Death Valley Voice
Fansided

SEC football: Top 5 head coaches

By Geoffrey Godfrey

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next

Nov 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt coaches on the sideline during their game against the Auburn Tigers at Sanford Stadium. Georgia won 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

5. Mark Richt, University of Georgia

Record: 136-48
Bowl Record: 9-5
Championships and Awards: SEC Champion (`02,`05), SEC Eastern Division Champion (`02,`03,`05,`07,`11,`12), SEC Coach of the year (`02,`05)

The Georgia Bulldogs head coach just seems to be much more of a recruiter than a coach. He has turned out such NFL players as AJ Green, Matthew Stafford and Todd Gurley, but has failed to get over the hump and truly immerse his team into NCAA Championship contention.

More from Death Valley Voice

Richt experienced much more success in the earlier years of his time at the program, and many of those successful seasons can be traced back to a talent-laden roster. Richt has a knack for putting together a solid team and not letting injuries run them off the tracks.

His most effective trait is clearly his recruiting ability, going out in his back yard and picking up players from the surrounding areas; even crossing the “infamous” Florida-Georgia line.

Out of this entire list Richt is the most likely to jump to the NFL. If Richt had the coordinators that Alabama, Auburn or LSU has had, he would probably have at least one national title under his belt. He is clearly one of the most underrated coaches in all of college football, and is far too often overlooked.

With the stiff competition of the Southeastern Conference, even in the weaker SEC East, to have a constant winning team is a feat all in its own. Since 2001, Richt and the Bulldogs have only had one losing season; in 2010, also their only losing conference record since Richt took over at Georgia. If he could win when it mattered most, he might be higher on this list.

Next: No. 4: Steve Spurrier

Home/SEC News