In a recent article from Brett McMurphy on Action Network, he found out the favorite musicians of the head football coaches from the Sun Belt schools. I found the post extremely interesting and also eye opening. On top of that, I began heavily judging the Sun Belts head ball coaches. When it comes to music and movies, I traditionally say that it’s subjective. But it’s also really fun to judge people based off their preferences. That’s what I’m here for.

Shawn Clark (Appalachian State): Luke Combs

I don’t care if Shawn Clark is actually the world’s biggest Luke Combs fan, this feels like a copout. Luke Combs was in the locker room with your team last year, so picking him feels like a way of nodding to your team’s most famous fan. While I do respect the loyalty of this pick and think that When It Rains It Pours is a banger, I’m just not huge on this pick because it feels safe. Give me something outside the box or classic in the country genre like George Strait or Dolly Parton.

Tim Beck (Coastal Carolina): The Eagles

Picking The Eagles as your favorite band of all-time is an old head move. That’s the thing though, Tim Beck is older. He’s 57 coaching at Coastal Carolina. I don’t hate picking the Eagles as your favorite band because of bangers like Life In The Fast Lane and Lyin’ Eyes, but can Beck and his Eagles fandom connect with 18 to 22 year-old frat kids on his roster? I don’t think so. Those kids come to practice with Sammy Adams or Lil Wayne blasting in their headphones. They’re not listening to Peaceful Easy Feeling.

With this being Beck’s first year coaching the Chanticleers, he’ll need to adapt. If he’s asked next year, he should maybe say his favorite artist is Asher Roth or Avicii. Maybe add that his favorite song is the Pursuit Of Happiness remix from Project X. That could get his players to buy into him.

Shawn Elliott (Georgia State): Foo Fighters

Badass pick. While I only know the cream of the crop in the Foo Fighters discography, I know they produce bangers. I think that Everlong, whether it’s plugged in or acoustic, is one of the best pregame songs ever. It has an awesome build up with the low guitar at the beginning and you can hear David Grohl’s emotion break through. Whether Elliot is blasting Best Of You, My Hero, or Monkey Wrench, I know I can trust him to coach his guys to the fullest. Elliot being a massive Foo Fighters fan makes me want to sprinkle a little bit on Georgia State’s 5.5 win total.

I don’t really have anything else to say to this other than that it’s a badass pick. Maybe the best of pick in the entire Sun Belt.

Clay Helton (Georgia Southern): Cole Swindell

I’m kind of surprised by Clay Helton picking Cole Swindell as his favorite musician. I know he’s from Florida and played in the south at Auburn and Houston, but he did coach in Los Angeles at USC for 12 seasons. I understand sticking to your roots, but it’s shocking to me that he didn’t pick any musicians from Los Angeles like Beck or Incubus or even Anderson Paak. Where it does make sense to me, though, is that he was probably a huge country fan growing up and Los Angeles warped his taste in country music to poppier country artists like Cole Swindell. I think Swindell is good, but he doesn’t make country music for the blue collar man.

Curt Cignetti (James Madison): Neil Young

Now you might think that I’ll bag on Cignetti choosing Neil Young, but I think Neil Young has hidden gems that no one thinks about. A lot of his songs have a yacht rock sound to them, but if Cignetti is jamming out to Like A Hurricane in pregame, I can put my faith in him. Young has a soulful angst in a lot of his music that can pull your inner emotions out and I want that in a head ball coach. I want a guy who will do anything for his team and someone who listens to Neil Young feels like someone who will do anything for his team.

This isn’t an overall great pick, but it’s a solid one. It’s a lot better than some of the selections on this list and it also feels authentic. Cignetti has the look of a Neil Young fan.

Charles Huff (Marshall): Michael Jackson

I respect that Michael Jackson is a legend and maybe one of the best musicians ever, but he’s a creep. Coach Huff probably grew up listening to Jackson because he was born in 1983 so I’m assuming there’s some nostalgia attached, but there’s no way Huff was a fan of any Michael Jackson music post 2000. He got way too weird and way too creepy, so I’m not sure how to judge Huff on this pick. Jackson is a musician who many people love, but openly saying to media that he’s your favorite artist is wild. Maybe this means that Huff is a fan of taking chances and throwing caution to the wind. That could play into some of his play calling this season.

Ricky Rahne (Old Dominion): Nirvana

On the surface, I really love this pick. Going back into the Nirvana archive is fun and when you hear a song like About A Girl or Smells Like Teen Spirit, I get jacked up. But where I draw some concern is with Cobain dying nearly 30 years ago, there hasn’t been any new Nirvana music. This makes me believe that Rahne is stuck in the past and complacent. It’s tough for one of your favorite musicians to have not made any new music in three decades and this hurts how I feel about Rahne and Old Dominion as a whole.

