College Football Live - CFB LIVE 7/14 - The Start of SEC Media Days

Episode Date: July 14, 2025

The Crew Zubin Mehenti, Greg McElroy, Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel kickoff the 2025 SEC Media Days. The Crew digs into the SEC big playoff picture, notable transfer portal additions, and upcoming conference matchups this season. We also hear from Brian Kelly, Lane Kiffin and Shane Beamer about their respective teams going into the 2025 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the SEC, the season always finds its way to Atlanta. This year, it starts here, too. Before Toadby 12, before the rival's light up the ball, we gather here with microphones, necktide, and enough sound bites to put the stadium. I had to take dancing lessons yesterday. Coaches lay out the blue. We all know why cross.

But we're going to put it in the heater and find out. Players shake hands, flash smile, and sell the leaf like Marlowe-a-Poh. There's talk of depth charts and visits, swaggered second chances. It's part-peperout, part-press conference, part-prosite. And then we wait. Wait to see which of those summertime problems

and hold up when the pad was drafted on. When the dust settled, and the scoreboard decides that the soundbites never go ahead. Only one team will circle all the way back this city at the dawn and the winter. Walking through those locker room doors and walking out with a championship program. But that will be in December.

This is today, SEC Media Days. And as Ryan could tell you, this is the 10th year. The league has used the slogan, it just means more. And joining us from SEC Media Days in Atlanta, Greg McElroy, Heather Dinnich. I'm Zubin Mahenti. Welcome to college football live. We got LSU, South Carolina, Ole Miss Vandy, taking center stage on day one. Let's get right to the storylines. And then we'll hear from Greg and Heather. It has been a, can you believe it, two whole years since the SEC has won the championship or even had a team in the college football playoff national title game, a veritable drought by their standards, as the big two of the big two in the little eight back in the three.

the day have won the last two Natty's. Of course, so many big-time quarterbacks will talk plenty about Arch, but it's also notable that besides Manning, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, are going to have new signal callers too, but what's notable there is none of those three programs hit the portal to find their new QB1. Can anyone outside of Bamar or Georgia win the SEC? Todd and Dogs have won 10 out of the last 11. There was a little Joe Burrow trip there in 19, so LSU got themselves in the mix as well. Commissioner Sanky with a word of caution. Let me be clear from my perspective,

college athletics is not broken. College athletics is not broken. It is under stress. It is strain. Those of us in higher education embedded in college athletics know the intricacies of what's in front of us. And we all all.

have to continue to adapt and have adapted as we seek to provide life impacting opportunities and lifelong memories for young people across our nation. Last season, all 16 members of the Southeastern Conference played at least nine games against what you would label power opponents. We had several that played 10 or 12 games against power opponents. Some conferences have that, Some don't. I don't believe there's anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents, with the opponents played by Southeastern Conference teams and our conference schedule, be it eight or nine. He began that soliloquy in Sandestan.

Apparently, he's continued in Atlanta. Heather, I want to start with you. You listen to everything Sanky has said here as the playoff reporter. He's the de facto spokesman for whatever comes next. What did you make of those comments earlier today? He avoided answering specifically what it will take to avoid a stalemate in terms of coming to an agreement with the Big Ten, because the SEC and the Big Ten have to come to a consensus

on what they would like the format to look like in 2026 and beyond. And when he answered my question about that, he said, basically, don't be surprised if it stays at 12 teams if we can't agree. There's no magic moment that's going to happen. So if it's going to go to 14 or 16, the Big Ten and the SEC have the bulk of control, and Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petiti

have to agree on it for it to happen. Yeah, and Heather, I continue to hear the same thing. Like, they're happy where things are. Would they be content to expanding beyond 12? Sure, if that's what they feel like they need to do to get the concessions elsewhere that they need to get, but they're very, very comfortable right now with eight game scheduling model within the SEC, with the additional ninth team played from outside the

conference. They feel like their conference schedule against all else. Still, even though teams are playing an additional game, they still feel like they have a stronger league top to bottom. Therefore, they're in a position of strength. And Greg Sankey, I think, is in a position of strength. is everybody wants the SEC to adopt the nine-game model, but they don't have to because they've still been given the benefit of the doubt for many, many years when being measured up against teams from outside the league. So I think he's kind of, he didn't say much today because it feels like he knows that the less he says, the better position he's in,

because he doesn't necessarily need to show his cards because right now he's sitting with a really nice hand. Greg, let me follow up with that with you and Heather, obviously get in here as well. it's sort of a fade of complete, right? This thing was going to go to 16 teams, whether it's the Big Ten's model or the 5 plus 11 that was introduced by the Big 12 and certainly endorsed by the SEC coaches. But from what I'm hearing you say, December 1 is the deadline. We'll wait to hear what executive director, Rich Clark has to say. But what do you think the possibilities are that we actually just keep this thing at 12, see how it develops and give it a little runway?

