I can guarantee you one thing about the opening game*

Alex Condon is one reason why the Gators will have the SEC's best front court (Photo by Chris Spears) It may only be July but with the exception of a possible straggler here or there, SEC rosters for the 2025-26 basketball season are set. Not surprising, but the Florida Gators are considered the team to beat in the SEC and a serious contender to win a second straight NCAA championship. Back from the 2025 national championship team are all four bigs who contributed in Florida’s 12-game winning streak that included a 6-0 run in the NCAA Tournament. Although Florida lost its three perimeter starters to the NBA, Todd Golden replaced them with Xaivian Lee (from Princeton), Boogie Fland (from Arkansas) and AJ Brown (from Ohio), who averaged a combined 43.6 points per game. Lee averaged 5.5 assists per game while Fland averaged 5.0.     Already, the Gators are being projected as the No. 1 overall seed by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. Over at CBS, the Gators are also being projected as a No. 1 seed.   FLORIDA Last year: 36-4, 14-4 SEC; NCAA champions Projected starting lineup: Alex Condon (6-11, 230, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 260, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 220, JR); Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR); Boogie Fland (6-3, 180, SO) Key reserves: Micah Handlogten (7-1, 265, SR); AJ Brown (6-4, 200, RJR); Alex Kivatchev (6-5, 190, JR); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 195, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-4, 210, SO); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 250, SO); Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, RFR); CJ Ingram (6-6, 202, FR); Alex Lloyd (6-3, 178, FR)     THE REST OF THE SEC   ALABAMA Last year: 28-9, 13-5 SEC; NCAA Elite Eight Projected starting lineup: LaBaron Philon (6-4, 177, SO); Aden Holloway (6-1, 180, JR); Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (6-3, 190, GR); Taylor Bol Bowen (6-10, 195, JR); Aiden Sherrell (6-10, 240, SO) Key reserves: Jalil Bethea (6-5, 190, SO); Houston Mallett (6-5, 200, GR); Noah Williamson (7-0, 250, SR); London Jemison (6-8, 195, FR); Keitenn Bristow (6-10, SO); Davion Hannah (6-6, 180, FR); Collins Oneyjiaka (6-11, 270, FR); Amari Allen (6-5, 180, FR), FR) Too early thoughts: LaBaron Philon is going to have to take a huge leap to replace the points and assists of Mark Sears. Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson has to replace Grant Nelson, which may be more difficult than replacing Sears. Lunardi projects Bama as a No. 5, while CBS has the Tide a No. 3. Seems high.   ARKANSAS Last year: 22-14, 8-10 SEC; NCAA Sweet 16 Projected starting lineup: DJ Wagner (6-4, 190, JR); Karter Knox (6-6, 220, SO); Darius Acuff Jr. (6-2, 180, FR); Trevon Brazile (6-10, 230, SR); Nick Pringle (6-10, 230, GR) Key reserves: Meleek Thomas (6-5, 185, FR); Malique Ewin (6-10, 240, SR); Billy Richmond III (6-6, 205, SO); Isaiah Sealy (6-7, 195, FR); Jaden Karuletwa (6-4, 195, SO); Karim Rtail (6-7, 205, FR); Paulo Semedo (7-1, 225, FR) Too early thoughts: John Calipari thinks freshman point guard Darius Acuff Jr. will make the Hogs at least a Sweet 16 team. For Arkansas to contend, Trevon Brazile has to have a big year inside. Lunardi and CBS project Arkansas a No. 5. Could be a top four.   AUBURN Last year: 32-6, 15-3 SEC; NCAA Final Four Projected starting lineup: Tahaad Pettiford (6-1, 170, SO); Kevin Overton (6-5, 200, JR); Keyshawn Hall (6-7, 240, SR); Filip Jovic (6-8, 225, FR); KeShawn Murphy (6-10, 230, SR) Key reserves: Abdul Bashir (6-7, 165, JR); Elyjah Freeman (6-8, 185, SO); Sebastian Williams-Adams (6-8, 230, FR); Kaden Magwood (6-2, 175, FR); Emeka Opurum (7-0, 205, SO); Simon Walker (6-4, 195, FR); CJ Williams (6-2, 185, SR); Jeremiah Bowman (6-7, 205, FR) Too early thoughts: A retooled front line of UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall and Mississippi State transfer KeShawn Murphy will be the key. Can Tahaad Pettiford stay out of trouble? CBS and Lunardi project Auburn a No. 4.     GEORGIA Last year: 20-13, 8-10 SEC; NCAA first round Projected starting lineup: Jordan Ross; (6-3, 195, JR); Blue Cain (6-5, 195, JR); Kanon Catchings (6-9, 220, SO); Dylan James (6-9, 215, JR); Somto Cyril (6-11, 260, SO) Key reserves: Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO); Smurf Millender (5-11, 175, JR); Markel Jennings (5-11, 165, RSO); Justin Bailey (6-3, 195, SR); Jacob Wilkins (6-9, 185, FR); Justin Abson (6-9, 250, SR); Kareem Stagg (6-8, 230, FR); Jackson McVey (7-1, 240, FR); Jaden Newell (6-8, 225, RJR); Brandon Klatsky (6-4, 175, RJR) Too early thoughts: Mike White has quite a few tall guys but none of them move the needle. California transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson will be the leading scorer. Lunardi picks the Bulldogs as a No. 10.   KENTUCKY Last year: 24-12, 10-8 SEC; NCAA Sweet 16 Projected starting lineup: Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, JR), Otega Oweh (6-4, 195, SR), Kam Williams (6-8, 190, SO); Mo Dioubate (6-7, 215, JR); Jayden Quaintance (6-9, 225, SO) Key reserves: Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SR); Malachi Moreno (6-11, 230, FR);  Reece Potter (7-1, 215, JR); Jasper Johnson (6-4, 175, FR); Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, JR); Trent Noah (6-5, 220, SO); Collin Chandler (6-5, 202, SO) Too early thoughts: Mark Pope loaded up in the transfer portal, the best of which are Arizona State sophomore Jayden Quaintance and Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe. CBS projects a No. 2, while Lunardi a No. 3. Seems too high.   LSU Last year: 14-18, 3-15 SEC Projected starting lineup: Dedan Thomas (6-1, 178, JR); PJ Carter (6-4, 183, 5 th YR); Rashad King (6-6, 217, SR); Jalen Reed (6-10, 245, RJR); Michael Nwoko (6-10, 261, JR) Key reserves: Max Mackinnon (6-6, 195, SR); Robert Miller III (6-10, 230, SO); Mazi Mosely (6-5, 169, FR); Ron Zipper (6-5, 209, FR); Pablo Tamba (6-7, 206, GR); Jalen Reece (6-0, 185, FR); Marquel Sutton (6-8, 225, 5 th YR); Matt Gilhool (6-11, 213, FR); Jaden Bobbett (6-1, 190, 5 th YR) Too early thoughts: Matt McMahon sits on a very hot seat. He brought in five double figures transfers, the best of which are point guard Dedan Thomas from UNLV and power forward Marquel Sutton from Omaha. The NIT would be a huge accomplishment.   MISSISSIPPI STATE Last year: 21-13, 8-10 SEC; NCAA first round Projected starting lineup: Josh Hubbard (5-10, 185, JR); Jayden Epps (6-2, 190, SR); Shawn Jones (6-5, 200, SR); Achor Achor (6-9, 222, RSR); Quincy Ballard (6-11, 240, SR) Key reserves: Ja’Borri McGhee (6-0, 200, SO); Amier Ali (6-8, 185, SO); King Grace (6-5, 190, FR); Tee Bartlett (6-10, 274, FR); Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-8, 200, FR); Cameren Paul (6-6, 180, FR); Sergej Macura (6-8, 200, FR); Brandon Walker (6-7, 250, JR). Too early thoughts: Somebody other than Josh Hubbard has to prove he can score. The Bulldogs need Brandon Walker (Montana State transfer) to eat up space and rebound. Lunardi projects MSU a No. 8.   MISSOURI Last year: 22-12, 10-8 SEC; NCAA first round Projected starting lineup: Anthony Robinson II (6-3, 180, JR); Sebastian Mack (6-3, 200, JR); Jacob Crews (6-8, 210, GR); Mark Mitchell (6-9, 230, SR); Shawn Phillips Jr. (7-0, 245, JR) Key reserves: Trent Pierce (6-10, 220, JR); Jevon Porter (6-11, 235, SR); Annor Boateng (6-6, 215, SO); TO Barrett (6-4, 200, SO); Jayden Stone (6-4, 185, SR); Trent Burns (7-5, 235, RFR); Aaron Rowe (6-5, 155, FR); Nicholas Randall (6-7, 225, FR) Too early thoughts: Mizzou has to get some help for Mark Mitchell to be much more than break even in SEC play. Can Jayden Stone (Detroit transfer) help make up the loss of Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill? CBS and Lunardi project the Tigers a No. 7.   OKLAHOMA Last year: 20-14, 6-12 SEC; NCAA first round Projected starting lineup: Xzayvier Brown (6-2, 165, JR); Nijel Pack (6-0, 180, GR); Derrion Reid (6-8, 220, SO) Tae Davis (6-9, 204, SR); Moe Wague (6-10, 225, SR) Key reserves: Jeff Nwankwo (6-6, 220, RFR); Jadon Jones (6-5, 190, SR); Kai Rogers (6-11, 230, FR); Dayton Forsythe (6 -2, 187, SO); Alec Blair (6-6, 195, FR); Kuol Atak (6-9, 190 RFR); Andreas Holst (7-0, 190, FR) Too early thoughts: If transfers Nijel Pack (Miami), Xzavier Brown (Saint Joseph’s) and Tae Davis don’t produce, Porter Moser will be feeling the heat.   OLE MISS Last year: 24-12, 10-8 SEC; NCAA Sweet 16 Projected starting lineup: Koren Johnson (6-1, 175, RJR); Ilias Kamardine (6-4, 180, SR); AJ Storr (6-5, 205, SR); Malik Dia (6-9, 205, SR); James Scott (6-10, 210, SR) Key reserves: Corey Chest (6-8, 210, SO); Eduardo Klafke (6-5, 195, SO); Kezza Giffa (6-1, 165, SR); Travis Perry (6-1, 188, SO); Niko Bundalo (6-10, 215FR); Zach Day (6-5, 185, SO); Tylis Jordan (6-9, 210, FR); Patton Pinkins (6-5, 170, FR) Too early thoughts: Chris Beard needs some scoring and High Point tranfer Kezza Giffa is the best he could do in the portal. The No. 10 seed by both Lunardi and CBS seems high.   SOUTH CAROLINA Last year: 12-20, 2-16 SEC Projected starting lineup: Meechie Johnson (6-2, 192, RSR); Mike Sharavjamts (6-9, 195, SR); Myles Stute (6-6, 210, SR); Elijah Strong (6-8, 250, JR); Christ Essandoko (7-0, 280, RJR) Key reserves: Kobe Knox (6-5, 200, RJR); Cam Scott (6-6, 172, SO); Eli Ellis (6-0,192, FR); Nordin Kapic (6-8, 240, SR); Jordan Butler (7-0, 237, JR); EJ Walker (6-7, 237, FR); Abu Yarmah (6-6, 209, FR); Grant Polk 6-6, 197, FR); Hayden Assemian (6-6, 230, FR) Too early thoughts: Last year was bad. This year will be worse.   TENNESSEE Last year: 30-8, 12-6 SEC; NCAA Elite Eight Projected starting lineup: Felix Okpara (6-11, 235, SR); Cade Phillips (6-9, 216, JR); Nate Ament (6-9, 190, FR); Amaree Abram (6-4, 195, SR); Ja’Kobi Gillespie (6-1, 186, SR) Key reserves: JP Estrella (6-11, 250, RSO); Jaylen Carey (6-8, 265, JR); Bishop Boswell (6-4, 203, SO); Amari Evans (6-5, 211, FR); Clarence Massamba (6-5, 185, FR); Dwayne Brown II (6-9, 255, FR); Grant Hurst (6-2, 208, RSR); Troy Henderson (6-1, 180, FR) Too early thoughts: Freshman Nate Ament is thought to be a one-and-done. Rick Barnes brought in some scoring in Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Louisiana Tech transfer Amaree Abram. The one who better come up big is Felix Okpara. Lunardi projects the Vols a No. 2 while CBS puts them at No. 3.   TEXAS Last year: 19-16, 6-12 SEC; NCAA first round Projected starting lineup: Jordan Pope (6-2, 165, SR); Tramon Mark (6-5, 180, GR); Cam Heide (6-7, 205, JR); Dailyn Swain (6-7, 200, JR); Matas Voikietaitis (7-0, 245, SO) Key reserves: Simeon Wilcher (6-4, 180, JR); Chendall Weaver (6-3, 164, SR); Lassina Traore (6-9, 215, SR); Nic Codie (6-8, 200, SO); John Clark (6-10, 235, FR); Lewis Obiorah (7-1, 245, FR) Too early thoughts: New coach Sean Miller loaded up on the portal. He’ll get a Mulligan this year. Lunardi picks the Longhorns a No. 9. That’s too high.   TEXAS A&M Last year: 23-11, 11-7 SEC; NCAA second round Projected starting lineup: Jacari Lane (6-0, 178), SR); Pop Isaacs (6-2, 182, JR); Rylan Griffen (6-5, 181, SR); MacKenzie Mgbako (6-8, 223, JR); Federiko Federiko (6-11, 226, GR) Key reserves: Marcus Hill (6-3, 192, GR); Rashaun Agee (6-7, 231, GR); Josh Holloway (6-1, 178, JR; Zach Clemence (6-11, 232, GR); Jamie Vinson (6-11, 243, SO); Ruben Dominguez (6-6, 213, SO); Jeremiah Green (6-3, 189, FR); Chris McDermott (6-7, 228, SO) Too early thoughts: Totally rebuilt roster now that Buzz Williams left for Maryland, replaced by Bucky McMillan from Samford. Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs can light it up. Somebody has to rebound. Lunardi and CBS have the Aggies in a No. 11 seed play-in game.   VANDERBILT Last year: 20-13, 8-10 SEC; NCAA first round Projected starting lineup: Frankie Collins (6-1, 205, GR); Duke Miles (6-2, 188, GR); Tyler Nickel (6-7, 220, JR); Devin McGlockton (6-7, 230, SR); Jalen Washington (6-10, 240, SR) Key reserves: AK Okereke (6-7, 244, GR); Tyler Harris (6-7, 202, JR); Mike James (6-5, 198, JR); Tyler Tanner (6-0, 173, SO); Mason Nicholson (6-9, 307, GR); Jayden Leverett (6-11, 245, FR); Jaylon Dean-Vines (6-4, 181, FR); George Kimble III (6-2, 184, JR) Too early thoughts: Not much inside so the Commodores will have to fill it up from the outside. Late addition George Kimble III was a bomber at Eastern Kentucky. The Commodores are a No. 8 for Lunardi, a No. 9 for CBS.

