Going into the 2019 season, how do the Sun Belt coaches stack up? Here’s the preseason ranking of all the head men.
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– CFN Preview 2019: All 130 Team Previews
Who do you want as your head coach for right now, and how good are the all the current Sun Belt coaches?
Record and resumés aren’t necessarily everything, but of course they matter. Where are each of the teams going, which guys have the buzz, and which ones need to prove themselves a bit more?
These aren’t Hot Seat Rankings – those are coming later. These are the rankings based loosely on what the head coaches have done, and mostly about what they’re about to do.
Think of it this way. If you were to hold a head coaching draft …
– CFN Preview 2019: All 130 Team Previews
10. Matt Viator, ULM
A star at McNeese State – with four conference championships and five FCS playoff appearances – is he just now starting to turn around ULM, or is there a hard ceiling on what he and the program can do? Going 6-6 last year after two 4-8 campaigns was great, the offense has been fun, but in Year Four, the 55-year-old could use a breakout season.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: 7
– 2019 ULM Preview
9. Shawn Elliott, Georgia State
This is a key season. He struggled after stepping in for Steve Spurrier over the second half of the 2015 season – going 1-5 in a dying campaign – but he did wonders in his first year at Georgia State with a 7-5 season with a bowl victory. The 2-10 2018 run, though, was alarming, and now he needs a big season for a program looking to make a bigger imprint.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: 6
– 2019 Georgia State Preview
8. Steve Campbell, South Alabama
The 53-year-old won at Delta State – taking home a D-II national title – and was great at Central Arkansas before stepping up into the USA gig. He was handed a bit of a rough situation in a rebuilding 3-9 first season, but he’s a talented head coach who needs to show it off in a bigger sophomore campaign.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: 8
– 2019 South Alabama Preview
7. Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina
It was a rough 2017 when he stepped in for Joe Moglia, and now he gets the job full-time. Fantastic at Charleston Southern, he has the experience to know what he’s doing, and he has a far better team than the one he handled a few years ago. He’s a young, emerging head coach who’s getting a shot to put his stamp on the program.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: Not Ranked
– 2019 Coastal Carolina Preview
6. Jake Spavital, Texas State
This was a nice, nice get for Texas State. The 34-year-old former West Virginia offensive coordinator knows how to crank up an offense, knows how to get a passing game working, and should be a fun head coach for the Bobcats to finally get this whole thing rolling.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: Not Ranked
– 2019 Texas State Preview
NEXT: Preview 2019 Top 5 Sun Belt Coach Rankings
5. Chip Lindsey, Troy
He just went down the road about 80 miles after working as the Auburn offensive coordinator for the last few seasons. Forgetting that the Tigers struggled last season, this is a terrific next-step gig to get into the head coaching world, but the pressure is on to keep everything going after the Neal Brown era.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: Not Ranked
– 2019 Troy Preview
4. Eliah Drinkwitz, Appalachian State
The former Boise State and NC State offensive coordinator is a 36-year-old rising star who walks into a heater of a situation. He’s the right teacher and the right coordinator type to grow into the head coaching job, but there’s no grace period. He has the best team and the best situation in the Sun Belt – win the conference title, or bust.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: Not Ranked
– 2019 Appalachian State Preview
3. Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
He’s been just good enough to keep Arkansas State good and interesting, and just mediocre enough to not follow the path of former Arkansas State head coaches and move on to bigger things. With five winning seasons, two Sun Belt titles, and five bowl appearances – but only one win – he’s getting the job done. Now we get to see what he can do in a rebuilding campaign.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: 3
– 2019 Arkansas State Preview
2. Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern
You just knew that he needed a little bit of time to show what he could do. He pulled the program up out of its nosedive over the second half of the 2017 season, and last year he turned the Eagle offense into something great again on the way to a 10-3 season. If you like the option attack, the 42-year-old is your rising star for the style.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: 9
– 2019 Georgia Southern Preview
1. Billy Napier, Louisiana
He came to Louisiana after being passed over for the Arizona State head coaching job, and he came through right away with a great first season, taking the team to the Sun Belt title game and off to a bowl. Turning 40 going into the season, he’s a bright, young talent who’s destined for a next-step gig – he was a coordinator at Colorado State for a year – but for now, he’s got the talent to keep the Ragin’ Cajuns rolling.
Last Season Preseason Ranking: 4
– 2019 Louisiana Preview
