DALLAS — SEC Media Days came to Dallas for the first time ever this year -- and left a Texas-sized impression.
As Texas and Oklahoma enter the conference for the first season after leaving the Big 12 -- adding even more firepower to the conference that was already the best in college football -- the two newcomers were the talk of the four-day event. And rightly so, too: With the Longhorns and Sooners' arrival in the SEC, historic rivalries are being renewed and new challenges are rising to the surface.
In many ways, really, this year's SEC Media Days symbolized the start of a new era of college football -- from conference realignment to new faces at programs across the league.
2024, for instance, will be the first SEC season in a long time without Nick Saban coaching one of the conference's programs, and it's also Mike Elko's first year at the helm of Texas A&M after the Aggies' record buyout of former coach Jimbo Fisher's contract.
TEGNA sister stations WFAA in Dallas and KVUE in Austin both had members from their respective sports departments at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas for this year's SEC Media Days. So we figured it worthwhile to gather the whole gang together for a roundtable conversation with WFAA Sr. Digital Content Producer Paul Livengood, WFAA Digital Content Producer Zachary Yanes, WFAA Sports Anchor/Reporter Michelle Montaine, KVUE Sports Director Jeff Jones and KVUE Sports Anchor/Reporter Cory Mose sharing their biggest takeaways from the four-day affair.
Here's what they had to say.
Livengood: To kick things off (pun intended 😉), I wanted to ask all of you if you had to pick one big takeaway from this past week, what would it be and why?
Mose: For me, it's Quinn [Ewers] taking that next step off the field. [Coach Steve Sarkisian] talked about his leadership and personality. [Ewers] also showed us a lot of personality throughout the day. Between [wearing] the belt buckle and talking about his boots, it was clear he was comfortable with the cameras around him and seemed to have a different sense of confidence.
Jones: For me, it's that Texas doesn’t believe it’s just "hype" and doesn’t believe it’s temporary: Championship chances, Heisman hopefuls and future first rounders — SEC coaches of the past would call those preseason projections “rat poison.” The league’s newest head coach, Steve Sarkisian, used confidence as the antidote. Sark told us "the roster has depth," "his quarterback is a perfect fit," and boldly claimed “the standard is the standard”… regardless of conference. That "standard," was set by the 2023 national semifinalists. If confidence equals credibility, consider the Horns a credible threat to everyone they face this fall.
Montaine: I think it’s telling that the whole conversation so far has been about Texas, because it’s representative of the broader conversation that took place at SEC Media Days. Texas didn’t arrive or speak until Wednesday, yet Monday and Tuesday were still full of teams talking about Texas and being asked about Texas. Oklahoma is also entering the SEC for the first time. Still, most questions to teams not named OU or UT were centered around the Longhorns. “Texas Fatigue,” as non-Longhorns would call it, is real. It was on full display all four days at SEC Media Days, as Texas was the talking point, regardless of day or team.
Yanes: My biggest takeaway is that Texas is a lot more prepared for the SEC than people think. Yes, the games will be tough, but the poise and excitement shown by head coach Steve Sarkisian this week makes me think they are ready to pick up right where they left off last year. This Texas team is older and more talented than the majority of teams in the conference. In my opinion, that seniority will mitigate any road challenges they may face in hostile environments.
Livengood: That’s a good point, Zach. It seemed to me that every coach was asked about playing Texas. And some kind of brushed it off and gave the "This is the SEC... it’s different down here" attitude. Even Sark gave his props to the league, saying they needed to earn their respect. Jeff and Cory, y’all cover this team more than anybody. Do you think that’s a fair attitude for the SEC teams to have towards Texas? Or do you think they need to take UT more seriously? It seems the media, both national and local, are all very bullish on Texas.
Jones: I think it’s a dangerous attitude to have. Texas has a top three roster and top three coaching staff in the conference. And they know it! If teams are depending on their stadium atmospheres to beat UT, put the student section on scholarship! If they think a group that went to the national semifinals last year will be scared of programs because they’ve played — and lost — to Alabama and Georgia for years, they’re wrong. Depth is the separating factor in this league. If you get physically beat up against four straight top-25 teams, can your roster survive? For UT, this year, I think the answer will be "yes."
Mose: We're talking about a team that was one play away from the national title game, returns their QB, nearly their entire O-line and their starting RBs for the second half of the season. Sark has been recruiting and developing dudes since Day One to make this move. You can just see it by the way this roster is built. So yeah, not taking this team seriously because they’re in a new conference doesn’t change the fact that this same team went into Tuscaloosa and did something no one else in the conference had done since 2019.