Well, I would start with, I can't tell you how important the SEC's decision to go to nine, games or stay at eight is at the is at the heart of all this it's like a catch 22 you know ls u you know ls ucoge brian kelly talked to us today about how hey we'll go to nine games if we have some assurances in the college football playoff that strength of schedule is going to be weighed heavily and i can tell you from looking at our stats and information that the SEC every single team in this league is ranked in the top 20 toughest schedules in the country and their point here is that the selection committee needs to consider that before we say, okay, we're going to even make this more difficult.

I do think, though, 16 is ultimately where we're going to end up, though, Zubin and Heather, partly because of how last year worked out. And granted, it's one year, it's a small sample size, but you were at a legitimate disadvantage if you were Oregon and had to play against Ohio State in round number two, whereas the team that Oregon beat, the Penn State and any lines got a home game against SMU, then they play Boise State before they get a free trip for the most part to the semifinals.

at the college football playoff. So I think that they ultimately will get to that 16 team model because that will no longer allow for buys. And buys last year, granted just one year, were bad for the teams that earned them. So I think they'll get there because those teams ranked one, two, three, and four. They all feel like those teams deserve a home game as well. And that long layoff that we dealt with last year from December 3rd

until January 1st when some of these teams played, it actually played against them. So 16 might be a little more equitable. and won't punish the teams that actually played their way into the top seats. Fair enough. Those four teams that got to buys were a combined O and four. As you take a look, the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, their SEC quarterbacks all over this page.

As you might imagine, we're going to hone in on a couple of coaches and a couple of quarterbacks who could certainly be in the mix to hoist that award on the first Saturday in December. And Brian Kelly knows when all minds are put together, what is possible? Jay Daniels' development for year one to year two was astronomical, if that word even suits it. I mean, it was incredible. Garrett Nussmar will have a similar jump. It's because you go on the road and it's sold out.

You play teams that are so well-coached and so balanced and have great players that you have no choice but to learn, develop, and get better. or you're going to be left by the side. Flying quarterback in the SEC is very tough. It's very tough. And you also have to be prepared not only mentally but physically. I mean, you're playing first rounder after first rounder on the defensive line across from me, you know. So you're going to take hits, you're going to take shots.

You're going to get beat up. You're going to be bruised up and bleeding into the fourth quarter of a row game as I was in South Carolina last year. You know, like that's real. People don't just say that. So I would say you have to be ready for the worst, the horse. You're having conversations about Lenora Sellers being a Heism Trophy candidate and people are talking about this team being a

a playoff team and we embrace that Rick we embrace the expectation Do you feel like you're the best for a guy yes team? I feel like I could be but everybody feels like that so you got SIDs across the country clapping at that answer firm but no bulletin board Mitchell great job there by Lenores obviously Greg look you went a national championship you played in this league I want to hone in all the quarterbacks here that could make their mark, but I want to hone in on one

player specifically with you. And that's Austin Simmons. He got a little bit of a came a came out of a came in the rain. Jackson Dark gets hurt. He comes in, one drive, touchdown, boom. Ole Miss pulls off the biggest win to the Kiffin era. It's a small sample size, the term you've used earlier in the show, but what do you see

out of a guy like that, taking over for the most productive quarterback the rebels have ever had? Well, Zubin, it's a small sample size, but if I see a guy play three holes on Oakmont at the U.S. Open. He birdies all three. I feel pretty good about it. You know, I look at kind of what I witnessed from Austin Sims last year.

He's a natural thrower, man. And the ball just jumps off his hand. He can adjust arm angles and just do things that most guys can't do. You can tell he's got a baseball background. So as a result, maybe occasionally the throw can be every once in a while unorthodox. But man, he knows how to get the ball where it needs to go. He's really accurate.

I think he's got better mobility than people realize. So if there's a sleeper right now that you want to gravitate towards, Austin Simmons, I think, would be an excellent choice, especially knowing the offense that he's going to play in under Lane Kiffin. For sure. And the question is, can that defense also continue to improve and build upon the success that had last year with so many guys having left? And can you put it all together and avoid those slip-ups that they had last year

a la Kentucky, right? And win the games that you're supposed to, in addition to the big games that can help. help you get into the college football playoff. But when you talk about a sleeper, Simmons, yes, one that's under the radar that shouldn't be is DJ Lagway. Why is no one talking more about him at Florida? And I understand he was hurt, but his health is the key to their whole season.

