SEC Media Days 2011: Sweltering Promise In Birmingham

SEC Media Days 2011: Kentrell Lockett Elevates The Room

Kentrell Lockett, the vocal and emotional leader of the Ole Miss defense before getting sidelined for most of 2010 with a knee injury, has a clean bill of health, a sixth year of awarded eligibility, and a pocket square that looks like a tulip. He is hands-down the best interview in the conference, and on Friday afternoon shortly before SEC Media Days wound down for 2011, he held court for pack of college football reporters.

Lockett's oft-referenced bowtie doesn't make an appearance at today's interview sessions, so the first thing we had to do was press him on its absence and what message he's sending by wearing a normal (if flashy and elegant) suit and tie. "Mom picked this one out." Lockett didn't want to call attention to himself with neckwear, not when his personality can carry a room: "It's like, look at me, I got a bowtie." Does this fashion shift harken to his role, in his sixth year of college football, as the elder statesman of the Ole Miss Rebels? "I wouldn't say elder. Senior." Sage? "So seasoned I'm salty." Lockett's back, and he hasn't changed a bit. "Maybe it's just me. Maybe I make people feel happy."

About that ACL tear that knocked him out of the 2010 campaign: "My leg got cold, then it got hot, then I heard a pop." On crutches for interminable weeks, what did he miss about the game? Without missing a beat: "Everything." He tried hanging around practices and the weight room, but would end up at home crying to his wife, who finally told him he had to get some separation. But all that's at an end: When fall camp kicks off, he'll be back in full-contact ball, with "the freshest legs in the SEC. I don't know too many guys excited for camp to start." He's also resumed his unofficial duties as a role model to incoming freshmen, whose nerves are beginning to show around the edges. "I just tell 'em, football's football. That's all you can tell 'em."

We're winding down, and there's time for a couple whimsical Friday questions. What does he think of Mississippi State's "We own this state" billboards? "That's real interesting." Does State own the state? A calculated pause, stifled laughter. "That's a real interesting billboard." What does Houston Nutt say to his players the most? "So many things." Shakes his head. "Just so many things." When the coaches say these are the best days of players' lives, do they believe him? "It truly is. Cause after this it's the real world. The real real world."

Ole Miss opens 2011 play Saturday, Spetember 3, at home against BYU. Are the Rebels ready to run? "You don't know how excited I am to just tackle somebody not enrolled in the University of Mississippi."

SEC Media Days 2011 Recap: From Coach Boom To The Les Miles Show

Some of the most entertaining head coaches in all of college football convened in Alabama for the spectacle that is SEC Media Days this week, and we were all better for it. From newcomer Will Muschamp, who speaks fast enough and with enough exuberance to cause keyboards to melt as reporters try to transcribe on the fly, to Les Miles, who never disappoints, SEC Media Days yielded plenty of entertainment, if nothing else.

Mike Slive took the podium first and immediately laid out his plans for college football's grand conference. Chief among them was raising the mandatory GPA from 2.0 to 2.5, as well as the idea of paying an athlete's cost of attendance, above and beyond the bounds of a typical scholarship. Slive hit on other topics, ranging from recruitment rules to NCAA investigations, but it was the extra benefits and GPA requirement that stole the show, and should continue to be talking points for quite some time.

Bobby Petrino talked about his quarterback situation and his former quarterback, Ryan Mallett, giving away Arkansas' hand signals on national television. Knile Davis also bench pressed 430 pounds just before SEC Media Days, so that's something.

Petrino was followed by Muschamp, who talks like a machine gun and has more than enough enthusiasm to go around. Among the topics at hand: Jeff Demps is still fast, oversigning is bad and Florida doesn't do it, and the SEC coaching fraternity is like the Brady Bunch.

Much to the dismay of the reporters in attendance, Steve Spurrier did not show up shirtless carrying a cold beer. He did, however, praise the talent assembled at South Carolina, noting Marcus Lattimore is probably the best running back in the country. And, of course, Steven Garcia came up, with Spurrier laying out his thoughts on the situation and how his young quarterback has been bullet proof in a nice, handy soundbite. "Well, I guess we don't wanna kick him out for stupidity," Spurrier said. Indeed, sir. Indeed.

Dan Mullen pitched Starkville as a vacation destination and zinged Steve Spurrier, saying "Well, I've never played Augusta National, so that can't be right." after the Old Ball Coach had previously zinged Mississippi State's boosters. Yep, just like a big, loving family.

Joker Philips took the podium. Moving on.

Mark Richt still likes fancy uniforms and continued the zinging theme, going at Muschamp for his new-found "I'm a Florida man" mantra. Georgia's backfield is fine, he went on to say. There's nothing wrong with the depth chart at all, if you were wondering.

Gene Chizik talked, but couldn't say a ton about pending investigations and isn't the most entertaining chap in the world anyway, so the room decided to nap.