Jadan Baugh (13) was conspicuously absent from All-SEC mention (Photo by Chris Spears) SEC Media Days has come and gone. Did anyone learn anything earth shattering or remotely different than what you thought before the official kickoff event of the 2025 football season began?   No? That’s what I thought.   Let’s start with the obvious. All the usual suspects were picked to finish one through four – 1. Texas, 2. Georgia, 3. Alabama, 4. LSU. No surprises there although once you get past Texas, there are some serious questions about Georgia, Alabama and LSU. Texas will be starting Arch Manning at QB and it is going to be hard for him to live up to all the hype, but Texas has so much talent he doesn’t have to be great. He just has to avoid making critical mistakes and Texas will win 10-12 games.   Georgia? Do you believe Gunner Stockton is the second coming of Stetson Bennett? Kirby Smart and Georgia are hyping him as a Stetson Bennett clone but so far no one has seen any indication that teammates would run through a brick wall for him. They would have done that for Stetson Bennett. There are other issues with Georgia beside quarterback. Last year, for example, when Trevor Etienne was supposed to be the answer to the running game, Georgia finished 15 th in the league in rushing and that was with a better O-line than the Poodles have this year. Georgia finished eighth in the SEC in run defense a year ago and that was with five guys who have departed the program. Only two of the front seven return.   Alabama? There is a brand new offensive coordinator (Ryan Grubb), whom they are trying to pitch as the guy who turned Michael Penix into a first round draft pick. Yes, but Michael Penix had already thrown for more than 4,000 yards and 28 TDPs before he ever landed at Washington. Ty Simpson has thrown 50 (count ‘em) and has yet to throw a TDP. Now he will have Ryan Williams to throw to, which is significant but a lot of Tider insider types seem to think that by midyear Bama will have a freshman QB. Alabama does have 13 starters returning (6 offense, 7 defense) so the Tide will be able to hang with anyone but can Ty Simpson take them over the top?   LSU? Don’t get me started. Garrett Nussmeier has an NFL quality arm but as we saw against Florida he’s not going to wow anyone with his escapability. Florida sacked him six times and that was against an O-line that had four guys drafted in the NFL. This year’s line is picked 14 th in the league by Lindy’s. LSU finished dead last in rushing a year ago with that O-line which Brian Kelly called the best in the country. Uh-huh. One returning starter in the front seven of the defense. LSU was 12 th in the SEC in run defense. Will Corey Raymond end up doing to the LSU pass defense what he did to Florida’s? All these transfers who have never played with each other. The media is selling LSU hard. I’m not buying. That opener with Clemson is followed two weeks later by the Gators.   Okay South Carolina is picked fifth but that’s because everyone thinks LaNorris Sellers is going to be as good or better than last year. They thought the same thing about KJ Jefferson after the 2022 season. As Arkansas fans discovered in 2023, a year older doesn’t necessarily make you a year better, particularly when you’re minus four offensive linemen and you don’t really have any studs who can stretch a defense on the outside. Oh, and the defense was gutted. If you’ve got money on the Gamecocks, you’re living life on a (chicken) wing and a prayer.   The media did pick Florida sixth, but that’s about where the preseason mags have the Gators. If you’ve got Florida on your list of teams that could bust out of the pack and shock the world, then you’ve done your homework. Florida is absolutely loaded offensively. As the SEC Network crew pointed out the Gators might have the best collection of skill people in the SEC plus a triggerman in DJ Lagway to go with the best O-line in the conference led by first team All-American Jake Slaughter. If the defense plays like it did after they got used to Ron Roberts making the calls instead of Austin Armstrong, the Gators will be good. Really good.   Ole Miss seventh? That’s actually not a bad place to put the Rebels. Lane Kiffin is the only one who seems to know how to lose half his team to the portal, bring in 30 new faces and make it all work. If the defense is as good as advertised Ole Miss will win eight or more games.   I’m more sold on Texas A&M finishing eighth than Tennessee finishing ninth. The Aggies do have some talent, but they also have this nasty habit of getting off to a good start then crashing and burning at the end. I was never sold on Nico Iamaleava at quarterback but he was definitely better than his replacement, Joey Aguilar, who threw 14 picks last year against Sun Belt defenses at App State.   The next three should be ranked ahead of the Aggies and Vols – 10. Oklahoma, 11. Auburn and 12. Missouri. Oklahoma has John Mateer at QB. By season’s end, Mateer and DJ Lagway will be the two best quarterbacks in the SEC. Count on it. If the Oklahoma defense can hold its own, the Sooners will win some games nobody thinks they should. Michigan in Norman game two, for example. Auburn has a defense that can play but needs QB Jackson Arnold to remember it’s legal to complete passes. Missouri? I think Eli Drinkwitz enjoys it when the media ranks the Tigers as a bottom tier team. The defense is going to be nasty. Some Penn State people seem to think Beau Pribula should have been their starting QB. If he’s good, Mizzou will beat people.   After that, it’s the usual collection of bottom feeders.   The media picked LaNorris Sellers over Garrett Nussmeier as the first team All-SEC QB. Arch Manning was picked third team. Lagway and Mateer will be the two best in the league but if Texas goes 11-1 or maybe even 12-0, the All-SEC QB will be Arch Manning. Book it. Doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the best but the hype machine will be cranking.   All-SEC running backs. How did Caden Durham of LSU and Jaydn Ott of Oklahoma make second team? And Nate Frazier (Georgia) and Jam Miller (Alabama) third team? Well, it’s called their from Georgia and Alabama. Doesn’t mean either one of them is better than Jadan Baugh or Ja’Kobi Jackson.       I understand why Florida doesn’t have a first, second or third team wide receiver, but wait until the end of the year. Florida’s receivers will be among the best in the league. Eli Stowers of Vandy is the best TE in the league, but there aren’t two other tight ends in the league better than Hayden Hansen.   Florida did get Jake Slaughter and Austin Barber on the first team O-line. They deserve it. Four Aggie O-linemen on the first three teams? Oh please.   Over on defense, Caleb Banks should have made first team but there are a lot of good D-linemen. Making second team isn’t bad and Tyreak Sapp on third team is a nice place to put him. He will use it as motivation.   Beau Gardner of Georgia first team All-SEC long snapper? Since when. Rocco Underwood made second team, should have been first. Barion Brown of LSU returned five kickoffs for TDs in his career when he was at Kentucky. The media picked Georgia’s Zachariah Branch, the Southern Cal transfer, as the first team kick returner. Shaking my head over that one.   One last thing. Greg Sankey made it clear he’s in favor of a 9-game schedule and it has nothing to do with Big Ten commissioner Toni Petiti saying it’s not fair that his league plays nine league games while those meanies in the SEC play only eight. Eight SEC games are a whole lot tougher than nine in the Big Ten. But that doesn’t have anything to do with Sankey wanting nine.   Sankey wants nine because SEC fans would much rather see another league game than one against a paycheck opponent, most likely from D1AA. ESPN wasn’t in favor of a 9-game schedule a year ago, but that was because it hadn’t lined up the television crews and schedule that it will take for the extra conference game. ESPN has the crews now and wants the extra game. Sankey can demand more money from ESPN and ESPN will fork it over. Count on it.   A 9-game SEC schedule means more rivalry games which means more viewers and higher ratings. Do you think for even a second SEC fans on the East coast are going to stay up late to watch UCLA-Washington or Minnesota-Oregon? But they will stay up late to watch Tennessee-South Carolina or Ole Miss-Arkansas. Those aren’t marquee games but SEC fans will burn their midnight candles to watch them.   The only reason some SEC schools aren’t in favor of a 9-game schedule has to do with bowl eligibility. As long as that paycheck win over a D1AA team counts toward bowl eligibility, there is a faction in the SEC that will steadfastly refuse to vote for a ninth conference game. When – not if – the SEC goes to a 9-game schedule, the game that will be discarded will be the paycheck game. Personally, I would like to see the SEC ban regular season games against D1AA teams and instead, lead the charge to allow for a spring game against the likes of Florida A&M or Bethune-Cookman.   So, there, you have the basics of what was accomplished at SEC Media Days. It was boring and needs an infusion of new ideas to make it exciting again. Four days is too long. Make the coaches bring two – not three – players who are real studs, not two who are being given lifetime achievement awards. Have the commish have serious discussions with the media about new ideas. Those, just for starters.   Once again, nothing was really accomplished this year but then again, nothing was accomplished last year or the year before. It’s time for something better to rouse the rabbles who make up the SEC fan bases.

