Short answer: very. Long answer: well, let's find out, shall we?
Since Gary Pinkel arrived at Missouri in 2001, the Tigers have had to replace only four assistants from their nine on-field posts: offensive coordinator Dave Christensen and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after the 2008 season, safeties coach Barry Odom after the 2011 season and offensive coordinator David Yost after the 2012 season.
How abnormal is that among Missouri's new SEC brethren? Very.
The average SEC team has had used an average of 44 different coaches in its 10 on-field posts -- head coach, plus nine assistants -- since 2001.
Meaning, subbing out the original 10 staff members from 2001, the average SEC team has had to replace 34 coaches in the past 13 seasons.
Florida leads the league with 56 total coaches, 46 being replaced. All but Missouri and Georgia have had to replace more than 30.
See a common thread between the Bulldogs and Tigers? Those are the only two SEC schools that have had the same head coach since 2001.
Still, Georgia has had to replace 17 assistants in that time. Missouri only four.
If you want to see all of this represented in a spreadsheet, please do. But don't tell me if I missed anyone. My fragile psyche could not take it.
Before we delve into some numbers, a couple of notes on methodology.
Interims were not counted unless they lasted a whole season, like Vanderbilt's Robbie Caldwell in 2010 and Arkansas' John L. Smith in 2012.
If a coach was fired mid-season -- a la Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin in 2008 -- he and he alone was counted for that season, not the interims that took over for him.
If a coach changed position responsibilities within his tenure, he was not counted twice for the team's total, as he was not being replaced. If he left a team and came back for another stint later, he was counted twice.
A lot of these teams call their coaches weird things. I tried to make everyone fit into well-delineated categories...but sometimes it just didn't work.
And I have 2014 staffs included, but this is all still subject to change before next season. Vanderbilt, in particular, could still see a fair bit of turnover, and Georgia and Mississippi State are prominent schools with openings yet to be filled.
Asterisks denote things that have been reported, but not officially announced by the schools.
Maybe I'll update as this thing rolls along. Anyway, let's get going:
Total Coaches since 2001
Florida: 56
Ole Miss: 55
Texas A&M: 52
Mississippi State: 49
Alabama: 48
Arkansas: 48
Kentucky: 47
LSU: 45
Vanderbilt: 45
Tennessee: 44
Average: 43.86
Auburn: 42
South Carolina: 42
Georgia: 27
Missouri: 14
Head Coaches
Vanderbilt: 5
Arkansas: 4
Florida: 4
Kentucky: 4
Ole Miss: 4
Tennessee: 4
Texas A&M: 4
Average: 3.14
Alabama: 3
Auburn: 3
Mississippi State: 3
LSU: 2
South Carolina: 2
Georgia: 1
Missouri: 1
Average Seasons per Total Staff Turnover
Missouri: 32.5
Georgia: 7.65
Auburn: 4.06
South Carolina: 4.06
Average: 3.84
Tennessee: 3.82
LSU: 3.71
Vanderbilt: 3.71
Kentucky: 3.51
Alabama: 3.42
Arkansas: 3.42
Mississippi State: 3.33
Texas A&M: 3.10
Ole Miss: 2.89
Florida: 2.83
Precarious Positions
Auburn Offensive Coordinator
Noel Mazzone (2001); Bobby Petrino (2002); Hugh Nall (2003); Al Borges (2004-07); Tony Franklin (2008); Gus Malzahn (2009-11); Scot Loeffler (2012); Rhett Lashlee (2013-14)
Auburn Defensive Coordinator
John Lovett (2001); Gene Chizik (2002-04); David Gibbs (2005); Will Muschamp (2006-07); Paul Rhoads (2008); Ted Roof (2009-11); Brian VanGorder (2012); Ellis Johnson (2013-14)
Florida Offensive Coordinator
Buddy Teevens (assistant to Steve Spurrier, 2001); Ed Zaunbrecher (2002-03); Larry Fedora (2004); Dan Mullen (2005-08); Steve Addazio (2009-10); Charlie Weis (2011); Brent Pease (2012-13); Kurt Roper (2014)
Mississippi State Defensive Coordinator
Joe Lee Dunn (2001-02); Ron Cooper (2003); Ellis Johnson (2005-07); Charlie Harbison (2008); Carl Torbush (2009); Manny Diaz (co-, with Chris Wilson, 2010); Chris Wilson (co-, with Geoff Collins, 2011-12); Geoff Collins (2013-14)
Tennessee Tight Ends/Tackles Coach
Doug Marrone (2001); Jimmy Ray Stephens (2002); Greg Adkins (2003-05); Matt Luke (2006-07); Jason Michael (2008, TEs); Jim Chaney (2009, also OC); Eric Russell (2010-11, TEs); Charlie Coiner (2012, TEs); Mark Elder (2013-14, TEs)
They've Been Everywhere, Man
Melvin Smith
