Hey kids, welcome to the SEC Media Days recap of Day 2. If you missed anything from Day 1, I have you covered. We have Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas A&M up today. You know the drill, so let’s dive in.
Kirby Smart, Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs will be represented at Media Days by QB Jake Fromm, DB J.R. Reed, and OL Andrew Thomas.
It’s a special season for the Bulldogs, as Georgia will be naming their field after former HC Vince Dooley.
Coach Smart feels confident going into his fourth season as head coach, and is happy with how much the players and program have grown in his tenure.
“Although 24-5 the last two seasons is good, it’s not good enough. It’s not where we expect to be at the University of Georgia.”
He preaches “do more” to his players, to turn small gains into larger ones, and to take the next step in success.
“Life has no remote. You’ve got to get up and change it yourself.” – Kirby Smart, who I’m fairly sure has a cat poster in his office that says “hang in there.”
He speaks very highly of Fromm, Reed, and Thomas, noting each one as a leader and starter for the Bulldogs.
When asked about having to hire a new OC and DC in the same season, Smart relies on the infrastructure of the program for a seamless transition.
Flipping WR George Pickens from Auburn was a major win for Georgia. Pickens saw an opportunity to make an immediate impact with WRs leaving for the draft.
Smart is in favor of graduate transfers, especially with the success of Maurice Smith.
He has a very good relationship with the president and administration at Georgia, and they’ve helped him keep up with the needs of the program.
Smart says that this is the most experienced and competitive QB the SEC has ever head. He’s not wrong.
He has a lot of respect for Jim Chaney, even though he went to rival Tennessee. Chaney knowing the personnel at Georgia shouldn’t affect the outcome of the game.
LB Monty Rice is healthy and should provide a lot of speed for the defense. He’d like to see the defense become a little more aggressive under Dan Lanning and Glenn Schumann.
Smart thinks that the transfer portal has made transferring more streamlined for players, but knows that several players will be left without a scholarship.
The focus in camp will be on themselves, but will then turn to Vanderbilt as the season opener gets closer. He has a lot of respect for Derek Mason, and knows that Vanderbilt is returning more skilled players than normal.
He’s more disappointed in the Texas game than the Alabama game from last season, and will use those moments as teaching tools going forward.
He’s not focused on Alabama. Vanderbilt is the first step. “Alabama isn’t on our schedule.”
He doesn’t have an opinion on moving the Cocktail Party to a home and home series. Well, guess what Kirby? I do have an opinion. LEAVE THE GAME ALONE.
There’s a lot of offensive line depth this year, and the starting five haven’t been selected yet. There’s a lot of competition on the line.
Smart is asked about Nick Saban. You probably know the answer.
Jake Fromm (State Farm, had to do it to em) is in a good position to lead a young WR squad this season. He’s been a good leader so far and the WRs know exactly what he expects from them.
Matt Luke, Ole Miss
The Ole Miss Rebels brought QB Matt Corral, OL Alex Givens, and LB MoMo Sanogo.
Matt Luke is excited to start the season, because having a post-season ban lifted will do that to a person.
Ole Miss signed a huge recruiting class that landed in the top 25 and brought them back to the full 85 for the first time in 5 years.
The hiring Rich Rodriguez as OC and Mike MacIntyre as DC should add a wealth of knowledge to the program.
There will be a lot of new players on offense, and the defense is getting an overhaul to a 3-4.
He expects Rich Rod to run a wide open offensive playbook.
The lack of depth last season really showed in the 4th quarter, especially late in the season. Now with 85 scholarship players, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Jerrion Ealy skipping the MLB draft to come to Ole Miss was a giant swing of momentum for the Rebels.
Ole Miss has four freshmen QBs on their roster, but Matt Coral having the redshirt and gaining experience last season helped him win the starting job.
The immediate goal is to get to the post season, and then start hunting for championships in the future.
Luke says he has a lot of confidence in MacIntyre and the new 3-4 defense, and that players will have a chip on their shoulders this season.
There’s a lot more energy in the program now that the bowl ban has been lifted. “There’s no more dark cloud hanging over us.”
The first four games are pretty stacked, but Coach Luke is only concerned with the opener against Memphis.
He likes the powder blue color in the uniforms and we’ll probably see more of it. There. That’s a thing you know now.
The more time Luke spent with Rich Rod, the more he was convinced he was the right fit at Ole Miss.
Coach Luke likes his group of WRs, especially Elijah Moore. He expects them to work themselves into playmakers.
Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers brought LB Daniel Bituli, QB Jarrett Guarantano, and LB Darrell Taylor.
Wow. Jeremy Pruitt just filibustered SEC Media Days. This dude just talked straight through for over 20 minutes. That’s not an exaggeration. I thought Coach O was a talker, but damn. So I’m going to do my best to sort this out. Here we go.
