BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — News, notes and happenings from Day 1 of the Southeastern Conference Media Days.

Media Star of the Day

If you're an Alabama football coach coming off a 10-win season, and you're a former Tide player, and you're about to speak at the SEC media days in the state of Alabama, chances are you'll get mobbed like Jon Bon Jovi, or maybe even Ricky Bobby.

Which is what exactly happened to Mike Shula on Wednesday. As he made his way from talk show to talk show down Radio Row in a part of the Wynfrey Hotel where the public had access, Shula was swarmed by almost 100 Alabama fans.

One man had a handful of hounds tooth hats he wanted signed by Shula.

"I wished as a player I was exposed to as much excitement in the offseason as I am now as a coach," Shula said.

Hot-button issue

Most coaches were worried about their players having their own pages on myspace.com and revealing too much about themselves or putting something on there that will embarrass the university.

"We've talked to our players about it," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "It's hard to monitor all those situations. We try and tell our guys about being smart. For their benefit and safety, you don't know who's looking at that stuff and doing what with it."

Strangest question

Directed to Alabama RB Kenneth Darby:

"How bad do you wish you could beat Auburn?"

Darby's response: "How badly have you ever wanted something that you've never had?"

Funny Comedy Guy

Johnson has bit of a Steve Martin look. So here we go with Johnson on:

Starting the season with Michigan: "We used to play The Citadel and all those guys. They're not Michigan."

On how former quarterback Jay Cutler impacted the Vandy program: "We couldn't buy that kind of exposure. It helped recruiting. It helped ticket sales, which are better now. You know, my wife liked me a lot better."

On wide receiver Earl Bennett's game-changing personal foul penalty against Florida last year for excessive celebration: "I had one lady tell me, 'Coach, the Southern Baptists allow more dancing than what Earl did."'

Mr. Stylin' and Profilin'

Like a NASCAR driver going to his backup car, Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses went to a backup suit on Wednesday and came through big.

And it wasn't even his suit, a black number with a stitched pattern of squares, accompanied by a white dress shirt and a matching black-and-white striped tie and handkerchief set.

"My suit didn't get out of the cleaners in time, so I went to one of my teammates who's about the same size as me," Moses said. "He had two outfits already put together — this one and a blue one, that would have drawn even more attention."