gator-n-buck
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https://athlonsports.com/college-footba ... -foes-2015
It's not easy getting college football coaches to honestly comment on another coach, player or team. Most coaches don't want to give opposing teams billboard material, which is why there is a lot of coach speak or overused cliches used during the year.
In order to get an accurate assessment of teams heading into 2015, Athlon asked coaches in the SEC to talk anonymously about their opponents.
Related: SEC Predictions for 2015
Note: These scouting reports come directly from coaching staffs and do not necessarily reflect the views of Athlon's editorial staff.
SEC Coaches Anonymously Scout Conference Foes
East Division
Florida
"In the short term, I think they're probably going to be about the same as they were last year."
"Who's going to be the quarterback will have a lot to say about how their season goes. Treon Harris was effective at times, but I'm not sure that's the answer long term. The old staff thought Will Grier was their most talented guy, but we'll see."
"If you look at what Jim McElwain did at Colorado State, he zeroed in on one guy early and developed the heck out of him. I bet he'll do the same thing at Florida. He'll pick the guy who gives him the best chance to win down the road and ride him through the ups and downs. I just don't know who that guy is."
"Whether it was injuries or lack of depth, offensive line was a big issue the last two years. With a new system, how will it affect them? If the offensive linemen they recruited are as good as advertised, they'll have a chance to be good down the road. It's hard to win playing freshmen in this league."
"Who are their playmakers? The Demarcus Robinson kid has a chance to be pretty special at wideout, but who else? There's a reason they struggled to score points."
"Will Muschamp recruited some talent there so they have players on defense, but they lost three guys up front. It's not easy to replace a Dante Fowler."
"I would think their back end should be as good as anyone."
"Hargreaves may be the best corner in the country"
"Geoff Collins had the No. 1 red-zone defense in the country last year at Mississippi State and one of the better third-down defenses. He'll bring a lot of energy."
Related: College Football's Top 50 Players for 2015
Georgia
"They're the most talented, best team in the East without question."
"The quarterback situation is a big unknown. Who's the guy? How will they use him? Will he be a guy who has to make plays or a guy they ask to just not get them beat? I'm sure Brice Ramsey is the guy they're counting on, but he hasn't played a lot of meaningful snaps. Is there a Plan B if he can't get the job done? I'm not sure."
"I don't understand why people there gave Mike Bobo a hard time. Look at the numbers. Offense wasn't their problem."
"Nick Chubb is phenomenal, and he's a great young man, by the way. Brian Schottenheimer will come in and build it around him. I don't expect they'll change much philosophically."
"I think Jeremy Pruitt does a great job with their defense. They were a little bit inconsistent, but they were significantly better than the year before. You could see his DNA starting to impact the way they played."
"Lorenzo Carter has a big-time future. I thought he was a very impactful linebacker as a freshman, and I expect him to have a breakout year. He could be a difference-maker for their entire defense."
"I was surprised Leonard Floyd came back. He should be an All-SEC guy without question."
"They lost some solid linebackers, and they finally got Damian Swann to play to his potential at cornerback last year. That's a lot of experience to lose at key positions, so how they replace them will go a long way in determining how dominant they are."
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2015
Kentucky
"This is Year 3 for Mark Stoops, so I think the system is in place with what they want to do. And being a defensive guy, he's going to make sure they're good on that side of the ball."
"He's (Stoops) done a really great job recruiting, but it's still hard at Kentucky to get the same level of player they face week in and week out. I know this, though: He'll get the most out of the defensive talent he has."
"The schedule caught up to them last year, but from afar it seemed like they made strides turning the culture around up there. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier in this conference; plus they have to play Louisville. In any other league, they would've been a bowl team, but with their schedule they needed to pull an upset or two."
"It was tough to scheme for them because they change up what they do offensively week to week. They played at a real fast tempo. Neal Brown left (for Troy), so it'll be interesting to see how they make the adjustment and how they deal with staff changes because they had pretty good continuity early on."
"I really like Patrick Towles. He's big and he's more athletic than you think. He doesn't get a lot of publicity because he's at Kentucky, but I think he's one of the better quarterbacks in the league."
"They have some nice-looking skill guys and do a good job spreading the ball around, but you still have to get it done up front in this league to win big."
Missouri
"They've never been a team that's going to wow you with who's on their depth chart, but they play hard, they play sound, they don't beat themselves and they just win. There's something to be said for that."