Media Days is not Pruitt’s favorite time as a head coach. So he’ll be getting revenge by not letting anyone ask questions.
He started his head coaching career at Hoover High School, and now has several people from the school on his staff at Tennessee.
He talks about starting the year with a new University President and Chancellor. Also about Phil Fulmer being a hands-on AD.
Coach Pruitt is thrilled to have Jim Chaney come in and help the offense. Chaney adapts his offense to his best players, which will allow Tennessee to succeed this season.
Tee Martin is back at UT as WRs coach, and has been a great recruiter. Nobody sells UT like Tee Martin.
Derrick Ansley worked with Pruitt at Alabama and left the Oakland Raiders to be DC at UT this season.
The team has been putting in a lot of work in the weight room and has added a lot of weight across the board.
Spring practice was more stable and efficient this season, with players knowing where they’re supposed to be.
60 players opted to stay at UT in the month of May to work out and take another class.
Pruitt is a big fan of Guarantano. He has arm strength, foot speed, and a lot of toughness. He’s learned a lot more about the game of football and is able to change plays on the fly at the line of scrimmage.
Daniel Bituli is a LB from the Congo that speaks three languages. “I said, Daniel, I only need you to speak one language, and that’s our football language.” Jeremy Pruitt, ladies and gentlemen.
Pruitt says that the best recruiters on campus at UT right now are the football players. They’ve bought in and believe in the culture.
With only three QBs on the roster, Pruitt wants to spend time in fall camp establishing a backup QB.
He wants to get the ball to TE Dom Wood-Anderson, and make him more involved in the offense this season.
Pruitt is happy to have 4 seniors at the WR position, but emphasizes that high school WRs should be looking at Tennessee.
UT has lost a lot of experience on defense, so a lot of young guys will need to step up and stay healthy.
Pruitt is asked about UAB and their coach Bill Clark. I’m not sure why.
When asked about getting Tennessee back to consistency, Pruitt states the key is being competitive and winning football games.
Offensive lineman Brandon Kennedy tore his ACL early last year, but is healthy and ready to go this season. He was held out of spring practice as a precaution.
Jim Chaney has had a lot of success everywhere he’s coached, including tenure at UT in the past. It made him the perfect candidate to be OC.
Pruitt is in favor of athletes being able to transfer, but hasn’t formed an opinion on the transfer portal yet.
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
The Texas A&M Aggies are represented by QB Kellen Mond, DL Justin Madubuike, and PUNTER Braden Mann. Yes. They brought the punter. I’m all kinds of fired up for that.
Fisher would be interested in reviving the Texas/Texas A&M rivalry game. The Aggies are booked out for the next decade, but he would like to see it return if it benefits A&M.
Referring to A&M as “spoilers” is condescending. They’re not out to spoil, they’re out to compete against great teams and win those games.
The Aggies will have a lot of experience on the offensive line, and RB Jashaun Corbin is an explosive runner that will make a lot of plays this season.
Fisher has nothing but good things to say about Nick Starkel, who transferred to Arkansas. Calls him a classy young man and a good competitor.
Fisher is in favor of the transfer portal, but would like to see more comprehensive rules.
When asked about the Bleacher Report article where FSU blamed Fisher for their current struggles, he spoke about having thick skin in this profession. “People are going to say and write things, and you know what goes on and you move on. I have nothing but respect for my time at Florida State.”
The LSU/A&M game from last season has started a bit of a rivalry, which happens when two great teams can compete against each other every year. (Damn it – I love college football.)
Question: I think Nick Saban’s former assistants are 0-16…..Fisher: I’ve never heard that, never, ever heard that before. Just great stuff from Fisher here.
“What’s it going to take (to beat Nick Saban)? 60 minutes of great football. You have to line up and play.”
He has high praise for Kelly Bryant and thinks he’ll do really well at Mizzou.
DC Mike Elko is a great coach, and Fisher isn’t worried about him leaving. He knows Elko wants to stay and build toward something great.
Someone asks about Jake Bentley at South Carolina, and Fisher has nothing but good things to say. He also talks about his relationship with Will Muschamp, and how he would accuse Fisher and Saban of cheating at basketball.
Fisher is asked about the difference between the SEC and the ACC. He says that the SEC is top to bottom the most competitive. The ACC has good players, but the SEC has the best atmospheres and coverage in college football. I’ll drink to that.
He expects co-OC Jay Graham to continue moving up the ladder and eventually be a head coach one day.
Fisher wasn’t shocked to hear the LSU/A&M game was responsible for changing the overtime rule.
With Kellen Mond progressing as a QB, the playbook for the offense has been able to evolve, with slight twists on existing plays.
That’s all folks. We’ll see you tomorrow for the Day 3 round up.
SEC Media Days 2019 Recaps
Poppa Bear is the Lead SEC Analyst 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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