AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 13 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USNew faces in new places in the SEC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A lot of SEC coaches are going to be wearing nametags during spring ball. By my count, nine of the 12 teams have at least one new coordinator and four schools have replaced both. Here is rundown of the new faces in the new places.
SEC EAST
Florida (1): Dan McCarney comes in as assistant head coach for defense, replacing co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who took a job with the Baltimore Ravens. Charlie Strong is the defensive coordinator. Dan Mullen remains as offensive coordinator.
Georgia (0): Georgia had to replace tight ends coach Dave Johnson with John Lilly, but OC Mike Bobo and DC Willie Martinez are back.
Kentucky (0): Joker Phillips has had the extra duties of “head coach in waiting” added to his title as OC. Steve Brown is back as DC.
South Carolina (1): Steve Spurrier originally hired Brian Van Gorder as his defensive coordinator when Tyrone Nix left for Ole Miss. Van Gorder then bolted to the NFL and Spurrier hired Ellis Johnson, a former DC at Alabama and Mississippi State. The head ball coach will continue to call his own plays.
Tennessee: (1) The Volunteers have four new coaches, all on the offensive side of the ball. Dave Clawson, who turned Richmond into a I-AA title contender, takes over at OC, replacing David Cutcliffe. The Vols also added a very good recruiter in RB coach Stan Drayton, who was at Florida. John Chavis remains as DC.
Vanderbilt (0): Bobby Johnson has one of the best staffs around. Ted Cain is back as OC and Bruce Fowler is back at DC.
SEC WEST
Alabama (2): Major Applewhite went to Texas and Jim McElwain replaces him as offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was promoted to head defensive coach and Kirby Smart, the former Georgia defensive back, was promoted to defensive coordinator.
Arkansas (2): Bobby Petrino retained a couple of assistants from the old staff and hired his brother, Paul, as offensive coordinator. Ellis Johnson left Mississippi State and took the job as defensive coordinator, but left after a short time to go to South Carolina. Willy Robinson, a former DC with the San Francisco 49ers, is the new Hogs’ DC.
Auburn (2): Ron Borges is out as OC and has been replaced by Tony Franklin, a guru of the spread offense. Franklin began installing the offense last December. When Will Muschamp bolted for Texas, Paul Rhoads left Pittsburgh to take the DC job at Auburn.
LSU (1): Bo Pelini, the Tigers’ old DC, was so good that it took two men to replace him. Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto were promoted from within and made co-coordinators. Gary Crowton returns as OC.
Ole Miss (2): New coach Houston Nutt has put together a pretty good staff. Kent Austin, the former Rebels quarterback, returns to Oxford as OC. He knows the spread, but Nutt wants to run the ball. Ole Miss got a big coup in hiring Tyrone Nix as DC. Nix, who played at Southern Miss, is a great coach and knows the state as well as anyone.
Miss. State (1): When Ellis Johnson left for Arkansas, secondary coach Charlie Harbison was promoted to defensive coordinator. Louis Campbell, who was on the Arkansas staff as an administrative assistant, was hired as linebackers coach. Woody McCorvey is back as offensive coordinator.
Comments
By scooter11
March 13, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
No comment. It is what it is.
By Merculf
March 13, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this
This should be fun this year! oh, it’s Al Borges who left Auburn.
By Roswell Ed
March 13, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this
Did Auburn really replace its DC?
Tubs is still there isn’t he?
We’ve had how many DCs since Tubs got there and has the defense scheme and theme changed one bit?
And what ever happened to Joe Lee Dunn? Was there a team in the SEC that dude didn’t coach?
War Eagle!!
By Bamafan
March 13, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
Joe Lee Dunn got fired by the Memphis or Tiger High football coach in 06 or 07. I like bama’s new oc, so far they say he gets in the players face and I hope he can improve John Parker Wilson as a qb. The vols should had fired the defense backfield coach. ROLL TIDE!!!
By whitegoat
March 13, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
South Kakalaka is the best team in the country. By the way I love men.
By reservoirDAWG
March 13, 2008 9:59 AM | Link to this
I can’t wait for football.
By shane #1
March 13, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this
roswell ed,when a coach changes jobs a lot he is either very good or very bad.the jury is still out on petrino.i wonder if he will stay at ark long enough for us to find out if he is a good coach or not.tubby is defense minded,but don’t shortchsnge muschamp.imo he and applewhite will be hcs one day.tubby had some intresting ideas on teams that run the spread o that i read on another site.he likes a physical d,no suprise there,but he thinks that teams that run the spread risk losing the”smash mouth”nature of their defense because they don’t practice against a power offense.imo au will run a lot of spread os next year,but the power formations will still be used.i think he is being very wise,i would hate to see au lose there physical style of play.i love the au-uga games because they are always hard hitting,and usually close.
By Spike
March 13, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
I’m really struggling to make it to June, when the football magazines come out. I need to go to some football rehab place. Any ideas guys?
By t -in-a
March 13, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this
Ed,
You bring up a good point on Tubs and his DCs…which is one reason I question how good Muschamp really is.
At both LSU and Auburn, he has been nothing more than a liaison, as the head coach was really running the defense.
