Are Mullen, Howland and Cohen Now the Strongest Trio of Coaches in the SEC?
Jun 24, 2013; Omaha, NE, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach John Cohen (11, center) is interviewed by ESPN before game 1 of the College World Series finals against the UCLA Bruins at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
I almost can’t believe I’m suggesting it, but with the addition of Ben Howland as head basketball coach, does Mississippi State now have the SEC’s strongest group of coaches in the big three sports?
Let’s take a look in alphabetical order…
Alabama
Nick Saban – he’s the best
???? – can’t judge that yet
Mitch Gaspard – pretty good, but nothing special
Arkansas
Bret Bielema – very solid
Mike Anderson – very solid
Dan Van Hord – very solid
Auburn
Gus Malzahn – very solid
Bruce Pearl – very solid again
Sunny Galloway – very solid yet again
Florida
Jim McElwain – we don’t really know yet
Billy Donovan – exceptional
Kevin O’Sullivan – very very good
Georgia
Mark Richt – very good
Mark Fox – pretty good
Scott Stricklin – solid
Kentucky
Mark Stoops – he’s alright
John Calipari – maybe the best there is
Gary Anderson – meh
LSU
Les Miles – opinions can be mixed, but he’s got a championship
Johnny Jones – pretty good
Paul Mainieri – excellent
Mississippi
Hugh Freeze – good
Andy Kennedy – good
Mike Bianco – good
Mississippi State
Dan Mullen – very good
Ben Howland – very good to great
John Cohen – very solid
Missouri
Gary Pinkel – really good
Kim Anderson – meh
Tim Jamieson – decent
South Carolina
Steve Spurrier – all time great
Frank Martin – thought to be good, but maybe not so much
Chad Holbrook – solid
Tennessee
Butch Jones – good
Donnie Tyndall – pretty good
Dave Serrano – solid
Texas A&M
Kevin Sumlin – solid
Billy Kennedy – pretty good
Rob Childress – solid
Vanderbilt
Derek Mason – not so hot
Kevin Stallings – solid
Tim Corbin – exceptional
After going through all these coaches and what they’ve accomplished, I think there’s only three schools that have an argument to be made here:
- Auburn
- LSU
- Arknasas
Every other team may have a national champion winning coach in one, or maybe two of their sports, but there is still one sport lagging behind. I think Auburn makes the strongest case because Gus Malzahn has already played for a national title, Bruce Pearl has been to a handful of Sweet 16s and Sonny Galloway had a pretty stellar career at Oklahoma including a trip to Omaha.
But…I do think Mississippi State has the strongest trio of coaches in the SEC. Dan Mullen (2014), Ben Howland (2002) and John Cohen (2006) have all received an award for national coach of the year. Mullen has reached #1 in the nation (for 35% of the season), while Howland and Cohen have each played for a national championship. They’ve combined for seven conference coach of the year awards in six difference conferences. No other school in the league can say they have current coaches who’ve reached a BCS/New Year’s Six bowl, Final Four and College World Series.
What Scott Stricklin and Greg Byrne have put together for the big three at MSU is pretty incredible, and very exciting moving forward. Even the non-revenue sports have excellent coaching, and are starting to win at a record pace. It’s an exciting time to be a Bulldog!