Well, this one’s definitely going to ruffle some feathers in Gainesville.
Saturday Down South recently handed over the task of ranking all 16 SEC football coaches to Grok, the AI assistant built by X (formerly Twitter), and let’s just say the results are stirring up controversy—especially in Florida.
Grok’s job was to sort coaches based on recent success, recruiting results, program trajectory, and future outlook heading into the 2025 season.
So where did Florida’s Billy Napier land?
Dead last. Yep, 16th out of 16. Not a great look for a program with three national titles under its belt.
According to Grok, Napier’s 15-22 record at Florida, capped off by a rough 4-8 season in 2024, just wasn’t enough to keep him out of the basement. Despite having had a great run at Louisiana (40-12), his struggles in the SEC and a daunting 2025 schedule convinced the AI to stick him at the bottom—even below a first-year coach with a 2-10 record.
Here were the top 5 coaches, according to Grok:
1. Kirby Smart (Georgia)– No surprise here. Back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, a 94-18 record, and elite recruiting. Even a loss to Texas in the 2024 SEC title game didn’t bump him from the top spot.
2. Steve Sarkisian (Texas)– Texas fans have to be thrilled. Sark led the Longhorns to a 12-2 record, an SEC Championship appearance in their debut season, and a Playoff appearance. That 36-15 record since taking over speaks for itself.
3. Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)– The “Portal King” continues to work his magic. Kiffin’s 43-22 record, including 11 wins last season, shows Ole Miss is more than just a spoiler.
4. Brian Kelly (LSU)– Despite a slightly underwhelming 8-4 mark in 2024, Kelly’s resume—including an SEC West title and nearly 300 career wins—still carries weight.
5. Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)– Big shoes to fill, but DeBoer went 9-3 in his first post-Saban season and made the Playoff. His 104-12 career record suggests he’s built for the spotlight.
After DeBoer, Tennessee's Josh Heupel (6), Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz (7), Texas A&M's Mike Elko (8), South Carolina's Shane Beamer (9), and Kentucky's Mark Stoops (10) rounded out the top-10. Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt), Brent Venables (Oklahoma), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), and Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State) all finished ahead of Napier, as well.
To be fair, Grok wasn’t exactly malicious here. It weighed performance, expectations, and future potential—and Napier’s SEC run just hasn’t lived up to the standard Florida fans expect. But man, finishing behind Vandy, a first-year head coach with two wins, and a guy already on the hot seat? That’s going to sting.