Where Steve Sarkisian, Will Muschamp Rank Among SEC's Best Coaching Staffs

There is perhaps no sport where the coaching staff is more important than college football. Between recruiting, player development and play calling, college football coaches are more responsible for their team's success than any other.

College football dynasties have always been founded on legendary coaches. From Knute Rockne to Nick Saban, nailing a coaching hire has always been a team's best chance at turning into a national title contender.

So where do Texas' head coach Steve Sarkisian and new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp rank in this year's Southeastern conference? The edge rusher, running back, defensive tackle, wide receiver, linebacker, tight end, cornerback, safety rooms, offensive lines and quarterbacks of the conference have already been ranked.

Ranking the SEC's Best Coaching Staffs

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer calls a play during the Alabama A-Day spring football scrimmage game | David Leong-Imagn Images

No. 16: Arkansas Razorbacks

Ryan Silverfield is coming off of several successful but not truly impressive seasons in Memphis, which is a cushy, resource-rich position in the American Conference. It is hard for Razorbacks fans to get excited about him, offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey or defensive coordinator Ron Roberts.

No. 15: Kentucky Wildcats

New Kentucky Wildcat head coach Will Stein makes remarks as he is introduced at Kentucky | Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Will Stein led impressive Oregon offenses from 2022-2025 and is making up for his lack of SEC experience by hiring Joe Sloan, who was LSU's offensive coordinator last season and Jay Bateman, Texas A&M's defensive coordinator under Mike Elko. Still, this is Stein's first season coaching in the South and his first season as a head coach, so there are sure to be some growing pains.

No. 14: South Carolina Gamecocks

Shane Beamer remains as enigmatic as ever, joined once again by defensive coordinator Clayton White for the pair's sixth season in Columbia. It is a make-or-break kind of year for the tandem, with new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles hopefully providing the Gamecocks the spark they need to prove themselves.

No. 13: Florida Gators

Jon Sumrall took the Tulane Green Wave to back-to-back American Conference Championships in the two seasons he was there, meaning he did more than Silverfield did deapite having less resources. While he will certainly have his struggles adjusting to the SEC from the group of six, Florida is doing what they can to help him by shelling out for Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White.

No. 12: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby on field against the Missouri Tigers during the first half of the game | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Jeff Lebby's 7-18 overall record is far from impressive, however his jump from a 2-10 2024 to a 5-8 2025 is. The Bulldogs should take another step up in his third season with his first quarterback recruit to become the starter, Kamario Taylor, taking the reigns and previously successful defensive coordinator Zach Arnett coming back.

No. 11: Ole Miss Rebels

Little is known about what kind of head coach Pete Golding will be, however his ability to keep the Rebels rolling despite the Lane Kiffin situation last certainly deserves its props. Golding and Ole Miss will struggle some to learn life after Lane, however they have gotten off to a great start by bringing in the No. 2 ranked transfer portal class.

No. 10: Auburn Tigers

Alex Golesh will have the easiest adjustment period of any new SEC coach as not only is he bringing offensive coordinator Joel Gordon and quarterback Byron Murphy with him from USF, but also another 12 former Bulls players. He also made his life easier by retaining defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who has gained a reputation for being a great recruiter and no doubt helped the Tigers bring in the No. 9 transfer portal class this offseason.

No. 9: Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts to a call during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mike Elko has never had a bad season as a head coach but has also never had an elite season. The Aggies did go 11-2 last season but lost to Texas, the only top-seven SEC team they played and were embarrassed 10-3 by the Miami Hurricanes in the playoffs.

No. 8: Vanderbilt Commodores

The Commodores are occupying a spot in the SEC's mid-tier that they have not since at least when James Franklin was the head coach, largely due to the efforts of head coach Clark Lea and offensive coordinator Tim Beck. 2026 will be a prove-it year for the duo as they lost Heisman-candidate quarterback Diego Pavia and are now relying on true freshman passer Jared Curtis to run their funky, vintage offense.

No. 7: Missouri Tigers

The Missouri brass have been rewarded for standing by Eli Drinkiwitz through a poor start to his tenure as he has gone 29-10 over his last three seasons. While he has yet to bring the Tigers to a true SEC-title contention, he has certainly made them into consistent winners.

No. 6: Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables works with players during a Sooners football spring practice | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brent Venables was at serious risk of getting fired after a rocky 2024 season, but came back in a big way last year, largely thanks to new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. With highly-touted transfer quarterback John Mateer set for a fully healthy 2026, the Sooners could be in for an even bigger season.

No. 5: Tennessee Volunteers

Josh Heupel was one of the first offensive play callers to fully adopt the veer-and-shoot offense, which is now being run in some form by almost half of the SEC. That has helped him turn the Volunteers into perennial winners, something they should be able to build off of with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles taking the reigns.

No. 4: Alabama Crimson Tide

Kalen DeBoer is not Nick Saban, but he has been extremely successful in Tuscaloosa and has kept the Crimson Tide in national title contention. He is returning long-time subordinate offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and popular defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, meaning that barring some major disaster, Alabama will once again be on the shortlist of the best teams in college football.

No. 3: LSU Tigers

LSU's new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

For all of Lane Kiffin's faults, he wins, which smooths everything over. He is bringing offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and handily the best transfer class in the country to Baton Rouge while retaining defensive coordinator Blake Baker, priming the Tigers to have a great year in spite of their turbulent offseason.

No. 2: Texas Longhorns

Steve Sarkisian has yet to bring the Longhorns to the national title game, but is the only coach to reach the national semifinal twice in the past three seasons. This year is likely make-or-break fone or him as Texas' sky-high standards have been raised even higher thanks to him bringing the best transfer class in Texas football history and SEC-veteran defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

No. 1: Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Bulldogs have not won a playoff game since they won back-to-back national titles, but Smart has had a very respectable 36-6 record since then and remains the only head coach in the SEC who has won a national title.

Offensive play-caller Mike Bobo is at a much greater risk of getting fired, as his good, not great offenses have drawn the ire of many fans in Athens.

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