It was unquestionably a down year on the gridiron across the Southeastern Conference, likely relating to the retirement of legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Traditionally year after year there has been at least one or two dominant teams good enough to beat anyone in the country and win a national title. That was not the case this season. The league was as deep as it’s ever been with good to very good teams across the board, but there was no elite team as fans had become so accustomed to. It was what you could consider to be an ‘off’ year within the best conference in the sport.
However, the SEC still dominates the rest of college football when it comes to having the best coaches in the game. On3 released their top-ten coaches in the nation on Wednesday, and the SEC took five of the ten spots:
NEW: Top 10 Coaches in College Football per @jdpickell👀
Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/ksLz3RHJp4 pic.twitter.com/NbS7hYfT9J
— On3 (@On3sports) January 29, 2025
No. 1 was not a huge surprise with Kirby Smart still being looked at as the best of the best, but there are some eyebrow-raisers beyond that point.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day rightfully takes the No. 2 spot following his first national title, while Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian interestingly comes in at No. 3.
Despite a tough season by Alabama standards, Kalen DeBoer came in at No. 4 with a possible chance to climb if things come together next season.
Brian Kelly of LSU may be the biggest surprise on the list coming off a four-loss regular season and the Tigers seemingly taking steps back rather than forward.
Kelly comes in ahead of Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, who feels a bit under-ranked at No. 10.
Regardless, even in this new era of college football, the best coaches in the nation still reside in the South.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.