Back to the schedules, Florida has the most difficult schedule in the country again. And keeping Lagway healthy is going to be the key to them surviving it. But look, there's talented quarterbacks all throughout this league. and he's one that I don't think is getting talked about enough. No question about it, Heather. He's got that shoulder. Part of it, Subin, is that he wasn't able to go through spring. So I think everybody's just a little bit hesitant to say, all right, yes, big jump coming

because we haven't seen that critical period. As a true freshman, your biggest jump is occasionally from year one to year two and not having those 15 practices to work with a new set of wide receivers. That's, I think, the one thing that might be holding us back from going all in. But based on what he did last year, I completely agree with you. Flagway was off the charts. No doubt. And it's a huge security blanket for Billy Napier there as well as he enters a critical year in Gainesville.

All eyes on that shoulder in Gainesville. All eyes on college football live. When Brian Kelly joins us, he'll talk about Garrett Nussmeyer. He'll talk about opening week and how they haven't won under his tenure in week number one. And how it's eating at him. Plus, is this the most underrated quarterback in America? What a healthy Lenora Sellers could mean for South Carolina. Back to discuss that and more.

Next, on college football live, the trilogy. Holloway, Horriere, Saturday, 10 Eastern, prelims on ESPN. One tap and order, the pay-per-view. UFC 318. As I mentioned at SEC Media Days in Ole Miss LSU, Vandy, and the South Carolina Gamecocks. You know on Selection Sunday when Reese unveiled the dozen teams that made the playoff, Alabama fans and Ole Miss fans were upset.

Three-loss SEC teams that just missed out, but it's also notable to take into account that South Carolina was another three-loss team that maybe didn't get some of the traction on selection Sunday on the snub that the tide and the rebels did. And pretty much fair to say this team, Greg, I mentioned it before the break. The college football fan is Pete Thamble now joins us as well. If you're a hardcore fan, you probably know about Lenora Sellers. He was injured last year, so maybe he wasn't on top of mind from beginning to end.

But people inside this sport seem to think this could be the guy that could take South Carolina to unprecedented heights. Yeah, it's definitely possible, Zubin. I mean, he's kind of a transcendent talent. The funniest thing, we did their second week game against Kentucky. He didn't do much. He made two plays, but it was like kind of he couldn't, he wasn't real sure of himself. You know, you could tell he was kind of a little uneasy, kind of feeling his way through it. Well, the next week against LSU, kind of showed the world what he was capable of.

He didn't get hurt. Maybe they win that game. But when we saw him later in the year against Texas, say him, he was a completely different guy. I'm just confident, decisive, dynamic with his legs like he always was, and the accuracy got better. And that was with a suboptimal supporting cast at wide receiver with a bunch of guys that were kind of inconsistent. I expect that group to be better,

and you can't play quarterback by yourself. So if the offensive line is, it's good, and the running game is as good. Lenora Sellers, I could see making a massive leap this year, Pete, and year number two is the starting quarterback. Yeah, Greg, I mean, he's certainly one of the most compelling figures here at SEC Media Days. When you look at the crop of college quarterbacks right now,

Lenora Sellers is in the top of that conversation with the Drew Allers, with the Cade Clubnix, with the Garrett Nuss Myers. And he may have the highest pure talent ceiling, Greg, when I talk to scouts of all of them. But yet, we still haven't seen a full season of Lenora Sellers. And that's what's exciting. He got hurt in that Kentucky game you called. He was knocked out by the halftime of the LSU game the following week. If he has a little better injury luck, maybe South Carolina is a playoff team after all.

I do agree the receiver position needs to be upgraded. We saw Nick Harbor, the talented. five star really take a leap at the end of last season. He did not run track the spring. He's an Olympic level track star. If he can really hone in on football as he has, that could really open some things up for this offense, Greg. South Carolina has a Heisman trophy winner. His name is George Rogers and perhaps Lenora Sellers will join him. Greg, just a big macro thought on the job that Shane Beamer has done at South Carolina 29 and 22. But I don't think the overall record is indicative of just what a job he's done.

It's been fantastic. And I think he's invigorated the fan base. He's galvanized the team. And I think they play really hard for him. You know, I think he has a great ability to connect with the players. Now, I do believe this could be maybe the toughest challenge to date because the first time they're entering the season with legitimate expectations. And I do think that that could be problematic.

They're a chip on the shoulder outfit. They're an us against the world outfit. They have the foxhole mentality where nobody believes in us, but us, and that's worked to his advantage. Now when people are telling them how great they are, Pete, will that have a little bit of an effect on how his team can maturely go throughout what should be a pretty tough schedule?

