SEC Media Days: Day 1 Recap

As the first day of the Southeastern Conference Media Days came to a close Tuesday, our first sign of the college football season showed its face and the tone set for the remaining two days.

The yearly extravaganza started off as Commissioner Slive addressed the hundreds packed inside the ballroom along with the thousands viewing on television at home. His annual state of the conference address complimented the achievements of the conference, but also noted the lack of success in men’s basketball in the past season-something Slive said “did not live up to expectations.”

The commissioner continued his push for the full cost of attendance, noting that the time had finally come to make that change. In a question and answer session he then addressed the growing concern of concussions in college football and noted that while the conference has worked diligently to work address the issue, he believed it was the NCAA who should take the lead on the issue.

Coaches and players came through the venue and there were a few things that jumped out to me on Day 1:

1. Missouri is not dismayed by last year’s 5-7 season Receiver L’Damion Washington and quarterback James Franklin were especially optimistic about their first season in the SEC. Washington told the crowd of reporters that Missouri’s record wasn’t reflective on their play, citing four close games that could have gone the Tigers way in 2012. James Franklin then revealed that Missouri felt they were going to get beat badly in their conference opener against Georgia, but took it as a positive that they were able to play close for three quarters.
2. Will Muschamp is not afraid to speak his mind I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to hear canned answer after canned answer. I like the fact that the man referred to as Coach Boom wasn’t afraid to go after his predecessor Urban Meyer for turning in the Gators for a secondary violation and I like the fact he was vocal about his displeasure the new targeting rule (would call for a player to be immediately ejected from a game). I also like the fact he talked about building his program the right way, with character and discipline, in essence saying he would not win at all costs.
3. Hype is only growing about Jadaveon Clowney It seems as if every single offensive player, even South Carolina quarterback Conner Shaw was asked about the 6-foot-6, 270lb freak. I admit, Clowney is quite the specimen with his height-weight-speed ratio, but I’ve often noticed that it is very hard for players to live up to the hype that is built in the preseason-will Clowney be the exception? Only time will tell, but I wouldn't be surprised if does. After all, he just ran a 4.46 yard 40 yard dash; Johnny Football runs a 4.45
4. Don’t Sleep on Ole Miss The Rebels had a solid season last year, but the one thing that impressed me is that this team still seems to be motivated. Hugh Freeze has found a way to keep the fire lit within his team heading into the 2013 season, preaching they must remember what got them to this point, and his team has bought in. Donte Moncrief was asked if he was the best receiver in the conference and answered he still had plenty to work on.
5. It will be hard to top Steve Spurrier The Ol’ Ball Coach started off with a statement, and then he went to work. He told the Hoover crowd that it was time to start paying players, Notre Dame needed to be a part of a conference, and discussed his issues with conference scheduling. Simply put, nothing was off topic when Spurrier hit the microphone. His candid presence at media days is usually a sign he feels pretty confident about his team’s chances in the upcoming season which means it might not only be hard to top Spurrier at the podium and on the GridIron.

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