Livengood: OKAY! The KVUE fellas coming out flexing for the Horns! But I also agree that if you don’t take UT seriously as these other SEC teams, you have another thing coming. On the flip side, though, if UT drops one or two early -- say, perhaps, to Michigan and Georgia -- the critics will start to get loud. Is that fair? Probably not. The fact that both are Top 5 teams in the nation is a TOUGH schedule to have. But that also comes with the territory of playing for Texas. People want to see you fail.
Mose: To be honest, I don’t think the critics will be loud in that situation, depending on how they win the other games. Mainly because of the 12-team playoff. Losing those two games and winning the rest means they’re making it in. But if they’re barely winning games against Vandy, Arkansas, etc., then I feel like those critics will come chirping.
Livengood: Pivoting away from Texas for a second, the other elephant in the room -- or former elephant for that matter 🥁 -- was Nick Saban looking on from the SEC desk in the ballroom. He was locked in, watching every coaches address. And nearly all of them acknowledged him in some way, and rightfully so. Dude is obviously a legend. Is it weird for y’all to think about watching SEC football without Nick Saban on the headset? Has that reality sunk in yet?
Jones: It may have been weird a few years ago, but recently we’ve seen other legends leave and it wasn’t as weird as I expected. A Tom Brady-less NFL was still fun, high-quality football. Coach K and Roy Williams no longer lead the teams on Tobacco Road, and that wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be. Alabama found a qualified, capable replacement who has welcomed Coach Saban to continue to be a part of the program. The transition seems smooth for the program, and I think it’ll be smooth for me as a college football fan.
Yanes: I don’t think it’s totally set in yet for me that he won’t be on the sidelines this season. Saban has been the face of college football for a long time and arguably the most important head coach as well. It’s going to be a little weird, but Kalen DeBoer seems like he’s the right fit to keep the tide rolling.
Montaine: I do think it will be weird without Saban coaching this season. He is the standard. He has single-handedly redefined the standard by turning Alabama into THE powerhouse program of the last decade or so. In today’s climate, it’s so rare to see a college coach stay in one place for so long and have the sustained success he had that seeing him call it a career is the end of an era in college football in some regards. I love that he’s still getting to be a part of the program. I love that he’s still around the sport, covering it for ESPN. But I do think it will be an adjustment not to see him or hear him on the podium after games this season.
Mose: I feel like [Saban's] time was coming soon, especially after NIL took off. So, I don’t think it’ll be weird until I see DeBoer on the sidelines in crimson. That’s when I think it’s going to hit me that Saban isn’t the coach anymore. Plus, I’m excited to see Saban do more media things!
Livengood: Alright, let's wrap up here. Two final things: What was the most shocking or eye-grabbing thing said from all four days? And media days is an opportunity for players to showcase their personality, as Cory stated earlier, so who at media days do you think had the best style or most swag?
Montaine: I don’t know if it’s all that shocking, but Elko’s statement of “I’m proud of how quiet our offseason was” was telling to me. Especially in recent years, A&M has been known to be a place that can be very "loud" at times. And since Elko took over, you haven’t heard much, good or bad. His statement leads me to believe that he prefers it that way... that they are actually doing the work this time, instead of just talking about it. Also, [Texas A&M's] Trey Zuhn III said “it doesn’t matter if there’s 12 teams or 4 teams in the playoff because we’re going to be playing in the National Championship game this year.” So, there’s that.
Yanes: For me, nothing too out of the ordinary, but I’ve been surprised by many of the coaches' responses pertaining to helmet communication and how they will utilize it. The majority seemed to think it wouldn’t change much in their play-calling plans, but schools like Oklahoma and Mississippi State seemed to brighten up when asked about it and how it would help them. And, as far as style is concerned, I think the clear answer here is Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. He came in with an interesting hat and big chain. He also just carried himself like a professional.
Livengood: I’m with you on Milroe, Zach. His chain was realllllllllllly nice. I also have to give a shout out to what I think Cory will probably say -- [Texas running back] Jahdae Barron’s shoes! Jeff and I even used them when trying to spot him out in the crowd to get B-roll shots.
Jones: The most "shocking" thing to me was Commissioner [Greg] Sankey talking about the future of AI in the SEC. Officiating, recruiting, game-planning… Maybe “shocked” isn’t the word but I’m very interested in that. And, yes, my style award goes to Jahdae and his shoes: “They’re not crocks, they’re Marnie’s!”
Mose: The most shocking thing for me was probably Quinn sharing that his family considers the Texas A&M game a bigger rivalry than Oklahoma. Plus, you throw in the factor that Quinn and [Aggies quarterback] Conner Weigman are both from Texas, shared the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine and went to the Manning Passing academy together. That's a cool 'lil storyline. As for the drip? I wanna go with Jahdae’s shoes... but Milroe’s chain nearly blinded me.
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