Austin Barber is projected to make first team All-SEC (Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts for your Friday afternoon: In the preseason poll at SEC Media Days, Florida was predicted to finish sixth. The usual suspects – Texas, Georgia and Alabama – were picked to finish 1-2-3 followed by LSU and South Carolina. Then came the Gators.   Here is the predicted order of finish: 1. Texas; 2. Georgia; 3. Alabama; 4. LSU; 5. South Carolina; 6. FLORIDA; 7. Ole Miss; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Tennessee; 10. Oklahoma; 11. Auburn; 12. Missouri; 13. Vanderbilt; 14. Arkansas; 15. Kentucky; 16. Mississippi State   Here are the media’s preseason predictions for All-SEC:   All-SEC First team offense QB LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina; RB Quintrevion Wisner, Texas; RB Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M; WR Ryan Williams, Alabama; WR Cam Coleman, Auburn; TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt; OL Kadyn Proctor, Alabama; OL Cayden Green, Missouri; OL DJ Campbell, Texas; OL Austin Barber, Florida; C Jake Slaughter, Florida   Second team offense QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU; RB Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma; RB Caden Durham, LSU; WR Aaron Anderson, LSU; WR Ryan Wingo, Texas; TE Oscar Delp, Georgia; OL Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M; OL Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M; OL Jaeden Roberts, Alabama; OL Fernando Carmona Jr., Arkansas; C Parker Brailsford, Alabama   Third team offense QB Arch Manning, Texas; RB Nate Frazier, Georgia; RB Jam Miller, Alabama; WR Eric Singleton, Auburn; WR Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri; TE Jack Endries, Texas; OL Earnest Greene III, Georgia; OL Chas Bisontis, Texas A&M; OL Xavier Chaplin, Auburn; OL Trevor Goosby, Texas; C Conner Lew, Auburn   First team defense DL Keldric Faulk, Auburn; DL Dylan Stewart, South Carolina; DL Colin Simmons, Texas; DL Christian Miller, Georgia; LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas; LB Whit Weeks, LSU; LB CJ Allen, Georgia; DB KJ Bolden, Georgia; DB Michael Taaffe, Texas; DB Daylen Everette, Georgia; DB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee   Second team defense DL Caleb Banks, Florida; DL Tim Keenan III, Alabama; DL LT Overton, Alabama; DL R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma; LB Deontae Lawson, Alabama; LB Harold Perkins, LSU; LB Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss; DB Malik Muhammad, Texas; DB Domani Jackson, Alabama; DB Will Lee III, Texas A&M; DB Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina   Third team defense DL Tyreak Sapp, Florida; DL Trey Moore, Texas; DL Cam Ball, Arkansas; DL Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss; LB Taurean York, Texas A&M; LB Princewill Umanmielen, Ole Miss; DB Keon Sabb, Alabama; DB Boo Carter, Tennessee; DB Bray Hubbard, Alabama; DB Isaac Smith, Mississippi State   First team specialists P Brett Thorson, Georgia; PK Peyton Woodring, Georgia; LS Beau Gardner, Georgia; KS Peyton Woodring, Georgia; RS Zachariah Branch, Georgia; AP Zachariah Branch, Georgia   Second team specialists P Jack Bouwmeester, Texas; PK Trey Smack, Florida; PK Lucas Carneiro, Ole Miss; LS Rocco Underwood, Florida; KS Trey Smack, Florida; RS Barion Brown, LSU; AP Zavion Thomas, LSU   Third team specialists P Devin Bale, Arkansas; P Aidan Laros, Kentucky; PK Alex McPherson, Auburn; LS Ben Anderson, Oklahoma; KS Will Stone, Texas; RS Zavion Thomas, LSU; AP Eugene Wilson III, Florida; AP Jadan Baugh, Florida   SEC MEDIA DAYS: THEY SAID IT Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri coach “We built a roster to compete this season. We value production over potential. We have 20 players on the defensive side of the ball who have started more than one game in their college career. We've got 12 players on offense who have multiple starts in their collegiate career. We have three on special teams. ”   “This is not going to do me any favors with our commissioner. When I think about college football right now and think about what do we need to do, I think it really comes down to two things: what is best for our players and what is best for our fans. The rest of us are really only important because of the players and the fans. So when you think about whether it's 12, 14 or 16, to me, if we decided to go into this expansion of Playoffs, we're trying to follow an NFL model. The NFL takes 44 percent of their teams into the playoffs to increase the passion or keep the fan base engaged. If we're talking about 12, that's 9 percent. If we're talking about 14, that's 11 percent. If we're talking about 16, that's 12 percent. That's not really changing the math for the fan base. I don't really understand what the big fight is about. ”   Mark Stoops, Kentucky coach “ We have 50 new players that are coming in. That’s the most we’ve ever had in the transfer era obviously. 26 transfers that come in. 13 of those transfers have been starters, and eight of them have been starters at the Power Five conference. We feel like we’re bringing in a lot of fresh faces there. I think that’s something that’s important for us. After coming off the year that we had, I think all of our players know we’ve been very consistent, we’ve done things right. We feel like we got a lot of systems and processes in place to be successful. But we needed to change. I think the roster turnover for this year was important for us. We needed that.”   “This shit’s hard. You might as well go enjoy it, dive into it. There’s a lot of people that can’t do it and didn’t do it for 12 years, didn’t do it for 13 years, not at Kentucky. You look at the history of what we’ve done, there’s a lot of great ones that didn’t make it very long. I’m proud of the run that we have. I want to use last year for us to learn from and to grow from and to get better and to get back to who we want to be. That’s something that our program deserves. That’s something our fan base deserves. The great people in Kentucky, the administration. We’re all in and we’re excited about this next season.”     Sam Pittman, Arkansas coach “ I think the program has a chance to get back up to around those nine-plus wins than where we were before just simply because we have the finances to back that. We've got a good football team. We've got a good staff. We've got great facilities. We got a great state of fans at the University of Arkansas, the state of Arkansas. There's no reason we can't do it.”   “ I'll say this. To consider that you're going to go coach somewhere for 10 years in the SEC, you're a fool. Got to be smart. Kirby Smart, Stoops, that's it in this league. I think you got to look at it as year to year, how you doing. I'm not worried about it 'cause I got a good staff and a good team.”   Mike Elko, Texas A&M coach "We have quarterback Marcel Reed primed to take a huge jump this year. He understands now what it takes to be an SEC quarterback week in and week out." “ The number one thing you have to do with the portal is keep guys happy… You saw guys turn down an opportunity to go to the NFL and in the portal… They wanted to be a part of this." UF BASEBALL: GATORS ADD LEFTY TRANSFER PITCHER   Kevin O’Sullivan added an intriguing transfer to his pitching staff for next season with the addition of Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, a 6-5, 230-pound lefty from Division II Northwest Nazarene. Lugo-Canchoa was a first team Division II All-American after a season in which he had 103 strikeouts in 94-2/3 innings, a 2.00 ERA and only 44 walks. He was the Division II Pitcher of the Year.   Lugo-Canchola is the fourth pitcher O’Sullivan has added through the transfer portal, joining RHP Ricky Reeth (Notre Dame), RHP Russell Sandefer (UCF) and RHP Cooper Walls (Hawaii). The Gators have six other transfers in juco catcher AJ Malzone (Wabash Valley), CF Jaden Bastian (Jacksonville), C/1B Karson Bowen (TCU), C Cole Stanford (Lenoir-Rhyne), SS Sam Miller (Columbia) and 3B/1B Ethan Surowiec.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT John Calipari. The mention of the name in any arena not named Bud Walton in the Southeastern Conference will draw boos. He’s viewed by most as the basketball equivalent of Darth Vader.   I know John. Known him for years and my view is quite different than the average basketball fan. He is a caring and compassionate man who, when he was the basketball coach at Kentucky, let his wallet and his voice be heard loud and clear whenever there was a disaster in the state. He was criticized for his one-and-dones, but he must have done a good job of preparing them for what is next because the average former UK player in the NBA is now 26 years old … and they’ve made over the course of the years $6 BILLION.   Anyway, I’m going off the rails a bit. He did an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS in which he offered a common sense solution for NIL that applies to basketball but should be implemented for all college sports.   Here are some of his suggestions from that interview.   1. Players cannot transfer until they have spent an entire year in school. If they redshirt they can’t transfer until their second year.   2. Players can only transfer once and have immediate eligibility.   Cal said, “ You get one time, so either you made a mistake, the coach was not honest with you. There was a guy on the team that was better than you thought, and you're going to be behind him. And I get it, but after that, you sit out.”   3. After one transfer a player has to sit if he wants to transfer again. Last year and again in 2025-26 there will be multiple players who have transferred two or three times. Cal said, “But you can't transfer four times, and each time you are transferring to make money. Or are you ready for this one? You redshirt, take the money and then leave. You cannot! We got to get our arms around this. How about this? A kid stays in school four years, four different schools … Does he graduate? No, is there any chance that he can graduate? No, very small. Okay, so now he has to go get a job without a college degree and someone offers him $55,000, $60,000. What does he say? Are you crazy? I was getting this, that, and the other. Do I have to come into work? Do I get a car? Are you paying for my apartment?” 4. I f their coach leaves for a new school, they have 30 days in which to transfer.   5. If a player stays at the same school for four years and graduates he gets a fifth year of eligibility. Otherwise, four years. That’s it.   6. Players are going to get paid and there is plenty of tampering and extortion that goes on with kids, but implement rules that allow only one transfer without having to sit a year plus give kids incentive to stay at their school and many of the issues we currently have with the transfer portal will go away.   These are common sense suggestions which, if the NCAA had common sense in its fundamental principles would implement. Will it happen?   “I've been saying it for five years now,” Calipari said. “Listen, no one listens to me. I call my dog, he runs the other way. My wife doesn't listen to me, so no one listens to me … Let's get this solved, seventy percent of our issues go away.”

