SEC Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2013

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 2013, Athlon asked coaches in the SEC to talk anonymously about their opponents.

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 Their Conference Foes for 2013

Alabama
Opposing coaches size up the Crimson Tide:

“They’ll be really good again, don’t worry. They lost a lot of guys on the defensive line — Damion Square and Jesse Williams were very productive, strong guys for them. Last year wasn’t their best defensive line, and they might not have been quick enough to handle fast quarterbacks who could turn broken plays into big gains like Johnny Manziel, but it was solid and they need to develop the right depth there." …

"Even losing D.J. Fluker and Chance Warmack and Barrett Jones, they’ll still be really good up front. Those offensive linemen spend two years behind the scenes to get physically bulked up to compete." …

"On offense, they can be better than last year. One of their really good receivers, DeAndrew White, will be back from injury. He’s playing really good. Running back, I think they’ll still be solid. T.J. Yeldon is looking strong." …

"Obviously a lot depends on how well the defense develops. Linebackers and secondary, they’ll be fine. C.J. Mosley is probably the best linebacker in the country. They have depth there. It comes down to that defensive line and whether they can improve against quarterbacks that can beat you with their feet. They really didn’t have an answer for Manziel last season. They could stand to get quicker up front."  …

"AJ McCarron keeps improving every year. His footwork has really developed. He can have another great year.”

Arkansas
Opposing coaches size up the Razorbacks: 

“They are going to be terrible. What they are doing now, it’s the product of bad recruiting. They have a long way to go. That’s nothing against the new coach (Bret Bielema). But they are going to be terrible in Year 1." ... 

"They are really going to struggle. What happened was they had eight starters who got injured, and they were fighting an uphill battle all of last year. I think they’ll struggle up front, they’ll struggle in the secondary, the linebackers should be average." …

"They are going to be slim in a lot of spots. It’s going to take them three years to get a good foundation. It’s a product of bad recruiting — which is typical of a Bobby Petrino school. It’s the same thing that happened at Louisville that got Steve Kragthorpe fired. Petrino didn’t leave him any players. It’s the same thing at Arkansas. They have no players on defense. Petrino would load up on offense and leave the cupboard bare. That’s why he can’t ever get over the hump." …

"If you want to be competitive in the SEC, you better have big, strong defensive linemen, physical guys, and lockdown corners. If you don’t have that, you don’t have a chance. And right now they don’t have that." …

"I don’t know really how good they are up front offensively, but I’m kind of skeptical based on what I know."

"I think the young running back, Jonathan Williams, is going to be good for them. We liked him out of high school.”

Auburn
Opposing coaches size up the Tigers:

“Auburn’s biggest problem was trying to be a pro-style offense with spread-type personnel. They didn’t have many guys who you had to worry about. They had the one good receiver, Emory Blake. He was okay. The tight end (Philip Lutzenkirchen) was a unique weapon for them; he made some plays for them, but then he got hurt." …

"Both Tre Mason and Onterio McCalebb were good. McCalebb tore it up at the combine, and Mason was a 1,000-yard back." …

"It came down to the quarterback. They never really decided on a quarterback and never figured that out. (Clint) Moseley and (Kiehl) Frazier didn’t end up being what they anticipated. I’m not sure what is going to happen at that position with (Gus) Malzahn taking over." …

"Malzahn has an outstanding reputation. It is a little different when you are the head coach than just the offensive coordinator, but he knows what he is doing. Him and Hugh Freeze have similar backgrounds — they both have taken high school offenses and made them big-time college offenses. They try to out-tempo you and out-formation you." …

"The tackling is suspect. The defense wasn’t overly physical. It’s a really athletic team. They had some ballplayers. They were really young, so there wasn’t much consistency there." …

"They’ve had a mess of distractions this offseason and probably just want to get back to football.”

Florida

Opposing coaches size up the Gators:

“Oddly enough, and I don’t think they were the best offense, but Florida was the most difficult (offensive) team to prepare for last year. They have so many different personnel groupings, and they can do so many different things, and their identity changed on a weekly basis." … 

" They are kind of like South Carolina — they want to win games on defense and not turn the ball over. But it did surprise me that they finished 12th in the league in total offense. They had good speed at wide receiver. They had some real unique weapons in Jordan Reed and Trey Burton, guys who could do different things. They had arguably the top back in the league in Mike Gillislee, and they had a very athletic quarterback." ...

