SEC Media Days: Recap of Day Two
Posted on July 21, 2011 by Jacob Bunn
The second day of SEC Media Days started with SEC Coordinator of Officials Steve Shaw giving an address in the main media room. He explained some of the new rule changes, most notably the celebration amendment. He also expressed confidence in the on-field officials for the 2011 season and his ability to perform his new role as the officiating coordinator for SEC football.
Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips was the first of the group of head coaches slated to speak on Thursday to take the main media state at the Wynfrey Hotel. Phillips remains optimistic about the upcoming season and the Wildcats’ ability to capture an SEC East crown. He said his team is very close to breaking through but has to defeat some of the traditional powers in the league to achieve the big goals.
Next to the podium was two-time SEC Coach of the Year Mark Richt. His team finished with a disappointing record of 6-7 last season, and Coach Richt acknowledged that it was substandard. Richt drove home the point that when a player is offered a scholarship to sign with Georgia, it is honored. He said that some teams may not honor their offers, but Georgia does. Many believe that Richt’s team has to have a good year (significantly improved from last season) or his job may be in jeopardy.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik took the stage next. The Tigers are coming off of an undefeated, national championship winning season, but you would not know it from the line of questions he received. For the most part Chizik responded to questions about his episode with Julie Roe Lache and other NCAA questions with the standard reply that he could not comment on ongoing investigations. When faced with the question about the comments Danny Sheridan made yesterday on the Paul Finebaum Radio Network about the NCAA waiting for a ‘bag man’ to come forward in its probe into the Cam Newton recruitment, he restated that the NCAA has told him that no wrongdoing had been found with Auburn. On the subject of football, he said his team has moved on from the elation from last year’s championship and is ready to pursue another one.
Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley spoke last at Thursday’s session of SEC Media Days. He said that he is working to restore the Volunteer football program to the prestige it once held. He praised Tennessee fans, calling them “unconditionally supportive.”
Dooley also spoke about last season’s peculiar finishes. He joked, “I was 8-7 in closing handshakes last year.”
It has been a relatively docile event for its standards so far. Steve Spurrier saying Commissioner Slive’s plan is terrible was interesting, and there has certainly been a large amount of attention surrounding Gene Chizik and the Auburn/NCAA saga. But to this point, there has not been the kind of poignant moment that Media Days has often had in previous years. That could all change tomorrow, though, as Nick Saban of Alabama, James Franklin of Vanderbilt, Houston Nutt of Ole Miss, and Les Miles of LSU speak to the media. Needless to say whenever Miles holds a news conference, it is interesting.
Remember you can follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/JacobBunn) for live updates from Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel tomorrow.
Email Jacob at jacob@bunnsports.com and follow him on Twitter at @JacobBunn