Derek Dooley hyped up Tyler Bray while comparing coaching him to parenting, which is always a backhand comment, but a compliment nonetheless; he told the room they'd be surprised by Bray's production. Dooley also doesn't mind flaunting Tennessee's budget.

On day three, Nick Saban went through the motions. He was happy, he was angry and his mood changed from question to question. Notable quotes were few and far between, however.

James Franklin was eager and ready for action as another one of the newbies, but had plenty to talk about with the growing buzz surrounding Vanderbilt. He knows his recruiting class is good, though he can't talk specifically about his soon-to-be players, and now has to translate it into ticket sales. Franklin also came dressed to the nines.

Houston Nutt did what Houston Nutt do, delivering what Holly Anderson called a Birmingham sermon while somehow managing to praise the BYU football team. Nutt also has no idea who Jeremiah Masoli is, nor does he want to talk about this fictional scrambling quarterback.

And, finally, the moment everyone was waiting for: The Les Miles Show kicked into high-gear. He was fashionably late, lovably aloof and so Les Miles. Grass diets came up, as did the mid-game turf spread found at the Georgia Dome, and Miles was as amazing as always. If your Internet handle is "Slick Willy," Miles would like you to know your opinion is invalid, as well.

With that, SEC Media Days ended and the realization that college football is upon us sank in. The preseason media show is all but over, and all that's left is real football. Finally.

SEC Media Days 2011: Les Miles Without End, Amen

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Les Miles, the last coach to address the gargantuan throng of reporters in the main media room of SEC Media Days, mounts the dais and takes a comfortable seat ... in the moderator's chair. When told he should stand at the podium, he looks mildly bemused, as though he's never been here before. It's Les Miles, so it's entirely possible he doesn't know he has. This won't stop him from winning ten games this year. 

"Summer is over. the youth baseball and basketball and walks on the beach with my wife have passed." Miles will break Gene Chizik's Thursday record for longest opening statement, clocking in just shy of eight minutes, which turns out to be a good way to fill the time, because with the ongoing NCAA investigation nobody can ask him about Will Lyles, and interesting questions trail off short of the appointed quitting time. What he does say, in brief, is remarkable:

• "We lost Patrick Peterson, but frankly I think we'll be fine."

• On what it might be like to sample the grass at the Georgia Dome: "I don't know if sweet's actually the adjective you'll wanna use there." Thoughtfully, as though he would characterize the plastic turf as more of an umami taste.

• "The addition of Steve Kragthorpe has helped Jordan Jefferson." We've checked this sentence for typos.

• On message boards and message boarders: "Those people that sign their name Slick Willie don't necessarily have good opinions."

• On the video of him dunking over his seven-year-old daughher: "We took an afternoon and displayed my basketball ability very honestly. [...] I didn't think this was gonna be as big a deal." A smile. "Kinda like eating grass."

SEC Media Days 2011: Reverend Houston Nutt Preaches To The Choir

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

It's the Ole Miss Old-Tymey Talking Picture Show Hour! You will be interested to know that in the course of his brief time at the podium, Houston Nutt calls BYU a good football team four times by our count. If this is performance art, it's sailing over everybody's heads. Other assorted minutiae from his Birmingham sermon: 

• Asked about changes to oversigning legislation, he grins like the Grinch. "What do I think about it?" Stretches. "Well, it's a rule." More: "That big number really only happened one time, and I knew right where everybody was going. I never got an angry letter from a mom." 

• Nutt joins every one of his coaching brethren in professing to know nothing of what Mike Slive proposed in the way of sweeping conference reforms on Wednedday morning. 

• On Jeremiah Masoli: "I'm gonna spend five seconds talking about Jeremiah Masoli," reminding the room we have no idea whatever happened to Jeremiah Masoli. "That was a great experience for him, and a great experience for Ole Miss," stretching the definition of "great" to previously unexplored new boundaries.

• On quarterbacks of the present: The scrum is tight, but Barry Brunetti has the most separation for the starting job.

• I just wrote this down and have no idea what he was talking about: "LSU, they always look beautiful." It's Nutt, so it's worth repeating. 

• He is asked about the billboard campaign put together by State proclaiming MSU owns Mississippi. There is a smile, a bigger smile, and he's rolling. Off goes Houston Dale on a rollicking paean to everything that makes Ole Miss Rebel Ackbear football great. My notes at this point consist of a doodle of a bunny, so captivating is the Right Reverend. 

SEC Media Days 2011: James Franklin, Sharp-Dressed Man

This update was written on the scene of SEC Media Days by Holly Anderson.

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

James Franklin has a wealth of resources available to him at Vanderbilt University, albeit not always in line with those provided his SEC compatriots, but one thing they need to get the guy right away is a better portrait photographer. Endearingly doofy and indistinguishable from any other D-I skipper on film, Franklin is impossibly dapper in person. He looks Vanderbilt, if that makes any sense, right down to the glasses.

