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USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Grading each SEC football head coach ahead of the 2025 season
Grading each SEC football head coach ahead of the 2025 season With the 2024 season now in the past, it is time to sharpen the pencils and break out the playbooks for the Southeastern Conference's head coaches. Once again, there is no shortage of genius playcallers in the conference this season. From head coaches looking to prove they can compete with the best teams in the league to successful masterminds aiming to reach the apex of college football, every coach is looking to make a long-lasting impression in 2025. Last year, the conference saw a record-breaking 13 of 16 teams appear in the postseason, with three of them making the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Now, a new season looms on the horizon, and with that comes the opportunity to showcase why the SEC is the most dominant conference in the country. With nine programs ranked in the top 10 strength of schedule rankings via ESPN, the league's coaches will have their work cut out for them this year. Here are the back-to-school rankings for every SEC head coach as we near the 2025 campaign: Kirby Smart, Georgia (A+) The cream of the crop in the SEC starts with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Entering his 10th year with the Bulldogs, his resume speaks for itself. He's helped bring three SEC Championships and two College Football Playoff National Championships to the program, while also sending 52 players to the NFL. Last season, he led Georgia to an 11-3 (6-2 SEC) record and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, where the Fighting Irish eventually defeated the Dawgs 23-10 to eliminate the program from the 2024 College Football Playoff. Smart will be laser-focused on rewriting the wrongs from last year's ventures and bringing UGA back to the top of the mountain. Steve Sarkisian, Texas (A+) Love or hate him, it does not matter. With just one year under his belt coaching in the SEC, Steve Sarkisian has propelled himself and the Texas Longhorns program into the elite category in the conference. Heading into his fourth year in Austin, Texas, Sarkisian boasts a 71-49 overall record with one SEC Championship appearance and a bid to the CFP last year. Sarkisian will have his work cut out for him this year, however. Texas lost many integral players to the 2025 NFL Draft, like Quinn Ewers, Kelvin Banks Jr. and Matthew Golden. If Sarkisian wants to secure his first SEC title as a head coach, it will take developing quarterback Arch Manning and pulling out all the stops to renovate the offense. Brian Kelly, LSU (A) He may display cringeworthy antics at times, but there is no denying what Brian Kelly can do with the headset on and the playbook in hand. As the winningest coach in the conference, Kelly has accrued 313 total wins in his head coaching career. For Kelly, it is all about getting over the hump this season and leading the LSU Tigers back to where the program should be. That begins with the first game of the year on the road against the Clemson Tigers, who will also be extremely talented this season under tenured head coach Dabo Swinney. LSU has dropped five consecutive season openers, including three under Kelly. If he wants to get over the hump and keep the Tigers fanbase happy, it all starts with winning one game at a time. Josh Heupel, Tennessee (A) Possibly one of the greatest quarterback developers in the conference, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel does not get enough credit for the work he has done with the Volunteers over the last three years. After defeating Alabama for the second time in three years and reaching the 2024 College Football Playoff, there is no denying that Heupel is one of the elite coaches in the SEC and the country. Everything will be earned by Heupel's Vols this season, however. Multiple departures, including the loss of quarterback Nico Lamaleava, caused many holes in the projected starting lineup for Tennessee this season. Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar brings a plethora of experience, and under Heupel's system, has the potential to become one of the most underrated signal-callers in the conference this season. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama (A-) As much flak as Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is catching for not reaching the playoffs, you would believe that he is one of the worst coaches in the country. However, that is far from the truth, as DeBoer boasts an overall record of 113-16 in his head coaching career, including an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship with the Washington Huskies. Alas, the Crimson Tide fanbase is ready to break out the pitchforks and torches, without taking a second to realize the shoes that had to be filled following Nick Saban's retirement from coaching at Alabama. If DeBoer does not make the playoffs, you can bet it will become more hostile in Tuscaloosa. He's a better coach than most give him credit for, and he could very well lead the Crimson Tide back to where they belong this season with a plethora of talent on the roster. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (A-) Whether he is hurling clipboards into the air or telling folks to get their popcorn ready, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has brought the Rebels out of the SEC gutter and into the national spotlight. His mastermind coaching ability has led to 28 players being drafted out of Oxford, including a program record of eight in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, there are some places that Kiffin needs to improve if he seeks to get the Rebels into the CFP this season. Like Kelly, Kiffin struggles when it comes to getting over the hump. There have been multiple instances in which Ole Miss had the opportunity to lock down a position in Atlanta, but just could not find a way to come up clutch, including winning five consecutive games to start last season before losing to Kentucky at home. The lack of a clutch factor is one of the only things stopping Kiffin from being among Smart and Sarkisian at the top of this list. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri (A-) Eli Drinkwitz is one of the most underrated coaches in the country for what he's done for the program in CoMo. For the third time in program history, Drinkwitz led his Missouri Tigers to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2024, which was capped off with a 27-24 victory over Iowa in the Music City Bowl. The Tigers have a very favorable schedule again this year, which could spell much success for Drinkwitz and company in 2025. However, multiple losses like experienced quarterback Brady Cook and exceptional wideout Luther Burden III leave the Mizzou offense looking for answers this offseason. The addition of former Penn State backup gunslinger Beau Pribula is nice, but only time will tell if Drinkwitz can lead this team to a CFP appearance for the first time in school history. Shane Beamer, South Carolina (B+) Through four years with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Shane Beamer has showcased his ability to take the program back to the top of the mountain. He has won more games (29-22) through four seasons than any other head coach in school history, while also leading the Gamecocks to three bowl appearances in four years and two wins over in-state rival Clemson Tigers. Beamer Ball is making huge waves throughout the conference, making South Carolina a team nobody wants to face, especially on the road. LaNorris Sellers returns as one of the most athletic and talented quarterbacks in the country. At the same time, the Gamecocks' defensive unit under Beamer in 2025 looks to be one of the best the Gamecocks have displayed on the gridiron in a long time. However, it will take consistency, despite a challenging schedule, to secure a spot in the CFP. Mike Elko, Texas A&M (B+) Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko walked into Bryan-College Station, Texas, in his first year and made an immediate impact on the program. Instantly, he turned the Aggies into a contender for the SEC Championship. If it were not for a couple of late slip-ups, he would have become just the third head coach in the conference's history to lead their respective teams to the SEC title game in their first season at the helm. That is just hypothetical, however. Elko is a brilliant mind who knows how to recruit and develop players, as evidenced by the rapid growth of quarterback Marcel Reed toward the end of the 2024 campaign. Elko will have another shot to rewrite the wrongs against the likes of Notre Dame and Texas on the road this season. If he can get the Aggies rolling, he could shoot up this list in a hurry. Hugh Freeze, Auburn (B) There are some people, including the members of the Auburn Tigers fanbase, who believe that Hugh Freeze's stint at Auburn has been disappointing so far. At a program that believes in success and invests so much into making superstars on the gridiron, the expectations are high, as they should be. Since being named the head coach, Freeze has went 11-13 with a 5-11 league record, including losses against New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. That is a sentiment to his inconsistency so far on the Plains. However, Freeze has recruited well and this year's team looks to be the best one in a while for the Tigers. There is no more excuses, it is time for him to win at Auburn. Billy Napier, Florida (B-) When a coach inherits a program like the Florida Gators, the expectations of success are to be competing for titles. For the last couple of years under head coach Billy Napier, the program has been lucky just to reach six wins, much to the disappointment of the entire fanbase. He holds a 19-19 record with just eight conference wins since he was hired in 2022. There were signs of a potential turnaround at the end of last season, as the Gators claimed huge victories over Ole Miss and the school's first bowl game win since 2019 against Tulane in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. Napier has one of the most athletic quarterbacks in DJ Lagway returning for his sophomore year in Gainesville. The potential of the