Lieutenants in demand

FAYETTEVILLE -- Some SEC teams went retro with their defensive coordinator hires after last season.

Will Muschamp is back as Auburn's defensive coordinator, the same position he held in 2006 and 2007.

After being Mississippi State's defensive coordinator in 2010, Manny Diaz holds that title again.

Jon Hoke, Steve Spurrier's defensive coordinator at Florida in 1999-2002 before being an NFL assistant for 13 seasons with Houston and Chicago, is now Spurrier's co-defensive coordinator at South Carolina.

Hoke and Lorenzo Ward, the former Arkansas assistant, are listed as co-coordinators and have the same $750,000 salary, Spurrier said Hoke will call the defenses during games.

Ward ran the defense the previous three seasons and things went pretty well with Jadevon Clowney rushing the passer, but Clowney left after the 2013 season when he was the NFL's No. 1 overall pick.

Last season, South Carolina ranked 94th nationally in total defense (432.7 yards per game) and 91st in scoring defense (30.4 points per game) when the Gamecocks fell to 7-6 after three consecutive 11-2 seasons.

"If you watched us play last year, we really struggled on defense," Spurrier said. "In fact, we gave up more yards and more points than any South Carolina team ever.

"That's where we were, so we had to make some changes."

South Carolina won 52-7 at Arkansas in 2013 during Bret Bielema's first season as the Razorbacks' coach. The Gamecocks didn't play Arkansas last season, but Spurrier noticed that under new defensive coordinator Robb Smith, Arkansas finished ninth nationally in scoring defense (19.2 ppg) and 10th in total defense (323.4 ypg) after being 89th (30.8 ppg) and 76th (413.4 ypg) in 2013.

"I think Bret showed you what sometimes changing a coordinator on defense can do," Spurrier said. "I mean, they went from a struggling defense to one of the best in the country.

"If we can do that, we're going to have a real good team this year."

Arkansas retained Smith -- who originally had a two-year contract at $500,000 -- by extending his deal two more years with a salary of $750,000 this year, $800,000 in 2016 and $850,000 in 2017.

Smith is among half of the SEC's defensive and offensive coordinators returning from last season. There are 14 new coordinators with 12 teams, including Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who resigned as Central Michigan's coach to join the Razorbacks.

In addition to Enos, Muschamp, Hoke and Diaz, other new SEC coordinators are:

• Florida's Doug Nusssmeier (offense) and Geoff Collins (defense)

• Georgia's Brian Schottenheimer (offense)

• Kentucky's Shannon Dawson (offense)

• LSU's Kevin Steele (defense)

• Missouri's Barry Odom (defense)

• Tennessee's Mike DeBord (offense)

• Texas A&M's John Chavis (defense)

• Vanderbilt's Andy Ludwig (offense) and Derek Mason (defense)

Mason hasn't been demoted. He's still the Commodores' coach, but after they finished 3-9 in his first season, including 0-8 in the SEC, Mason installed himself as defensive coordinator.

The three seasons before Mason came to Vanderbilt, he was the defensive coordinator at Stanford.

Mason said he interviewed several coaches for the defensive coordinator's job and was close to hiring someone from the NFL, then decided he was the best man for the job.

"There are several coaches across the country calling offensive plays," Mason said. "I believe there's an opportunity for a defensive coach as well, and this is that opportunity. I understand our talent, I understand schematically what I want to do, and I believe I understand how to compete with the offensive schemes we're seeing."

Muschamp, Florida's coach the previous four seasons, was the SEC's biggest coordinator hire. He was fired at Florida because of a 28-21 record, including 17-15 in conference play, but he previously excelled as a defensive coordinator at LSU, Auburn and Texas.

Auburn is paying Muschamp $1.6 million. He also will receive a $6.3 million buyout from Florida to be paid over the next four years.

Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn fired Ellis Johnson as defensive coordinator the day after Alabama beat the Tigers 55-44 in the regular-season finale and made Muschamp his No. 1 target, fending off other SEC teams to land him.

"A lot of people obviously wanted him," Malzahn said. "I think he's the best in the business at what he does. As soon as I decided to make a change, he was the guy I wanted."

Malzahn said he could see a big difference in the defense during spring practice with Muschamp in charge.

"He brings a lot of experience and a lot of trust," Malzahn said. "His expectations are extremely high. He holds the players accountable. He brings his 'A' game every day to every meeting, every practice, and our defensive guys really responded. They're taking on his personality."

Chavis, going into his 21st consecutive season as an SEC defensive coordinator after 14 years at Tennessee and six at LSU, added fire to the LSU-Texas A&M game by moving to the Aggies.

Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin said Chavis -- whose annual salary at Texas A&M is $1.7 million compared to the $1.3 million he received at LSU -- quickly rose to the top of his list of candidates to replace Bruce Mark Snyder after the Aggies finished 111th nationally in total defense (475.8 ypg) and 104th (450.8 ypg) the previous two seasons.

"John's a great fit for us, and I think we're a great fit for him," Sumlin said. "The buy-in from our defensive players has been great."

LSU Coach Les Miles said he has no hard feelings about Chavis' move to an SEC West rival.

"John's a very fine defensive coordinator and a quality person," Miles said. " The only thing I can tell you is we like Kevin Steele. We like how he'll run the defense here."

Steele, a former Baylor coach, was Alabama's linebackers coach last season.

"I think we'll be as productive as we've been," Miles said. "Certainly this makes it a little bit more competitive when you're looking across the way and you're seeing a guy whose been on your staff a couple of years, but Kevin Steele is very knowledgeable and very capable at coordinating.

"Our defense made an easy adjustment to Kevin Steele. We're still going to play fast and aggressive."

Schottenheimer, previously an NFL offensive coordinator with the New York Jets and St. Louis Rams and a former quarterback for Spurrier at Florida, is at Georgia to replace Mike Bobo, who was hired as Colorado State's coach.

"I was in almost every offensive planning meeting in the spring and I can assure you Coach Schottenheimer is a great teacher," Georgia Coach Mark Richt said. "He knows what he's doing. He has a great process of going about his business.

"I'm real comfortable with what he's bringing to the table."

Diaz, who last season at Louisiana Tech directed a defense that led the nation with 40 turnovers, is back at Mississippi State because Collins left for Florida.

Odom -- a former Missouri player, graduate assistant, director of football operations and safeties coach -- left Memphis to return to replace Dave Steckel, who is now Missouri State's coach.

Memphis finished 10-3 with Odom's unit ranking fifth nationally in scoring defense (17.1 ppg) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 ypg).

Arkansas will face Odom's Missouri defense in the regular-season finale.

"Barry knows how we do things here," Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel said. "We have specific ways of how we coach, how we teach, how we communicate, and for him the transition was remarkably easy.

"He's got great intensity, great focus. I think he communicates with the kids really, really well. I think they have great respect for him because he's very respectful to them."

Sports on 07/12/2015