And he's all business. Not a hint of nerves from a freshman head coach. His opening remarks are over and done with in about twenty-five seconds, and on comes the business of selling Vanderbilt. Business, you might have heard, is good.

• On what's behind his recent highly-publicized recruiting coups: It's all about relationships. At Vanderbilt, "You can earn a degree that really matters." Everybody he recruits is bound to play early, to be part of the first consistently winning team in memory. "Don't commit to the logo on the helmet. Don't commit to the jersey. Make the decision for the right reason."

• Just for fun, we ask him how many quarterbacks he has on the roster. He dodges, and ends with comparing quarterback races to the construction of society. You guys, James Franklin's gonna be all right. (We don't think he knows how many, and we actually had to look it up to figure it out. The answer: Sevenish, only one of whom is both healthy and on scholarship.)

• And on the all-important task of getting butts in seats: "I think the most important thing we can do is put a product on the field that our fanbase can be excited about." There will be facility improvements, unnamed, to enhance the gameday experience. "We have to make sure our piece of the pie is the best-tasting, most delicious piece of pie." James Franklin looks Vanderbilt. He talks the part. Now let's see if he can coach.

SEC Media Days 2011: Nick Saban's Thin Line Between Love And Hate

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

You'll hear a lot of chatter this morning likening Nick Saban's treatment of the media to an emotionally abusive spousal relationship. This isn't far off. Whatever else he is, and he is many, many things, Coach Saban is not a morning person today. He eschews his traditional thanking of the assembled press, dispenses some bizarrely sincere-sounding wishes that everyone had a good summer, then manages to convincingly grind out a sentence expressing that this is one of his favorite days of the year. A few people laugh. They are quickly silenced. 

Here comes the obligatory opening joke, and by football coach standards, it's a good one: It's his and Spurrier's tenth SEC Media Days. "Coach Spurrier and I would like to get some kind of award for that, if y'all could come up with something." Some thanks for all who've helped contribute to and publicize tornado relief efforts in Tuscaloosa, and we're off to the Q&A:

• Right off, we get a question about Mike Slive's proposed reforms. Every year there's a question that sets Saban off. Sometimes you can tell when that question's dropping. This is not one of those times. Saban, acidly: "I know there's nobody in this room interested in writing about positives."

• On the ever-entertaining Iron Bowl rivalry and attendant year-round mayhem: "I would like to see our fans show class in terms of how we represent our institution and our state and our athletic program." Later: "I would tell them that it's not personal. That it really isn't personal." Would love to hear him say that in the locker room.

• On out-of-conference scheduling and the pressure to pad the slate with quality opponents, another joke! "If you're gonna play somebody in another division, you don't have to play the best team."

• Like most of the rest of us, he appears content, even eager, to be left out of conference realignment talk. 

• On the lopsided balance of 3-4 defensive schemes in the league versus 4-3, our own Spencer Hall translates his answer: "We played 3-4 about 20% of the time. It's actually 19.839094049%, but I won't bore you with details."

• On the SEC's unbroken streak of national championships: "We're the national league of college football."

• On the quarterback race in Tuscaloosa, things get heated again: "Well, first of all, let me say you all are a lot smarter than we are as coaches, because I could never pick who's gonna win the SEC." Pressed on where the depth chart stands, he visibly oozes contempt: "It doesn't stand anywhere."

• Saban turns a brazen question of Slive's dicatorial leadership style into a charming anecdote about the inquiring reporter's lack of prowess as a spring game coach when he was at LSU, and just like that, it's Sunshine Nick again. Having sat up straight with bright eyes for our allotted time, we get our thanks from Coach Saban. Grown men in crimson polos faint all over the room with cartoon hearts swirling about their noggins.

• On the specter of a preseason No. 1 national ranking for the Crimson Tide: "It means nothing." Kinda like love. Kinda like life. 

SEC Media Days 2011 Schedule: Alabama, LSU, Mississippi, Vanderbilt Up On Friday

Here's the schedule for Friday, which is the last of the SEC Media Days 2011. You can follow along with the event in various formats (live video, live audio, live chat, Twitter, and so on), and a list of links is here.

Friday, 9:30-12:20 Eastern

Alabama Crimson Tide: head coach Nick Saban, safety Mark Barron, linebacker Dont'a Hightower, running back Trent Richardson

Vanderbilt Commodores: head coach James Franklin, cornerback Casey Hayward, linebacker Chris Marve, quarterback Larry Smith

11:50-2:30

Mississippi Rebels: head coach Houston Nutt, running back Brandon Bolden, defensive back Kentrell Lockett, offensive lineman Bradley Sowell

LSU Tigers: head coach Les Miles, linebacker Ryan Baker, quarterback Jordan Jefferson, wide receiver Russell Shepard

The headliners here, obviously, will be LSU and Alabama. Both are losing top players (Patrick Peterson, in LSU's case; Greg McElroy, Julio Jones, Mark Ingram and Marcell Dareus in Alabama's), but are still deep enough to be among the top teams in the country. 

