As day two of 2023 SEC Media Days has now wrapped up, we dive
into a quick recap. Coaches who took the podium were Kirby
Smart (Georgia), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt), Hugh Freeze (Auburn), and
Zach Arnett (Mississippi State).
1. Vanderbilt
Clark Lea, coming off his second season where he finished with a respectable 5-7 record and took the podium first. He
answered numerous questions, but a couple that stuck out to me
was about the new facilities being built and also having the former director of
scouting for 247Sports Barton Simmons on staff. When asked about
the ongoing improvements to the facilities and how they have
helped in recruiting he went on to say, “Look, right now it’s not
pretty. There’s a lot of shut-down roads and a lot of dirt and a lot of
construction equipment, but it gives us a chance.”
I certainly think it
does as well. In addition, Barton Simmons is a fantastic talent evaluator and a weapon that no one
else in the country has in their department. Especially for a team like Vandy who won’t be able to land many four and five-stars, having a guy like Simmons to find three-star gems is ideal.
2. Georgia
Coming into this week Kirby Smart was probably the coach that the media heads wanted to talk to most, given all of the
off-the-field situations that have gone on. Specifically the arrests and street racing incidents. He did his best to talk around it as only Kirby can do.
Other
notable topics he talked about were mostly how to not get
complacent. Smart has instilled a belief that everybody doubts Georgia and it has worked well, but the more the Dawgs win, the harder it is to uphold that. In his motivational strategies, Georgia studied the New Zealand
Black Rugby Team to help with that. We’ll see how that goes this fall.
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3. Auburn
This could have very well been a question assault on Hugh Freeze for all of his past endeavors. It would certainly be understandable, but it went about as well as it could have for the
new head man in charge on the plains. On occasion when he was asked about the
past at Ole Miss, he spoke about it with humility and grace, while also adding a
little humor.
Out of all of the coaches that spoke on Tuesday he was
probably the most candid and insightful. He has to continue on this
path to get back in the ever important good graces of the public. Tuesday was a
great start.
4. Mississippi State
Coming up last to the podium was first-time head
coach Zach Arnett. Commissioner Greg Sankey pointed out that
Arnett is the first Hispanic coach in the SEC while also being the
youngest. While beloved former head coach Mike Leach would talk
more than usual, about whatever came to his mind, coach Arnett was very brief as his opening
statement was only about seven words in total.
One main thing that stuck
out to me was his passion for not only college football but also his job and Mississippi State. He had plenty of other opportunities to
leave but he chose to stay a Bulldog. When asked about it he said, “You talk about whether my name was rumored for other jobs or not or whether I was in the mix. I had as good a situation — I had a better situation in terms of being a defensive coordinator here at Mississippi State than anywhere in the country. I was happy here. Me and my family love it in Starkville.”