Sure, Greg, and I think belief is a powerful drug, like you said. And he was a big part of Steve Sparrier's tenure there, and that's really the only time in South Carolina modern football history when they've been a competitive SEC program. He has taken that blueprint. They've dominated recruiting locally. They've certain made it a lot harder on Clemson

than it had been the previous decade. And what Shane Beamer has done is he is established South Carolina as a problem and as a contender. And the last century of football there would tell you that's not a very easy thing for the coach at South Carolina to do. Fair enough. We're entering the 20th anniversary of Spurrier's return to the SEC with South Carolina. And you mentioned the good times were rolling there when he was there. Let's see if Beamer can follow it up. On the way here on college football live, Brian Kelly's going to join us.

Let's just say his AD had some choice words about everything Coach Kelly has at his disposal. He'll join us next. We're back on college football live. Just a reminder, flag football growing as fast as pretty much anything in this country. The championships July 18th, the 20th. Where else your football thing? Canton, Ohio on ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, and streaming on Disney Bus. It's a new era of college football.

The longest, toughest, host season, live together at the nighttime. That was fun. Let's do it again. You're out there with a friend every Saturday. We'll get better than that. Let's do it. Exciting.

Exciting. That doesn't get you fired up. You may not have a pulse. Let's check in with our Pete Dammel. He joins us. Pete, there's news breaking all the time. What are your top headlines for us? Well, Zuban, let's start right here.

Greg Sankey every year at Media Days gives us a state of the union. And he revealed today that the SEC and Big Ten are not in use. unison on the future of the college football playoff. He said the two leagues have a different view, and it's going to be a fascinating couple months to see how the CFP for 2026 plays out. I think the next thing to watch here is an SEC decision on a nine-game conference schedule for 2026.

That's expected in the next six weeks, and we'll be a tell on what direction the playoff will go. Since our friend, Lane Kiffin, only gave us a one joke about Hugh Freeze golfing too much. We're going to shift to the Sunbelt for our playoff for our second piece of news here. The Sunbelt CEOs this morning voted a new member. Louisiana Tech will rejoin the League

leaving Conference USA. It will replace Texas State. Louisiana Tech will join in either 2026 or 2027 and that'll be determined in the upcoming weeks. And finally, we have Garrett Nussmeyer. Brian Kelly told me today that he needs Nussmeyer to build a coat of armor in order to run more. Nussmeyer is an anticipatory thrower

Tori thrower and that gets himself in trouble sometimes and he's had a bit of an interception bug in big games. So what Nussmeyer told me was he needs to limit the bad interceptions during improv and some of that is just putting his shoulder down using that coat of armor picking up three yards and digging that cloud of dust. Good stuff and just a word of advice for Hugh Freeze. This is pro bono. Look, I mean, just don't post those scores online and nobody would know any of this was happening.

That's our Pete Dammel who's going to rejoin us here in just a few minutes. Let's talk a little bit about Nuss Myers team. That, of course, would be LSU. They're coming off a nine and four season. A little bit kind of skidded at the end. Brian Kelly is kind of an unfamiliar position for him. Now, you do know that Garrett Nussmeyer, who Pete just talked about, everything's going to ride on his right arm.

And remember, when everybody's talking about Arch going to the Saints next year, keep in mind, Nuss's father is the offensive coordinator of the Saints. and on defense, they do have a couple of game records, especially Harold Perkins Jr., but he has had some problems staying healthy. It's a pleasure to welcome in LSU head coach, Brian Kelly. Coach, your openers have been Florida State, Florida State, USC, and now Clemson.

I wonder what playing that type of gauntlet tells you about your team early in the season. Well, that we were only three, and that we needed to win one of these openings. That's what it told us more than anything else. So, you know, Zuberman, we made this a tangible goal to get off to a good start and win our opener. Make no mistake about it. It's a game that is a difficult one going on the road against a really good football team.

But after our first three openers not turning out the right way, we can't wait to play our best game. We've got to play our best right out of the gates. That's why we made it a goal. Your athletic director, Scott Woodward said to find out at the SEC Spring meetings. Quote, Coach Kelly has everything he needs. That said, what are your expectations? Well, I don't think there are any different than anybody else. You're here to win a championship and play for championships.

We want to graduate our players and play for championships. And we have all the pieces in place. We've done a great job of rallying our support. You know, we started with my wife and I with a million-dollar. gift for NIL and then we had 1,600 passionate followers bring that up to about $3.5 million. So we've got a fan base.

We've attacked the roster through revenue sharing in NIL. We've got a great coaching staff, an incredible environment to play. So you're right. All the pieces are in place. Let's go chase the championship. You guys dominated the transfer portal. You have one of the best GMs in the sport.