For more news from SEC Media Days 2011, follow this storystream. Also check out Team Speed Kills.

SEC Media Days 2011: Derek Dooley And The Children's Crusade

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Derek Dooley bounds up the steps to the dais and thanks a roomful of journalists for their work promoting college football, with his trademark deprecatory wit: "We've certainly done our part in giving you material to write about over the last year, but that's what a good relationship is all about." More from Precious at the podium:

• On Tyler Bray's ever-entertaining tendency to improvise his more spectacular throws: "It's a little bit like parenting. They don't do what you want, but then it works out, and you go 'Well, that wasn't so bad after all.'" On Bray in 2011: "I think we're all gonna be impressed with what his production is."

• On interim AD Joan Cronan, Pat Summitt's boss and now his: "Joan has been phenomenal." On finding Mike Hamilton's permanent replacement: "I am not involved in the hiring process, nor should I be, because that's gonna be my boss."

• On injured and essential linebacker Herman Lathers: "I don't know when he's gonna be back, and I can tell you this: It's not any time soon."

• On Tennessee's depth issues: "We can't complain about our numbers anymore. We got enough bodies to go out there and put a football team together. The only thing we have right now is youth." He estimates Tennessee's roster to be composed of 70% freshmen and sophomores.

• On Commissioner Slive's proposal to make athletic scholarships multi-year awards, Dooley points out that academic scholarships can be revoked for poor performance, so he doesn't see why athletic scholarships should come with differing standards. 

• On recruiting services: Dooley says he cut $50,000 from Tennessee's budget for video scouting his first year, and $25,000 his second year, because of his impoverished coaching background at Louisiana Tech: "My instinct was to cut money, and then I realized we had a hundred million dollars, and I was like, 'Why did I do that?'" Still, "We spend a lot of money on it. I dont apologize for that. We recruit all over the country."

• Asked about recruiting regulations, Dooley gets on a bit of a tear: "Things aren't level. Things aren't equal. That's just the way it is." Off on one of his patented elocution safaris, he snaps back to earth: "I don't even know if I answered your question."

• Reminded that Steve Spurrier claimed yesterday to have the best back in the country in Marcus Lattimore, Dooley says he relayed the quote to Tauren Poole, and told him he agreed with Spurrier. "He just smiled, and said, 'I heard that, Coach." Poole will tell us later that he watches every guy he competes against ("Every. Guy."), and thinks he's more of a Trent Richardson-type back.

• Last question: "Coach, you had a couple games that ended peculiarly ... " Dooley throws up his hands. "I almost got outta here."

SEC Media Days 2011: Gene Chizik Puts Sleeper Hold On Roomful Of Journalists

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

"So the juices are flowing, I'm sure, from everybody." This is the second sentence we'll hear in this interview session, and it's as good as it's going to get. (For the record, he was discussing the anticipation of the upcoming season, we think.) Gene "Chiznap" Chizik is his own brand of soporific. Last year he set a new benchmark for say-nothing coachspeak at the 2010 Media Days, and with the added luster of a national title and slick stench of scandal hanging around the program, you might think this press encounter would yield a few surprises. You are dearly mistaken:

• There will be no rehashing of last year's title run, or of expectations for this year's depleted Auburn squad: "The minute our plane hit the ground in Montgomery in January, we had moved on."

• A joke! A joke! A reporter asks about keeping Gus Malzahn from bolting to a plum HC gig. Chizik: "You must be from Arkansas, huh?" This is the high point of Chizik's session, and it's a good one. If you don't want to read further, nobody will blame you. 

• A Harvey Updyke question is lobbed, allowing Chizik to state he's adamant the Iron Bowl represents one of the greatest rivalries in college football, like anybody's arguing it's not.

• The by-now rote questions of the value of recruiting services pop up, and Chizik surprises by stating he thinks they can be of value. He's the first coach to do so within our earshot this week. 

• And on to the good stuff, and the deflections: Julie Roe Lach, and their much-publicized run-in in Destin. When Gene Chizik's jaw clenches, his whole face goes with it. The brush-off: "Typically, I don't talk about what I thought were private meetings. [...] It was very informative, and there were some clarifications that were made, that had to do with process. [...] I don't operate on rumors and innuendoes and anything of that nature. [...] My job every day at Auburn is to recruit, graduate, and win championships." Does he regret agitating the NCAA? "Oh, I didn't see that as an angry or agitated exchange at all." One cold smile, and we're off. If you're wondering at home why he's not getting more questions of a CHEATERZ DURR nature, it's because this is what happens when he does. The guy just camos up.

