The 2015 Southeastern Conference Media Days kicked off Monday in Hoover. More than 1200 media members converged on the Wynfrey Hotel to find out more from coaches and select players of Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt. We attempt to answer some of the biggest questions surrounding these teams. Can Will Muschamp be as good as he once was for Auburn? How quickly can Jim McElwain turn Florida into a national contender again? Can Vanderbilt start less than five quarterbacks this season?
The first man to take the stage in Hoover was SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who was excited to be the new face of the nation’s most prestigious conference.
“It’s the first time since 1990 that the person standing behind this podium on the first day of Media Days is not named Mike Slive or Roy Cramer,” Sankey proudly said during his opening statement. “The further reality is that no SEC commissioner had a Twitter account. I, however, do have a Twitter account.”
Sankey went on to discuss the opportunities that the conference has provided and the achievements that the young student-athletes deserved. He brought up several names of past athletes from every SEC school and how they excelled both on and off the field. The list included former Alabama football player Tony Nathan who earned his degree this past May at the age of 58 to fulfill his promise he made to Coach Bear Bryant in 1979.
The new commissioner bragged about his conference for 15 minutes before taking questions from the media. He talked about the success of the conference and their supporters like the new SEC Network.
“I’m the commissioner of the SEC, but they are the SEC,” Sankey finished with. “The times are changing. It is because of this and more that convince me the best days of the Southeastern Conference are still ahead.”
Auburn University also took to the media Monday morning, as Gus Malzahn took questions about Will Muschamp for the majority of the day.
“Just that physical, hit you in the mouth, hard edge that Auburn has been known for,” Malzahn said of what the former and new defensive coordinator can bring to the team. “That’s what Will is known for. That’s why he’s a good fit here at Auburn. We are on our way back to getting that edge.”
Malzahn isn’t the only one excited about what Muschamp can bring to the Tiger defense. Senior linebacker Kris Frost is expected to be the defensive leader and he says Muschamp brings in a new toughness that wasn’t there before. Senior defensive back Jonathan Jones said that Muschamp brings a new sense of effort and energy to the field.
Auburn’s offense is also facing a lot of questions with some of the players that they lost but junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson does not believe there should be any doubts. Johnson is known more for his arm than Nick Marshall was and was compared to former Heisman winner Cam Newton throughout the day.
“The offense is pretty much going to be the same,” Johnson said of the new look offense. “We’re still going to run the ball. The offense is going to be amazing this year. We’ve got a lot of weapons around me and I feel comfortable.”
Malzahn has always answered any questions about his offenses and with defensive genius Muschamp taking over, this Auburn team could be a threat to the entire nation in the fall.
Another new coach drew attention on Monday, facing major questions about when Florida will return to be a national contender. However, head Coach Jim McElwain said that the team is still in the evaluation stages.
“We’ve got work to do,” McElwain said. “Yet, at the same time, it’s about getting a little bit better every day at the point that we can be successful. The game is going to take care of itself, the more work we put in.”
The former Colorado State head coach brings in a more offensive mind than Will Muschamp had in Gainesville. McElwain wants to take advantage of the personnel they have available and make a dynamic offense.
The offense has a lot of weapons at the skill positions but the rest of the offense doesn’t look like it can improve. Treon Harris and Will Grier are still battling for the starting role at quarterback while the offensive line is facing questions about depth, experience and just talent.
“It’s different because Coach Mac is more of an offensive dude so you get to see him a lot and talk to him,” said sophomore receiver Brandon Powell. “If you’re the one making plays, he’s the one who decides who can get the ball more.”
The defense still has the talent left behind by Muschamp but losing the coach may make the defense step back a bit. The likes of Vernon Hargreaves III and Jonathan Bullard will be expected to lead the defense and keep them at the top of the SEC.
“”The defense is not going to take a step back,” Bullard said. “We aren’t going to let that happen. Losing Dante Fowler is a big reason for that (idea) but we aren’t going to let that happen as a defense.”
Vanderbilt is going into their second year under head coach Derek Mason. The Commodores struggled through last season while using a total of four starting quarterbacks and they lost presumed starter Pat Robinette to medical school. Mason has brought in Andy Ludwig to control the offense as he moves his focus to the defensive side of the ball.
“What Andy does is he gives me somebody I can trust,” Mason said of new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. “(At Wisconsin) he knew the strength wasn’t in the quarterback but he taught the quarterback to make smart decisions. Handing the ball off to Melvin Gordon was a smart decision.”
Mason’s squad looks like bound for improvement and is led by Ralph Webb. The sophomore running back was compared to the likes Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry after running for over 1,000 yards in his first season.
“I think we are going to do some great things offensively,” Webb said. ” Coach Ludwig is doing a great job of putting guys in position to make plays. We have the personnel now. This year is going to have a much more explosive offense, scoring more points than we did last year.”
Quotes from all interviews on Monday can be found here. SEC Media Days continues on Tuesday with South Carolina, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Continue to follow along on our site with quotes and audio on Twitter.