"They are trying to find their identity. They probably thought they had their identity at one point, but then some of the bigger, stronger teams in our league kind of challenged that identity. And they had some injuries on the offensive line." …

"I like Will Muschamp. I respect him a lot. The apple doesn’t fall from the tree. His mentor is Nick Saban, and he put his stamp on the team in Year 2 in regard to toughness and winning games in the kicking game and on defense. They lost their defensive coordinator to the NFL, but D.J. Durkin is one of the bright young coaches in the country, and their special teams have been outstanding the past two years. I respect them a lot.”

Georgia
Opposing coaches size up the Bulldogs

“Aaron Murray is really good. I am a big fan. If you commit people to stop the run and put one-on-one on the perimeter, he has such a nice feel with his wide receivers. If you play two deep or quarters, then they kill you with the run. It’s the combination of (Todd) Gurley and Murray that kills you." …

"They don’t wow you with X’s and O’s because they don’t have to. They remind you of the Miami teams in the early 2000s. They lined up in pro sets and twins and you got a chuckle out of it, then 450 yards and 42 points later they got the last laugh." …

"I watched the quarterbacks at the combine, and Murray doesn’t need to take a back seat to any of those guys. I think he is enjoying college and feels like he has some unfinished business. I’m not so sure that if it was Georgia playing Notre Dame for the national championship and won that he would have gone on to the NFL." …

"Gurley and (Keith) Marshall complement each other so well, and (the staff) is smart in that they have plays designed specifically for Gurley and touches for Marshall. Gurley runs tackle to tackle as well as anyone. He bullies you and he is a big boy, but don’t underestimate how fast he is. And then Marshall runs the perimeter run plays, the outside plays very well. He does a nice job hitting the creases in the defenses. Then don’t underestimate how strong he is. They are both clearly upper-level SEC backs.”

Kentucky
Opposing coaches size up the Wildcats: 

“Kentucky, for the past few years, hasn’t had anybody that’s scared you on offense, on the perimeter or at running back. When your best player is your right guard (Larry Warford), that’s probably a little bit of a problem." …

"They have some good young running backs, and obviously Patrick Towles and Jalen Whitlow, the two (sophomore) quarterbacks, are pretty talented. I’m sure those guys will improve." …

"Towles is a talented kid. He was pretty highly recruited. He did a great job in his first game against Mississippi State, driving them down the field, but then got hurt. He’s a hometown kid and a fan favorite. I think he can be a pretty good player. My gut is that he is the guy who gets the job, but don’t forget about Max Smith. He was playing well before getting hurt last year." …

"I’m sure (Mark) Stoops will come in and attract some talent. The fact of where Lexington is and his ties to Ohio, you will see an outside-the-box thinking as far as recruiting. They will get some players from Ohio. He already has done a good job in that state." …

"Stoops is well regarded as a defensive coordinator. He did a great job at Florida State. People forget, that defense had been struggling before he got there." …

"(Offensive coordinator) Neal Brown is very confident. He has a little bit of a swagger to him. He did a good job at Troy and Texas Tech.”

LSU
Opposing coaches size up the Tigers:

“(Defensive coordinator) John Chavis, he’s done the same stuff schematically for what feels like forever. It’s not very difficult. They do a lot of two-man, a lot of Tampa 2. That’s one thing that he’s just not going to change." …

"I don’t think they will be the same up front at all. They lost a lot of players. I just don’t think they are going to be the same." ...

"In my opinion, there’s a slow, steady decline of that program. They are going to get the best of the best in Louisiana, but even back when Nick (Saban) was there, they just don’t have the same type of players as some other places." ...

"Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been really good for awhile. But they are losing a lot on defense. Athletically, they can reload up front. But developing fundamentally sound players, that takes time, time they might not have this year. So I’m not sure they recover that quickly." …

"If you’re not sound, you’ll get knocked down." …

"(Quarterback) Zach Mettenberger, to me, is very average. It’s going to be really interesting because their offensive coordinator was the offensive line coach, so they had single receiver play-action and just loaded up on the ball. With Cam Cameron coming in as the offensive coordinator, it will be a different offense. It’s probably going to open up things a lot more, and Mettenberger will probably be a better fit with doing that. I can’t answer whether he can handle that.”