• The first question regarding the Danny Sheridan bag man interview actually takes about twenty minutes to get to, but here goes the jaw again: "I'll make this real clear. The NCAA, on more than one occasion, has said that Auburn has done nothing wrong in recruiting Cam Newton. Nothing's changed. You can't control everybody's microphone, and I don't try to."

• The first truly pushy question hits towards the end of the afternoon, with one reporter coming straight out and asking whether there's a "fraternity of silence" between programs regarding NCAA infractions. The response is vintage Chizik: "I certainly can't speculate on how everybody else feels, and what their silence is or not." For the second time, he pledges he sleeps great every night. Coach, what's your sleep number?

SEC Media Days 2011: Mark Richt Preaches Reason

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Just as reliable as the perennial rumors that Mark Richt sits astride a wobbly saddle of molten lava in Athens is the certainty that you'll never see him crack in front of a bank of microphones. Tanned, relaxed, and jocular, he holds hundreds of reporters in thrall to his pastoral charm so well that it's almost impossible to remember his team was last seen losing the Liberty Bowl to UCF. Highlights from charm school follow:

• On that pesky Liberty Bowl loss, without missing a beat: "Coach O'Leary outcoached me. Their team played harder than we did, and they deserved to win that game."

• On the depth issues beleaguering his team on offensive line and at tailback: "I think our depth is fine up front as long as we don't get hurt." There are no plans to move Orson Charles to the backfield. 

• Richt pushed to schedule Georgia for this year's Chick-fil-A Kickoff game against Boise State because he felt the program had grown stagnant and could use some early-season excitement. He's not unaware of the challenge it poses, however: "The interesting thing about playing a team that might whip your tail is they might whip your tail." 

• On Bronco Mendenhall's comments that spiraling SEC coaching salaries are the root of corruption in college football: "The love of money and the misuse of money is the root of all evil," but money itself is neutral, and he hasn't seen SEC coaches taking their cash reserves and doing bad works. (Nick Saban raises one eyebrow in his hotel suite, but says nothing.)

• On the surging prominence of the SEC West: "Well, the SEC East was down last year because we didn't win."

• On Aaron Murray: "Aaron is a coach's dream. When you have a guy like that, it just makes your job a whole lot easier."

• On the infamous black jersey adventures and this year's Nike Pro Combat unis, which the team has already seen: "I think the jersey change is a good idea when you win, and a bad idea when you lose. I can promise you they won't win the game for us." Nike takes offense to this, sirrah. 

• On Will Muschamp, Georgia scion, coaching the Gators: "He'll tell you he's a Florida guy through and through, but I guarantee there's a little red and black in his veins." For Richt, this qualifies as a broadside, so enjoy that.

• UGA center Ben "Cooter" Jones crashes the press conference: "Coach, do you trust the Georgia O-line?"

• And one more time for the cheap seats, on the relative warmth of his posterior: "Keeping your job isn't difficult if you win."

SEC Media Days 2011: Joker Phillips Has What It Takes

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Sophomore Kentucky coach Joker Phillips has a hard road in Lexington. Kentucky's occasional successes in football will always be overshadowed there by whatever the basketball team's done lately. But if the face he's presenting to the assembled media in Birmingham is any indication, Phillips has all the tools he needs to succeed as a big-time college football coach. Observe: 

• He gladhands the media. This used to be the terrain of Saban alone, who annually lowers his cold robot mask for this one day a year and applauds present reporters for covering America's beautiful game. But Phillips is canny enough to know when to emulate his competitors as it suits him, and endears himself to the room right away. 

• He's not funny. Think back to the great coaches in this league. Chances are they're crusty old bastards, right? Phillips breezes through his opening remarks with a grim determination, then asks the room, "So what do you guys want to talk about?" as if we are here by his will alone. He drops the most positive public comment we've ever heard any NCAA professional make about the BBVA Compass Bowl -- "I like the late date" -- and keeps a straight face while doing so. 

• He claims not to understand social media. This one's easy.

• He says few things with many words. Entering just his second season as an SEC skipper, Phillips is already eerily adept at giving two-minute answers you don't realize weren't really answers until they're over and he's onto the next question. The importance of this skill cannot be overstated, and between his adeptness here and Kentucky's schedule in the fall, expect great things from the Wildcats in 2011. 

