Whatchoo talkin’ about, Willis?

The gospel according to HeismanPundit:

YOU: But – thank God! – help is on the way for the millions of souls who despair over the current state of SEC football. According to HP, the SEC is going to have no choice but to play catch up with Meyer’s exotic spread offense. Fortunately, the process has already started at LSU, where “… the issue has apparently been settled in Les Miles’ mind.” Les Miles? Well, count me as convinced.

>>>>Well, it should convince you. A major SEC program is not hiring another SEC offensive coordinator. [Emphasis added.] It is going outside the conference and choosing an OC who runs a style similar to what Florida runs. If that doesn’t convince you that there is change afoot in the SEC on offense, well, then you can’t be convinced.

I just thought I’d do a little fact checking on HP’s assertion that Les Miles’ hiring of Gary Crowton, who’s coming from Oregon, is not your run of the mill SEC hire – in other words, that SEC schools rarely go outside the conference to find coaches to run their offenses.

Here’s the info on the current SEC head coaches, their offensive coordinators and the places these men last worked at before their hires that I obtained from the member schools’ websites:

• Alabama – HC Nick Saban (NFL); no OC listed currently
• Arkansas – HC Houston Nutt (Boise State); OC David Lee (NFL)
• Auburn – HC Tommy Tuberville (Mississippi); OC Al Borges (Indiana)
• Florida – HC Urban Meyer (Utah); OC Dan Mullen (Utah)
• Georgia – HC Mark Richt (FSU); OC Mike Bobo (Georgia)
• Kentucky – HC Rich Brooks (NFL); OC Joker Phillips (Kentucky)
• LSU – HC Les Miles (Oklahoma State); OC Gary Crowton (Oregon)
• Mississippi – HC Ed Orgeron (Southern California); OC Dan Werner (Miami)
• Mississippi State- HC Sylvester Croom (NFL); OC Woody McCorvey (Tennessee)
• South Carolina – HC and OC Steve Spurrier (NFL)
• Tennessee – HC Phil Fulmer (Tennessee); OC David Cutcliffe (Mississippi)
• Vanderbilt – HC Bobby Johnson (Furman); OC Ted Cain (Furman)

There are twenty two names on that list. Five have SEC schools next to their names.  (If you want to get technical, it’s actually four, since Cutcliffe’s last position was on the staff at Notre Dame when he left on short notice due to his health.)

Yep, that Les Miles is a real groundbreaker.

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