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Ranking every SEC football coach ahead of SEC Media Days: Where does Butch Jones stand?

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shakes hands with head coach Butch Jones of the Tennessee Volunteers after their 49-10 win at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shakes hands with head coach Butch Jones of the Tennessee Volunteers after their 49-10 win at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 10: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs explains a play during the game against the Nicholls Colonels at Sanford Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 10: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs explains a play during the game against the Nicholls Colonels at Sanford Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Kirby Smart is the epitome of an unproven coach after one year at the helm who has done everything right up to that point.

This includes a decent first year to get to 8-5, retaining a lot of talent, and then securing a top 5 recruiting class.

The former Nick Saban assistant now enters this year being judged on his merits as a coach, not just as a recruiter.

Until then, though, he’s already done enough to be ahead of numerous coaches in the conference.

Smart was 8-5 in his first year with the Dawgs and very easily could have gone 11-2. Don’t forget that he suffered fluke losses to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Vanderbilt Commodores and saw his team give up a Hail Mary to lose to the Tennessee Vols.

Following that up with the No. 2 recruiting class in the SEC and the No. 3 recruiting class in the country combined with all the talent Mark Richt left him means he’s clearly done a good job getting the program into great shape.

Now, it’s just on him to start winning.

Smart is at a point with the program where you could really judge him on his second year. Other coaches do need a bit more time, but he has no reason not to have the Dawgs competing at a high level this year.

Because of everything else he’s done, he’s already a middle of the pack SEC coach. This year shows if he’s an elite coach or if he belongs back near the bottom.

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