HOOVER, Ala. - They should raise the football hurricane warning flags outside the Wynfrey Hotel today.
That's when a record 850 credentialed media will blow into town, ready for the start of the three-day SEC preseason media event.
Right off the bat, the league gets a first in its media day history. Appearing today will be reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, the Florida quarterback who last year became the first sophomore in college history to win the award.
Tebow, who this year has a chance to join former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin as the only two-time Heisman winner, is expected to get the full media blitz. He's had a busy off-season, from doing missionary work overseas, to appearing on last week's ESPY awards, where he was selected as the best male college athlete.
Also appearing today are coaches and two players each from defending BCS national champion LSU, as well as defending AutoZone Liberty Bowl champion Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
A mob of autograph-seeking Alabama fans is expected to camp out in the Wynfrey lobby on Thursday morning, since second-year coach Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban leads off day two.
New Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt and his star offensive tackle, Briarcrest Christian grad Michael Oher, also face the firing line of questions Thursday. So does Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, who will be grilled about new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson, the first with no UT connection hired by the Vols since the 1980s.
On Friday, new Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino will do his best to dodge questions about his abrupt departure before the end of last season (his first) from the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
Oher and Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, a former Houston High star, are two of the 24 players who will be interviewed by print, radio and TV media.
Also on Friday, the media's preseason All-SEC team and predicted order of finish will be released. It's expected that Georgia and Auburn will be the preseason favorites to win the Eastern and Western Division respectively, with Georgia being picked to take the league title.
The Bulldogs and Florida have been picked to win the national championship by various preseason magazines. LSU had been the Western Division favorite until May, when Tigers' coach Les Miles kicked quarterback Ryan Perrilloux off the team for repeated rules violations.
The top candidates to replace starter Matt Flynn are Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch and redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee.
Last year Miles stirred the pot prior to media days by implying the Pac-10 Conference had a soft schedule, and he's done some more early talking in 2008.
Last weekend at an LSU booster club meeting in New Orleans, Miles took a shot at Alabama. He urged the crowd "not to make too much of that (Alabama) game, as it seems like a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team," referencing Alabama's shocking loss to Louisiana-Monroe last season.
The Tigers beat ex-LSU coach Saban and the Crimson Tide last year in Tuscaloosa, and Saban's team comes to LSU on Nov. 8 for one of the most emotionally charged games of the year.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive will open today's session. Though he will probably have no news on the league's TV negotiations, word is that the league is making progress toward establishing its TV network that would start with the 2009 football season.
Vanderbilt 93, Tennessee 79, Feb. 9…
Signing day celebration at Neyland…
Tennessee 69, South Carolina 57 men's…
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Comments » 25
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Clawson, the first UT coach w/o "connections" (family) since the 1980s..
Has a nice ring to it. Maybe someday it will lead to a ring.
Maybe not.
CoverOrange writes:
Is it me or is Les Miles getting cocky after winning a NC? Or has he been watching old Steve Spurrier interviews?
richvol writes:
Pride goeth before a fall...
dvols writes:
V O L S!
TommyJack writes:
Clawson, first UT coach w/o "connections". Very refreshing.
I look forward to the LSU/AL game. Much bloodshed.
TommyJack writes:
VolNation says (as I post) 40 days, 11 hrs. til kickoff.
Silent_Fulmer writes:
HEY FOOLMER,
We are awaiting you to speak (although required by the SEC Media days this week) and tell us how great last year was and we are team of Destiny last season and how barring injuries and a youthful team we hope to do the same this season.
GO VOLS!
BigMix writes:
Tuscaloser John will use this as an excuse for why he never did see Coach Fulmer. Wow....only 40 days.
Silent_Fulmer writes:
where's Ashley?
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Ashley got banned...what a loser!
VolGraduate writes:
I read in a preseason magazine that Fulmer hired Clawson b/c he "didn't want to stay the course." Sounds like you Fulmer haters got what you wished for so why are you still complaining?
CoverOrange writes:
I think Ashley has assumed another identity since and is incognito.
3 OCs in 20 years, one of them twice. Fewer than most teams have had HCs in that time period.
tenncorncob writes:
I think Coach Miles has been dining on cajun cooking long enough to want to add a little "spice" along the way....I personally love a coach who "stirs" it up and adds lots of spice to these age old rivalries....wish coach fulmer would jazz it up a bit and lay down a gaunlet....hehehehe
BigMix writes:
If I was a betting man I'd say the two clowns that posted at 1024 and 1034 are either boyfriends or the same person.
Silent_Fulmer writes:
I'd take that bet BigMixalot
IBleedOrange444 writes:
BigMix-
I've long had that same suspicion.
What did Ashley write to get banned?
I guess the pundits are expecting a down year in the west if they're calling Auburn the pre-season favorite. How can a team breaking in a new QB with new coordinators on both sides of the ball be considered the favorite?
Bigger_Al writes:
Here is a good Vols article from Chattanooga:
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/20...
TommyJack writes:
BiggerAL: Yeah, Rucker writes good stuff.
iowavol writes:
Yeah, read that this morning big al. Even the Epps article, which doesn't pick Tennessee to do much this year was well written and offered fair critique unlike the dumb a__ Adams. Too bad CTFP and The Tenneessean can't get together and give us a good option to this site. I've never read anything from those two papers that would suggest the kind of personal vendetta Adams and other KNS writers have against Fulmer and the Vols.
volboy81#211803 writes:
hopefully, since no one is picking Tennessee, the media will predict the WRONG SEC EAST champion for the 13th straight time this year!!
Les Miles: Talk about a blind squirrel finding an acorn (or should I say DUMB squirrel)
Steve Spurrier: not so COCKY now, are you!
Nick Saban: yeah, you and what army?
TommyJack writes:
BigMix 11:13: And if I was a betting man, I would bet you are someone we know from the recent past....
CoverOrange writes:
TJ, uh-huh.
BigMix writes:
I've been told before, by people that have never met me, that they have dreamed about me.
Colliervol writes:
I'm looking forward to Saban visiting LSU. Is it possible for him and Miles to both lose? That's the only thing that could make it a better day. As it is, one of them will be a loser that day though and that ain't a bad thing.
Colliervol writes:
850 credentialed media? Wow. Just another example of why the SEC is the king of conferences.
This brings to mind a story that was reported the other day on a Memphis talk show. Conference USA sent out an announcement about their media days but neglected to tell the media when it was going to be. (Or maybe where it was going to be. One or the other.) I am wondering if the host ever found out. Going to Conference USA football media days would be as good as being in the Witness Protection Program.
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