SEC Media Days 2011, Day 2 Schedule: Mark Richt, Gene Chizik Highlight Thursday

2011 SEC Media Days roll on in Birmingham, with Kentucky, Georgia, Auburn, and Tennessee coaches and players running a gauntlet of print, broadcast, and online media outlets. Today's schedule of appearances is as follows (all times Central):

• 8:30 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. Kentucky (Joker Phillips, Stuart Hines, Morgan Newton, Danny Trevathan), Georgia (Mark Richt, Brandon Boykin, Ben Jones, Aaron Murray)
• 10:50 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Auburn (Gene Chizik, Emory Blake, Nosa Equae, Phillip Lutzenkirche), Tennessee (Derek Dooley, Malik Jackson, Tauren Poole, Dallas Thomas)

The conference has provided an overwhelming number of options for following along with today's action:

Live Video Stream - Every coach and every player will be shown live on camera when they take the microphone in Hoover.

Live Audio - The SEC mobile and tablet apps will feature live audio of each coach and player throughout the week of events.

Live Chat - SEC Insider Eric SanInocencio will be chatting live each day with fans - send your questions as he will be asking fan questions of the players and coaches in attendance from inside the event.

Archived Video - Get video highlights of each day, and re-watch each coach and player as they preview the 2011 season.

Player and Coach Quotes - Read every word spoken in Hoover.

Facebook Giveaways - Join the SEC's official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/Southeastern-Conference/64758072831), and keep an eye out for special giveaways from SEC Media Days.

Exclusive On-site Written Reports - Follow the daily journal of events as the SEC Nation covers all the action.

Twitter Updates - Follow the SEC's various twitter feeds throughout the week to gain inside access during the player and coach rotations.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more updates from SEC Media Days 2011. 

SEC Media Days 2011: Dan Mullen Stars In The Dan Mullen Show, Presented By Dan Mullen

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Dan Mullen is poised in a relaxed runner's stance as he's introduced to the assembled media, like a talk show host caught accidentally on live air pumping himself up in the wings. He bounds up the stairs like it's not after 5:00 already, like this whole pony show isn't already running behind, and like he's genuinely happy to be under hot lights in an itchy suit talking football with 800 strangers. This last part is probably true. Such is the charm of Mississippi State's bullish, manic skipper. Highlights from the last interview session of Day 1:

• Mississippi State's goal for 2011 is simple: "To relentlessly pursue an SEC Championship." It is hard to imagine Dan Mullen doing anything less than relentlessly. He takes the hell out of that eye exam for his university physical every year. You can just tell.

• On Mike Slive's proposition this morning to increase academic standards: "One of our goals is to educate young people. That's why we coach in college." He's all for raising the bar, "I just want to make sure there's a plan."

• On his notoriously prolific offenses, and adapting those to his current talent level: State's offense will be built around the personnel they have, not the other way around. They'll use 60-70% of his plays in a given year. "I don't need Chris Relf to be an Alex Smith, or a Tim Tebow. I need Chris Relf to be Chris Relf, and to do it the best he can, and as a coach I need to put him in the position to do these things."

• On Steve Spurrier's pokes at Mississippi State's booster coffers: "Well, I've never played Augusta National, so that can't be right."

• On State's recent campaign of open aggression as the state's flagship football school, Mullen lands just this shy of openly gleeful. One reporter tells him he spotted a billboard with Mullen's face on the way in. Mullen visibly brightens: "Yeah, did you enjoy your time there?" He demurs for a second, pointing out that Southern Miss is on the scheduling horizon, but not for long: "We are the State University of Mississippi. We are the people's university. [...] If you come to Starkville on Saturday, it's an event. It's the place to be in Mississippi."

SEC Media Days 2011: Steve Spurrier, We Adore Thee

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Steve Spurrier mounts the dais, fit and preening in a pink tie nobody else on earth with that ruddy a complexion could pull off, and sporting hair that will not look so magnificently chestnut come November. He's noticeably more jocular than the Spurrier the White we saw last July, with the sheen of a recent division championship still apparent, despite everything that happened on a scoreboard in December. Highlights from a rollicking Q&A session follow:

•  Spurrier thinks this is the best group of players he's ever had at South Carolina, and that there's still "plenty more out there for us to go after. Time will tell." In typical Spurrier fashion, he dispenses with his opening marks in perfunctory fashion, and with a twinkle in his eye, asks, "Any questions?" like there's a chance every hand in the room isn't about to bolt up.

• Spurrier thinks he has the best running back and wide receiver in the country in Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery. Lattimore will shortly become the toast of the day for refusing to entertain stupid questions about Stephen Garcia. 

• And speaking of Stephen Garcia, here comes the "I don't openly loathe my starting quarterback ... much" song and dance we all know so well. Spurrier's tone of voice is impossible to replicate here, but the closest comparison would be a consistently misbehaving pet he can't get rid of because his wife loves the damn thing. "Stephen has some guidelines he must follow to be reinstated in August," but he's been doing everything asked of him and going to his workouts. Oh, and he might not be the starter, of course. Sure, Coach. "He and Connor Shaw will battle it out a little bit. He may be our best quarterback, but we're gonna have a little competition this year." A reporter: Can you talk about your unlimited patience with Garcia?" Spurrier: "Well, I guess we don't wanna kick him out for stupidity." Another reporter: "How sure are you Stephen Garcia will--" Spurrier interrupts this sentence with what is either a cough, a snarl, or a harrumph. I'm going with all three. "--keep his nose clean this time?" Spurrier fires right back, "Well first of all, he may get beat out by Connor Shaw." Coach, are you sorry you don't have a clear and undeniable leader on this team? "Yeah, that would be nice," like he's ordering fish.

