The SEC Coaches Who Impacted My Opinion So Far This Week

From Alex Golesh's impressive performance to Alabama's lingering concerns and Ole Miss' new era, here's what stood out going into Day 4.

SEC Media Days wraps up tomorrow in Tampa, and while I’m not there this year, I’ve probably consumed as much coverage as anyone.

I’ve spent hours listening to SiriusXM College Sports Radio all week. Olivia, Maz and the entire crew have been outstanding, bringing listeners every interview and behind-the-scenes conversation. They’ve made me feel like I never left Media Days.

Earlier this week, the biggest story wasn’t even supposed to happen.

Greg Sankey never planned to make SEC expansion or a potential split from the NCAA the headline. But when someone finally asked whether the conversations were real, he answered honestly. Suddenly, that became the story of Media Days.

Sometimes the biggest news comes from the question nobody expected.

Today, though, it was about the coaches.

Alex Golesh Impressed

If there was one coach who genuinely impressed me, it was Auburn’s Alex Golesh.

The guy just has it.

He was thoughtful. Detailed. Confident without sounding arrogant. Every answer had substance. You can tell he has a plan and understands exactly what he’s building.

Is Auburn finally stable?

Maybe—just maybe—Auburn has finally found some stability.

Lord knows that program has needed it.

Between coaching changes, expectations, boosters and constant drama, Auburn has spent years chasing itself.

Maybe having Tommy Tuberville sitting in the governor’s office is the strange football karma they needed.

I actually feel optimistic about Auburn for the first time in a while.

Now they have to prove it on Saturdays.

Alabama has one enormous question

Kalen DeBoer was exactly who Kalen DeBoer always is.

Calm.

Professional.

Measured.

Impressive.

But here’s the problem.

I still can’t erase what I watched last season.

Yes, Alabama made the College Football Playoff.

But that rushing attack?

Good grief.

It felt like every handoff ended with the running back reaching the line of scrimmage...and immediately falling over.

There was zero balance offensively.

I actually think it hurt Ty Simpson’s NFL evaluation because Alabama simply couldn’t threaten defenses consistently on the ground.

Can they fix that?

Does freshman phenom Keelon Russell eventually have to beat out Austin Mack simply because of what his mobility could add?

Then there’s Ryan Williams.

Now Ryan Cole Williams.

Will he become the superstar we expected again?

He looked like a future first-round pick early last season before seemingly disappearing. The drops piled up. The explosiveness faded.

Maybe the new name comes with a fresh start.

Georgia doesn’t need Joe Burrow

Kirby Smart said Gunner Stockton is far more comfortable in the pocket than he was a year ago.

He better be.

Last year, Rick Neuheisel and I admittedly weren’t sold.

Honestly, when we met him at Media Days, we joked he looked more like someone from Duck Dynasty than Georgia’s next quarterback.

The pickup trucks.

The hunting.

The fishing.

We wondered if he was really ready.

Then he went out and proved us wrong.

Now comes the next step.

The good news for Georgia?

He doesn’t have to be Joe Burrow.

They won national championships with Stetson Bennett because he played confidently within himself while an outstanding running game carried much of the load.

That’s the formula again.

Georgia’s backfield is loaded.

Stockton simply has to become comfortable being Georgia’s quarterback.

Florida’s culture has to change

One of my favorite interviews today came from Jon Sumrall.

He talked about toughness.

Not fake toughness.

Not screaming toughness.

Real toughness.

The kind that teaches players to become comfortable being uncomfortable.

That’s leadership.

Somewhere along the way, Florida football lost that identity.

Personally, I still think the decline started when the Gators moved on from Dan Mullen.

Now they begin another chapter.

Rick Neuheisel believes Sumrall has a legitimate chance to become Florida’s version of Curt Cignetti—a proven winner capable of changing the culture quickly.

Florida desperately needs that.

Because the last several years simply haven’t been good enough.

Texas A&M has to finish

Mike Elko sounded like a coach who believes his team is close.

He should.

The Aggies looked like contenders before fading badly late last season.

Now the spotlight shifts to Marcel Reed.

Who is he?

Is he a quarterback who wins the biggest games?

Or does he still have another level to reach?

Right now, he hasn’t consistently gotten Texas A&M over the hump when it matters most.

Year two should tell us a lot.

Ole Miss enters a new era

Lane Kiffin is gone.

Now it’s Pete Golding’s program.

Oxford believes it made the right decision to keep the momentum going internally.

The roster still has talent.

The quarterback room has playmakers.

The offense should still score points.

But now Golding has to prove he can be more than an outstanding coordinator.

He has to become the face of the program.

Being “the guy” is different.

We’ll start finding out this fall.

One more day

Tomorrow wraps up SEC Media Days.

Then the talking stops.

Fall camps begin.

Depth charts start taking shape.

And before long, we’ll finally get answers to all the questions we’ve spent this week debating.

I can’t wait.