Though it's a guy that's been around from Grand Valley State to Cincinnati to Notre Dame, LSU. You've been there and done that one everywhere. What are your general thoughts just on the way this sport is evolving? Well, I'm bullish on it. I'm excited that, you know, we have some clarity in terms of where we're moving. Now, we're in the early iteration of this. This is our first stage, but, you know, I'm grateful that we have revenue sharing for our players.

They deserve it. We've got NIL opportunities. But we've got to be consistent. And I think it starts with the coaches. And I think our fraternity has to lead the way here. You know, we can't be looking for ways to get around it. You know, the House settlement gives us a really good blueprint. We've got to add to it.

There's no doubt. We've got to make some additions and some more guardrails and NIL, third party NAL. But we are moving in the right direction, and I'm excited about it. Speaking of exciting, where could Garrett Nussmeyer make his biggest leap in your estimation? I think just recognizing that. that every play for him does not have to be a home run. I mean, we'll take some singles. And, you know, we learned that through experience in the SEC.

And that's why, you know, look, he's a coach's son. He gets it. He understands the game. He's got a great IQ. You know, he's put on a lot of ways. He's much more physically. He understands he's probably going to have to run the ball a little bit more this year. But I think just the experience of me and the SEC, you know,

affords him a great advantage that others don't have because there's nothing like experience is the best teacher. Listen, you won 10 games twice. You coached a Heisman trophy winner. You had an all-time win over Alabama. And your three and old bowl games and many people believe the best is yet to come. That's the luck this ball, coach. Thank you.

Thanks for having you on. Great to catch you up with coach. Take a look. It is about the business or the business for Garrett Nussmeyer. They've had some really, really good quarterbacks, as you know, that have come through Death Valley over the years. And those numbers seem to indicate he's in pretty good shape. And by the way, the other two guys at the bottom of your screen, as we know, both won the Heisman trophy playing for the Bayou Bengals. So we'll see if Nuss is next.

It's definitely the closest team I've been on at LSU. Just as far as a brotherhood standpoint, and obviously the most talented team as well. It's the toughest conference in all football. I think that's pretty evident. I really care what anybody says about to play the SEC schedule. We get a week and we don't get in rest. And so, you know, when you go from what we did playing A&M to then playing Florida, or to Alabama to Florida, like, it doesn't get easy.

Although, as Tony Petiti might say, and as Heather's reference to a couple times, you know, a ninth game would really make it tough. All right, Greg McElroyd, Heather Dinnich are back with us. Greg, I mean, one thing I didn't mention with Brian, but he brought it up, and I think it's worth mentioning. Look, they lost to Florida State twice. Incredible ending in 22, got whipped in 23, tough one against USC and 24.

If they dropped this game at the other Death Valley, and they're off to an 0-1 star with everything, Greg, they have put in to this season opener, considering how it started in the Kelly era, what happens? Oh, it'll be a massive overreaction from us. We're absolutely to blame. I call that game against Florida State a couple years, back and they made every possible mistake. Muffing punts, making huge mistakes,

interceptions, turnovers, just bad ball. They cleaned it up a little bit, I think, last year, and it was really more interceptions that led to them losing to the USC Trojan. So I think this is a really, really good test for them, though, especially knowing what was lost. They lost their two bookend tackles. They lost a handful of pieces along the offensive line. Clemson returns one of the best defensive fronts in the ACC and tons of experience offensively, including including Cade Clubnick and their receiver core, that can take advantage of a secondary that at times has had some challenges in Brian Kelly's tenure.

So I think not only will this be a tremendous test, but it will actually maybe exploit the areas that might be the biggest question marks for LSU coming in. That's, as a coach, that might be what I want to figure out exactly where I'm at if I'm really trying to chase a championship, Heather. Well, and everyone will tell you in the college football playoffs selection committee meeting room

that how you lose also, matters. And remember, if this is a close loss for LSU, it could be to a team that plays for the national title and the eventual ACC champions. I mean, Clemson is my number two team in the country right now. But Brian Kelly is very bullish on this team. He sat in the room upstairs with us from ESPN.com and said this team is built to compete for a national title. And one of the biggest reasons why is because whereas in past years, they've been plugging holes in the dam. They've got what they need and the depth at every position. They've got Nussmeyer and the defense is capable of competing at a championship level.

And that's something he has conceded that has not been the case. And Greg, let's follow up on what Heather said there with Blake Baker and Harold Perkins, Jr. Healthy again. We spend so much time talking about the quarterbacks, as you well know, as a quarterback. Their defense really could be the key. I think it is the key. They're going to score. I have no doubt about that.

they are a little bit more balanced offensively, that would be helpful, to take some of the pressure off Nussmeyer and not force them into so many tough situations, tight windows that lead to interceptions. But defensively, they felt like they had to take those risks because they never knew for sure if they were going to get the ball back to win the game. I look at the defense of Blake Baker and from where they were two years ago under Matt House to where they were last year under Blake Baker. They improved dramatically from 108 to the low 60s, 61.