• On the ever-expanding coffers of the SEC: "Dan Mullen's got a jet airplaine out there." I have to assume Dan Mullen piloted this in himself, parachuted out over the convention center, and allowed the plane to smash unmanned into a nearby hillside. 

• Were there any factors besides the threat of Lattimore that led to last year's division title? The conventional wisdom is also Spurrier's opinion: Down years for Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. 

• On Mike Slive's earlier proposition that college scholarships for NCAA athletes be expanded into multi-year awards: "No, it's a terrible idea, Commissioner. You sportswriters get a two-year deal? You go bad, you don't show up for work, your butt's gonna be out on the street." A pause. "Luckily, coaches have four- or five-year contracts."

• On how much longer he intends to keep at this before retiring to Augusta National: It may be time to reduce his standard answer from four or five more years to three or four, but "If it was going bad and we were getting beat, I'd be gone." 

SEC Media Days 2011: Will Muschamp, Welcome Freshman

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

It takes Will Muschamp, freshly-hatched head football coach of the Florida Gators, approximately 35 seconds following his introductory sentences to begin talking faster than anybody in this room can ever hope to type. "It's good to be back in the SEC. We're all undefeated. No poor decisions yet on third down." (This last, you will be relieved or disappointed to learn, did not appear to be delivered as a parting shot at Greg Davis.) Highlights from his remarks and Q&A session follow:

• Muschamp feels he got a good head start by being able to observe Florida's bowl practices and see what was best working for Urban Meyer as he prepared the team. (So thanks, Texas, for going 5-7 in 2010, he thought but did not say.)

• "By design, we have close to 40 years of NFL experience on our staff." Muschamp doesn't want any "projections" coming out of his scheme, and wants his kids to be Sunday-ready from the get-go. 

• Neiron Ball, diagnosed this offseason with a vascular condition that will prevent him from playing this season, will be reevaluated for football readiness in January or February of next year. 

• Jeff Demps is currently running with the U.S. national track team in Italy, and "based on our conversations, he'll be back" with the Gators this fall. One reporter attempts to press him on this, and is brutally rebuffed: "I don't deal in rumors, and I don't deal in message boards. I don't know any good ballcoaches who do that." Muschamp says he prefers to deal with his players face to face, and "I ain't never been to Italy." Between this and his careful noting of reporters who have lost weight over the summer and his working "the University of Florida" into every last sentence, it must be said, the SEC's newest head coach is sort of crushing it here. 

• On the "roster management" rampant in the SEC that's so dominated recent headlines: "We don't oversign, and we don't grayshirt, and it hasn't really affected our success."

• More japery, on the cordial relationships between coaches in the SEC: "I wouldn't say we all get along that well. You wanna beat your brother worse than anybody." On how it feels being a Georgia guy coaching at Florida: "I'm a Florida guy," without a second's pause. 

• A reporter, on the immediate pressure he'll face: "An 8-5 record isn't something that Gator Nation will tolerate." Muschamp, again without missing a beat: "They've told me."

SEC Media Days 2011: Bobby Petrino's Special Day

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

Say what you will about Bobby Petrino (and in this part of the country, plenty of people could say plenty), but he's more personable and -- dare I say -- lifelike at this year's Media Days than he's ever been as Arkansas' skipper. Petrino opens his remarks by openly admitting he has trouble saying it's great to be here with a straight face and wishes a happy 26th wedding anniversary to his wife, Becky, and the tone is set for an unusually genial interview session. Highlights follow:

• Tyler Wilson, though he served ably as Ryan Mallett's backup as the Hogs' second-stringer, still doesn't have the official lock on the starting gig. (So quit asking, is the implied followup.)

• Petrino wasn't happy Mallett gave away several of Arkansas' hand signals during his appearance on Jon Gruden's pre-draft TV special, but says Mallett gave him some ideas for new ones. (What exactly those signals involve goes wisely unsaid.)

• Knile Davis is the toast of the weight room this season, hyping up other position groups and generally serving as resident live-in gym rat. Davis will later tell our own Spencer Hall he benched a personal-best 430 pounds last Monday when his strength coach put an Alabama sign in front of him and said, "What're you gonna do when you're on the field with Alabama?" He also characterizes Mississippi State as the hardest-hitting team he played last year. 

