What has been the tenure of SEC Football coaches during the expansion era?

[jbcarol]

Arkansas

Ken Hatfield was a star and his punt return against Texas helped seal the Razorback's claim on the 1964 National Title. He took over the reigns at his alma mater and accomplished a 55–17–1 overall record from 1984 to 1989. He became the first to coach his alma mater in the Cotton Bowl. Even though Frank Broyles was his coach, the AD-Coach relationship was reported to be less than warm. It became a talking point in negative recruiting. "His name is on the (athletics) building down there. Let that be my answer." The coach that Hatfield replaced at Clemson would later become the coach at Arkansas. Ken Hatfield still lives in the region.

Jack Crowe, then 42, was the Offensive Coordinator on the 1989 squad that lost to Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl. Broyles, facing a timing issues, is reported to have convinced Crowe to take the head job and not follow Hatfield to Clemson. In the meantime, Arkansas was in the midst of discussion to leave the SWC and join the SEC.

Crowe's 1990 went 3-8 (1-7 in the SWC) and the '91 squad improved to 6-6 (5-3 SWC despite the Independence Bowl loss in Shreveport.

Beware the Citadel
Crowe's team opened the 1992 season with an upset loss to Division 1-AA team, The Citadel. He was fired the next day. Coach Crowe finished 9-15 (6-10 SWC) without having coached an SEC game. In 2000 he would land at his alma mater, Jacksonville State. In his 2010 opening game in Oxford, his team stunned Houston Nutt and Ole Miss 49-48 in double-overtime.

The Interim
Joe Kines was born in a train car en route to Piedmont, Alabama. He had NFL experience as the Bucs' LB coach when he was hired by fellow Gamecock alum Jack Crowe to be the DC. The boys rallied around him and he guided them to a 45-7 win over those other Gamecocks, USC, and ironically another South Carolina-based team. Arkansas won a huge comeback road upset of then #4 Tennessee on Todd Wright's field goal. Joe Kines' last game as head coach was a 30-6 win over LSU in Fayetteville. It was the first game with LSU since the 1965 Cotton game. These big wins double-decker sandwiched losses and a tie and Kines ended his interim season 3-6-1 (3-4-1 SEC). Kines stayed on at DC with his successor. He would later serve as an interim in 2006 at Bama losing the Independence Bowl. He is the SEC interim who was followed by National Championship Head Coaches.

Danny Ford had just been named Clemson's coach for the 1978 Gator Bowl after the departure of Charley Pell. Woody Hayes punched Ford's nose guard Charlie Bauman on the sideline ending his career. Bauman later reported that he got a phone call from Hayes and expecting an apology he instead got an ass chewing and a question on why he was out of position on the play. Ford, the rookie coach, complained to the sideline judge that Hayes was taking over the game here. The refs told him to can it. Clemson beat THE^TM Ohio State 17-15. Ford's 1981 Eleven went 12-0 and were recognized as the National Champs. Ford didn't take long to recover from probation, winning three consecutive ACC titles before the decade came to a close.

Joe Kines had brought Ford to Arkansas to help with the fallout from The Citadel game and season opening firing. He may have become the first "coach-in-waiting" before that term had become overused. Ford was a solid recruiter in the SEC as his successor Houston Nutt would note about both Ford and Coach O. Coach Ford's best season was 1995 when the Hogs went 8-4 regular season (6-3 SEC, 1st SEC-W) yet they lost the Carquest Bowl. Danny Ford finished 26-30-1 overall and 16-24-1 in the SEC. At last check he lives in Central South Carolina.

Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. was a Little Rock native and had started his college career at Arkansas. His father had coached the school for the deaf and had the distinction of playing for both Adolph Rupp and Henry Iba. The younger Houston and his brothers hung out at the Billy Mitchell Boys and Girls Club.

In 1993, Coach got his first head job in Murray and he surrounded himself with a staff he affectionately called The Murray State Mafia. Some of the Mafia followed him to Boise before the field turned blue and they were really good. Nutt's 1997 team went 5-6 when he got the call to come home. Quinn Grovey was among the search committee.

Stoernover
In Nutt's inaugural season the Hogs were picked to finish dead last in the West yet surprised with an opening winning streak that ended at Neyland when Clint Stoerner tripped over the late Brandon Burlsworth's cleat while running clock and fumbled. T Martin would lead Tennessee to the National Championship while Nutt, ever the mulit-tasker was texting right up to kickoff of the Citrus Bowl which the Razorbacks lost to Wisconsin led by Bret Bielema. Nutt was named Football News' National Coach of the Year.

Hogs were picked pre-season first in the West to open 1999 though they experienced some setbacks. They avenged their loss against #4 Tennessee and earned a Cotton game win against Texas, the first time the Longhorns failed to get positive rushing yards in the bowl game. In 2000 the Hogs lost to UNLV in the Vegas Bowl. In 2001, the year of the emerging freshman Matt Jones, who led Arkansas to a wild 58-56 win in 7-OT in Oxford, then the longest game. Nutt was named the AP's SEC Coach of the Year.

