SEC Round-Up: A&M Drug into Vols' Mess, Roster Disappointed Freeze, Kiffin's Finebaum Fight

Bama's Trench King wants respect on his name, Jefferson must be unnatural, Carolina Showdown, plus several transfers already leaving teams

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jul 21, 2023 11:32 PM EDT

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FRISCO, Texas – SEC media days were a little ho-hum this year, but there were still plenty of nuggets to be plucked from the effort of most coaches to escape Nashville having said a whole bunch of nothing. There are also a few worthy notes from basketball and baseball also.

Since Arkansas fans tend to focus strictly on the Razorbacks, we gather headlines a couple of times each week from around the conference to keep them informed. So, without further ado, here is the July 21 edition of the SEC Round-Up.

Kiffin Offers Annual Gushing
About Nick Saban

It just wouldn't be SEC Media Days without Lane Kiffin making a comment about Nick Saban and his time as an Alabama Crimson Tide assistant coach. But this time the Ole Miss head coach explained why he thinks...

Trench King Wants Respect on His Name
Similar to Deion Sanders' Prime Time Moniker

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When Alabama offensive lineman JC Latham walks into a room, everybody notices. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound mammoth of a football player is impossible to miss, but at SEC Media Days, he added a little extra flare to his appearance. A diamond chain dangled from Latham's neck as he sat down to...

Former Coach, Media Say Jefferson Must Do the Unnatural
for Hogs to Reach Full Potential This Year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A full 24 hours has passed since the Arkansas stepped into the spotlight in Nashville, and from out of the flood of Razorback information came a steady hum that went unnoticed by many. The idea that quietly worked its way below the surface...

Pittman, Jefferson Still Can't Shake Texas A&M Loss
Nearly Year Later

A point guard with one of the most decorated careers in Alabama basketball will be using his final year of eligibility somewhere else. Jahvon Quinerly announced Thursday evening that he will spend his sixth season of college basketball at...

Arkansas Coach Tells Memphis Reporter
He Needs to Step Up His Beer Game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – There were plenty of comedic moments where Arkansas coach Sam Pittman shined through at SEC media days on Wednesday. He absolutely blew away all of his head coaching counterparts at the SEC Network desk with his awe shucks, just hanging out...

Freeze's Constant Name Dropping of Arkansas Isn't Rib,
It's Sign of Respect

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Newly minted Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze had the Arkansas Razorbacks' name in his mouth an awful lot at SEC media days Tuesday afternoon. Both in his time at the podium and at the desk with the SEC Network, Freeze couldn't help but allow his win over the Razorbacks as Liberty's head coach last year tumble...

Auburn Coach Found Roster He Inherited
Below Expectations

The Tigers' talent roster is not where Hugh Freeze wants it to be. Freeze spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon and was asked what the biggest surprise about the program has been since arriving on campus seven months ago. Freeze was very honest...

Georgia Writer Says If Bulldogs Don't Play Auburn Annually,
'That's Not Even College Football'

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey took the podium on day one of SEC Media Days. Among other topics, Sankey discussed the future of the SEC's schedule with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma to the league in 2024 changing the conference schedule format. The SEC has already...

Napier Will Decide on QB When He Feels Like It,
Won't Be Rushed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Decisions, decisions. Billy Napier will make a big one in the coming weeks, tasked with selecting a starting quarterback entering his second season in charge of the Florida Gators. Unlike his first offseason as head coach when the obvious choice was always Anthony Richardson, Napier has evaluated...

Recent Offensive Line Transfer
Has Already Left Program

Florida sophomore offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin has departed from the program and returned to his hometown of Louisville, Ky., according to Jacob Rudner of 247Sports. Per Rudner's reporting, Goodwin — who transferred to Florida from Kentucky in January — is moving to reunite with his mother, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and plans to continue his football career at...

Can Florida Sustain
This Pacein Recruiting?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The first time he stood behind a lectern as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference, Billy Napier emphasized his ambition to "work tirelessly" in the talent acquisition business in order to restore Florida's roster to its former glory. There were some bumps in the road...

