DALLAS, Texas – SEC Media Days begins on Monday – in case you haven’t heard. As for questions, yes, there are quite a few queries to be volleyed as the conference holds its first season with 18 teams in play.
LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt will take to the various podiums on Monday to begin the unofficial kickoff of college football season. Tennessee will make the trip through the media circuit on Tuesday.
Of the four teams at the mic on Monday, the Vols will only play one, Vanderbilt, and that’s not exactly a highly regarded matchup since Vandy is coming off a 2-10 season. However, there’s reason for Tennessee’s fan base to tune in for the media mayhem in Dallas, Texas.
Here are four questions I have for the attendees at Day One of SEC Media Days:
Hot or Not?
This question will be for the media instead of LSU head coach Brian Kelly or his players. The Tigers’ media contingent has always done a good job of projecting the teams they cover. Perhaps LSU has too many leaks? That’s as much a bayou tradition as beans and rice.
Kelly has won 10 games in his first two seasons at Baton Rouge, but last year felt like a bit of a step back. Kelly came to the SEC from Notre Dame to win a championship. It seems he’s closer to winning it all at LSU. However, a title anytime soon seems like a reach. It will be interesting to see what the Tigers’ media thinks of Kelly as he heads into his third season.
How hot?
Following South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is a bit like riding a roller coaster. Well, just how tired are Gamecock fans of all the ups and downs? That’s the question prospects will have for Beamer when he recruits them to Columbia. How secure is his future?
Technically, Beamer was trending upwards before last season. However, just barely. The Gamecocks went 7-6 in 2021 and 8-5 in 2022. Then, last season went awry as the South Carolina finished just 5-7. Beamer’s fourth season could determine his future. The Vols would love to see an offseason coaching search in the Carolinas during the final days of recruiting season in December and January.
How many now?
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has been pretty cocky at SEC Media Days before, saying that his crew should be “the best program in the country” back in 2022. Lea then took The Sledge-O_Matic sledgehammer and crushed a watermelon. Amidst those comedic statements, Lea has won nine games as a Commodore in his three seasons as Vandy’s head coach.
My question is: “Has it started to sink in that you just can’t win consistently at Vanderbilt – and, maybe, not win at all?”
I’ll await your answer Clark.
How are you?
There really is nothing else I’d like to ask Lane Kiffin, if given the chance, on Monday after his father, longtime defensive guru Monte Kiffin, passed away over the weekend. The elder Kiffin spent one season at Tennessee as the Vols’ defensive coordinator with his son as head coach in 2009.
Kiffin was a longtime, well-respected coach that is credited with inventing the ‘Tampa Two’ defense. He was a defensive coach for several NFL teams and was also the head coach at North Carolina State.
On a personal note, Monte Kiffin was always a gracious gentlemen when I covered him at Tennessee and a joy to talk ball with. Rest In Peace Sir.