Miracle on Markham
In 2002, Arkansas reached the SEC Championship game for the first time after a thrilling win over LSU in Little Rock. The Hogs were defeated by Mark Richt's Georgia Bulldogs and lost to the Golden Gophers in the Music City Bowl.

Win in Austin, Kings of the 7-OT Game
Hogs won 38-28 at Darrel Royal in early 2003 and a digitally altered Beth Hall photo of Matt Jones "giving the  " captured the imagination of the Razorback faithful. Arkansas defeated Bama in Tuscaloosa and held on for a 71-63 7-OT win in Lexington. In that one the late Jared Lorenzen implored the fans departing at halftime: "You're gonna miss a helluva game." The Hogs would lose to Mizzou in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport after going 0-for-October.

Nutt's teams had losing records in 2004 and 2005 including a loss to Vandy which caused some concern.

Building the fence around the state; finding an OC
The 2006 team had a formidable backfield with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and future video game cover boy Peyton Hillis. The D-Line included Anderson, Harrison, and Keith, Jr. The in-state recruiting scene included 5 members of the Springdale state champs led by Gus Malzahn who had moved over from Shiloh. The Hogs were blown out in the season home opener by USC, a team that scored so fast it messed you up. The lone source of the excitement was execution of the HUNH late in the game when Mitch Mustain led a TD drive and was inserted as starting QB the next week replacing former Catfish Hole Matre'D Robert Johnson. The Hogs went on an 8-game winning streak with Mustain at the helm and D-Mac putting together a Heisman Runner-up season, yet no one seemed happy.

A Conference Side-by-Side Comparison
One other SEC school had landed a top in-state QB and that eventual conference and national champ Florida. Imagine Tim Tebow being issued ill-filling equipment and a lacy jockstrap. Would Shelley Meyer put in print and available for FOIA that Pam Tebow be hit upside the head with a 2x4. Would Dan Mullen dictate a "Mr. Interception King" type letter to his physical therapist? There was turmoil amongst the fanbase for Arkansas leading some going over the Darkside where they reportedly had cookies.

Arkansas beat Bama in overtime in Fayetteville on Leigh Tiffin's worst day ever on a Mustain pass to Ben Cleveland in OT. It's now noteworthy as the Hogs last win over the Tide to-date. The boys lost three to end the season a rare 10-4 and after a parent meeting with Coach Broyles defections happened with Mustain and Williams heading west to USC and Malzahn going less far west to Tulsa and eventually being a rival coach at Auburn and future coaching search thorn-in-the-side.

There was much turmoil in the 2007 despite ultimately going 8-4 and beating the eventual national champ LSU while D-Mac finished Heisman runner-up a second time, this time to the aforementioned Tebow. Houston Nutt would leave for Ole Miss finishing 75-48 (42-38 in the SEC). In a malpractice in bowl game management, the assistants were allowed to leave for Ole Miss yet coach the Cotton Bowl with Reggie Herring ("High School") named the interim. The Hogs lost to Mizzou 38-7. Houston Nutt would coach four seasons at Ole Miss before taking a long-term gig with CBS Sports Network

Looking to ATL
It was rumored that Jim Grobe was on that plane. Bobby [CENSORED] Petrino left the Falcons early and came to the Hill. The former Louisville coach had owned Kentucky and went 12-1 with an Orange Bowl win in 2006. Intense and bringing a serious usage of WRs including Joe Adams and the Warren guys, Arkansas went 5-7 in his rebuilding year including a last second 4th down pass by Casey Dick to Crawford that defeated LSU. The 2009 team went 8-5 with a frozen Liberty Bowl win over ECU.

BCS Game
The 2010 and 2011 SEC West murderer's row were about as tough as it gets. The 2010 Hogs lost a tough one to Nick Saban and Bama. After easing by A&M in Arlington, Arkansas faced Cecil Newton, Sr.'s son who had he shopped to the highest bidder. Auburn led by Gene Chizik and OC Gus won on their way to the National Championship and the won out including the Battle for the Golden Boot in which Cobi Hamilton took one to the house with two seconds left in the half. Jim Tressel went all in including the cost of his coaching career and tattoos in a Sugar Bowl victory over the SEC he would later vacate though the Razorbacks bear the loss.

The 2011 season was dominated by Bama-LSU-Arkansas. The untimely death of Garrett Uekman the week before the LSU game led to sorrow that could not be overcome. The Hogs finished 11-2 (6-2 SEC) while Bama and LSU battled for SEC and National Championship stakes.

Fans looked forward to a promising 2012 behind QB Tyler Wilson and then April Fool's Day happened. After the motorcycle accident, John L. Smith was brought back as interim coach and went 4-8 (2-6 in the SEC).

Bret Bielema had qualified for three consecutive Rose Bowls yet first sent Jeff Long a handwritten note. His B1G successes did not translate to the same level in the SEC. The former Hog farmer started 0-8. His '14 squad went 7-6 with a Texas Bowl win over the Longhorns. Bielema peaked at 8-5 in 2015 with a Liberty Bowl win. The 2016 team were 7-4 at a time when they inexplicably blew consecutive large half-time leads to Mizzou (#BattleLine) and VPI in the Belk. His 2017 11 went 4-8 (1-7 SEC) and time had run out for Bielema and Long. Bielema went 29-34 (11-29 SEC). He most recently is head coach at Illinois.

