The pandemic of 2020 robbed us of the SEC’s annual circus that is SEC Media Days. The triumphant return is here, although there are a few changes.
The crowd of media that has flocked to the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama will be much smaller. More than 1,100 showed up in 2019, the last time the this venue hosted the SEC’s annual event. That number this year... definitely smaller.
Traditionally the SEC has allowed each school to bring three players to it’s preseason event. This year, COVID protocols have trimmed the number to two for each school. What hasn’t changed though is the arrival of all 14 SEC coaches on the podium.
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We’re giving you the five we are most looking forward to hearing from in 2021. Note the absence of both Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. There is not a coach here this week that has mastered the art of talking a lot and saying very little than these two.
So with that in mind, here’s our top five...
1. Mike Leach – Mississippi State - Heading into his second year in the conference, it’s Leach’s first visit to Hoover. A guy known for his stories and often times hysterical quotes, Leach will have a preseason audience this week much bigger than the ones that he has had at Texas Tech and Washington State. Not sure if we’ll get a “Little fat girlfriends” quote or not but you can expect Leach will have a headline statement before he finishes.
2. Lane Kiffin – Ole Miss – Lane has never been one to shy away from taking a shot or two at opposing head coaches or fan bases. Kiffin will bring his swagger to the Hoover podium for the first time since 2009. That was the year he came as the head coach at Tennessee. Expect a little barb thrown toward Nick Saban and Alabama while he’s here.
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3. Jimbo Fisher – Texas A&M – The $75 million man is heading into Year 4 as the head of the Aggies program. Steady growth and improvement in each of the first three years have cumulated in a 9-1 season last year. The expectations have risen and Aggies fans feel like the time is now for this team to win an SEC and National Championship.
4. Dan Mullen – Florida – All the preseason talk around the Gators has been about the quarterback position and what Emory Jones can produce. What’s getting overlooked Is how historically bad Florida was on defense last year. Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma all put up 35 or more against the Gators. If Mullen wants to get Florida back in the national championship picture, questions on defense have to be answered.
5. Ed Orgeron – LSU – Coach O may find himself firmly on the hot seat in 2021 with another rough start. In the offseason Orgeron completely reworked his coaching staff, especially on defense where they couldn’t stop a nose bleed last year. The offense clicked late in the season and LSU needs either Miles Brennan or Max Johnson to take over the QB position.