roster could secure Napier another season, but if the Gators are not able to get back to winning more than six games, the writing could be written on the wall for his tenure at Florida. Brent Venables, Oklahoma (B-) Brent Venables' third year at the helm for the Oklahoma Sooners was filled with ups and downs. Positives? The program stunned the Crimson Tide in Norman last season, which provided Venables with one of his biggest victories of his head coaching career so far. Negatives? Inconsistency on both sides of the ball and poor coaching in moments led to a 6-7 record and a 21-20 loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. Point being, the Sooners have not been able to break the glass ceiling and reach the apex of college football in a few years. Venables' decisions, specifically involving the quarterback position, put the program in a bad position throughout the entirety of last season. Now, it is time for Venables to face the music and take the talented roster back to success. If he is not able to achieve such a feat, we could see the end of the Venables era before we know it. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (C+) If there is one coach on this list who deserves his flowers for what they have been able to do at the helm, it is Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea. With the helpful addition of signal-caller Diego Pavia last season, Lea helped lead the Dores to a historic win over No. 1 Alabama and the school's first bowl game victory since 2013, in a 35-27 win over Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl. Is there more magic left in the tank in Nashville? That is still to be seen. However, Lea has done an excellent job establishing a talented roster in preparation of the upcoming season, including retaining Pavia for one more year. The defensive unit still needs some work, but SEC teams should beware of the Dores in 2025. Arkansas, Sam Pittman (C-) The Sam Pittman era at Arkansas has been anything but spectacular. His inconsistency has led to a rapidly increasing dissatisfaction among the Razorbacks' fan base, who are clamoring for an opportunity to break through in a revamped era of college football finally. Pittman has yet to truly find his footing with the Hogs, despite finding a way to reach nine wins in 2021. The type of consistency, or lack thereof, produced by Pittman might be allowed or even celebrated in other conferences, but this is the SEC. If he wants to stay in Fayetteville for longer, he will need some help to take Arkansas to the next level. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino definitely could help, but it might be too late for Pittman. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State (D+) After finishing 2024 with just two wins, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby received more hatred than well-wishes from fans. The Bulldogs may not be a blue-blood program in football, but they do produce a plethora of talent and always finish amongst the middle of the pack in the conference. Usually, this is a team that most fear playing, especially on the road. That has not been the case lately, however. Lebby has been tasked with revamping a program that has gone through more hardships and adversity than any other in the conference, bar none. He has a sneaky-good offensive roster, with an experienced group of transfers blocking for the returning gunslinger, Blake Shapen. It might not be this year, but Lebby will find a way to get the Dawgs back to complete form in the next couple of years. Mark Stoops, Kentucky (D) Finally, we reach the bottom of the list with Kentucky's Mark Stoops. Well, we have some work to do. The complete decline of this program has been one of the most disappointing things to watch. Have you ever felt such dissatisfaction when your favorite movie starts to end? Sometimes, you almost just want to restart the movie entirely because you love it so much. That is how it feels watching Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats. This is going to be a rough season in Lexington, and it will likely be one that the program will want to forget forever. Stoops is on one of the hottest seats in America, which will likely ignite into a wildfire if he is not able to turn this ship around. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas clinches Lone Star Showdown trophy for the 2024-25 school year over Texas A&M
