The first SEC Media Days with the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in the league is in the books. Things wrapped up Thursday for the 2024 event in Dallas with the Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Kentucky Wildcats and Texas A&M Aggies taking the podium. Here are five takeaways from the day.
Sam Pittman throws Arkansas fans under the bus
At one point during the Razorbacks head coach’s press conference, Sam Pittman was asked about Steve Sarkisian saying Hogs fans seem to hate the Texas Longhorns more than they love their team. Pittman signed off on that statement. Is this part of trouble in paradise? He’s on the hot seat clearly, so could he be looking to humiliate Razorback fans?
Hugh Freeze making lame excuses
Coming off a wildly inconsistent season his first year as head coach of Auburn, Hugh Freeze could have blamed being a first-year head coach there installing a new offense, his lack of talent or even his need to develop more as excuses. Instead, he blamed giving up play-calling duties, which he has since taken back. What? If that’s the case, why did he give them up to begin with???
Kentucky brings offensive excitement SEC Media Days
Mark Stoops is now the dean of SEC coaches, and he’s also known as a defensive guru. Still, he spent a significant portion of SEC Media Days discussing Georgia Bulldogs transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff, new offensive coordinator Bush Hamden and his new west coast offense. Vandagriff didn’t come, but Stoops clearly wants everybody to know he’s taking UK to new places.
Texas A&M embracing humility
After years of bombastic PR moves with Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies are staying quiet. Mike Elko said he is most proud of a quiet offseason, and offensive lineman Trey Zuhn said he loves the silence. It’s clear A&M wants everybody to know they’re keeping things close to the vest, and with some real talent, this is a deliberate approach.
Coaches quelled major SEC Media Days storylines
Elko and A&M weren’t the only people to quell major storylines. Pittman consistently deflected his hot seat talk, and Stoops just talked about depth generically when asked about his elite defense, which returns nine starters. The truth is the coaches at SEC Media Days Thursday don’t want to generate headlines, and they did a great job going precisely not that.
