This story will be updated throughout Monday as coaches from LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi and Vanderbilt speak.
DALLAS — Oklahoma will participate in its first SEC Media Days on Tuesday. Head coach Brent Venables will speak along with sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold, senior safety Billy Bowman Jr. and senior linebacker Danny Stutsman.
Here is coverage of Day 1 of SEC Media Days:
3:20 p.m.: Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea
On the addition of OU and Texas in the SEC: “It’s just a great time for the SEC, and what Commissioner Sankey does as the leader of this organization impresses me endlessly. So, the addition of the two teams, I think it’s great for our sport.”
On sharing a conference with OU and Texas: “I think in year one here where Texas and Oklahoma are now a part of the SEC, to have a piece of that and have a game with them is really exciting.”
1:50 p.m.: Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin
On how the SEC keeps getting better: “This is just different, and the SEC is really challenging in a study. Study road records and city records at night in the SEC.”
On the challenge OU and Texas bring to the SEC: “Yeah, it makes our jobs more challenging. It’s awesome in a lot of areas, but it’s harder too when we add those two teams, so probably, in the end it just makes us all better.”
On OU and Texas joining the SEC: “That’s really exciting to hear about two of the top programs in the history of college football. You get these night games filtered in and places get really hard to play with fanbases like Oklahoma and Texas, so that’s really exciting for the conference to elevate.”
11:35 a.m.: South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer
On his thoughts about OU and Texas joining the SEC: “I welcome Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, it’s really neat to see some familiar media members from my time in Norman, and what a great statement about our league that those two schools have joined us.”
On his experience in Norman: “I’m very thankful that (former) coach (Lincoln) Riley gave me an opportunity there. I had a great job at the University of Georgia with Kirby (Smart) and learned so much from in that time from Athens, but the opportunity to get connected with the Oklahoma program was a great opportunity.”
On what he’s learned from coaching in the SEC: “It’s the size, and the depth and the athleticism that you see on the line of scrimmage every single week.”
On the competition in the SEC: “It’s a testament to commissioner Sankey and our league that Oklahoma and Texas want to be a part of this. We’re all about competing and you want to compete against the best. You want to coach against the best and that’s what you get to do in the SEC.”
10 a.m.: LSU head coach Brian Kelly
“As we go into the 2024 season, we’ll be celebrating 100 years of Tiger football. We’re excited about the things that we’re going to be able to showcase. This year, we feel like Tiger football has a great history and tradition. Our stadium has been refurbished to take advantage of the pageantry of Tiger Stadium, and I think it’s going to be an exciting football venue for everyone.”
“I want to welcome Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC. Making this in my opinion, the premier college football conference in the country. Certainly now an incredible challenge from top to bottom. When we talk about playoffs, you’re certainly going to be seasoned playing in this conference week in and week out.”
“I think the transfer portal is what I always thought it would be and that it can’t be a strictly need base. When it comes to the development of your football program, I think you need to use the transfer portal to top off the tank. That way you can add to a particular position and almost one that it’s not needed, but becomes a luxury when you can get to that situation. I think that the transfer portal becomes an effective tool, but if it’s strictly needs based, you’re probably in for some rough seasons.”
“I think what I was really impressed with coach Venables was just the ability to bounce back and the ability to overcome some adversity. Certainly as a first time head coach, having some adversity and really learning on the job and coming back and having an outstanding season this past season. They’ve got a great quarterback. I just think they’re another outstanding football team, with a great history and tradition.”
9:05 a.m.: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey
“We need more of what college football and college sports do in this country”
2025 SEC Media Days will be in Atlanta, Georgia at the College Football Hall of Fame
On I-35 and how it fits in the SEC: “We actually made the effort to move here in 2018 with media days. We thought that Dallas might be the right place. We have an incredible alumni population in the metroplex. We did some research back in 2018. Again, it’s one of the most accessible cities in the country.”
“I’m not a recruiter. My job is to make sure we meet the standard of excellence that we have for ourselves on a daily basis that attracts interest. It’s done that with the two universities that we’ve added this year. They’re not the only phone calls I’ve ever had, but I’m not involved in recruitment. Our presidents have been clear that I am not going to entangle us in litigation around expansion and so I pay attention, but I’m not engaged as they were established.”
“We’re focused on our 16, period.” - Sankey in response to a question about Florida State and Clemson seeking to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference.
On the visits to Austin and Norman: “It was fun to see. I learned more about drone shows than I thought I would know given the performances at both places, and I learned that both clearly meet the one of our athletics directors called the ‘it just means more’ tests. Both Oklahoma and Texas bring that same type of outed fan base to a set of peer universities. I also learned that it’s hot in a tuxedo in Norman, Oklahoma on a football field at night in July.”