Jake Slaughter (66) is the best center in college football (Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday afternoon:   At SEC Media Days in Atlanta Wednesday, someone made the remark that Jake Slaughter doesn’t seem like the typical 22-year-old, to which Florida’s All-American center replied, "No, sir, I do get the 'You ought to be 30' type. ”   A year ago when asked if he and Jake Slaughter shared a very bright, calculating brain, quarterback Graham Mertz laughed and replied, “It does seem that way.” Mertz got an NFL contract that goes far beyond what the typical late round draft pick coming off an ACL tear gets. That is because there is always room on a roster for a cerebral quarterback who can easily memorize a playbook, know where everybody should be on every play and spends hours dissecting what’s on film. Just ask Shane Matthews about that. He spent 13 years in the NFL, mostly as a backup, because he had those same qualities.   When your center and your QB are always on the same page, good things happen. Mertz is gone to the NFL now, but DJ Lagway takes over. Mertz and Slaughter mentored him well. Lagway is capable of putting up Star Wars numbers given his immense talent and the skill people the Gators will be running onto the field. Up front Jake Slaughter will be making the line calls.   A year ago, the Gators gave up 20 sacks in 13 games, which ranked third in the Southeastern Conference. The year before, the Gators gave up 39. Experience had a lot to do with the improvement, particularly at center where Slaughter became the model of consistency. SEC coaches didn’t put him on the first, second or third all-conference team, but he was the consensus first team All-America. This year he is the preseason leader to take home the Rimington Trophy (best center in the country) and he's in the mix to win the Outland Award as the best lineman.   Here are a few things Slaughter said at SEC Media Days Wednesday:   About DJ Lagway "We all have a ton of respect for the way DJ put himself out there even when he was banged up. The type of leader that he is, the type of teammate he is, that's the thing. It's inspiring. It inspires a group of men. We all took a lot from that game and the way he carries himself in general."   “He (DJ) goes in about his business. He works his tail off. He treats everything like it's the last thing he's ever going to do. But then on game day, he's got a different type of swag to him. He's getting everybody fired up. You don't see that from Sunday through Friday, just Saturday.”   About playing for Billy Napier "We all love to play for Coach Napier. I was so fortunate. I didn't get recruited by him. I didn't commit to him. I committed to the University of Florida. I was just lucky that a man of his character and integrity became the coach."   About the Napier on the hot seat noise   "So everybody tries to block out the noise. We're worried about what's going on. But everybody's well aware. Everybody's on social media. You see it and you hear it. But I think we did a great job this past season of blocking out the noise — go play for each other, go play for Coach. Let's prove each other right."   "In our experience, I don't know if we were looking at each other, like, hey, it's on us to keep Coach around. But I think everybody was aware there was a lot of noise about it. I think everybody felt a sense ofurgency, like, man, we've got to go out there and perform."   Also at SEC Media Days   DJ Lagway said it: "I don't have a prosthetic arm. I'm feeling great. Training's been amazing. I'm actually getting better at throwing the ball. I've been working on mechanics that's going to help my accuracy this year, help my decision making. It's been great."   "My best attribute as a quarterback is really just — I'd say just my, as people would say, I guess my aura, confidence, and just the way I portray myself on game day. My teammates always joke around about, like, they say that I'm a totally different person on game day. It kind of oozes out of me. And it's just great to be able to be that for my guys."   Caleb Banks said it: "It wasn't just DJ Lagway, it was the whole entire team. I wanted to come back and play with my guys and be the first male in my family to graduate, first generation to graduate. I felt it was very important. And to come back get a national championship and of course have a higher draft stock for the NFL in the future."   "You know, we all believe in Coach Napier. We know he's a great guy, a great coach. And we believe in everything he's done for us. He puts us in a great position every single day with everything that we do. We love him."   SEC MEDIA DAYS: THEY SAID IT Brent Venables, Oklahoma coach “In my opinion, there's not a better profession on this planet or a more influential profession than being a football coach. I'm a living, breathing testament and example of how a locker room can save and transform and change the trajectory of a young man's life. I believe the game has never been better or more important than it is today. The life lessons learned through the locker room are all well-known. But perhaps the greatest lesson, in my opinion, is in a world that will divide, the game of football is something that unifies. I'm just blessed beyond measure to be a small part of that, being impacted in every way.”   John Mateer, Oklahoma QB “I would say I was fortunate because I didn't have to learn a whole new offense. I was able to take time to learn the players that I was going to play with and build relationships with them in the locker room, hang out and help them learn the offense, because building relationships is the most important thing to leading. You can't lead people you don't know. They're not going to trust you if they don't know you. That was super important to me. They embraced me. It wasn't all me; they embraced me they put me in the front of the lines, the players put me in front of the line first day of workouts. I just wanted to do it by my work. I didn't want to say a whole lot and be, oh, I'm the leader, this and that. I didn't try to do that. I just wanted to work as hard as I could and prove to them that I was capable of leading.”     Kalen DeBoer, Alabama coach “We got to be better in the big moments. We lost some close games last year. We had chances maybe not even in the fourth quarter, but early in the game to separate ourselves or make a play here or there. Whether it was the belief or whether it was the confidence, a lot of that just comes through repetitions. We really had a great off-season understanding where we fell short, why we fell short. Not just the what and the how but the why.”   Deontae Lawson, Alabama LB "We're starving. We're not hungry, we're like starving. And that's different. That's different. ... Just to see no one transfer out of here when the time came, man, it just shows you that we got guys that's willing to do what they have to do to make us the most successful team that we can be. I'm just super excited. I know the guys are ready, and we go at it with each other every day, and I'm sure we all can't wait until we see a different color jersey even though we haven't even got into camp yet."   Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State coach “I think about all the new guys that are part of our football team and part of our roster. The thing that excites me the most is their consistency, their buy-in. Inside our walls right now, we have great belief, we have great hope, we have great energy. Our guys are incredibly intent on getting better and changing the outcome this fall. Everything for us points to August 30th. As we move forward, we think about fall camp, how we change the outcome. We change the outcome by the way we practice and how we do what we do.”   Blake Shapen, Mississippi State QB “For us we want to be very explosive, but at the same time we want to be able to run the football. That's where it starts, is running the football so it can open up avenues for us in the pass game. I feel like at times last year we struggled with that, so I feel like running the football is where it starts, to be able to open up the touch game and screens and explosive plays down the field with the play-action game. So running the football is going to be huge and making plays down the field.”   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT   The Mountain West Conference, having lost Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State to the newly re-formed Pac-12, is expanding. The new MWC will consist of holdovers Wyoming, New Mexico, UNLV, San Jose State, Nevada, Air Force and Hawaii plus newbies UTEP and Northern Illinois. Northern Illinois is leaving the MAC to play football only in the MWC. Grand Canyon, which doesn’t play football, will join the MWC in all sports. UC-Davis is joining as a non-football member, whatever that means.   Meanwhile, over at the Pac-12, Texas State is leaving the Sun Belt to become the eighth football-playing member of what was once a Power Five conference. Now there is a Power Four and the Pac-12 is a shell of what it used to be. Starting next year, the Pac-12 will consist of Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Utah State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Texas State for football. The league is adding Gonzaga, Little Rock, Cal-Bakersfield and Cal Poly as non-football members.   Over at the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech is leaving Conference USA to replace Texas State.   And we haven’t even gotten to the lawsuit. The Mountain West is suing the Pac-12 for $150 million in damages for poaching five very important schools from its conference. What the Mountain West and Pac-12 should have done is merge Oregon State and Washington State to make one very strong conference, probably the best of the Group of Five. Instead there are two mediocre conferences who are poaching new members from other conferences, which will lead to more poaching in other leagues across the country.   The chaos isn’t going to end until a common sense initiative emerges that will see college football secede from the clutches of the NCAA. Form an autonomous football division with its own rules, its own set of standards and the power to negotiate TV deals that benefit everyone. Break up the current Division I into two divisions with the top division consisting of the 68 schools that make up the power group plus perhaps two other conferences. Give the second group its own national championship.   It is time. It does make sense.