The 2017 coaching search led to the hire of Chad Morris from SMU hired by an interim AD on advice from alum Jerry Jones. Morris took heat for not really moving Fayetteville and attending his son's games on the Friday nights before game days. In 2019 the Hogs lost to Western, 45-19 in a game in which the team receiving the payout took their foot off the gas and moved back into the right lane after the half. Morris was fired with Barry Lunney as interim. Lunney lost the rivalry games going 0-2. Morris went 4-18 (0-14 SEC) perhaps feeling he was not given enough time. At last check Morris is the WR coach at Texas State.

2019 Coaching Search
The 2019 search with Hunter Yurachek in place was a roller coaster ride until Sam Pittman a former Hog OL coach was hired. Pittman led the Hogs through the All-SEC Covid season, and while qualifying for a Bowl Game, the Texas Bowl was canceled in 2020. Pittman sat upon his throne and turned up the jukebox after big wins over four rivals in 2021. The Hogs went 9-4 (4-4 SEC) and won the Outback Bowl while finishing Top 20. The '22 squad with returning KJ Jefferson went 7-6 (3-5 SEC) after a great start yet disappointing home loss to Liberty which got Hugh Freeze the Auburn job. The '23 team fell off to 4-8 (1-7 SEC) with notice that some subs were watching a movie during half time. On the proverbial Hot Seat, Arkansas brought back the Prodigal Son, Bobby Petrino as Offensive Coordinator with hope renewed heading into 2024. Pittman's 23-25 (11-23 SEC) in his only head coaching gig to-date.

[jbcarol]

FOIA: Which SEC football programs spent the most on severance in FY 2023

By Matt Stahl | 


Firing coaches is getting to be expensive.

However, most places it's not as expensive as Auburn made it when the Tigers fired Bryan Harsin during the 2022 season, before he even made it two years on the job.

Auburn was far and away the leader in athletics department severance expenses, as shown on the NCAA revenues and expenses reports from all 15 current and future SEC schools, obtained by AL.com.

Tigers spent $19.9 million on severance in FY 2023, which ran from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. That topped out the league, far outpacing second-place Texas, which came in at $5.4 million.

LSU came in third at $5 million spent. Alabama was well down the list, in 12th place among the 15 schools.

The Crimson Tide spent $998,286. UA was one spot ahead of Florida, which spent the least out of any school that paid out severance, at $246,504.

Two schools, Tennessee and South Carolina, didn't pay any severance during the fiscal year.

In football, it was more of the same. $18.6 million of Auburn's total came from that sport alone.

It's unlikely the Tigers will remain on the top of the dubious chart when the numbers for FY 2024 come around. Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher and will have to pay him more than $76 million overall.

In addition to Harsin, Auburn will still be paying Gus Malzahn who it fired in 2021, so it will still be high up in the rankings. The Aggies paid under a million in severance for FY 2023, but with the Fisher numbers going on the books next time around, they'll likely lap the field.

[jbcarol]

Report: Kirby Smart receives two-year contract extension at Georgia, now highest paid coach

by: Nick Kosko
•

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart received a new contract extension, according to Seth Emerson of The Athletic. He is now the highest paid coach in college football once again.

"News: Kirby Smart is receiving a two-year contract extension and a raise that will make him once again the highest-paid coach in college football," Emerson wrote on Twitter. "Two year extension through Dec. 2023, $1.75 million raise. Annual salary now $13 million per year, with bonuses up to $1.55 million."

Smart wasn't the only Georgia official to get paid.

"Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks is also receiving a new deal," Emerson wrote on Twitter. "Brooks gets one more year, so it now runs through 2030, for an annual salary of $1,275,000, increasing by $100,000 each year of the agreement. Plus bonuses of up to $200,000 each year."

Smart's first head coaching job at the college level was at Georgia, following eight seasons as Alabama's defensive coordinator. Since 2016, Smart is 94-16 as a head coach and a two-time national champion.

He's led the Bulldogs to three title games in the College Football Playoff era, only losing during the 2017 season to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Going 13-1 last season, Smart and Georgia were poised to three-peat as champions. However, a loss to Saban and Alabama in the SEC Championship kept the Bulldogs out of the CFP.

Georgia later dominated the Orange Bowl against Free Shoes.

Going into 2024, Georgia is on the shortlist to win the national title once again as Smart goes for his third title in four seasons as head coach.

Due to his recent success, Smart is widely considered top coach.

Smart played college football as a defensive back at Georgia from 1995-98 and had a training camp stint with the Colts in 1999.

He began his coaching career at UGA that same year as an admin asst before going into a variety of roles at Valdosta State for two seasons.

In 2002, he was a GA at Florida State before moving to LSU (2004), back to Georgia (2005) and the Miami Dolphins under Saban (2006). Smart followed Saban to Alabama as associate head coach and defensive backs coach in 2007 before becoming the DC the following year.