Day One of SEC Media Days is finally here! For those of us not in Atlanta, we should be glued to the SEC Network to see these coaches talk. Brian Kelly is looking for a breakthrough on the Bayou. Lane Kiffin looks to find the secret to making the College Football Playoff. Shane Beamer has to replace a ton of production. Clark Lea is coming off a banner year at Vanderbilt and looks to sustain success.
These are some of the overarching storylines as the coaches and teams head into the media car wash. Here are the questions we would ask if we had the chance to sit down with them.
SEC Media Days Day One Questions
Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers
Do you know how to climb?
There is a proverbial wall for Kelly and the Bayou Bengals to climb to reach the College Football Playoff in 2025. While the Tigers are my pick to win the SEC, they need to clear one hurdle to reach their goal. Defensive Coordinator, Blake Baker, will be working with much more of a stacked deck than he had in 2024. In addition to returning stars like Harold Perkins and Whit Weeks, Baker will have another year of development with younger players and additions from the transfer portal, such as Bernard Gooden and Patrick Payton, along the defensive front.
LSU’s portal class was the top-ranked class nationally and bolstered the offensive firepower as well. Bauer Sharp (tight end) and Nic Anderson (wide receiver) came over from Oklahoma, and speedster receiver and returner Barion Brown joins the Tigers from Kentucky. These pass catchers strengthen an already strong offensive group led by returning quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
No position in sports is more important than quarterback. Nussmeier is one of the top signal callers in the country and will garner attention at SEC Media Days. Still, he will need to cut down on unnecessary turnovers in 2025 if he wishes to lead his team over the wall that has stopped them from reaching a championship over the past six seasons.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels
Is Simmons the Savior?
Ole Miss is another prime contender to upset the order at the top of the SEC. Kiffin is always a bright spot in conversation at SEC Media Days. Although the Rebels lost one of the conference’s best quarterbacks to the NFL Draft, Kiffin looks to replace Jaxson Dart with a young but accomplished Austin Simmons. The Rebels’ biggest win in 2024 came against Georgia, a game where Dart left with an injury and Simmons had to come into the game cold. In one drive, Simmons went five for six for 64 yards and led Ole Miss to a touchdown against the revered Bulldog defense.
Now, the Kiffin offense is in the hands of a 19-year-old Master’s student, Simmons, full-time. The quarterback may be young, but he has proven to be intelligent enough to excel beyond reasonable expectations, having graduated from Ole Miss before he should have started his sophomore year. Now, with a new stable of weapons and a retooled defense, Simmons will seek to take Ole Miss where no Rebel quarterback has before… the College Football Playoff.
Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks
Did you bring a shovel to fill the holes?
Every year, Shane Beamer overperforms with his opening statement at SEC Media Days. The Gamecocks overperformed in 2024 as redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers burst onto the scene. In 2025, Sellers is a preseason Heisman candidate, but that candidacy hinges on the rest of the team rising to the occasion. South Carolina’s over/under win total is 7.5 for the upcoming season. But the Gamecocks have hopes of crashing the College Football Playoff after being one of the first teams out in 2024. Sellers is returning… but that’s about all Beamer brings back.
The leading pass catcher and rusher are gone from last year’s offense, along with three offensive linemen. On the defensive side, Carolina lost safety Nick Emmanwori to an early draft pick, their top three linebackers are gone, and the team’s sack leader, Kyle Kennard, and the entire two-deep at defensive tackle do not return in 2025. As if that wasn’t enough, the kicker, punter, long-snapper, and holder will all be new faces for the Garnet and Black special teams unit.
So, what did Beamer and staff do in the off-season? They brought in a Top-15 portal class that specifically addressed the needs and hauled in six high school receivers, many of whom are receiving high praise through Spring practice and Summer workouts. There is confidence in Columbia, and Sellers alone grabs national attention. Beamer’s portal track record is impressive to this point, but misses happen in the portal every day. The Gamecocks made moves to fill the holes left by graduation and the NFL Draft, but time will tell if those moves were the right ones.
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Commodores
Now that we’ve gotten to know you, will things be the same?
Vanderbilt finished 2024 above .500 for the first time since 2013. Diego Pavia receives the most public credit due to the nature of the quarterback position and the way he interacts with the media at every opportunity. However, Jerry Kill and Tim Beck are running the offense with Pavia, and the three of them also brought the nation’s top tight end, Eli Stowers, with them to Nashville. Although the threesome upset Auburn while at New Mexico State in 2023, bringing their talents to fight for the Commodores showcased the unique offense for the entire league. Now that everyone has seen it, can Lea and the Dores reach seven wins for a second straight year?
Pavia certainly thinks his team has just as good a chance as anyone else. He said in a recent interview on the possibility of Vandy winning the National Championship, “You win 10 games in the SEC, you’re in the tournament. Then it’s anyone’s game.” The question remains whether or not Pavia and Stowers will be surrounded by enough talent to reach the 10 wins that the quarterback expects. Their 2025 portal class was 35th nationally, and the Commodores’ last three high school classes averaged 56th nationally, with an abysmal 77th-ranked class in 2025. The tape is out there. Can Vanderbilt win again, anyway?
Main Photo: Brett Patzke-Imagn Images
