Thoughts from SEC Media Days in Tampa

“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” – from “Common Sense” which was written in 1776 by Thomas Paine

The words of Thomas Paine helped to spark a revolution. Months after he wrote “Common Sense” delegates from 13 colonies met in Philadelphia to declare independence from England. A war was fought and won. The world changed forever.

Some 250 years and 16 days following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey talked about common sense as it applies to the Protect College Sports Act. If enacted by the United States Congress, college sports will change forever. Reforms are necessary and long overdue, but the way the SEC views this legislation much of it is one size fits all, which is unacceptable. The SEC may be willing to compromise on certain provisions in the bill, but it is a no go on such things as pooling television revenues for equal sharing among the conferences.

That is the major sticking point for the SEC but not the only one. To counter this legislation, which is fully backed by the NCAA, the SEC has offered 10 suggestions that are both “achievable and reasonable.” Perhaps “achievable and reasonable” to the SEC but not everyone agrees. The SEC views the changes as common sense re-structuring that will help level a playing field that favors the smaller, less prosperous conferences. Those cash-starved bottom feeders want the big guys to relinquish some of the monopoly they have on access to money sources. They view the SEC and its list of suggestions as nothing more than bully tactics that will make it far more difficult to stave off extinction.  

Sankey has the full support of the presidents and athletic directors of the Southeastern Conference, who are in serious discussions about taking the route of self-governance rather than agree to the provisions of the Protect College Sports Act as it is written today. This is not a threat but rather a calculated demand made because the SEC has the further backing of ESPN, which holds an exclusive contract with the SEC through 2034. The SEC is ESPN’s most valuable property. Considering the SEC accounts for a full 40 percent of the television viewing audience for all football among the power conferences it doesn’t take a PhD in astrophysics to understand that whatever direction the SEC wishes to go, ESPN will stand side-by-side.

For all practical purposes, if the SEC elects the route of self-governance it will be a full-scale revolution not only against Congressional control but also the NCAA. Most of the problems facing collegiate athletics today are the result of the NCAA’s combination of inept leadership and selective enforcement of antiquated rules. Because it lacks the wherewithal to deal with problems it created, the NCAA is trying to get a bailout from the Congress. Rejecting the legislation will require the SEC to also declare independence from the NCAA and its bureaucratic bungling.

Thomas Paine called for a revolution that would begin the world over again. Monday, without coming right out and calling for a revolution, Greg Sankey let it be known that the Southeastern Conference has the power to begin the world of college sports all over again.

KIRBY SMART SAID IT

“You got to be able to wear multiple hats, more than I ever imagined. You got to choose which hats you want to wear the best. Maybe that is dictated by the strength of your staff. Like if you’ve got really strong continuity and coaches and X and Os and schemes and recruiters, then you go focus on the relationships with the players. You go focus on maybe raising money and doing things with the owners. You have to choose what you want to, and I think that’s the strength of our program. I’m not afraid to change what we need to change to be successful. If I need to spend for time with one player because he plays harder and less time with the offensive staff or the offensive coordinator or the defensive staff or the defensive coordinator, special teams, I’m willing to do that.”

“I don’t have an ego that says you have to do it my way. I want to hear how you want to do it, and let’s find the best way. What I am worried about is what kind of product do we put on the field in terms of physicality, toughness, all those things, how we practice, that’s non-negotiable for me. The landscape is kind of over on the side. If you get really lost and caught up in landscape and you’re constantly arguing and fussing and complaining and tweeting and doing all that, guess what you’re not the worrying about? What matters. We’re going to worry about what matters first all our place.”

CLARK LEA SAID IT

“Well, I think we’re still internally the chip-on-the-shoulder underdog that has a lot to prove. Again, there’s nothing that we inherit from last season that has to do with any future win. Everything is about the responsibility we have over the program that we have built, but how this team can actually move it forward, and maybe more importantly, how this team can fully express itself over the course of the next six months.”

“Our objective remains what it’s always been, to build the best football program in the country. While progress is encouraging, complacency is dangerous. The moment we turn to protect the ground we’ve covered, we stop our pursuit of what’s possible at Vanderbilt. We must be willing to risk what we are for what we could become.”

