Abigail Phelps
Research Mentor(s): Michael Mignano
Mentor Department: Movement Science
Authors: Abigail Phelps , Michael Mignano
Session: Session 6 (3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Presentation Type: Oral
Abstract
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has long shown dominance in the college football landscape, producing numerous national championships, elite NFL prospects, and legendary coaches. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the prior coaching experience of SEC coaches and their success at their respective SEC programs. By examining patterns in coaching backgrounds such as previous positions, including offensive, defensive, and special team backgrounds, this research seeks to identify trends that contribute to coaching effectiveness. Success is measured through several variables, including overall record, conference record, bowl game record, coaching specialization, offensive and defensive yards per game (YPG), and ranking in the College Football Power Index (FPI). This project will provide valuable insights through a combination of data collection, statistical analysis, and qualitative research. These methods will help to analyze the success pathways for each coach at one of the most prestigious conferences in college football. Together, the findings will offer significant contributions to hiring decisions and program-building strategies for officials in the SEC to optimize leadership decisions for sustained success in the ever-changing landscape of college football. In the future, these findings will be applied to additional conferences to better the quality of coaching in college football.