Playing Nirvana fires a team up, but when the catalog wears thin and you keep going back to that well, I think that Rahne’s coaching style will be similar. It’s a harsh reality, but I have to look at this choice in a macro way, not a micro way.

Butch Jones (Arkansas State): Cole Swindell

While Clay Helton’s favorite artist being Cole Swindell can be explained, I can’t explain it for Butch Jones. When you look at Butch Jones, he looks grizzled and tough, but Cole Swindell doesn’t exude a grizzled and tough sound. If you let me guess, I would have said that Butch Jones’ favorite musician would be Waylon Jennings or Hank Williams. Not Cole Swindell. This selection makes me question Jones’ toughness going into this season and doesn’t make me feel super confident in Arkansas State. Bet the under on their 4.5 win total.

Mike Desormeaux (Louisiana): Eric Church

This is a good pick. Eric Church makes country songs about camaraderie with friends and this makes me believe that Mike Desormeaux is huge on team bonding along with having the back of your teammates. That’s a trait that you really want in a head ball coach. I also find it really funny that Eric Church and Mike Desormeaux look a lot like one another. Maybe Desormeaux saw a photo of Church and then decided to get into his music purely off the fact that Church is his doppleganger.

Kane Wommack (South Alabama): Coldplay

Ever since 40 Year Old Virgin came out in 2005, Coldplay hasn’t been perceived as cool as they actually are.

Yeah, I get that they don’t make music for real men who work with their hands, but I enjoy Coldplay. Listening to Viva La Vida can fire me up. Paradise makes me disassociate a little bit – in a good way. I can definitely cry to Fix You. What I’m trying to say is that I respect Kane Wommack for picking Coldplay. He could have easily said a country singer or a classic rock group, but he stayed true to himself.

Where I’m a tad concerned though is the idea of Wommack listening to Coldplay before games. It’s not rambunctious enough to really jack up a head ball coach. Their music also isn’t chill enough to make you completely zen out and be calm, cool, and collected. Wommack might just feel content listening to Coldplay and that could hurt South Alabama when they’re going into a big game.

Will Hall (Southern Mississippi): Jimmy Buffett

I have a lot of issues with this pick. First off, Will Hall doesn’t look like a Jimmy Buffett guy. He wears a shirt and tie on the sideline, one that he sweats through profusely. That’s not the move of a Jimmy Buffett guy at all. It’s way too up-tight. But the fact that a college football coach is picking Jimmy Buffett is a red flag. It’s way too relaxing to be listening to if you’re going to fire a team up. Getting a speech from a guy who just listened to Cheeseburger In Paradise would feel vanilla and fake.

G.J. Kinne (Texas State): Lil Baby

Bullshit. No shot G.J Kinne is a Lil Baby fan. I’ve played college football with guys that look like G.J. Kinne and those are the type of dudes to play some slow ass country music before you hit the field for practice. I like that Kinne added a different flavor to this list rather than going with another country artist, but I don’t buy that he’s bumping Transporter or Yes Indeed driving to the teams facility. If anything, Kinne should have went with a Dallas based rapper because that’s where he’s from. Picking Yella Breezy or Trip Lee would be a way cooler pick and would have represented the area he’s from.

Jon Sumrall (Troy): Chris Stapleton

While I do think a great majority of country music blows, Chris Stapleton rocks. I can put my trust in a head ball coach that puts his head down and listens to Parachute. That’s a guy I can get behind because he’ll preach the philosophies of Stapleton’s music in his pregame speeches. He’ll tell his team to protect their own and fight for the guy on your left and the guy on your right. And you know what, I’d completely buy into what he’s saying because of his love for Chris Stapleton. This is one of the best picks on the list and might make me ride with Troy this season.

Terry Bowden (Louisiana Monroe): James Taylor

In the same vein of Will Hall picking Jimmy Buffett, Terry Bowden being a James Taylor sycophant concerns me. While I like Taylor and find him to be a great musical talent, his music is way too relaxing. When I think of the proper time and place to listen to James Taylor, it’d be in a coffee shop where you’re reading a book and enjoying a chai latte. Pitcuring Bowden listening to September Grass or Carolina In My Mind doesn’t exactly give me faith that Louisiana Monroe will make a bowl game. I like Taylor’s music, but it’s not football guy music.