SEC Unfiltered: Eli Drinkwitz got it right: Put Mike Leach in the College Football Hall of Fame

Welcome to SEC Unfiltered, the USA TODAY NETWORK's newsletter on SEC sports. Look for this newsletter in your inbox Monday through Friday. Today, Tuscaloosa News sports columnist Chase Goodbread takes over:

Put me in Eli Drinkwitz's camp when it comes to the topic of the late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach and the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Missouri coach advocated for Leach's induction in the Hall on Tuesday and picked the biggest possible platform on which to do it: 2024 SEC Media Days in Dallas. Leach isn't eligible for the Hall of Fame because of a silly, arbitrary requirement that coaches must win 60% of their games. Leach, who died Dec. 12, 2022, after complications from a heart condition, had a career record of 158-107 (59.6%).

"He won 158 career games, was the 2008 Big 12 Coach of the Year, two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and in 2018 was the AFCA Football Coach of the Year. Won 11 games at Texas Tech and 11 games at Washington State," Drinkwitz said. "And I understand that his career winning percentage is .596, one win short of the 60% threshold, and I understand that standards are there for people to make decisions, but I also understand that Coach Leach would be a great value to the Hall of Fame, because of the legacy that he has, because of the impact that he made, because of the innovator that he was, because of the legacy of coaches that he left. And in my opinion, not only a winner, but a Hall of Famer."

Leach's Air Raid offense was game-changing, record-breaking and trend-setting. It has been been duplicated or modified by countless coaches. His impact on the sport was undeniable. He didn't win a national championship, but then again, he didn't exactly coach at the blue-blood programs where championships are spawned. He went from Texas Tech to Washington State to Mississippi State, all schools where recruiting can be difficult for one reason or another. All places that needed the fan electricity that his offense could always spark.

Leach isn't on the ballot for 2025, so it'll be 2026 at the earliest before the right thing can be done.

Drinkwitz isn't the only one who has rung this bell. The powers that be at the Hall of Fame are well-acquainted with the two-year push to either adjust or eliminate the 60% standard as a means of getting Leach in. Elimination would be the right move. All things considered, 60% isn't a crazy-high bar to clear for a Hall of Famer, but it also distills a coach's career in a way that doesn't quite capture its impact.

Certainly not Leach's impact.

Coaches are hired and fired on wins and wins alone. They're judged by the W column from the day they first blow a whistle to the day they retire. But in between, their value to the players they lead takes on far more meaning than what a record can show.

Let the Hall of Fame be the one place they're judged by more than just wins.

And let Leach's career be the one that makes the point.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: SEC Unfiltered: Eli Drinkwitz got it right: Put Mike Leach in the College Football Hall of Fame