Ole Miss
Opposing coaches size up the Rebels: 

“They have a lot of tricks up their sleeve. They always get guys open. They put you in tough situations. Within the framework of one play, it can be an inside run, an outside run; it can be a dump pass or a deep ball. They do so many different things. They have a good plan." …

"They have to be a little concerned about (quarterback Bo) Wallace’s shoulder surgery. James Franklin at Missouri had the same thing, and he wasn’t at full strength at the beginning of last season. Their offense requires a lot of coordination with 11 men working together on every play. It will hurt not having Wallace in the spring, and he will miss a significant portion of the summer. I think he is a good kid. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t highly recruited, going to Arkansas State and then a junior college. He was playing as well as anyone in the league toward the end of the year. He needs to eliminate his turnovers." …

"Jeff Scott is pretty good. They’ve got some good young players coming in, but Scott will still be productive. He can do a lot of different things. He is versatile and that is what they look for. He is also a good return guy." …

"You shouldn’t have a freshman offensive lineman come in and play early unless he’s a complete freak. The Laremy Tunsil kid, he’s a complete freak. He will find a way to get on the field this season.”

Mississippi State
Opposing coaches size up the Bulldogs:

“They’ve got a new play-caller on defense. They lost Chris Wilson to Georgia, and Geoff Collins is taking over that duty. He’s a good coach. I’m kind of thinking they are going to be pretty good, or at least a lot better." …

"On defense, they just aren’t as athletic as the top teams. Our defensive big guys were bigger than some of their offensive big guys. They can get pounded up front. Linebackers are average athletically. In the secondary, they are always pretty good. That’s how they can get you. They have some athleticism and speed there." …

"Offensively, it’s going to be a little bit of the same. I think schematically they are always going to put up some points. It all depends on whether they can put up a defense that can stop people. They can play against those spread teams that throw it around a lot because they can cover, but in physical matchups, it’s just tough for them. It’s not effort, they just don’t have the guns." …

"The quarterback, Tyler Russell, I think most people like him — he can be a little erratic but has some natural ability. We’ll see if he can take that next step. He didn’t play very well against some of the better teams in the league. But he’s a good player." …

"They had the Johnthan Banks kid who was pretty solid at corner, but otherwise no one really scares you on the field.”

Missouri
Opposing coaches size up the Tigers:

“I respected their scheme tremendously. You watch the tape of their games against Big 12 competition from the previous year and you watched James Franklin operate, they were very impressive. They beat the hell out of a good North Carolina team in the Independence Bowl to finish that season." …

"They got off to a decent start last year. They beat a pretty good Arizona State team, and they played very well against Georgia up until the end of the game." …

"Between Franklin and some of the other guys getting hurt, especially on the offensive line, they really had trouble moving the ball." …

"I don’t think they have the skill at the wide receiver position or at the running back position that some of the other teams in the league did. And I think the overall SEC took its toll on them as the year went on." …

"(Wide receiver) Dorial Green-Beckham didn’t do much at all, and he was the No. 1 recruit in the nation. To be fair, they never really got the passing game going. He showed signs at times; he had a long reception against Central Florida. But he never got on track. I get the impression that he needs to mature a little bit. He got himself in trouble (suspended for the Vanderbilt game). But he was the No. 1 player in the 2012 recruiting class, so he’s got plenty of talent." …

"The running back coming back from injury, Henry Josey, he’ll be dangerous if he returns healthy. Really talented back.”