"You can say the East has been down, but you don't think Georgia or Florida would've liked to go to Atlanta the last two years? Hell, South Carolina has only gotten there one time ever since they've been in the league. It's pretty amazing what they've done there over the last decade."
"Dave Steckel was the most underrated defensive coordinator in the league. Just look at the guys they've developed on the defensive line the last two years."
"They may not be as good on the edge without Shane Ray, but from a scheme and preparation standpoint they shouldn't miss a beat with Barry Odom. He was with Steck for a number of years. He knows the style Pinkel wants to play, and he proved himself as a coordinator at Memphis. He's real good."
"Maty Mauk is definitely not the most accurate passer in the league, but they know what he is, he knows what he is and he's won games for them. That counts for a lot."
"What people overlook is how talented they've been at receiver. When they had Dorial Green-Beckham, L'Damian Washington and Bud Sasser two years ago, they were as good as anybody. I'm not sure they've replaced those guys with the same level of talent. But they have a veteran at quarterback, and if he can play a little bit better, they can be a real threat."
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2015
South Carolina
"You hear a lot of talk about (Steve) Spurrier's window closing, but I'm not buying it."
"I think what happened to them defensively last year was more of a fluke than a trend because they've been really good for four or five years before that. I expect them to bounce back and be much better."
"They were definitely the biggest disappointment in the league, but they had some crazy losses. If they don't blow big leads against Mizzou, Tennessee and Kentucky, it's another 10-win season and they go to Atlanta. Shows you how fast things can change in this league."
"Who's going to replace Dylan Thompson? He was a tough customer. I really don't know much about their young guys. This is really the first time in awhile they've gone into the fall without a pecking order at quarterback, but Coach Spurrier always does a good job with their offense and you've got to think he'll figure it out."
"Mike Davis didn't have the year they expected, but he was a big part of their team. Who knows, they may be just as good running the ball. Brandon Wilds has had some big games for them."
"They lost some guys, but they have playmakers at receiver. The variety of ways they use Pharoh Cooper will make them hard to gameplan for. They can line him up in the slot, out wide or under center and get first downs when they need to."
"If they do have a quarterback, you have to like their chances in the East."
Related: South Carolina 2015 Fall Camp Preview
Tennessee
"I think Butch Jones and those guys have done a great job with the young talent, putting them in some positions to succeed but not overloading them. They stayed really, really simple."
"Even though Mike Bajakian left (for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) right when they were starting to figure things out offensively, I know they feel really good about Josh Dobbs and the direction they're going to go. Stylistically, I think they'll probably be a lot like Auburn with Nick Marshall, a guy who can put pressure on the defense with the way he runs it."
"Their wide receivers are big-time. They can run and they're long."
"Jalen Hurd, that dude is going to be a stud. They have a ton of skill coming back."
"My question is can they run the football well enough outside of the quarterback? They had to overhaul the offensive line last year and they need some more consistency there to take the next step."
"A.J. Johnson was their best defensive player in my opinion. He was really good and I don't know if they can replace everything he did."
"Cam Sutton is an excellent cornerback. He finds ways to make plays on the ball."
"They've upgraded their talent level overall, but I just don't know if they have a bunch of difference-makers on defense."
"The next couple years, I think if they can keep some guys healthy and win a close game or two it wouldn't surprise me to see them at nine wins."
Related: Ranking the SEC's Top Heisman Contenders for 2015
Vanderbilt
"Obviously, what happened last year showed what a good job James Franklin did to go to three straight bowl games. They were young, but I expected them to be much more competitive."
"Defensively, they did some really nice things. They're sound, they're fundamental. It was a no-brainer for (Derek) Mason to take a more active role in the defense. It can be tough for a first-time head coach to get a feel for how much involved to be on one side of the ball, but if he thinks their defense will be better if he's more hands-on, it's the right move."
"I know just from talking to people that they do feel like the intensity in spring ball was a lot higher than last year. They said it was a positive, noticeable change and I would expect them to be better."
"It was a complete trainwreck offensively last year. They couldn't settle on a quarterback, and I think moving them around so much hurt their whole team. It didn't seem like they knew what they were offensively or what they wanted to be. Once they establish who their quarterback is going to be, they'll get better in Year 2. But who is that guy? I have no idea."
"I still don't know if they have dynamic playmakers. The Webb kid played pretty well for them as a freshman, but that was about the only bright spot offensively."
"I'm guessing they may struggle to score again, so they'll need to be really good on defense."
