If Kirby is going to turn out to be the coach we all want him to be, then he really needs to show out this year, at least if history is any indication.

Going back to Bama’s great run in the 1970s, there has been a grand total of 20 coaches who have won the SEC. Of those 20, only 4 won fewer games their first year than the team did the year before they got there. Of those 4 (Majors, Curry, Stallings & DuBose), all 4 of them won more games their 2nd year than their 1st. Interestingly, 3 of those 4 were at Bama, and they all 3 had at least a 2-game bump in year 2 (Curry +2, Stallings +4, DuBose +3). The only other one, Johnny Majors at Tennessee, got a 1-game bump his 2nd year. But of course, it took him 9 years to win his first SEC, and I doubt Kirby would last 9 years without winning one.

Sure, you can go back further in the history of the SEC, but the numbers won’t change much, if at all. But if Kirby is gonna be all that, he’s got to do it THIS year.