If Arkansas Had Georgia's Schedule,
Razorbacks Would Be In Title Hunt Also

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – During his discussion about the process the SEC used to determine what to do when getting rid of divisions, commissioner Greg Sankey talked about how in 2018 schools got together for talks that were heavily centered on teams wanting to address a way to make schedules fair and balanced. It came up again to such a degree when talks about scrapping...

Tide Offensive Lineman Says Georgia
Still Not Up to Alabama Standard Despite Titles

Alabama has spent the better part of the last 15 years terrorizing the rest of college football and establishing itself as the predominant force in college football. However, as the two-time, defending national champion, Georgia has, in the eyes of many observers, usurped Alabama as the nation's...

4-Star Corner Has Left Bulldogs

As SEC Media Days continue, some news regarding the Georgia roster has broken as cornerback Smoke Bouie is reportedly no longer with the team. Bouie was a former 4-star cornerback in the 2022 recruiting class. At one point during his recruitment, Bouie...

Tigers Dominate
with 11 Named to All-SEC Team

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is one of 11 Tigers who have been named to the preseason All-SEC team as voted on by members of the media attending SEC Media Days, the league office announced on Friday. Daniels, who guided the Tigers to a 10-4 mark and the SEC Western Division title in his first year with the program, is joined...

LSU National Champion Baseball Roster
Getting Massive Overhaul

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers are in the midst of a roster overhaul this offseason as they revamp this program for the 2024 season. With the core of their National Championship squad departing...

The Elephant Not in the Room

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – SEC commissioner Greg Sankey strode to the stage and began what would be one of 14 introductions given on behalf of league coaches before their annual televised question and answer sessions with the media to kick off the 2022 football season. "He instructed me that the line that says he walks on water is now incorrect," Sankey said of the upcoming coach. "He now...

Bulldogs' QB Makes Top 3
in Shakiest SEC Top 10 List in Long Time

Football in the Southeastern Conference has been competitive for decades, and plenty of outstanding quarterbacks have gone on to have outstanding careers. The SEC does not have a definite superstar at quarterback heading into...

How Arnett Carried Legacy of Mike Leach
into SEC Media Days

Zach Arnett took the podium at SEC Media Days over the week for the first time as head coach of Mississippi State, with the late Mike Leach in mind. At the podium on Tuesday, Arnett wore a necktie along with an opening statement in hand, two things that Leach famously opposed. Arnett addressed...

If ESPN Host Shows at Ole Miss in Early October,
Put Money on Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It doesn't make a lot of sense why it happened. All that matters from the perspective of the Razorback football team is that it did. During Lane Kiffin's appearance at the podium for SEC media days, the Ole Miss coach made a rather innocent jab at ESPN host Paul Finebaum about...

Kiffin Fine with Players Getting Paid,
Just Wants More Regulation

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin took to the podium Thursday morning to address reporters at the 2023 SEC Media Days and gave his two cents on how the NCAA Transfer Portal has been utilized since the introduction of the NIL policy in 2021. Kiffin is by all means a proponent of players...

South Carolina Fans Among Nation's Best
When It Comes to Attendance in All Sports

South Carolina's fanbase has been renowned across multiple sports for their undying support of their Gamecocks. From selling out Williams-Brice Stadium, to the FAMs packing Colonial Life Arena, and claps ringing through Founders Park during the dog days of Summer. One of the ways in which fan loyalty and support...

Rattler Still Viewed as Elite QB Prospect by NFL,
but How Elite?

Spencer Rattler is, without question, one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in recent college football history. His detractors would point to his inconsistent showings, the saga that unfolded at Oklahoma in 2021 that led to his benching, and his sometimes cavalier attitude when it comes to protecting the football as reasons why Rattler won't succeed at the next level. However, other people would point to Spencer...

Battle Between Spencer Rattler, Drake Maye Huge
As Carolinas Collide Week 1

In week one of the upcoming college football season, a few marquee matchups stand out: Florida versus Utah, LSU versus Florida State, and Clemson versus Duke. One game, however, that could garner the most headlines out of the bunch is the Saturday night primetime event between the Gamecocks and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The headlines in this matchup...