Billy Napier at SEC Media Days (UAA Photo) “Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway And more, much more than this, I did it my way ” – “My Way” lyrics by Paul Anka, made famous by Frank Sinatra   Billy Napier showed up at SEC Media Days in Atlanta a quiet portrait of confidence. ESPN and oddsmakers consider the Florida Gators a six or seven win team. The latest from Las Vegas is 6.4 wins as if there is a way to win 6.4 games. That would put Napier squarely on the hot seat, which is the same place he’s been since he was named the successor to Dan Mullen back in December of 2022.   For a coach who supposedly needs a dry ice fanny pack, Napier sounded nothing like a coach who feels his job is in jeopardy. He wasn’t boastful. He’s never sounded over-confident in any way. He is the coach who has the longest winning streak in the Southeastern Conference (4 games) and he has a roster that several of the SEC Network commentators have declared is loaded.   “It’s the most talented team we’ve had since we’ve been in Gainesville,” Napier told the SEC Network crew. “Yeah, and when I say that I’m talking about two deep, right? There’s not many players in the two deep that haven't played, and then I think there's young players that could really change the game here in year one.”   It’s kind of like Todd Golden said at a breakfast meeting last July: “We got some dudes.”   Florida does have some dudes and look how Billy Napier has gone about collecting them. Rather than spend gazillions in the transfer portal, hoping and praying everybody (a) gets along and (b) can produce in a brand new environment with new coaches and teammates, Napier has done it his way. Now, no one is saying the Gators aren’t spending NIL money because they are. Maybe not as much as some others and certainly on transfers, however.   For the most part, the money is being spread among the guys who Napier and his staff recruited. On Florida’s anticipated two-deep for when fall camp begins in a couple of weeks there are only eight transfers, only two of which are newbies. All the others are in at least their second year in the system.   When Billy Napier talks about doing it his way, this is how he goes about describing it.   “ When I look around those team meetings, we recruited every kid on our team, outside of about six or eight guys,” he said. And some of those guys are absolutely the best … I see the individual sitting in that seat. I remember sitting in their home. I remember going to their school. I know their parents and I think that changes the dynamic a little bit.   “… There's a confidence that they could play with anybody. And I think that's the biggest difference, is our process is working for them. They’re observing players get better, they're observing people achieve at a high level and I think that belief is powerful. Man, you can say what you want to say, we've all been in these locker rooms. When the players look around, and they trust the people in that room, and they believe that they can go toe to toe with anybody that's half the battle. Belief is a huge deal. And one thing that I love hearing you talk about was the developing of young men, it's not about being transactional, which everything feels so transactional in this day and age, you're sticking to your guns, you're going out and you're developing guys, you're getting them in high school, bringing them in … and you're seeing that growth and that maturity, and those opportunities.” In DJ Lagway, Napier has a quarterback that turned down multi-million dollar opportunities to transfer. There are whispers from some rather good sources who say Georgia was willing to fork over $8 million to try to poach Lagway from the Gators. Given some of the money that’s being thrown around there is no reason to disbelieve. The Gators may have the best collection of skill people in the country. There isn’t a team in the SEC that can match Florida’s top two running backs (Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson). Then there are the receivers. When the SEC Network people mentioned Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson and UCLA transfer J. Michael Sturdivant, Napier responded with a rather sly grin that didn’t go unnoticed. “We have more playmakers than we’ve had and look, Chim Dike, Elijhah Badger did great for us last year and both are off to the NFL,” Napier said. “And, we had (Ricky) Pearsall two years ago, but we added five new players to that room. Nobody’s talking about Trey Wilson coming back  … he’s a difference maker for us.” The O-line is led by first team All-America center Jake Slaughter, so good he might be a shoo-in for the Remington Trophy. This unit (LT Austin Barber, LG Knijeah Harris, Slaughter, RG Damieon George Jr., RT Bryce Lovett) might be as good as any in the entire country. Defense? Media sees that as a potential weakness. Napier, not so much. “We’ve got a chance to be really good at every level of the defense and I think it’s more about who the twos are,” he said. “I think about LJ McCray in year two. I think about Kameron James, his growth, George Gumbs, going in his second year of the program. Linebacker, we’ve got four guys that I would consider starters: Myles Graham, Jaden Robinson, Pup Howard Aaron Childs, and then we've got a bunch of guys in the secondary that have played not only one year but multiple years of football. We do need to develop the depth of our team on defense. I think there's rookie players in the secondary now, who’s the third and fourth safety, who's the fourth corner … but I do think, in general, we’ve got a chance to be really good at all parts of our defense.” The Gators could be and should be really good on both sides of the ball and special teams feature All-SEC long snapper Rocco Underwood, placekicker Trey Smack, who is 35-42 on field goals in his career, and punter Tommy Donnan, whose 42.6-yard average at Michigan should increase substantially kicking in good weather. So why don’t the majority in the national media and the oddsmakers in Las Vegas see Florida as something more than a projected 6.4 wins in 2025? Some of that could be a schedule that includes road trips to LSU and Miami on back-to-back weekends in September, a home game with Texas and the annual Jacksonville encounter with Georgia. Some see that schedule as brutal. In reality, it’s manageable as long as the Gators aren’t hit with a rash of injuries. But, the second, and perhaps biggest reason so many have such low expectations is Napier himself. They look at losing seasons in years one and two at UF and the rocky start to 2024 before the ship was righted and the Gators went on that tear. There were at least eight winnable games that the Gators found ways to lose in the first two seasons. Last season, the Gators were poised to beat Tennessee in Knoxville when Graham Mertz went down with an injury. The Gators were ahead of Georgia when Lagway was injured and the score was 20-20 last in the fourth quarter with a walk-on at QB before Georgia pulled away. Instead of 19-19 through three years, Napier could just as easily be 29-9 or something close to it. Perceptions would certainly be different if that were the case, but whether the Gators are even-steven for three years or 10 games better, Napier would have still gone about building the program the same way. He’s done it by changing the football culture and that starts with relationships. “The relationship piece is real,” he said. “I don't care what anybody says, this game's played by people. There's a human element to the game, and I think that you got to build that connection and that camaraderie, that chemistry. If you played with a guy for multiple years, you lived on the same hole in the rookie dorm, you know.” The Gators have those guys who have grown up together. They will be bigger, faster and stronger than any team Florida has put on the field in years. The doubters are plentiful just the same. The only way that will change is with wins on the playing field. Billy Napier knows it. Don’t let the quiet demeanor or a face that tends to make deadpan look downright joyful fool you. The Gators have the players. They’ve got the culture that extends off the field to the locker room and on to the playing field in place. And, they believe, which, as Napier noted, is a powerful force. Belief stems from a head coach with a my way approach. Will it work in 2025? Something about Napier’s very quiet but noticeable confidence in Atlanta says yes.