Texas is his chance to prove it.
By t -in-a
March 13, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this
Ed,
You bring up a good point on Tubs and his DCs…which is one reason I question how good Muschamp really is.
At both LSU and Auburn, he has been nothing more than a liaison, as the head coach was really running the defense.
Texas is his chance to prove it.
By KR
March 13, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
Roswell Ed: I’m beginning to think you’re not really an Auburn fan. Either that or you’re just not paying attention. When Will Muschamp left for Texas (I think that’s where he went), we pretty much had to replace the Defensive Coordinator.
Should be an interesting year on the Plains, with a new QB, OC and DC. It appears that ‘Bama is in a similar situation, except they kept their QB.
By techfan
March 13, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this
I think Tech with its new coaches will probably go undefeated as will Hawaii again. That will make a great showdown if those to could play for the National Championship. June will be mad he left Hawaii. Tech and Hawaii are going #1 and 2 next year. Mark my words.. Go Techand hello to all my alternative lifestyle wing beaters.
By Roswell Ed
March 13, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this
KR:
HUH?
By amelia island dawg
March 13, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this
So its going to be Tech and Hawaii..Well that settles it. Guess those two are going to be undefeated. Too bad Hawaii cant get a rematch against Ga .They would probably win this time.
By Techfan
March 13, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
Can I get a shout out or will somebody beat their wings for me and respond to the comments of the alternative behive boys???
By 78 Dawg
March 13, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this
Tech is so dumb thinking they hired a “good” coach. Johnson couldn’t coach peewee football in Athens.
By 78 Dawg
March 13, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this
Techfan Why are you on here talking about yech? you are jealous and secretly in love with the DAWGS. Either talk about the DAWGS or go back to your calcalus and ugly girls. You all like boys
By 78 Dawg
March 13, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this
Techfan Why are you on here talking about yech? you are jealous and secretly in love with the DAWGS. Either talk about the DAWGS or go back to your calcalus and ugly girls. You all like boys
By KR
March 13, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this
Roswell Ed asks: KR:
HUH?
Did Auburn really replace its DC? Yes
Tubs is still there isn’t he? Yes
We’ve had how many DCs since Tubs got there and has the defense scheme and theme changed one bit? **Truthfully, I’ve lost count. But Auburn’s defensive style goes back much further than Tuberville. It hasn’t changed much since the Pat Dye era.
It’s nice that you love our head coach so much, but it does start to be a bit creepy after a while.**
WAR EAGLE!
By Roswell Ed
March 13, 2008 2:29 PM | Link to this
KR:
Do you have some kind of mental disability?
I know we have a new DC. All I’m saying is that nothing will change.
I know the DC name is Paul Rhoades.
I know he was at Pitt for 8 years.
I know he is from Iowa.
My point is that no matter who our DC is Tubs will still run the same defense.
I can’t believe you are so freaking dumb that I have to explain that to you.
Hey everyone else is it just me or is this dude a dumbar$e?
By Shrink
March 13, 2008 2:50 PM | Link to this
It’s you.
By reservoirDAWG
March 13, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this
Tony, can you give us some updates from the schools that are in spring practice already?
By UT96
March 13, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this
Bamafan, you’re right about our DB coach but Chavis(DC) is to blame too. He doesn’t let our DB’s play press man to man coverage and often puts them in bad postions to make plays.
By UT96
March 13, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this
Bamafan, you’re right about our DB coach but Chavis(DC) is to blame too. He doesn’t let our DB’s play press man to man coverage and often puts them in bad positions to make plays.
By shane #1
March 13, 2008 6:31 PM | Link to this
with auburn,and so many others,installing some variation of the spread,i have been doing a lot of reading on the subject.it seems that there are ways to slow down this offense.1-go with the nickle,removing the sam linebacker.it helps if your dbs are sure tacklers,it’s the yards after catch that kill you.2-getting pressure with your down lineman is extremely important,with a blitz here and there to confuse their o line.tall,fast,des are a definate plus.they can drop back into coverage in the zone blitz to further confuse the o line,and the qb.pressure up the middle helps,as it does against any offense.3-control top with the run and the short pass.no team can score if you keep their o on the sidelines.uga played a couple of teams that ran the spread this year and were pretty good at it.i attended these games and i think constant pressure on the respective qbs,and a good running game,brought victory to the dawgs.football is a constant battle between the offense and defense,and i am old enough to have seen the scales tip one way or the other many times.i have seen the t formation,the wishbone,the veer,and many others come and go.the o makes a change and the d adjusts.that is the nature of football.
By Tubbs
March 13, 2008 7:00 PM | Link to this
Roswell Ed, have you ever seen a grown man naked? bet you have..
By RTR97
March 14, 2008 4:12 AM | Link to this
Ron Borges LMAO!
By yellowblood
March 14, 2008 6:37 AM | Link to this
We love the tripple-op here at Tech. We now hold Tickle Piles 1-clothed, 2-with jock straps only, or 3-naked. I prefer naked!!!
By coverup
March 14, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
You gotta be kidding me. The lead story across the country is this: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4443788&page=1 and there is NO MENTION of it anywhere on ajc.com. What a bunch of liars this publication is.