ALEX GOLESH SAID IT

“The identity is one thing for me to talk about, one thing for me to preach, one thing for me to hold a standard in every aspect of our program, but it’s another for our kids to embrace it and live it. The first piece of this identity that we’ve hammered home is the ability to be physically and mentally tough. That’s what Auburn football was built on, physical and mental toughness. The ability to be the most violent football team on the field every Saturday. Violent.”

“Byrum Brown is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and he’s shown that over the years. What has to happen for Byrum is he’s just got to continue to be him every single day. What gives him confidence is everything that we preached from day one. It’s your daily process. It’s how you come in that building. It’s how you treat people. It’s how you take care of your body. It’s how you show up to work. It’s truly how your locker looks. How you approach getting on the field, off the field, how you communicate on the sideline, on top of how you actually work when it’s time to go to work.”

“I don’t set goals. I’ve always thought that that’s like a little bit like New Year’s resolutions. They usually work for a little bit and you kind of keep it moving. I set standards. We set standards as a program. Our standard is to be the best versions of us every single day.”

SHANE BEAMER SAID IT

“Last year at this time most of you guys picked us very high because of the players that we had returning on our team – on the 2025 team. This year we won't be picked very high. I get that, but we got the same players that you picked us high for last year. They're back this year, and they're a year older, which excites me.”

“If you look back at last year's team, I think we only had four seniors that started for us total on last year's team. So for me, as the head coach, it was making sure that we got older. We brought in some transfers that have played a lot of football at a lot of places, so we increased the experience. That was one thing that I, as a head coach, can control. We tweaked some things with how we do things in the offseason, practice, things like that. But you do that after every season. You're introspective and look at how you can be better. But we've been very intentional about getting better. We've gotten older, like I said. Certainly when you have the season that we had, that's on me. I did not do a good enough job last year to say the least.”

CHRIS DOERING RATES THE SEC QUARTERBACKS

1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss; 2. John Mateer, Oklahoma; 3. Arch Manning, Texas; 4. Byrum Brown, Auburn; 5. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

DIVISION I QUARTERBACK RATINGS PER THE ATHLETIC

Top 25 (SEC QBs in bold): 1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss; 2. Dante Moore, Oregon; 3. CJ Carr, Notre Dame; 4. Darian Mensah, Miami; 5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State; 6. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State; 7. Arch Manning, Texas; 8. Sam Leavitt, LSU; 9. Jayden Maiava, Southern Cal; 10. Noah Fifita, Arizona; 11. Gunner Stockton, Georgia; 12. Josh Hoover, Indiana; 13. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M; 14. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California; 15. Kevin Jennings, SMU; 16. John Mateer, Oklahoma; 17. C.J. Bailey, North Carolina State; 18. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina; 19. Byrum Brown, Auburn; 20. Demond Williams, Washington; 21. Malik Washington, Maryland; 22. Devon Dampier, Utah; 23. Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh; 24. Rocco Becht, Penn State; 25. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA

Other SEC quarterbacks: 26. Austin Simmons, Missouri; 32. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State; 33. Keelon Russell, Alabama; 34. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky; 55. Aaron Philo, Florida; 57. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt; 63. KJ Jackson, Arkansas; 75. Faizon Brandon, Tennessee

Former SEC QBs now starting elsewhere: 25. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA (formerly Texas); 28. Conner Weigman, Houston (formerly Texas A&M); 40. Cutter Boley, Arizona State (formerly Kentucky); 42. DJ Lagway, Baylor (formerly Florida); 46. Beau Pribula, Virginia (formerly Kentucky); 60. Ashton Daniels, Florida State (formerly Auburn); 64. Jackson Arnold, UNLV (formerly Oklahoma; formerly Auburn); 67. Carolos Del Rio-Wilson (formerly Florida); 71. Maalik Murphy, Oregon State (formerly Texas); 72. Michael Hawkins, West Virginia (formerly Oklahoma); 73. Michael Van Buren, South Florida (formerly Mississippi State; formerly LSU); 83. Tayven Jackson, North Texas (formerly Tennessee); 100. Max Johnson, Georgia Southern (formerly LSU; formerly Texas A&M); 102. Jake Merklinger, UConn (formerly Tennessee)