When Billy Napier takes the podium at SEC Media Days Wednesday in Atlanta, expect a deluge of questions about the health of quarterback DJ Lagway. Napier will give an optimistic answer, probably saying as little as he possibly can with the most words. In three years on the job at Florida it’s what we have come to expect. Billy is the ultimate fence-sitter. He doesn’t speak negatively about his team but he doesn’t exactly go out of his way to paint a rosy picture, either.   It irritates a lot of people, for sure, but this might be the perfect year to leave the media and the rest of the college football world hanging. Billy isn’t Steve Spurrier, who had a way of getting under the skin of Phil Fulmer or whoever was coaching at Georgia at the time. Nor is he Nick Saban, whose monotone might be as thrilling as an afternoon watching paint chips fall off a 100-year-old barn but whose attention to detail leaves no question that his team is confident it will destroy any and all takers.   Billy has always been vague, but with good reason the past three years. For the first time since he became Florida’s football coach he can put a team on the field with very few soft spots and there is real SEC depth to the roster. In the SEC everybody has 22 players who can play. Teams that have 32 good ones can go 6-6 or 7-5. Teams with 44 good ones can win anywhere from 8-10 games. It’s the teams that are loaded for bear into the three-deep that keep beating people up even when there are injuries or players who leave their game back in the locker room.   Billy has 44 good players right now. We won’t know until the season cranks up if he’s got enough talent well into the three-deep to be a contender when the calendar shifts to December and we’re talking about filling in the blanks on a College Football Playoff bracket.   Billy will answer every question politely. He’ll say a lot of words without really saying anything. He will leave everybody thinking 6-6 and he’s on the hot seat when he finishes up.   Let everyone else speculate. Billy is confident but he's not going to tip his hand one way or the other.   SEC MEDIA DAYS: THEY SAID IT   Kirby Smart, Georgia coach “Our team is going to be comprised of 54 percent first and second-year players. Very big change for us. I thought last year was probably one of the most veteran teams I've been a part of. You guys know the COVID class has kind of aged out, so we had multiple players that were in their fifth and sixth year last year, especially across the offensive and defensive lines. We had a tremendous group that all went out kind of at the same time, aged out at the same time, and so we're going to be really young, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. But 54 percent of our players are coming into their first or second year.”   Gunner Stockton, Georgia QB   “For me, just the way I handle myself, I feel like I've shown up since I've been to college and just the way I live my life. Showing up to work every day and trying to do the right thing. Not always being perfect, we're not going to be perfect, but just treating people the right way and biggest thing just showing up to work and doing the right thing. ”   Steve Sarkisian, Texas coach “Got a new quarterback, Arch Manning, if you didn't know. He's replacing Quinn (Ewers), who had a great three years for us, but we're replacing a lot of offensive linemen. We're replacing receivers, tight ends, but that unit is really good. We're returning the leading rusher in the SEC in Tre Wisner, which some of you probably don't even know that, but I'll bring that to your attention. We get Cedric Baxter back with the addition of Jarrett Gibson, who played a ton as a true freshman for us, along with Christian Clark in that room.” Josh Heupel, Tennessee coach “Ultimately at the end of the day, it's never about who's not in your building but about who is in your building. For us, you can lose a quarterback at a lot of different times: December transfer portal, spring transfer portal. You can lose one week 1, first quarter of the ballgame in your opener, and now you're on to number two through injury, right? You've got to have the next-man-up mentality. At the end of the day, having guys that want to compete along with their brothers inside of that locker room, building that connection, but also having the right guys in there. At the end of the day, I'm really excited about who we have in there. The addition of Joey (Aguilar) to who's already inside of that group, highly competitive guys that are smart, that have the physical traits to be successful. Teammates have grown to have great trust in those guys through the course of this off-season during the summer, and now it's about getting to training camp and going and competing. Somebody is going to earn the opportunity to be our starting quarterback through that process.” Hugh Freeze, Auburn “The first thing you have to do is look at you as a coach. Why did we lose those games? Well, last year they came down, those close ones, turnovers, we were the worst in the league at turning the ball over, and we did not score enough touchdowns in the red zone, and we did not play great defense on critical downs, and our field goal unit did not make some critical field goals for various reasons. How do you improve those? You look at us first, coaches. We've done a deep dive into all of that to see do we need to change anything schematically. And the answer to some of that was yes, we probably need to do less, and then go get more pieces to add to the roster to where, when you do call that play, the chances of success go up because better players make better plays. So it's a combination, but first you have to start with us as what are we doing in those scenarios, if anything, that we need to change. Jackson Arnold, Auburn QB “Last year was tough, obviously not ideal whatsoever. I think perseverance was a big thing I learned last year, kind of fighting through the tough times. We did play in some big games [at Oklahoma] last year. Now I fully understand what it's like playing a long SEC schedule against some good teams, playing in those tough games where it's extremely close and you have to kind of grind it out. But I think last year taught me a lot, being able to persevere and really sticking to those tough games. ARCH MADNESS IN ATLANTA   If Arch Manning can read a blitz and get the ball to the right receiver as well as he handled the SEC media Tuesday, then the latest of the Manning quarterback legacy in the Southeastern Conference is going to do just fine. Some preseason magazines have him ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the nation while Andy Staples of On3 ranks him the No. 4 quarterback in the SEC. So, opinions vary.   Asked about his high rankings Tuesday, Arch replied, “ I'm not really sure how they got these opinions because I've only played in, what? Two games?" Manning said. "I guess it's nice of them to say, but it doesn't mean anything. Talk is cheap, I've got to go prove it.”   That is a calm, measured response. It didn’t come across as a rehearsed answer but instead as a confident young man who understands that right now all we have are opinions. Once he gets on the field, he will either prove or disprove the hype.   He took a redshirt as a freshman at Texas and spent last year as the backup to Quinn Ewers. He started games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State when Ewers was sidelined with an injury. A start against a typical Sun Belt bottom feeder and the worst team in the SEC aren’t exactly games you hang your hat on so it’s a whole new game for Manning, who goes from Ewers’ caddy to THE man at Texas.   “Now, you kind of get to lead the whole group,” Manning said. “You spend time with the defense, the o-line. Last year, I was taking notes from Quinn, seeing how he did it and find my role. Now, I can take full gauge and take as much time as I can in the offseason with everyone. I think you've got to walk the walk first. I think, as much as it wasn't always fun sitting those two years, I think I got a lot of respect from my teammates. Now, I come at it from a place of love, not just being a turd.”   Texas coach Steve Sarkisian believes that Manning is unfazed with his new role largely because he’s the fourth in a legacy of Hall of Fame quarterbacks.   “For Arch, he grew up in this era of seeing high-level football,” Sarkisian said. He's watched Super Bowls. He's watched gold jackets getting put on. He's been to playoff games. He's been recruited at the highest level as the No. 1 player in the country. He watched Quinn navigate through the ups and downs of being a starting quarterback at the University of Texas … He's a great guy. He's a great teammate. He's got an unbelievable work ethic. And I think, if he stays true to himself, that's going to help him navigate these waters as they present themselves.” Both Peyton and Eli handled the hype well of being Archie Manning’s sons. Arch’s first game to prove himself is against Ohio State, last year’s national champion, in Columbus.   "We're opening with the champs," Manning said. "It's going to be a fun one. I learned a lot from Quinn. He was damn good on the road. I'm going to text him, get some of his advice, and we'll fire up. Ohio State is a really good team, so it's going to be a good challenge."     ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT   We are a mere 109 days away from Florida’s season-opening basketball game with Arizona in Las Vegas. The three months until game week will pass in a flash, so CBS, like Joe Lunardi and ESPN has already done, is doing some early bracketology work. A little more than a week ago, Lunardi had the Gators as his No. 1 overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, which won’t kick off until next March. CBS followed suit with its brackets on Tuesday with the Gators listed as one of four overall No. 1 seeds.   Here are the top four seeds in every region followed by all the SEC teams CBS expects to make the tournament field (SEC teams bold face):   Midwest: 1. Houston; 2. Michigan; 3. BYU; 4. UCLA East: 1. FLORIDA; 2. UConn; 3. Louisville; 4. Texas Tech South: 1. Purdue; 2. Kentucky; 3. Alabama; 4. Iowa State West: 1. St. John’s; 2. Duke; 3. Tennessee; 4. Auburn   Also from the SEC: 5. Arkansas (South); 7. Missouri (West); 9. Vanderbilt (South); 9. Texas (West); 10. Ole Miss (East); 11. Texas A&M (East, play-in)   Lunardi’s brackets: Midwest: 1. Houston; 2. UConn; 3. Kentucky; 4. Michigan State East: 1. FLORIDA; 2. Michigan; 3. Iowa State; 4. Illinois West: 1. Duke; 2. Tennessee; 3. Arizona; 4. UCLA South: 1. Purdue; 2. St. John’s; 3. BYU; 4. Auburn   Also from the SEC: 5. Arkansas (Midwest); 5. Alabama (West); 7. Missouri (East); 8. Mississippi State (Midwest); 8. Vanderbilt (West); 8. Oklahoma (South); 9. Texas (East); 10. Ole Miss (West); 10. Georgia (South); 11. Texas A&M (Midwest, play-in)