But not only did they improve statistically, I think the actual philosophy, was completely night and day. For those that are a little more familiar, it'd be like going from LSU fullback, two tight ends under less miles, to all of a sudden four wide receivers spread it out with Joe Burrow in one year. It took 10 for them to evolve

to where they became in 2019. Defensively, they went from being sound to then being disruptive, and that requires everyone being on the same page. And in year one, that's an impossible ask. So I think the understanding from a philosophy standpoint for this defense at all three,

levels, they're going to be much better off. And they have great leadership around Whitweeks and Harold Perkins to kind of build from on the second level. We should mention LSU and Nussmeyer knocked off Ole Miss on the final play of the game last year in Death Valley. And speaking of that, as college football live continues, the Rebs, much like South Carolina and Bama just missed out. We discussed their quarterback earlier, but it's all about their past catchers that

we'll dig into next. Hey, SEC football. Come on here, we need to talk about that elephant in the room and not just big out. It's been a minute since we saw you win and at it. The last two years, you haven't even played for it. In other leagues, two years is nothing. Here, it's everything. Especially when Florida just won the SEC's first men's food title since 2012.

In Oklahoma, won the conference's second straight gymnasiumastic she. championship. The Texas won in Oklahoma City and LSU want an Omaha. And well, you get the picture. If you want to be back in the last picture of the CFP, the one with all the confetti, I'm sure those upsets will be happy to show you the roadmap. You know, the one you first showed them. That's a good point, Ryan.

It's been two years, but it probably feels like forever down there. Let's dig into a little bit of Ole Miss. Obviously, they're coming off an incredible stretch here. the last two years, a couple years ago, they had their first 11-win season, fouled it up, going to 10 wins, but they've lost quite a bit. But if anybody has learned how to work the portal and replace those pieces, it's Lane Kippen. They're going to have to replace Jackson Dard, who, of course, they got out of the portal

himself, and then he got Trey Harris, Watkins. They sent plenty of guys to the NFL. And the schedule, pretty interesting here. Favorable, they say. But then again, that's what they said about last year. schedule and you saw that they were just missing out on the playoff here's lane kiffin on his new signal caller he has to be himself and you know not worried about that but i think with that whenever you follow somebody that's had a lot of success most wins in the history of school most jars

touchdowns basically everything that puts a lot of pressure on you but we have to help him with that We got a coach and player all around them is the biggest part of helping with that. You should be able to build within your program and have a lot of returning players. But it's just the way the system is now, hopefully that gets fixed because I don't think that's really good. For anybody, it's not good for these kids to go to all these different switch schools every year. So it just makes us restart and not expect that they didn't know anything because they're coming from all these schools. different places. And that's obviously the portal king himself on the transfer portal.

Pete, I want to start with you here just in terms of since the portal's become a thing, he's managed it and leveraged it about as well as anybody. What's his general thesis on why he's been able to be so successful in the portal? Well, Zubin, when you look at Lane Kiffin and the N-State transfer portal, when he got to Ole Miss, they needed a massive talent upgrade and they needed talent everywhere. And I give Ole Miss's administration a lot of credit. They were very aggressive in the early days of NIL. And it's one of the reasons why they've been successful early on in Kiffin's tenure there.

They've gone out and drawn big names. They haven't been afraid to pay big for guys. This has been in football and in basketball. And I think it's one of the big reasons we've seen this Ole Miss Renaissance the last few years, right to the cusp of the college football playoff, is that they've had the infrastructure to spend big, Greg. They have. great job identifying fits. For example, there have been guys in the past that they've brought in

that maybe it didn't work out real well at their previous destination. They recognize and Lane Kiffin knows his system and Charlie Weiss Jr. They know their system as well as anybody. Hey, this guy fits what we do. And while it might not have worked out at the previous place, we can make it work at our place. And I think they've done a great job too of identifying skill position talent that makes it really fun to watch and really difficult to defend. So I think it's a system that people want be a part of. And then defensively last year, with some of the names they were able to add, it was off the charts. Good.

Now, it's about maintaining the culture year over year because with Ole Miss, they've been talented, but there have been dips in consistency. And I think that's part of relying on guys that might not have long track records there in Oxford, Mississippi. One thing, Pete, I wanted to ask you about

Austin Simmons, the one thing I know about him is he's 19, he's already a college graduate. But I know the one thing you wanted to mention is he's actually a dual sports superstar that now I guess is a single sport superstar. Well, Zubin, who could ever have imagined Austin Simmons coming off the bench against Georgia and coming up big against the Bulldogs?