2001: Defensive Backs, Mississippi State
2002: Safeties, Alabama
2003-05: Safeties, Texas A&M
2006-12: Defensive Backs ('06), Cornerbacks ('07-'12), Mississippi State
2013-14: Cornerbacks, Auburn
David Turner
2002-05: Defensive Line, Vanderbilt
2006: Defensive Ends, Alabama
2007-09: Defensive Line, Mississippi State
2010-12: Defensive Line, Kentucky
2013-14: Defensive Line, Mississippi State
Charlie Harbison
2001-02: Defensive Backs, LSU
2003-06: Wide Receivers, Alabama
2007-08: Safeties ('07), Defensive Coordinator/Safeties ('08), Mississippi State
2013-14: Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties, Auburn
John Thompson
2001: Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers, Arkansas
2002: Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers, Florida
2005: Co-Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers, South Carolina
2007: Defensive Coordinator, Ole Miss
Pat Washington
2001-05: Wide Receivers, Tennessee
2007-08: Wide Receivers, Mississippi State
2012: Wide Receivers, Kentucky
2013-14: Wide Receivers, Missouri
Would You Get a Load of This Group?
2003 LSU Tigers (Where They Are Now)
Defensive Backs: Tim Walton (Defensive Coordinator, St. Louis Rams)
Linebackers: Kirk Doll (Running Backs/Special Teams, East Carolina)
Defensive Line: Travis Jones (Defensive Line, Seattle Seahawks)
Offensive Line: Stacy Searels (Offensive Line, Texas...until recently)
Running Backs: Derek Dooley (Receivers, Dallas Cowboys)
Tight Ends: Lance Thompson (Outside Linebackers, Alabama)
Receivers: Stan Hixon (Receivers, Houston Texans)
Defensive Coordinator: Will Muschamp (Head Coach, Florida)
Offensive Coordinator: Jimbo Fisher (Head Coach, Florida State)
Head Coach: Nick Saban (...never heard of him...)
Alright, a couple more notes:
- The coaching spans were just from the 2001-14 window. I know, for instance, that R.C. Slocum coached at Texas A&M longer than just 2001 and 2002. But for the purposes of our exercise, dictated by Pinkel's start date, that's what we used.
- The "complete staff turnover" time was judged by how many assistants the school had to replace, divided by 10 positions, then used as the denominator under the 13 years of the survey. Georgia, for instance, has never turned over its entire staff because Richt has never left. But they've had to replace 1.7 coaches per slot, which yields a "complete turnover" of 10 coaches to replace every 7.65 years. (A note: I changed the denominator from 14 to 13 because it made more sense to me. The first year of the study had no staff turnover anywhere, as it was the first year. Therefore, I felt it shouldn't be included in the equation, as the 10 original coaches from each team from 2001 are not. Plus, when you make up your own statistical measures, you get to tinker around with them.)
- So, if Pinkel coaches until 2033, then maybe Missouri will turn over 10 coaches. Jury's still out on that one.
- A bunch of turnover usually means one of two things. One, the team's not winning, the coach is getting fired and the new coach is bringing in all new people. Two, the team is winning and all its coaches are getting hired away to bigger and better things. Alabama and LSU would be good examples of the latter. Kentucky, the former.
- Tennessee turned over 10 coaches from 2001-08 under Phillip Fulmer. Since 2009, with the revolving door of Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley and Butch Jones, the Volunteers have turned over 24.
- So remember, blue-chip prospects, commit to a school and a group of supposed teammates. Because chances are the majority of the coaches you committed to won't be there by the time you're through if you go to an SEC school. The school will always be there. As for the teammates, well, it's a lot harder for players to transfer than coaches.
(A special thanks to the SEC sports information departments that keep really good media guide and roster archives. Georgia, especially, was VERY easy to navigate. CoachingRoots.com was a big help as well. It's a really cool site. You should check it out.
And a special, special, special thanks to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald, who just happened to know off the top of his head that Arlington Nunn coached Ole Miss' running backs in 2004. Nunn was my white whale. Marc helped me not end up like Ahab.)
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