ranked scoring offense last season and has led top-eight scoring offenses in each of his five seasons.
#5 Texas A&M Aggies HC Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher has likely had more success than the two HCs ranked above him. There's also a case that several coaches outside of the top-five may be more deserving of the final spot.
The Texas A&M Aggies head coach has a 122-44 record, including a 39-21 record in the SEC. Fisher led the Florida State Seminoles to a BCS National Championship title as well as a College Football Playoff appearance. He's, however, coming off of a losing season and could be on the hot seat this season.
Honorable mentions: Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin, Kentucky Wildcats HC Mark Stoops, South Carolina Gamecocks HC Shane Beamer