2023 SEC head coach rankings: Kirby Smart top dog once again

The 2023 college football offseason is upon us, and as we wade into spring practice, it's time for some way-too-early predictions, rankings, etc.

The SEC features a variety of new faces at head coach, some of which made their mark in 2022 - LSU, Tennessee, and South Carolina being just a few teams who took a step forward under new guidance.

Now the league enters its final season pre-realignment, with Texas and Oklahoma making their way into the conference in 2024.

Here are our SEC head coach power rankings for 2023.

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Smart is 29-1 over the past two seasons along with two national titles. While not having to play Nick Saban or the Crimson Tide in 2022, it is difficult to argue that Smart should be anywhere but No. 1 because of his back-to-back championships.

Nick Saban, Alabama

Alabama has lost two games for two straight seasons for the first time since 2013-14, and 6-2 in SEC play for the first time since 2019.

The Crimson Tide feel due to return to the top of the mound, and if they manage to overcome the Bulldogs in 2023, it will be because of an impressive coaching job - two new coordinators and a new quarterback should give Saban all he can handle.

Brian Kelly, LSU

Kelly did the unthinkable and took the Tigers to the SEC championship game during his first season in Baton Rouge. There's expectation that Kelly finds a way to improve on his 10-4 year one record in 2023.

Josh Heupel, Tennessee

What was a magical season for the Volunteers ended with somewhat of a whimper - but there's no debating the fact that Heupel is one of the best offensive minds in the SEC. It's taken him two seasons to elevate the Vols back into contention for the SEC East.

The question is, can he maintain the success post-Hendon Hooker?

Shane Beamer, South Carolina

This will be a little high for some, but there's a strong argument to be made that Shane Beamer is one of the five best coaches in the league. He's exceeded expectations both years, picked up resume-building wins (Tennessee and Clemson last year) and has put the program in position to continue to rise.

Acquiring more talent is the next step.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky

Despite a disappointing 2022 season, Stoops still pilots one of the more stable programs in the SEC. Bringing back OC Liam Coen and dipping into the transfer portal to find some major impact players will allow the Wildcats to shine again under Stoops' watch.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Similar to Stoops, Pittman's 2022 down year should be somewhat of an anomaly. The defense has to get better, though. Losing to Liberty wasn't a pretty look, either.

Getting another crack at the SEC West with KJ Jefferson should produce solid results.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn

Freeze is a known commodity in the SEC, but enters an interesting situation on the Plains.

While there's an argument to be made that Freeze could find himself near the top or bottom five of the SEC, we think somewhere in the middle is fair until the Tigers show what they're made of.

Emptying the cabinet and showing out on the recruiting trail has given fans hope.

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

Recruiting is one side of the equation.

Not sure if there's much else going for Fisher, who is coming off of a shocking 5-7 campaign.

New OC Bobby Petrino needs to fix the offense. Fisher hasn't proven he can win anything significant in the SEC even with the plethora of talent at his fingertips.

If the offense does improve, many will argue whether or not Fisher should be credited - Petrino will be the catalyst, but Jimbo will have made the hire.

Regardless, he needs to modernize himself on the field.

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Kiffin has done wonders in the transfer portal for the Rebs, but a hard slide to end 2022 leaves fans questioning whether or not Kiffin will ever elevate Ole Miss past the mid-tier level they currently reside in.

He's a solid offensive-minded coach that balances his explosive offense with questionable decision making.

Billy Napier, Florida

Folks closer to Gainesville will tell you things aren't going well - the national landscape began to catch on after the Gators whiffed on landing high-profile QB Jaden Rashada.

Can Napier lead Florida past 6-7 in 2023 now that Anthony Richardson is gone? It's year two, so "wait-and-see" still feels like the best approach... but fans are already getting a bit restless after a sub-500 campaign.

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt

Lea almost brought Vanderbilt to bowl eligibility. With the way the Commodores roster is currently built, that was a borderline miracle.

He should be given a lot more respect heading into 2023.

Zach Arnett, Mississippi State

Arnett will likely find success at State. But because of his inexperience and situation, it's hard to realistically rank him higher without having seen a season with him at the helm.

Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

This feels like the wrong spot for Drinkwitz, as he isn't a terrible coach - but 17-19 in three seasons isn't what Mizzou fans have been hoping for.

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