Day three of SEC Media Days is chock full of coaches facing various degrees of uncomfortable question.
Alabama (9:05 am) – HC Kalen DeBoer; DL Tim Keenan III; LB Deontae Lawson; OL Kadyn Proctor
Mississippi State (10:50 am) HC Jeff Lebby; QB Blake Shapen; DB Isaac Smith; WR Brenen Thompson
Florida (1:00 pm) – HC Billy Napier; DL Caleb Banks; OL Jake Slaughter; QB DJ Lagway
Oklahoma (2:45 pm)– HC Brent Venables; QB John Mateer; DB Robert Spears‑Jennings; DL Mason Thomas
A few points to ponder about today’s lineup.
Quarterback transitions: Alabama enters uncharted territory in the post‑Jalen Milroe era; Mississippi State undergoes major roster turnover with Baylor transfer Blake Shapen and portal additions including former FSU signal caller Luke Kromenhoek.
Florida’s high‑stakes schedule. One team with no QB questions is Billy Napier’s Gator squad, which will be led by sophomore DJ Lagway. But the Sunshine State Saurians will have to overcome a bear or a schedule that includes LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, and Georgia. It may be interesting to hear Napier’s thoughts on the murderer’s row standing between him and another year of bare bowl eligibility.
Doomer Sooner: Earlier this week I said that Auburn coach Hugh Freeze may have the hottest seat in the league following his teams 6–7 2024 campaign. But Oklahoma boss Brent Venables may give him a run for his money. His team was also 6–7 last season, including a season ending Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy. Expect Venable to get some pretty pointed questions from the assembled media about how he plans to turn things around in 2025.
Rule changes: SEC head of officials John McDaid noted yesterday that league officials will be tightening up their defensive substitution procedures and also not allowing defenses to use sudden movements to draw offenses into false starts. That’s going to be a judgment call that I predict they’ll screw up almost as badly as they did trying to figure out what targeting is. After all, over a decade later it’s still a mystery to many an official. Georgia’s Kirby Smart criticized defensive “snap‑simulation” penalties, and with good reason. Expect that topic to surface in Wednesday’s Q&A as well.
Once again you can watch live on SEC Network or ESPN+.
Go ‘Dawgs!!!