It's not easy getting college football coaches to honestly comment on another coach, player or team. Most coaches don't want to give opposing teams billboard material, which is why there is a lot of coach speak or overused cliches used during the year.
In order to get an accurate assessment of teams heading into 2015, Athlon asked coaches in the SEC to talk anonymously about their opponents.
Related: SEC Predictions for 2015
Note: These scouting reports come directly from coaching staffs and do not necessarily reflect the views of Athlon's editorial staff.
SEC Coaches Anonymously Scout Conference Foes
East Division
Florida
"In the short term, I think they're probably going to be about the same as they were last year."
"Who's going to be the quarterback will have a lot to say about how their season goes. Treon Harris was effective at times, but I'm not sure that's the answer long term. The old staff thought Will Grier was their most talented guy, but we'll see."
"If you look at what Jim McElwain did at Colorado State, he zeroed in on one guy early and developed the heck out of him. I bet he'll do the same thing at Florida. He'll pick the guy who gives him the best chance to win down the road and ride him through the ups and downs. I just don't know who that guy is."
"Whether it was injuries or lack of depth, offensive line was a big issue the last two years. With a new system, how will it affect them? If the offensive linemen they recruited are as good as advertised, they'll have a chance to be good down the road. It's hard to win playing freshmen in this league."
"Who are their playmakers? The Demarcus Robinson kid has a chance to be pretty special at wideout, but who else? There's a reason they struggled to score points."
"Will Muschamp recruited some talent there so they have players on defense, but they lost three guys up front. It's not easy to replace a Dante Fowler."
"I would think their back end should be as good as anyone."
"Hargreaves may be the best corner in the country"
"Geoff Collins had the No. 1 red-zone defense in the country last year at Mississippi State and one of the better third-down defenses. He'll bring a lot of energy."
Related: College Football's Top 50 Players for 2015
Georgia
"They're the most talented, best team in the East without question."
"The quarterback situation is a big unknown. Who's the guy? How will they use him? Will he be a guy who has to make plays or a guy they ask to just not get them beat? I'm sure Brice Ramsey is the guy they're counting on, but he hasn't played a lot of meaningful snaps. Is there a Plan B if he can't get the job done? I'm not sure."
"I don't understand why people there gave Mike Bobo a hard time. Look at the numbers. Offense wasn't their problem."
"Nick Chubb is phenomenal, and he's a great young man, by the way. Brian Schottenheimer will come in and build it around him. I don't expect they'll change much philosophically."
"I think Jeremy Pruitt does a great job with their defense. They were a little bit inconsistent, but they were significantly better than the year before. You could see his DNA starting to impact the way they played."
"Lorenzo Carter has a big-time future. I thought he was a very impactful linebacker as a freshman, and I expect him to have a breakout year. He could be a difference-maker for their entire defense."
"I was surprised Leonard Floyd came back. He should be an All-SEC guy without question."
"They lost some solid linebackers, and they finally got Damian Swann to play to his potential at cornerback last year. That's a lot of experience to lose at key positions, so how they replace them will go a long way in determining how dominant they are."
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2015
Kentucky
"This is Year 3 for Mark Stoops, so I think the system is in place with what they want to do. And being a defensive guy, he's going to make sure they're good on that side of the ball."
"He's (Stoops) done a really great job recruiting, but it's still hard at Kentucky to get the same level of player they face week in and week out. I know this, though: He'll get the most out of the defensive talent he has."
"The schedule caught up to them last year, but from afar it seemed like they made strides turning the culture around up there. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier in this conference; plus they have to play Louisville. In any other league, they would've been a bowl team, but with their schedule they needed to pull an upset or two."
"It was tough to scheme for them because they change up what they do offensively week to week. They played at a real fast tempo. Neal Brown left (for Troy), so it'll be interesting to see how they make the adjustment and how they deal with staff changes because they had pretty good continuity early on."
"I really like Patrick Towles. He's big and he's more athletic than you think. He doesn't get a lot of publicity because he's at Kentucky, but I think he's one of the better quarterbacks in the league."
"They have some nice-looking skill guys and do a good job spreading the ball around, but you still have to get it done up front in this league to win big."
Missouri
"They've never been a team that's going to wow you with who's on their depth chart, but they play hard, they play sound, they don't beat themselves and they just win. There's something to be said for that."
"You can say the East has been down, but you don't think Georgia or Florida would've liked to go to Atlanta the last two years? Hell, South Carolina has only gotten there one time ever since they've been in the league. It's pretty amazing what they've done there over the last decade."
