Well, here we are. It’s the unofficial start of college football season here in the South! Of course, I’m speaking of SEC Media Days. Did you miss it because you have a day job and can’t sit around watching SEC coverage all day? Fortunately for you, I’m here to recap the important parts of Media Days.
Monday, we saw coaches and players from the Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU Tigers, and Tennessee Volunteers. Let’s see how it went.
Commissioner Greg Sankey
- The SEC Commissioner is the first to the podium. Sankey discusses this being the 50th anniversary of SEC desegregation and plans for this to be celebrated all season.
- Conference realignment has never been on the agenda, and won’t be for the foreseeable future. So quit trying to ruin our rivalry games!
- The revenue of the SEC is up this year, to the surprise of nobody.
- Don’t expect game length to change, so get ready for more 5 hour games.
- After the LSU-Florida hurricane fiasco last season, the league will now handle all decisions in regards to events like that.
- There’s a possibility of moving to a 14-week season, which would provide two bye weeks per team.
Arkansas Razorbacks
- Bret Bielema to the podium. Apparently, Coach Bielema was unhappy with how the team collapsed in the second half. (Duh.)
- Oddly enough, he was happy that the collapse in the Missouri game helped “grow the rivalry.” (Translation: “It wasn’t ALL bad……please don’t fire me.”)
- He accidentally FaceTimed Greg Sankey from a Chipotle. If I have to know that, so do you.
- He is in favor of allowing undrafted underclassman to come back to the program. Or, at least extending the date where players have to declare for the draft.
- The offensive line has really become closer because they go to the movies together.
- Some good thoughts on Rawleigh Williams, who retired from football last season after his second neck injury.
- The SEC is loaded with quarterback talent this year. Bret Bielema thinks it’s loaded every year. He is wrong.
LSU Tigers
- Ed Orgeron up the podium. He reminds us that he’s from Louisiana and is grateful to be a head coach again.
- He wants to see a balanced offense from new OC Matt Canada.
- There’s still a quarterback competition, but Danny Etling is the leader.
- “We’re going to revolve our offense around our best player, Derrius Guice” Ed Orgeron
- “Mainly because I love his pink suit” – Ed Orgeron, probably.
- Coach O went into depth about EVERY. SINGLE. PLAYER. I’m not going through all of it.
- “I wasn’t ready to be the head coach at Ole Miss.”
- Super Interesting question: LSU-BYU kicks off at 8:30. BYU does not play on Sundays. What will happen if the game is still going at midnight? Coach O has no idea. I don’t either.
- Coach O knows beating Alabama is a top priority. “To beat them, we have to recruit like them. We have to protect the QB and spread the ball around.” (They’re going to throw it a lot.)
- He refused to bad mouth Florida after the Hurricane Fiasco and the Gators making LSU their homecoming game.
Tennessee Volunteers
- Coach Butch Jones to the podium. Jones opens with a 100% graduation rate for the 2nd year in a row.
- Jones believes that with a nine-win season and a third straight bowl win, last year was not a disappointment. He’s also the only man in orange to believe that.
- Jones is in constant contact with Peyton Manning. (Translation: Jones eats a LOT of Papa John’s.)
- There will be a lot of new faces, including players and half the coaching staff.
- “If both players earn their right to play, we’ll play both quarterbacks.” If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have a quarterback.
- There’s a lot of excitement for players that were injured last year to get more playing time. Ex: Shy Tuttle and Kyle Phillips.
- Tennessee has a tough opening to the season: three games in 13 days.
- Phil Fulmer is welcome at any and all meetings, and is a great resource for Jones.
- The players say they have ignored all talk of Jones being on the hot seat this season. (I wrote about this. You should read that too.)
That’s all, folks! We’ll see you tomorrow for Day 2. Poppa Bear loves ya.
Poppa Bear is the lead SEC contributor for the SoBros Network, and serves as our resident expert on the human anatomy, fixin’ stuff, and tomatoes. Follow on Twitter:@SoBroPoppaBear
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