• Petrino recalls his shock at adjusting his teams to SEC defensive front sevens following his time in the Big East, and still can't quite believe how hard it is to be an offensive lineman in this conference. 

• The question we've all been waiting for actually takes a while to get asked, but here you go, Arkansans: Does Petrino count January's Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State as a victory now? From the man himself: "We're 10-2. We had every chance in the world to win that game. We got beat on the field." There you go. 

SEC Media Days 2011: Mike Slive Outlines 'National Agenda For Change'

Live coverage from Birmingham, where SB Nation is taking in the spectacle of SEC Media Days.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive's annual address to kick off his conference's three-ring Media Days circus was billed as a must-see by official sources, leading to rampant speculation among the assembled media members that he was planning on stepping down. Slive puts those rumors to rest straightaway with a quick Mark Twain quote and gets to the meat of his agenda: A four-part master plan to enact sweeping-ish change in the conference and around the sport. Slive says "intercollegiate athletics has lost the benefit of the doubt," and here's what he wants to do about it:

• Redefine available benefits. It's clear Slive wants a national conversation on cost of attendance (COA) scholarships. He acknowledges in about five words that this would cause financial hardships at other schools, and dismisses the notion of caring about that just as quickly by hedging that the SEC has to do what's best for its own student athletes. Other items of import Slive would like to see on the table: Multi-year scholarships, a process by which players beyond the current six-year window could return to school and earn their degrees, and (here's the big one) a "refocusing of efforts to develop a regulatory approach" on student-athlete contact with agents. 

• Strengthen academic requirements. Slive would like to see an increase in required GPA for freshmen athletes from 2.0 to 2.5 in core curriculum work, along with an annual satisfactory progress bar prospective SAs must clear at the high school level. 

• Modernize recruiting rules. Slive says it's time to "push the reset button" on the regulatory approach to college football recruiting. In his opinion, the idea of a completely level playing field in recruiting is unrealistic, thanks to existing and unavoidable disparities in physical resources at different programs. Rules on phone calls and texting don't make any tangible headway as far as making up that ground, to hear him tell it. 

• Support NCAA efforts to continue improving the enforcement process. Slive (and other conference commissioners headed to the upcoming NCAA President's retreat) would like to see a streamlined NCAA manual focusing on core issues. Having had to page through that thing more than once, I can certainly sympathize. 

SEC Media Days 2011: Live Streaming Information And Schedule

SEC Media Days officially begin Wednesday morning in Hoover, Alabama. For those eagerly awaiting their college football fix, the conference provides a live stream of the proceedings. Florida, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Mississippi State will be the focus of the first day.

Coverage begins at 1:00 p.m. ET, as newly indoctrinated Florida head coach Will Muschamp takes the stage to field an expected onslaught of questions and concerns regarding the state of his program. Gator defensive end William Green (1:10 p.m.), wide receiver Deonte Thompson (1:30 p.m.), and quarterback John Brantley (3:30 p.m.) are also scheduled to take their turn at the podium.

University of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino will then meet the media at 2:30 p.m. ET. He will be proceeded by Razorback wide receiver Jarius Wright (1:20 p.m.), running back Knile Davis (2:10 p.m.), and defensive end Tenarius Wright (2:20 p.m.).

At 3:00 p.m. ET the universities receive a break, and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive takes center stage. The 70-year old will discuss the status of the conference, expectations for the oncoming season, and conference plans beyond 2012.

Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen picks the college action back up at 3:20 p.m. ET. He will be followed by Bulldog quarterback Chris Relf (4:00 p.m.), running back Vick Ballard (4:20 p.m.), and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (5:50 p.m.).

Lastly, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier faces the media at 4:50 p.m. ET. Gamecocks wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (4:30 p.m.), defensive tackle Travian Robertson (4:40 pm), and running back Marcus Lattimore (5:40 pm) will conclude Wednesday's interviews.

SEC Media Days 2011 Schedule: Florida, South Carolina Lead Off Three-Day Birmingham Blitz

The Southeastern Conference will informally kick off all 2011 college football-related rancor and panic with the arrival of SEC Media Days, to be held this Wednesday through Friday in Hoover, Alabama. Approximately 900 reporters, radio hosts, and bloggers will question coaches and players from all twelve SEC football programs, on the following rotating schedule: 

Wednesday, July 20: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina
Thursday, July 21: Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee
Friday, July 22: Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt

Notably absent from this year's proceedings will be Robbie Caldwell, the Vanderbilt interim skipper who captivated last year's jaded audience with tales of inseminating turkeys at his first job. James Franklin, having been on the job more than a few weeks, will likely have more in the way of actual football to discuss, but the absence of Caldwell's delirious comedy will be keenly felt. Still, stay tuned to this StoryStream for more Media Days antics, because you never know when Nick Saban will rare back and kill a man with his steely disapproving gaze on live air.