Coaches had a lot to say Wednesday at SEC Media Days. We know because the clock ticked and ticked during the opening statements. It harkened back to the days of Les Miles, when he would wax poetic about his kids’ summer sports achievements and his fishing trips. He seemed homey in a grandfatherly way. It took a while to realize Miles was doing it because he was running out the clock, so there was only time for a couple of media questions.
The Clock
No one is thinking that is what these coaches are doing. They have an approximately 25-minute session on stage. Some of that is for the opening statement. The rest is for the Q&A with the assembled media.
Hugh Freeze gave us some much-needed brevity Tuesday with an opening statement that went only 2:50. Frankly, it felt like he just didn’t have a lot he wanted to add to it. Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby went only five minutes on Wednesday. But that was sandwiched in between Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer (13:30), Billy Napier (12:30), and Brent Venables with a whopping 15:20.
It was impossible not to chuckle when Venables said, “I want to be respectful of your time,” at the end of his 15:20 speech. Of course, when you have made as many changes to the coaching staff as Venables has, and you want to list them all, you need a little more time.
Addressing the Big Issues
The new revenue sharing and NIL model is an obvious topic for every coach to address. Some talk about how they prioritize who gets what money, or how they use the new spending freedom to address roster needs. Others throw in their support for the athletes getting paid, and some actually mean it. And still, some talk about how it is all above their pay grade, and that is why the school hired a general manager and a front office staff.
But Florida head coach Billy Napier took the next logical step. He suggested the schools have a new responsibility to the athletes, to teach them how to handle their newfound finances. “I think the more pressing issue, and I’m going to kind of divert here, is what do we do to provide the structure for the players,” Napier said. “We’ve got to teach our young men fiscal responsibility. We have to teach financial literacy. Budgeting, tax strategy, long-term planning.”
Napier said many, including himself, don’t handle financial responsibilities well when they are young. “We’ve got to create a place and a structure where we can give them guidance. I think it’s a huge issue that not many people are talking about. I mean we’ve got a generation of athletes in college sports. Where are they going to be when we look up in five or 10 years from now?”
Waiting It Out
Lebby said the new structure of paying players directly from the schools’ net revenue creates “A ton of unknowns.” He said that while people are quick with their opinions, he thinks the system needs to run its course for about a year before changes are considered.
Coach Speak of the Day
It was a big day for coach speak. It rose to a whole new level on day three of the event. Apparently they all read the same book.
“Keep the main thing the main thing, (Venables, Napier, and DeBoer).
Venables said his new quarterback, John Mateer, “Leads from the front.” We think if he were in the back, he would not be leading so much.
“We plan our work and work our plan.” (Napier)
“He’s extremely coachable” (Venables on new quarterback Mateer). No idea what only moderately coachable would look like.
Day four, the final day of the event, has Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Missouri.
Main Image: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