Andy Staples of On3 ranks DJ Lagway (2) the top quarterback in the SEC (Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts for late Monday evening: Andy Staples of On3, who has covered college football for The Athletic and Sports Illustrated prior to his current gig, has rated the top 10 quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference. While he ranks Arch Manning of Texas in his top five, he doesn’t have the latest member of the Manning legacy at the top of his list unlike most publications. At No. 1 he has Florida’s DJ Lagway.   Here are Staples’ top ten followed by my comments. 1. DJ Lagway, Florida: From a pure talent perspective, he is capable of being the No. 1 QB in the league and perhaps the country.   2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU: He turned the ball over a lot last year but there is no denying he has a big league arm and some of the fastest receivers in the country to heave it to.   3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina: He can run and he has a seriously strong arm but he isn’t the most decisive passer you’ll see. Even though he is a powerful runner, he was sacked 41 times last year.   4. Arch Manning, Texas: The jury is out. Talent is unquestioned, but last year all his big numbers were against teams with lousy defenses like Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe.   5. John Mateer, Oklahoma: He would be either No. 1 or No. 2 for me. He can light it up with his arm or his legs.   6. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss: Sophomore who has already graduated. Lefty with a big arm and better legs than Jaxson Dart had.   7. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt: Reminds me of Joe Kapp. Not very pretty but the end result is winning.   8. Gunner Stockton, Georgia: His numbers will be deceiving. He’s not that good.   9. Ty Simpson, Alabama: See Gunner Stockton.   10. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M: He plays behind a great offensive line and could produce spectacular numbers.   Didn’t make Staples cut: Joey Aguilar, Tennessee; Taylon Green, Arkansas; Jackson Arnold, Auburn; Beau Pribula, Missouri; Zach Calzada, Kentucky; Blake Shapen, Mississippi State   SEC MEDIA DAYS: THEY SAID IT Brian Kelly, LSU coach: "I know we haven't played the kind of defense necessary to win a national championship. We've given Blake, now, the tools, to play championship-level defense. Clearly, the 2023 offensive football team we had was good enough to win the national championship, but we weren't good enough as a team. A lot of that was addressing the shortcoming we had on defense. I love our seriousness and focus and intent. Anytime you go on the road and play a team like Clemson [in the opener], you better bring a defense with you." Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss coach: “ When we got here at Ole Miss, we had to sell to recruits, hey, when you come here this is what's it's going to look like. We're going to win. We are going to have first round picks. We are going to have the most players drafted in school history. We're going to win 11 games in a season, win 21 in the last two seasons. So now that we've done that, we've seen the impact, whether that's transfers coming in or high school kids that have been able to see that. Especially with Mississippi kids to stay home knowing they can achieve and get all these things that maybe previously they needed to look to leave for.” Clark Lea, Vanderbilt coach: Vanderbilt football is a chip-on-the-shoulder operation. It's young. It's home to a young, hungry, scrappy team that begins each day with something to prove. We want to make life miserable for the teams we play against because of how we play the game, the energy we bring every time we step on the field. This is what makes us special. Not our buildings or banners. It's our people. Our collective heartbeat relatedness is our edge. We must pay attention to the attitude of the team. We must cultivate the right mindset, and we've got to silence any narrative that suggests an arrival or assurance of progress. Anything that steals our attention from the present will keep us from playing to our identity and executing our strategy every time out. When we fail to do those things we leave the mission to chance. Chasing progress extends to measurable ways we can play better football. We're a team that cannot afford to beat ourselves. We have to take pride in our performance in the areas that we control. This includes pre-snatch and post-whistle penalties, errors of execution. These self-imposed negatives combined with possession of the ball to be the foundation of winning football at Vanderbilt.” Shane Beamer, South Carolina coach: “ When you look at our team offensively, have a new offensive coordinator in Mike Shula. That was an easy decision for me to promote Mike to be the coordinator. He was a part ever our program last year. He's literally been in the shoes that LaNorris (Sellers) is in as he was a starting quarterback in this conference, and he's been in the shoes I'm in as a head football coach in this conference as well. He's already made us better as an offense on and off the field. When you look at us, we got to replace the interior of our offensive line and a lot of playmakers at the running back and tight end position. I'm excited about the potential of the guys roughening and how we take the next step as a offense under Coach Shula.” Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB: “One, there's no hiding from the turnovers. I think it's more of an understanding of, you know, the way I am as a player, as an anticipation player, there's going to be some interceptions. The ones I need to eliminate are the ones that don't need to happen, the ones where I'm trying to do too much, the ones I'm trying to make a play when I don't need to. I think it ties into my growth as well, and I've really bought into trying to change my body makeup and being able to be more durable, to be able to run, to be able to make plays with my feet as well. I think there are times last year where I may have made a mistake, that if I would have put my head down, gone and got back to the line of scrimmage, or went ran for three yards and slid, would have been a different outcome. All tied in together.” Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt QB: “I think the win over Alabama was big from a Vanderbilt standpoint of just allowing us to go get talent. And it eventually helped us go to a bowl game. Each one of those six wins was important. But that one, obviously they're the No. 1-ranked team in the country. But when it comes down to it, every win was important. And I think that one was because we finally got people to believe kind of in Vanderbilt football. So from here on out, obviously we've got to win more games to get the things done that we want. Winning solves everything.” Cayden Lee, Ole Miss WR: “ We lost a lot of people after last season. Just being able to bring a lot of new faces in and being able to just preach that model. Going 1-0 is all that matters, because everybody wants to talk about the national championship, the SEC Championship, but nothing else matters but just going 1-0 every day and winning the first game, winning the second game. That's the message we have for our team. ” LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina QB: “Everything I needed was in South Carolina, like I grew up there. My family's there. Anything I needed was an hour and five up the road for me. School pretty much take care of rent and all that. So it's not like you really need too much. You know what I'm saying? So everything I need is (indiscernible), so there's no point in me starting over. ” On deck for Tuesday: Georgia coach Kirby Smart; Auburn coach Hugh Freeze; Tennessee coach Josh Heupel; Texas coach Steve Sarkisian On deck for Wednesday: Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer; Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby; Florida coach Billy Napier; Oklahoma coach Brent Venables On deck for Thursday: Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz; Kentucky coach Mark Stoops; Arkansas coach Mike Pittman; Texas A&M coach Mike Elko UF BASKETBALL: GATORS ADD TRANSFER FROM SACRAMENTO STATE   Alex Kovatchev, a 6-5, 190-pound perimeter guard from western Australia, has transferred to Florida from Sacramento State. Kovatchev averaged 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in a season limited to four games due to injury. As a freshman at Sacramento State, Kovatchev averaged 5.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.   Kovatchev isn’t a complete stranger to the Gators. Two years ago Kovatchev and Alex Condon teamed up on Western Australia’s under-20 team.   Here is a look at the Florida basketball roster for the 2025-26 season.   BIG GUYS: Micah Handlogten (7-1, 255, SR); Alex Condon (6-11, 232, JR); Tommy Haugh (6-9, 215, JR); Rueben Chinyelu (6-10, 260, JR); Viktor Mikic (6-11, 250, RFR); Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, RFR)   PERIMETER: Xaivian Lee (6-4, 180, SR/TR); AJ Brown (6-4, 200, RJR/TR); Alex Kovatchev (6-5, 190, JR/TR); Cooper Josefsberg (6-4, 195, JR); Urban Klavzar (6-1, 190, SO); Isaiah Brown (6-4, 200, SO); Boogie Fland (6-2, 175, SO/TR); Alex Lloyd (6-4, 180, FR); CJ Ingram (6-6, 190, FR)   UF BASEBALL: GATORS IN THE MLB DRAFT   Six Gators and two recruits were taken in the Major League Baseball Draft. All but Bobby Boser have at least one year of eligibility so technically speaking they could come back to UF if they don’t get a contract they like.   It’s hard to imagine Jordan Yost turning down first round money, particularly with Detroit, which has more wins at the All-Star break than any other in the Major Leagues.  Aaron Watson is a different story. The Cincinnati Reds are notorious for low-balling draftees and they are middle of the pack in the National League. He may choose college baseball with the hope of being drafted by a better team in three years.   Gators taken in the draft SS Colby Shelton: 6 th round/No. 166 Chicago White Sox RHP Jake Clemente: 7/198 Miami Marlins LHP Pierce Coppola: 7/211 Chicago Cubs 3B Bobby Boser: 11/320 Athletics C Luke Heyman: 14/422 Seattle Mariners C Brody Donay: 17/507 Tampa Bay   Recruits drafted SS Jordan Yost (Tampa, FL Sickles): 1/24 Detroit Tigers RHP Aaron Watson (Jacksonville, FL Trinity Christian): 2/51 Cincinnati Reds   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT   The Tampa Bay Rays, who are playing in a spring training stadium for the foreseeable future, are being sold to Jacksonville developer Patrick Zapulski for $1.7 billion. Supposedly, Zapulski is committed to keeping the team in the Tampa Bay area, but there is no stadium and so far no plan to build one.   There is also the issue of which side of Tampa Bay does Zapulski intend to keep the Rays? The team played in St. Petersburg until the hurricane all but destroyed Tropicana Field. St. Pete is a lousy location to begin with and it’s a trek across a long bridge to get from Tampa to the other side of the bay. For the Rays to stay in the area, they need to play in Tampa, but no one has come up with a plan to build a stadium. The Tampa waterfront would be an ideal but extremely expensive proposition. Another outstanding possibility would be at the crossroads of I-4 and I-75 near the state fairgrounds. That would give easy access to Polk County, Sarasota and even Orange/Osceola county fans.    Can Zapulski get a stadium deal done? For the Rays to be successful they need a stadium with a retractable roof and it needs to be in a place where the folks on the east side of Tampa Bay find easily accessible. The Bucs sell out RayJay and Lightning tickets are a hot sell. Baseball hasn’t done well at the box office in St. Pete and so far nobody has a plan for a baseball stadium in Tampa.   Stay tuned on this one. It’s going to be very interesting what happens next.

