For the first time since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007, there have been no head SEC head football coaching vacancies — neither by firing nor voluntary exit.
The same can’t be said for coordinator positions. An unusual number of assistant coaching departures have created a sea of turnover across the conference. Here is how they’ve shaped up so far:
Alabama
• Defensive coordinator: Tosh Lupoi → Sal Sunseri
Lupoi, who joined the Tide staff in 2015 and served as defensive coordinator for just one season, left to take a job on the NFL staff of the Cleveland Browns. Reports suggest Saban was bringing Sal Sunseri back to Tuscaloosa to replace Lupoi. Sunseri had been Florida's defensive line coach. He was the linebackers coach and assistant head coach at Alabama from 2009-11.
• Offensive coordinator: Mick Locksley → Steve Sarkisian
Locksley left to become head coach at Maryland. A number of Tide offensive assistants (Brent Key to Georgia Tech; Josh Gattis to Michigan; Dan Enos to Miami) quickly followed. Sarkisian, who was fired by the Atlanta Falcons Dec. 31, returns to lead the offense. Offensive analyst Butch Jones, the former head coacha at Tennessee, remains.
Auburn
• Offensive coordinator: Chip Lindsey → Kenny Dillingham
Lindsey left Auburn to become the offensive coordinator at Kansas, before spurning the Jayhawks to become the head coach at Troy. Auburn hired Memphis offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham to the same position.
Georgia
• Defensive coordinator: Mel Tucker
Tucker joined Kirby Smart's staff at Georgia in 2016. He left to be Colorado's head coach. Two assistant coaches followed Tucker to the Buffaloes.
• Offensive coordinator: Jim Chaney → James Coley
Jim Chaney, who served as Georgia's offensive coordinator for three seasons, left the Bulldogs for the same position at Tennessee. Coley, who served as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2018, was promoted to the coordinator spot.
Mississippi
• Defensive coordinator: Wesley McGriff → Mike MacIntyre
McGriff was fired by Ole Miss coach Matt Luke in November after two seasons of the Rebels underperforming in most defensive statistical categories. Mike MacIntyre, who was fired after six seasons as Colorado's head coach, replaces McGriff.
• Offensive coordinator: Phil Longo → Rich Rodriguez
Longo left Oxford for the same position with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rodriguez, who has been the head coach at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona, replaces Longo.
Tennessee
• Offensive coordinator: Tyson Helton → Jim Chaney
Helton left Knoxville after one season to become the head coach at Western Kentucky. Chaney, who previously coached at Tennessee under Derek Dooley, spent the past three seasons as Georgia's offensive coordinator.
Vanderbilt
• Offensive coordinator: Andy Ludwig
Ludwig had coached in Nashville since 2015. He left to take the same position at Utah, where he called plays for an unbeathed Utes team in 2008.
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