South Carolina
Opposing coaches size up the Gamecocks:

“I like quarterback Connor Shaw. He’s underrated. All he does is win. And he is fiercely tough." …

"Dylan Thompson struggled early but played well down the stretch. Had some big games. Won at Clemson. They both played well in the bowl game. Connor probably makes more plays with his feet and has that grittiness to him that made them really good early in the year. Thompson may be the more talented of the two, and clearly South Carolina knows that their defense is legit, and if they don’t turn the ball over and make mistakes, they will win a lot of games. The person who doesn’t make mistakes and puts them in the best positions will be the guy." …

"They should be able to absorb the loss of Marcus Lattimore. Early in the 2011, he was a workhorse for them, but as he got hurt they became more reliant on Connor Shaw and the perimeter runs. Mike Davis is a very good back. They have some good young players that will do a good job for them." …

"Ace Sanders was a great return guy and a good slot receiver. I always thought he was dangerous, but I didn’t look at him and say he was an elite wide receiver in the league. You thought about him more in reverses and things like that, not necessarily as a big-league receiver. The biggest catch of his career came on the last play, against Michigan. He’s a loss, but they have established some really solid depth at receiver.”

Tennessee

Opposing coaches size up the Volunteers:

“They will be an up-tempo, no-huddle spread offense that will play with a lot of enthusiasm." …

"Their problems certainly weren’t on offense last year. They were on defense. Butch Jones has hired some coaches with some experience in the SEC, like John Jancek and Willie Martinez, who know the league and know the type of player it takes to be successful in this league." …

"They have to replace so many key players on offense. That will take some time." …

"The offensive line was very good. Losing (offensive line coach) Sam Pittman may hurt more than losing any of the players. He is a really good coach." …

"I always respected what Cincinnati did under Jones. They seemed to be a well-coached team." …

"They have won two SEC games in two years. That is bizarre. It just shows you how fiercely competitive the SEC is — for a school with those resources to have only two wins in two years." …

"Butch Jones is a hit ‘em in the face kind of guy who will try to win back the state of Tennessee in recruiting. You sense he has the right energy for the job." …

"I’m not sure Derek Dooley was the right guy for the job. That defense last year was record-setting bad. They had a top-five offense nationally, but the defense was so bad it carried the team down. That offense was as good as any team we played.”

Texas A&M
Opposing coaches size up the Aggies:

“They lost one of their key offensive linemen, one of the first guys drafted this year, Luke Joeckel, and that’s obviously going to be a loss for them. I think offensively, they are still going to be really, really good. I actually think they are going to be the team to beat in the West, just because of who they have coming back overall, what they do schematically, how fast their offense goes." …

"Mark Snyder is a good defensive coordinator. You look at it, the only games they lost were Florida and LSU, and one of them was their first game of the year. Still, they almost beat Florida. I don’t really know why LSU was so hard for them. It was maybe LSU being able to neutralize A&M up front with its physical, quick defensive linemen." …

"You’re really limited what you can do against A&M’s offensive line." …

"They only run about eight plays or so. It’s just so fast. If you don’t have a system or terminology that allows you to play that tempo, there’s no chance. A&M has already snapped the ball." …

"Where Johnny Manziel is really good — and how he got us — he gets you is same way Cam Newton did. Once you’ve got everyone covered, if you don’t account for the quarterback, he’s going to run for a first down." …

"On defense, they lost a couple of guys. It will be interesting to see what they can do there. … They are so big and quick up front, but they are also lean. They can really move on that offensive line.”

Vanderbilt
Opposing coaches size up the Commodores:

“Their wideout, Jordan Matthews, is pretty good. He’s really good, actually. He’s pretty athletic, and he will make guys miss. Keeping him is pretty big. He had a chance to go to the NFL." …

"The tight ends are undersized, basically position blockers that can kind of get in the way but aren’t really point-of-attack guys. Vanderbilt will mix and match plays in the running game and try to create matchups that way." …

"The quarterback that transferred from Wyoming (Austyn Carta-Samuels), they feel he’s as talented as the guy they had, Jordan Rodgers. I’d have to see that. He approached spring ball like he’s going to be the guy, like he can win the job. That’s the right way to do it." …

"(Tailback) Zac Stacy was a solid kid who ran well. Not sure if they will go to a running back-by-committee, but Stacy did a lot of things for them. They gave it to him 200-plus times, and he played really hard." …

"Overall, they have a couple of skill guys who can make some plays down field, and the offensive line works well together." …

"You know, they won nine games and play you really tough, but I think they’ll be in the middle of the road — the middle of the pack in the SEC. That’s not a knock on them. James Franklin has done a great job. They’ll win some games. But the next step is to become an elite SEC team, and I’m just not sure they have the personnel yet.”

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