Well, well, Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco could have because earlier in 2024, before he did it against the Bulldogs in football, Austin Simmons came in in relief in the seventh inning at Georgia in Athens and he struck out Charlie Condon who went on to be the number three pick in the M.S.

MLB draft. Mike Bianco, the Ole Miss baseball coach, told me yesterday, if Austin Simmons had stuck exclusively with baseball, he could have been a high round draft pick. Instead, he has that electric left arm coming to football full time now, Greg. And honestly, you just watch his motion. It's so fluid. And all of us as quarterbacks, you can see a certain rigidity, right? It's kind of hard. You're a little statuesque. And then there's some guys that just can transcend the way the ball comes out of their hands. He's one of those guys. Now, will that only ultimately pay dividends on the field. I don't know. The difference between talent and efficient is very, very different. You can have a ton of talent and not be efficient. You can be super

efficient with not a lot of talent. We'll figure out where he lies. But as far as just raw, natural ability, the way the ball comes out of his left hand, the way he can manipulate defenders with his arm angle, he's got a great starting point. Having seen what the best is in the country last year going against Georgia in the rain, he already knows the things that are going to be coming his way. So I'm really bullish on what he's going to do in year one, a starter. And speaking of bullish, his dad did raise some eyebrows when saying, you know, he was Shohei Otani Good, if he would have stuck with both sports, but that's what you want, a supportive dad that's going to back you up the whole way. Coming up on college football

live. So big things expected out of Ole Miss, but what about some of the underdogs? What about some teams that are looking to overachieve? These guys certainly did last year. We'll dig into that next. Dude, I'm the best every time I touch a field. When I touch that turn, you know, I'm a When number two is behind center, you just don't ever think you're out of the fight. Really was one of the breakout players and stories in all of college football last season, serving notice, before, after that gigantic win against Alabama. The numbers back it up. I mean, take a look at the company that Pavia shares on this screen.

All these guys either won the Heisman or were Heisman finalists. So that is an incredible list. Yeah, guys, I'm with you on that for sure. And of course, his biggest victory may have come against the NCAA and the offseason, just to have the ability to come back and play at Vanderbilt. All right, Greg, let's start with you. Last year, maybe he took a lot of people by surprise. But this year, he's not sneaking up on anybody, and neither is Vandy.

How do you see him? How do you see the Commodores? Well, it's funny. I mean, those that watched on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and saw him at New Mexico State knew that this guy was going to be a problem the second he showed up. I don't think anyone quite realized how much of a problem he became. It was amazing to watch. And I think kind of been talking to not just Clark Lee, the head coach,

but also to those around the program. Last year they got by because in some cases, they were able to kind of pool people with misdirection, with a trick here, with a gimmick here, and it was amazing. And Diego Pavia is the straw that stirs to drink. Now they believe that they can build on some of the creativity that they've used offensively with success.

and actually have maybe a little bit more of an identity and just taking it to other teams, which is a huge step in the development of the program. So I think Diego Pavia makes Vanderbilt one of the more entertaining teams in college football and no doubt about it, he's a giant killer. Pete, I don't know who he's going to get, but he will get somebody this year that you absolutely do not expect.

Well, let's just petition the NCAA and make him eligible forever, right? Like, why not? Like when he's 32, he can be Vanderbilt's quarterback because he's just been a revelatory story. He has this swagger that is, injected this life into Vanderbilt that I have never seen in my two decades covering the sport in Nashville. And I really think now Vanderbilt in this era is able to surround him with weapons. They have the first team all-Secid end named Eli Stowers.

When's the last time at Media Days, Vanderbilt came in with a stand on the table. This is the guy who's the best at his skill position in the league. It hasn't happened for a long time. One of the interesting nuggets today, guys, is that Martel Haidt, who's been the starting corner at Vander and an all-S-C-returner is going to play a lot. offense for the Commodores. Now, that probably hints that they're a little bit light on talent there, but they are going to be creative and they are going

to move the ball and maybe take a little pressure off Diego Pavia's legs because he certainly gutted out, Zubin, a lot of those yards in those big wins last year. Greg, real quick, we got about 45 seconds here. The job Clark Lee has done. He took over. They were building something. The Transfer Portal era kind of

upended what they were trying to build. And now he's got it righted. How would you say he's performed so far in his tenure? Well, I think he's been amazing. I really do. I think he's done a tremendous job. Vanderbilt is a very difficult place to sustain consistency.