"Dave Steckel was the most underrated defensive coordinator in the league. Just look at the guys they've developed on the defensive line the last two years."
"They may not be as good on the edge without Shane Ray, but from a scheme and preparation standpoint they shouldn't miss a beat with Barry Odom. He was with Steck for a number of years. He knows the style Pinkel wants to play, and he proved himself as a coordinator at Memphis. He's real good."
"Maty Mauk is definitely not the most accurate passer in the league, but they know what he is, he knows what he is and he's won games for them. That counts for a lot."
"What people overlook is how talented they've been at receiver. When they had Dorial Green-Beckham, L'Damian Washington and Bud Sasser two years ago, they were as good as anybody. I'm not sure they've replaced those guys with the same level of talent. But they have a veteran at quarterback, and if he can play a little bit better, they can be a real threat."
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2015
South Carolina
"You hear a lot of talk about (Steve) Spurrier's window closing, but I'm not buying it."
"I think what happened to them defensively last year was more of a fluke than a trend because they've been really good for four or five years before that. I expect them to bounce back and be much better."
"They were definitely the biggest disappointment in the league, but they had some crazy losses. If they don't blow big leads against Mizzou, Tennessee and Kentucky, it's another 10-win season and they go to Atlanta. Shows you how fast things can change in this league."
"Who's going to replace Dylan Thompson? He was a tough customer. I really don't know much about their young guys. This is really the first time in awhile they've gone into the fall without a pecking order at quarterback, but Coach Spurrier always does a good job with their offense and you've got to think he'll figure it out."
"Mike Davis didn't have the year they expected, but he was a big part of their team. Who knows, they may be just as good running the ball. Brandon Wilds has had some big games for them."
"They lost some guys, but they have playmakers at receiver. The variety of ways they use Pharoh Cooper will make them hard to gameplan for. They can line him up in the slot, out wide or under center and get first downs when they need to."
"If they do have a quarterback, you have to like their chances in the East."
Related: South Carolina 2015 Fall Camp Preview
Tennessee
"I think Butch Jones and those guys have done a great job with the young talent, putting them in some positions to succeed but not overloading them. They stayed really, really simple."
"Even though Mike Bajakian left (for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) right when they were starting to figure things out offensively, I know they feel really good about Josh Dobbs and the direction they're going to go. Stylistically, I think they'll probably be a lot like Auburn with Nick Marshall, a guy who can put pressure on the defense with the way he runs it."
"Their wide receivers are big-time. They can run and they're long."
"Jalen Hurd, that dude is going to be a stud. They have a ton of skill coming back."
"My question is can they run the football well enough outside of the quarterback? They had to overhaul the offensive line last year and they need some more consistency there to take the next step."
"A.J. Johnson was their best defensive player in my opinion. He was really good and I don't know if they can replace everything he did."
"Cam Sutton is an excellent cornerback. He finds ways to make plays on the ball."
"They've upgraded their talent level overall, but I just don't know if they have a bunch of difference-makers on defense."
"The next couple years, I think if they can keep some guys healthy and win a close game or two it wouldn't surprise me to see them at nine wins."
Related: Ranking the SEC's Top Heisman Contenders for 2015
Vanderbilt
"Obviously, what happened last year showed what a good job James Franklin did to go to three straight bowl games. They were young, but I expected them to be much more competitive."
"Defensively, they did some really nice things. They're sound, they're fundamental. It was a no-brainer for (Derek) Mason to take a more active role in the defense. It can be tough for a first-time head coach to get a feel for how much involved to be on one side of the ball, but if he thinks their defense will be better if he's more hands-on, it's the right move."
"I know just from talking to people that they do feel like the intensity in spring ball was a lot higher than last year. They said it was a positive, noticeable change and I would expect them to be better."
"It was a complete trainwreck offensively last year. They couldn't settle on a quarterback, and I think moving them around so much hurt their whole team. It didn't seem like they knew what they were offensively or what they wanted to be. Once they establish who their quarterback is going to be, they'll get better in Year 2. But who is that guy? I have no idea."
"I still don't know if they have dynamic playmakers. The Webb kid played pretty well for them as a freshman, but that was about the only bright spot offensively."
"I'm guessing they may struggle to score again, so they'll need to be really good on defense."
This guy was projected to be a late 4th round draft pick after playing 4 years in the SEC not a horrible loss when it came to his talent.