Analyzing Quick Departure of Basketball Transfer Chris Ledlum Just Weeks After Joining Vols

On Wednesday, Tennessee commit Chris Ledlum announced he would play at St. John's next season. Ledlum came to Knoxville through the portal in the spring after a big season in the Ivy League at Harvard. With this departure,...

Report: Tennessee Made Payments
to Darnell Washington

On Friday, the NCAA brought down its official ruling on Tennessee’s recruiting violations from the Jeremy Pruitt era. This included fines, probation, and the reduction of scholarships but most importantly, it did not include a postseason ban. On Saturday, more details from investigative work surfaced, and they do not look good from a Tennessee perspective. According to Knox News and since reported by other outlets, former Georgia standout tight end Darnell Washington was one of...

Barnes Gives Update on Whether Zakai Zeigler
Will Miss Part of Season

The Tennessee basketball team is now in the middle of summer practices in Knoxville. With that, there is now more news on point guard Zakai Zeigler. Zeigler suffered a torn ACL in Tennessee's senior night home win over the Arkansas Razorbacks last season. He would miss the remainder of the season, including the SEC tournament and March Madness. Head coach Rick Barnes gave the media...

Former Razorback Head Coach Bobby Petrino
Will Be Just Fine at A&M with Jimbo Fisher

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Despite what a lot of the talking heads and experts think, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher and former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino will get along fine. Ignore any arguments you detect or suspect. That's normal. Did you think coaching staffs are particularly friendly things once the season starts? Before writing this, I contacted...

Aggies' Defensive Lineman
Named in Tennessee Recruiting Scandal

As the Texas A&M Aggies football program prepares for what many will be a bounce-back season under coach Jimbo Fisher and new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, an A&M player finds himself in the news. The Tennessee Volunteers football program is in the middle of one of the largest recruiting scandals in recent memory. Former head coach Jeremy Pruitt...

Fisher Tries to Explain
Why Texas A&M Fell Apart Last Season

Last season was a learning year in College Station, and now is where the college football world finds out the real identity of the Texas A&M Aggies. Head coach Jimbo Fisher hopped on "The Paul Finebaum Show" after his time at the podium at Southeastern Conference Media Days Monday, saying that...

We Rank SEC Divisions
One Final Time

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's that time of the year to project what we think will happen around the SEC. Nothing is different here. Our own Kent Smith and Andy Hodges put about 70 years combined of predicting how conference standings will unfold each season, so we did it again for this year's SEC standings. It's the last year of divisions and a four-team playoff, so...

Beautiful Speech Commissioner Sankey,
But Congress is Useless, Especially Right Now

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – An hour or two before SEC media days officially kicked off Monday morning, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey hinted he might be bringing a bit of meat and potatoes to the usual fluff that typically fills the annual State of the Conference address. He bemoaned his time at the podium this year would be much longer than usual. What followed later as he addressed...

Fearful, Disheveled Coaches on Day 1 of SEC Media Days
Give Arkansas Win Without Taking Podium

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When Arkansas fans watch SEC media days, they are looking for two things: 1) Is there any reason to believe recruits will see something that will turn them off, thus making it more likely the Razorbacks can again an edge? 2) Is there something there to give fans reason to believe that Arkansas will have an advantage on the field? With that in mind...

Statement About 'Horns Down' Signal
One All Current SEC Teams Can Love

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas fans probably didn't watch SEC coordinator of officials John McDaid a whole lot when he met with the media Tuesday morning. It was long with a lot of video plays. In a separate statement, McDaid addressed a gesture against the Texas Longhorns. Fans are...

Sankey Has Support for Saying Nine Games in Other Leagues Not Equal to Eight in SEC

FRISCO, Texas – As SEC commissioner Greg Sankey navigated the waters between the decision to go with an eight game schedule following the SEC meetings in Florida and the announcement of opponents in mid-June, he caught an earful from all sides about how the conference should be ashamed it chose to stick with the eight game format instead of the nine games other conferences had moved toward in recent years. However, Sankey knew something his detractors...