And I think, look, they've also had guys leave their program that were recruited to other SEC programs. London Humphreys comes to mind. He's going to be a receiver for Georgia this year that's happened in a few different spots. They continue to find diamonds in the rough, like Diego Pavia. They'll go to New Mexico State and say, yeah, all right, well, measurables-wise. He doesn't really check the boxes. He's not maybe tall enough for your prototypical SEC quarterback, but the guy knows how to play. It's kind of the same model that Kurt Signetti used last year at Indiana.

Production over potential. And they've gone out and gotten a bunch of guys that are productive at the college level. And as a result, they've found a lot of wins in his tenure over the last couple of years. Yeah. And we know what Signetti ended up doing in year one. We'll see if Vandy has the ability to keep it going. Pete, thanks for being with us. Greg's going to hang around when college football live rolls on.

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within his built-in family. Experience rental family, now playing only in theaters. Get Tickets now. It's an exciting part of this month because we're close to football season. I mean, it's the toughest conference not football. I think that's pretty evident. I don't really care what anybody says about it. To play the SEC schedule, we get in a workout, you don't get in rest. Everything I needed was in StarColome.

We have everything that we need in Colombia to compete for championships, on and off the field, the ability to extend plays and make plays outside the pocket. special. He's a pure thrower with football. He can rip it. I just felt like every time I touch the ball, you know, anything can happen. Yeah, I'm only a bill. I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.

He can't get away from it. By the way, how about Bobby a rockin the tuxedo? The big games. Let's run through the mall. Texas at Georgia, November 25th. Remember what happened last year, of course, Georgia at Texas. Georgia defeated Texas twice last year, including the SEC.

championship game. Of course you remember last year's game between Georgia and Alabama, where Alabama got out to that huge start. Georgia rallied and Bama put them away at the end. This time, they'll be between the hedges, and that'll be in September. Looking forward to that. Oklahoma and Texas, I think it's fair to say that obviously the Longhorns have adjusted beautifully to the SEC. It's a big time year for Brent Vandenvoles and Oklahoma with John Mateer now running the ship in Norman. and Alabama. Tennessee has won 30 games over the last three years.

Alabama, self-explanatory, coming off year one of Kaelin DeVore. The pressure, of course, is always going to be there. And the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn, with the Auburn Tigers now having four straight seven lost seasons. And Pete and Greg kind of alluded to it earlier. This is a huge year. For Hugh Freeze, we'll see what happens in the Iron Bowl. And we are back with Greg and Heather.

You know, just in the last few minutes, this is old hat for you, Greg, as a player, now as a broadcaster, Heather, you've been to all these media days over the years. But for people like me, many of our viewers that have never been, this event stands alone amongst media days. Can you just kind of take us inside, whether it's Nashville or Dallas or Atlanta, just what this spectacle is all about?

I should have worn sneakers instead of these heels because the amount of running around that we do from place, to place and interview to interview really requires a quarterback's speed. But it's fantastic. It's fun and the ability to connect with coaches and players on a one-on-one level, especially in a time in college athletics, when we are drowning in storylines that have nothing to do with on the field is so refreshing because we're talking about football guys. And I feel like that's really been missing.

And it's just wonderful at this time to talk about ball. The best part about it, Zoom, is like, everybody's undefeated. So everybody feels great about their team. Everybody's super approachable and, like, excited to talk about their team. So I remember Laura Rutledge asked us earlier on the set was, like, 7.3 wins for the game Cox. That's what everybody thinks South Carolina is going to win this year. Overrunner. I'm like, over.

Everyone's over right now. No matter what, everybody is over because guess what we don't have to pick losers at this point. Like, I love very much this time of year because everyone's really optimistic about what they built and hoping to put their best foot board. Glass half full. Before we let you go tomorrow, it's going to be Auburn, Georgia, the Vols, and Texas. Any one of those four teams, Greg, let's just start with you here.

What are you most looking forward to hearing and seeing out of one of those four tomorrow? Archmanning. Pretty simple. He has been kind of shielded from the media, rightfully so the last couple years, understandably allowing Quinn Ewers to take the spotlight as the starting quarterback.

But now it's his show. What's he done this offseason to prepare? himself for it and what's it going to be like for him to finally take the field. Arch is the story, the expectations at Texas, but I will tell you, Kirby Smart's going to have something to say about it when it comes time to actually play the games. Don't rule out Georgia. No one's talking about Georgia because everyone's talking about Arch Manning. And I'm excited to hear what Georgia's expectations are for this season.

Fair enough. Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State, Oklahoma will be there on day three. We'll round it out on Thursday with Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. Texas A&M. Just a reminder of college football live is going to be with you all five days this week. 2 p.m. Eastern on ESPN 2. I want to thank Pete Dammel, Greg McElroy, Heather Dittich, of course. Wall-to-wall coverage of the media days continues on the SEC Network, and we will see you tomorrow for more College Football Live.