Head coaching changes grab most of the headlines over the offseason, but new coordinators can be the difference in wins and losses when the season roles around. There are 10 new coordinators leading units in the SEC this season.
Five who could have a major impact:
1. Paul Petrino -- Offensive coordinator, Arkansas
Yes, a Petrino will still be calling the plays in Fayetteville in 2012. But instead of Bobby leading the prolific offense, his brother Paul will handle the duties after former offensive coordinator Garrick McGee moved on to be the head coach at UAB. Paul Petrino is in his second stint as an assistant at Arkansas. He had previous stops at Illinois, Louisville and with the Atlanta Falcons. Ten of the 21 offenses he has coached have been in the top 10 nationally. He had four former WRs picked in the first four rounds of the 2012 draft. There will be a lot of pressure on him in 2012 to keep the offense at its 2011 level of production.
2. Brian VanGorder -- Defensive coordinator, Auburn
The Auburn defense was a wreck in 2011. It finished No. 81 nationally in total defense, giving up 408 yards per game. Enter VanGorder, a former defensive coordinator at Georgia and with the Atlanta Falcons. A former Frank Broyles Award winner (top assistant coach in the nation), VanGorder has the experience to change the defensive culture at Auburn. He also has a good mix of veteran and young talent at Auburn to help lead his defense in the first year. Defensive end Corey Lemonier and linebacker Darren Bates have All-SEC potential. Up-and-coming talent such as redshirt freshman linebacker Kris Frost and sophomore defensive tackle Gabe Wright will give VanGorder something to build on for the future.
3. Brent Pease -- Offensive coordinator, Florida
The Florida offense has gone from spread to pro-style and back to a combination of the two in the past three years. Pease, a former offensive coordinator at Boise State, was brought in to revamp the Gators’ offense after a fairly disappointing year under former coordinator Charlie Weis in 2011. He will have several challenges in doing so. Finding a quarterback, re-shaping the run game after losing speedster Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, and getting consistency out of the wide receivers will all be part of his task in 2012.
4. Sal Sunseri -- Defensive coordinator, Tennessee
The Tennessee defense finished in the top 30 nationally in 2011, so it wasn’t completely broken. Still, former coordinator Justin Wilcox left for the same position at Washington, and Sunseri was brought in after three years as an assistant at Alabama. The biggest change will be the implementation of at least some of the 3-4. Sunseri insists the defense will be very multiple in its formations, but expect the 3-4 to be the new base. With eight starters retuning, this defense has a chance to be successful, but learning a new system is never easy. Sunseri must be an effective teacher to make this switch work.
5. Scot Loeffler -- Offensive coordinator, Auburn
His pedigree of working with top-notch quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Tim Tebow is impressive. However, coach Gene Chizik brought Loeffler in mainly for his commitment to the run game. He also has system versatility. He worked in a very traditional pro-style system at Michigan, but has experience with the spread offense from his time with Florida. Auburn is still forging its new offensive identity for 2012, and some of that will revolve around whether the more mobile Kiehl Frazier or the more traditional Clint Moseley wins the starting QB job. Either way, Loeffler will have his fingerprints all over the new look.
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