Texas clinches Lone Star Showdown trophy for the 2024-25 school year over Texas A&M Texas has clinched the Cotton Lone Star Showdown trophy. The University of Texas Longhorns have clinched the 2024-25 Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown trophy, marking their seventh win in the rivalry series against Texas A&M. The annual competition, which includes all varsity men's and women's athletic events, was reimagined as the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown prior to the current season. The Longhorns secured an 11-5 lead in the point standings following a baseball series sweep over the weekend. With only 2 points left to be decided in men's and women's outdoor track and field at the SEC Championships on May 15-17, Texas has an insurmountable lead. The Lone Star Showdown began before the 2004-05 season and lasted until 2011-12. It was brought back as the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown for the 2024-25 season. Texas has now won the Lone Star Showdown in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, and Holdings sponsors all head-to-head sports contests between Texas and Texas A&M in Austin and College Station. They also sponsor the year-long scoring system that determines the annual Lone Star Showdown rivalry series trophy winner. The history between the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies began in 1894 with football. In 2011, Texas A&M joined the Southeastern Conference, which ended the schools' 118-year consecutive meetings. To continue the rivalry in other sports, the Lone Star Showdown was created in 2004. Each winner of a head-to-head matchup gets a point, and the school with the most points at the end of the year wins the series and the Lone Star Trophy.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Livvy Dunne & LSU Gymnastics Look to Advance to National Championship
Livvy Dunne and the LSU Tigers Gymnastics team are set to face their toughest test of the season as they look to advance to the National Championship. On Thursday afternoon, the Tigers will face off against the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans, No. 5 Utah Utes and No. 4 UCLA Bruins. The top-two teams from the meet will advance to the National Championship while the other two will be sent home just one step short of their ultimate goal. Livvy Dunne - Instagram This will easily be the hardest meet of the season for the Tigers. They've duked it out with No. 1 Oklahoma in the PMAC (and won) and won one of the toughest SEC Championships to date, but there's nothing like facing three top-10 teams with a trip to the National Championship on the line. Luckily, they've been there before. Quite a few times, actually. Advertisement The LSU Tigers are looking to make their third consecutive National Championship. In 2023, they were plagued with injuries, but somehow managed to sneak in. They were only able to manage fourth place, but it was a great result considering the circumstances. However, a year later, they stayed pretty healthy and were able to make it back to Fort Worth, where they dominated, winning the program's first championship by nearly four tenths. Experience goes a long way, but there will still be plenty of nerves when the Tigers take the floor on Thursday. Of their three opponents, the Utah Utes are going to be their biggest challenge. They're the No. 4 team in the country and have an NQS average of 197.780, which is .335 lower than the Tigers' average. UCLA is right on Utah's tail with an NQS average of 197.680. Both of these squads advanced from their section of the bracket with a 197.825 and 197.625 respectively in the Regional Final. Michigan State is a team the Tigers are pretty familiar with now. They faced off with each other in the Penn State Regional Final, with LSU coming out on top, but not by much. The Spartans put together one of their best meets of the season, earning a 198.000 to finish just .050 behind the Tigers. If they can replicate that performance, things will get very interesting in Fort Worth. This should be a very entertaining meet that could very well come down to the last routine. We don't know which event the Tigers will start on yet, but ending on floor or vault would be ideal. Really just anything but beam. Related: Details Surrounding Kyren Lacy's Death Revealed By Authorities Related: Jayden Daniels Mourns Kyren Lacy in Emotional Tribute After LSU Receiver Found Dead
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
NCAA Women's Gymnastics Postseason Tournament Begins Wednesday
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - APRIL 20: Louisiana State University receive their National Championship trophy ... More after the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on April 20, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Aric Becker/) The journey to the 2025 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships begins on April 2. Thirty-six programs have successfully advanced to the postseason tournament, with the first four teams competing Wednesday. Over the next five days, the regional field will be whittled down from 36 to eight teams. The top eight teams will advance to the 2025 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, set for April 17-19, where they'll vie for coveted positions to compete in the season finale: the 'Four on the Floor.' Determined by their finishes at this week's competitions, top individual gymnasts from non-qualifying teams will also earn berths. Four all-around gymnasts and 16 event specialists will advance to compete in Texas. In a historic development, the defending National Champion LSU Tigers claimed the No. 1 overall seed after their impressive win at the 2025 SEC Championships. This marks the first time the Tigers have entered the postseason as the sport's top dog. It's also the first time since 2014 that the Oklahoma Sooners aren't the top seed. While the Tigers, Sooners, and top SEC teams battled in late March, the No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks sat at home. Due to a formatting change spurred by conference realignment, the Razorbacks were controversially excluded from competing at the 2025 SEC Championships. Coach Jordyn Wieber's hungry squad will likely have a chip on its shoulder this postseason. Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles and the No. 5 UCLA Bruins also enter the week with significant momentum. The Bruins impressed at March's Big Ten Championships, claiming the title and posting the highest conference score of the weekend (higher than No. 1 LSU's). Jade Carey, Chiles' fellow Olympic Champion, has had nothing short of a historic career – but an NCAA title still eludes her. Carey looks to lead her Oregon State Beavers to the NCAA Championships for the program's first appearance since 2019. This week's Regional Championships span the country, with four programs hosting the qualifiers: the University of Alabama, Penn State University, the University of Utah, and the University of Washington. The time for falls and slip-ups is no more. Stuck landings are non-negotiable. The top two teams from each regional semifinal will move on to the regional final. From there, the top two teams in the regional final advance to nationals. If you finish third, your season is over. This may not be 'March Madness,' but trust me – there will be madness. In 2022, LSU struggled in the second round, falling to underdogs Missouri and Iowa to end their title hopes. Just last season, perennial powerhouse Oklahoma famously collapsed in the NCAA Semifinal round, ending their historic season without the ultimate crown. Gymnastics is one of the most unforgiving and unpredictable sports. Anything's possible when you mix a uniquely challenging sport with postseason pressure. Determined on the first-ever NCAA Gymnastics Selection Show broadcast on ESPNU, the seedings and competition schedule are as follows: Play-in: Thursday, April 3 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Clemson vs. Rutgers Semifinal I: Friday, April 4 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 6 Cal No. 11 Alabama North Carolina Iowa Semifinal II: Friday, April 4 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 3 Florida No. 14 Oregon State NC State (Play-in Winner) Play-in: Wednesday, April 2 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Maryland vs. West Virginia Semifinal I: Thursday, April 3 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 8 Michigan State No. 9 Kentucky Ohio State Penn State Semifinal II: Thursday, April 3 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 1 LSU No. 16 Arkansas Michigan (Play-in Winner) Play-in: Wednesday, April 2 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+ BYU vs. Utah State Semifinal I: Thursday, April 3 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 5 UCLA No. 12 Minnesota Southern Utah Boise State Semifinal II: Thursday, April 3 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 4 Utah No. 13 Stanford Denver (Play-in Winner) Play-in: Thursday, April 3 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+ Illinois vs. UC Davis Semifinal I: Friday, April 4 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 7 Missouri No. 10 Georgia Arizona Arizona State Semifinal II: Friday, April 4 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ No. 2 Oklahoma No. 15 Auburn Nebraska (Play-in Winner)
Fox News
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Olivia Dunne celebrates LSU gymnastics' 2nd straight SEC title: 'Purple reign 4ever'
LSU women's gymnastics remained the program to beat in the SEC on Saturday as the Tigers claimed their second consecutive conference championship. LSU was the No. 2 team going into the tournament and topped No. 1 Oklahoma with a score of 198.200. The Sooners scored a 197.925 and the Florida Gators scored a 197.825. Lexi Zeiss, Ashley Cowan and Kailin Chio started off strong on the bars. Sierra Ballard and Kylie Coen added to the score with solid performances on the beam. Konnor McClain, Haileigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan each scored at least a 9.925. Each contributed to the team's 49.450 total score, which the school said was the highest score on the beam in LSU's history at the SEC Championships. LSU scored 49.625 on the floor and 49.525 on vault to secure the win. Bryant won the individual SEC All-Around title for the second straight year with a total score of 39.725. Olivia Dunne, who has been sidelined with an injury, celebrated on social media. "Purple reign 4ever," she wrote on her Instagram Stories. She also shared a video of confetti raining down onto the floor as she and her teammates celebrated the conference title victory. LSU will look to pull off back-to-back NCAA championships and become the first to do so since Oklahoma pulled it off in 2022 and 2023. Last year, Bryant also won the all-around. She could be the first to pull off back-to-back individual all-around titles since Oklahoma's Maggie Nichols did it in 2018 and 2019. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