Billy Napier has landed 17 class of 2026 commitments just since June 1 (Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Sunday morning:   Billy Napier’s hot streak continued Saturday when he landed a commitment from gigantic tight end Heze Kent (6-6, 320, Brunswick, GA). He’s a 4-star whom the Gators won over despite best efforts from Miami, Florida State and Texas among others.   The size would seem to tell you Kent will shift to offensive or defensive tackle once he suits up in a college uniform. The stats might suggest otherwise. Kent caught 41 passes for 983 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Not many tight ends no matter the size average 23.97 yards per catch.   Kent is Florida’s 18 th commitment for the recruiting class of 2026. He is the 17 th Napier has landed since June 1. Combined with the addition Friday of 4-star edge rusher KJ Ford (6-3, 245, Duncanville, TX), Napier and the Gators have moved up to No. 12 at the On3.com composite. The Gators are No. 14 at 247Sports. Florida has 13  4-star recruits and five 3-stars.   The Gators could be landing commitments from a pair of 4-star receivers in the days ahead. The Gators are the leaders to haul in Davian Groce (6-1, 190, Frisco, TX Lone Star) and Somourian Wingo (6-2, 180, St. Augustine, FL). Among the teams the Gators are battling for Groce are Baylor (assistant coach Dallas Baker), Oklahoma and Houston. For Wingo, the Gators’ chief competition comes from South Carolina, Miami and Alabama.   4-star recruits: CB CJ Bronaugh (6-1, 170, Windermere, FL); DL Kendall Guervil (6-5, 315, Fort Myers, FL); DE KJ Ford (6-3, 245, Duncanville, TX); TE Heze Kent (6-6, 320, Brunswick, GA); WR Marquez Daniel (6-5, 200, Tuskegee, AL Booker T. Washington); WR Justin Williams (5-11, 190, Gainesville, FL Buchholz); LB Malik Morris (6-1, 230, Lakeland, FL); QB Will Griffin (6-3, 230, Tampa, FL Jesuit); DL JaReylan McCoy (6-6, 250, Tupelo, MS); RB Carsyn Baker (6-1, 200, Fairburn, GA Langston Hughes); S Kaiden Hall (6-3, 200, Milton, FL); CB CJ Hester (6-1, 175, Cocoa, FL); OT Chancellor Campbell (6-8, 310, St. Petersburg, FL Lakewood)   3-star recruits: OG Desmond Green (6-5, 350, Saint Stephen, SC Timberland); OG G’Nivre Carr (6-4, 325, Ocala, FL/Bradenton, FL IMG Academy); OT Tyler Chukuyem (6-6, 295, Douglasville, GA South Paulding); TE Kekua Aumuna (6-6, 257, Kahuku, HI/Bradenton, FL IMG Academy); OT Javarii Luckas (6-5, 305, Belle Glade, FL)     THE SWAMP RATED TOUGHEST SEC STADIUM BY USA TODAY   The rankings and my conclusions. 1. FLORIDA Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: When The Swamp is rocking there is not a louder place to play in America. All last year, but especially at the end against LSU and Ole Miss, we had a revival of the old time Swamp when it was the most feared place to play anywhere in America. Adding Tom Petty after “We Are the Boys” was a stroke of genius. Even visiting fans sing along. The “Only Gators Get Out Alive” video when UF takes the field is classic.   2. LSU Tiger Stadium: Night games are a beast. Day games not so much. When it is a big game at night, the fans will start rolling into Baton Rouge on Wednesday night, Thursday midday at the latest. Then the drinking starts. When they stop drinking and go to bed (or pass out) Friday night, they have time to get roaring drunk again (and mean) before the game. Day games, especially nooners, don’t get near the same reaction. A night game with greased fans can scare the bejabbers out of opponents when the truck that hauls the live Tiger around the stadium makes its entrance.   3. TENNESSEE Neyland Stadium: Vol fans can be so fickle. When they’re good this place is incredibly loud and you have to endure hearing Rocky Top played what seems to be a thousand times. The only people who like that song are UT fans. Everybody else hates it. When the Vols are average or below, the place can be a tomb midway through the third quarter. The Tennessee T when the Vols take the field a couple of minutes before kickoff is one of the SEC’s great traditions.   4. ALABAMA Bryant-Denny Stadium: When they crank up “Sweet Home Alabama” the place is a zoo. When “Dixieland Delight” is played people froth at the mouth. Because it’s Alabama and because they’ve won a zillion national championships there is a feeling of entitlement among the fans. They were in shock a year ago when the Tide lost four games, most in a season since 2007.   5. GEORGIA Sanford Stadium: It’s a lot like Tennessee in that it’s a loud and intimidating place to play when Georgia is really good, which is the last nine years. Georgia fans have a well deserved reputation as some of the most obnoxious in the entire country.   6. SOUTH CAROLINA Williams-Brice Stadium: “Sandstorm” turns the place into an asylum. When they play “2001” before the Gamecocks take the field, it’s one of the more impressive entrances in the country. Tailgating South Carolina fans are some of the nicest in the country. Once inside the stadium, they can get rather nasty.   7. TEXAS A&M Kyle Field: Not sure how Kyle Field got ranked this high. Sure, it’s the largest stadium in the SEC and the fans can make the stands feel like they’re about to fall apart when the Aggies get on a roll, but yell leaders with those funky hand signals instead of cheerleaders with bare midrifts? The Aggie band at halftime should be experienced by every football fan before he/she croaks. I’ve spent a lifetime trying to figure out what “Hullabaloo caneck caneck” means or how/why they lock arms and scream “Chig-gar-roo-garem! Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem”during the Aggie War Hymn.   8. AUBURN Jordan-Hare Stadium: Should be ranked above Georgia. When the Eagle circles the stadium their fans go nuts and they stay loud from bell to bell. Auburn fans are polite and they do know their football. They save their energy for screaming during the game. Why do they insist on wearing a tie when it’s 99 degrees in the shade? And why is Jordan pronounced Jerdon? Things I will never understand. This used to be one of the most enjoyable road trips for Florida and Auburn fans until the SEC put an end to the rivalry with expansion.   9. OKLAHOMA Gaylord Family Stadium: This place was considered intimidating back when the Sooners were in the Big 12. Well, they’re in the SEC now and their ball yard is the ninth – that might be a stretch – toughest place to play. Welcome to the big time Sooners. They had a losing record first year in the SEC and that didn’t help matters. If they win and if they see what it’s like elsewhere in the league, they might make this a tougher place to play.   10. TEXAS Darrell K. Royal Stadium: This should be a very intimidating place to play. It isn’t. Bevo is one big cow. That’s for sure. The crowd is 100,000-plus. That also for sure. The problem is the fans don’t seem to know that in the SEC the homefolks are expected to lose their minds and voices on Saturdays. They will start the season ranked No. 1 in the country. Maybe that will encourage fans to leave their inhibitions back on Sixth Street.   11. MISSOURI Faurot Field: Mizzou has been in the SEC since 2012 and this place still doesn’t have the feeling of an SEC venue. They’re in the process of upgrading the stadium, which they hope will encourage the fans to make this a place nobody wants to play. Nobody wants to go to Mizzou after November 1 because it has the worst weather in the Southeastern Conference.   12. MISSISSIPPI STATE Davis-Wade Stadium: If you’re driving in from the east you can see Davis-Wade Stadium 30 miles away. That’s how flat the countryside is in eastern Mississippi. Fans can yell and scream all they want to, but because the Bulldogs don’t win a lot of football games, nobody takes them seriously at all.  Should be ranked 14 th , at best.   13. ARKANSAS Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium: In one end zone they have this giant cage which is inhabited by the biggest boar hog you’ll ever want to see up close and personal. The hog isn’t the least bit intimidating. He’s so big that if slaughtered he could feed an entire community in rural Arkansas for about 10 days. A live hog that intimidates no one sort of tells the tale of Arkansas football. The last time the Hogs were relevant was 2006 when Houston Nutt was the coach. They’ve made the stadium larger so when Arkansas fans call the pigs, it can be deafening, but that doesn’t seem to help the team at all.   14. OLE MISS Vaught-Hemingway Stadium: Any trip to Oxford on gameday requires a stroll through The Grove where very polite people might ask you to come dine with them pregame or afterward. Ole Miss is winning now that Lane Kiffin is the head coach. If fans fear a trip to Oxford it’s because Lane’s offenses apply all sorts of pressure to opponents. The crowd yells a bit but it’s not very intimidating. It’s almost as if they have to endure the football so they can get back to The Grove and resume eating and drinking.   15. KENTUCKY Kroger Field: The biggest buzz at Kroger Field prior to mid-October is when they announce tickets on sale for Midnight Madness. This was, is and will always be a basketball first school. In one respect, it’s what keeps Mark Stoops gainfully employed. Kentucky faithful are so concerned about basketball that they don’t mind 6-6 regular seasons.   16. VANDERBILT First Bank Stadium: Give the Vandy folks credit. They’re trying to make this a tough place to play, but it’s Vandy and nobody worries that much when the Commodores lose another one. The stadium is being upgraded which will make the fan experience for visiting teams much better. They could make this the Taj Mahal of 40,000-seat stadiums and it would still be the worst venue in the Southeastern Conference. No Vandy tailgate would be complete without chardonnay, a nice selection of cheeses and a veggie tray.   ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT   The powers that be within the NCAA basketball ranks met last week in Savannah to discuss expansion of the tournament, the one thing the NCAA consistently gets right. Fortunately, the meetings dismissed without doing something stupid, which would be to abandon the current format in favor of one in which 72 or 76 teams would have a shot at winning the national championship.   It sounds good on paper. Inclusivity lets all the little guys have their day in the sunshine by giving them a chance to get on the same court with a team like Florida or Duke in the first round of the tournament. We all know how that works out. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams back in the 1980s and then four play-in games were added a few years ago, only two No. 16 seeds have advanced to the second round – UMBC back in 2018 shocked Virginia and in 2023 Fairleigh Dickinson beat Purdue.   Expanding by four or eight teams will only shuffle the deck. Some teams doomed for a No. 16 seed will be bumped up a notch and won’t have the indignity of a play-in game in Dayton.   So why are they even talking about expansion? Well, there was this committee back in 2023 that suggested that NCAA tournaments in all sports should include 25 percent of all the schools in Division I that play that particular sport.   There we go again with that fabulous NCAA idea that we have to be more inclusive.   The fact is there is no need to be more inclusive. NCAA tournaments should be all about the best teams competing to win a national championship. That’s what we got this past season in basketball when Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida met in San Antonio for as good a Final Four as we’ve had in decades. Four No. 1 seeds made it to the Alamodome because they were the four best teams in the country. When Florida beat Houston, the Gators proved on the court that they were the best.   And that’s the way it should be. Expansion will only allow CBS to add two or four more play-in games and make more money. It won’t make the tournament better.   It is probably too late to expand the tournament for 2026 but you can wager a few bucks that the NCAA will decide to expand a year from now, and who’s to stop them from making it an 80 or 96 team tournament?   Bet the ranch that Charlie Baker and the idiots in Indianapolis won’t.