Best and Worst Dressed from 2015 SEC Media Days
Every summer, each SEC head coach and some of the conference's best players suit up and hit Hoover, Alabama, for what has been described as the unofficial start of football season.
But the stars of the league don't wear their typical jerseys and coaching polos. Suits, ties and even some special footwear dominate the landscape at SEC media days. Much like it is at the NFL draft, what a player or coach wears at the event is dissected and discussed all over social media.
Most of the players and coaches brought their suit A-game to the big stage in Hoover, but there were a few fashion missteps during the week.
Before we break down some of the best outfits at media days and some that didn't quite work, let me preface all of this with an important statement: I am a college football writer attempting what is supposed to be a fun, lighthearted offseason piece—not a fashion expert making serious judgments from my superior taste.
That being said, let's look at the best and worst dressed from the 2015 SEC media days.
Best: Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson
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Auburn's new starting quarterback was cool, calm and collected as he faced the bright lights of SEC media days.
His outfit reflected that attitude. Johnson's striped bow tie, which featured different shades of Auburn's orange and blue color scheme, drew rave reviews from media members.
"Jeremy Johnson plays it cool at #SECMD15, bow tie and all: http://t.co/jd7kWv99HO #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/fWKyUpOG4f
— Auburn Tigers (@AuburnTigers) July 13, 2015"
As CBS Sports' Jerry Hinnen noted, Johnson kicked off the parade of bow ties at SEC media days this year. In the first session of media days, the Tigers signal-caller set the tone in style for the rest of the week.
Worst: Florida HC Jim McElwain
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Jim McElwain's suit didn't necessarily look bad at his first SEC media days. It was nothing to write home about, either.
But the first-year Florida head coach gets docked here because of one thing—he didn't wear socks.
"Yes, @CoachMcElwain is going no socks at #SECMD15. #gators pic.twitter.com/393QpxLeKI
— Chris Harry (@GatorZoneChris) July 13, 2015"
Listen, Jim. We understand you're with the Gators now, and socks can be troublesome this time of year in the North Florida heat. I'm personally not a huge fan of dressing up, but you've got to wear socks at a semi-classy event like this.
Best: Vanderbilt HC Derek Mason
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A lot of coaches and players at SEC media days like to wear their schools' colors in their ties. Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason went the extra mile with a sharp outfit that utilized all three of his program's main colors.
Mason's old gold suit paired nicely with his white shirt and the solid black tie and pocket square. Throw in a nice Vanderbilt pin, and everything works well here. The school colors pop, but they don't beat you over the head like, say, a bright orange jacket would on a Tennessee Volunteer.
Looking sharp, Coach. Now let's see if you can get the Commodores to look better on the field this year.
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Best: South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper
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"South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper, another top junior in the SEC pic.twitter.com/unB0a6UKfe
— Austin Atkinson (@AustinBAtkinson) July 14, 2015"
Pharoh Cooper is the top returning receiver in the SEC this year, and if he plays as good as he dressed at SEC media days, he could be in for another huge season.
Cooper's dark blue suit was one of the slickest at the entire event. His bright pink tie with blue and white stripes was a perfect match, and the pocket square was a subtle touch to tie it all together.
The South Carolina wideout went with great color without going overboard—which can be easy to do. Cooper's wardrobe stood out in Hoover for all the right reasons.
Worst: Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs
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The Volunteers starting quarterback's look had potential on Tuesday. Joshua Dobbs' orange-and-white checkerboard shirt was a nice Tennessee touch, but the rest of the suit didn't help matters.
"John Adams: Youngster didn't take long to become a Joshua Dobbs fan http://t.co/yIFwUTVzt0 pic.twitter.com/VuCt2nOMoy
— GoVolsXtra (@GoVolsXtra) July 14, 2015"
The grey jacket didn't exactly mesh with the shirt, and the lighter-colored tie with orange stripes just throws this whole thing off.
If Dobbs would have gone with a black suit and a different tie, he would've immediately flipped toward the best category. But what he wore Tuesday in Hoover just didn't work well. Blame it on the Smoky Mountain grey.
Best: Mississippi State HC Dan Mullen and Arkansas HC Bret Bielema
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Where were you during the great SEC West Shoe War of 2015?
Mississippi State's Dan Mullen had a nice pinstripe suit Tuesday, but the real reason he's on this list is because of his rare kicks. The Bulldogs head coach, who told FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman he tries "to be swagged up," rocked a pair of special edition Yeezy Boosts:
"Got my Yeezy shoes just in time for #SECMD15 @kanyewest @adidas pic.twitter.com/hqfn7dHzQA
— Dan Mullen™ (@CoachDanMullen) July 14, 2015"
Not to be outdone, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema got the hookup from Nike and wore some Air Force Ones to his media days appearance on Wednesday afternoon:
"Thanks MJ and #Nike for these great pair of Air Force 1 special Bling/Bling addition for #SEC media days #WoooPig pic.twitter.com/l9UvV04gpQ
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) July 15, 2015"
In my opinion, Bielema won this battle, but both head coaches deserve special mention for shaking things up with some eye-popping footwear.
Worst: Kentucky DT Melvin Lewis
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While two coaches brought it with their shoe choices, Kentucky defensive tackle Melvin Lewis didn't have a similar result with his footwear.
"Off to SEC Media Day with 3 sharp looking seniors! #ALLIN #SECMD15 pic.twitter.com/cMwZoC9oTw
— Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) July 15, 2015"
For his media days appearance on Wednesday, Lewis wore a light-colored jacket with black pants and some brown shoes. Now, even I know the black-pants-and-brown-shoes combo is never the right call.
The rest of the outfit would've worked—with some black shoes. That's a tough break for what was a mostly sharp Kentucky group alongside head coach Mark Stoops.
Best: Alabama RB Kenyan Drake
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Alabama's Kenyan Drake took the title as the sharpest-dressed player in Wednesday's session of media days with his great grey-and-purple combination.
"So far the best outfit of today's #SECMD15 is without a doubt Alabama's Kenyan Drake. pic.twitter.com/df3jBJG6AQ
— Kasey Langley (@Kasey_Wynne) July 15, 2015"
Everything works here for Drake. The jacket goes well with the tie and the purple shirt, and the whole outfit has an excellent balance of colors and patterns.
A player from the defending SEC champions led the way at media days. Imagine that.
Worst: Missouri QB Maty Mauk
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Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk went with the "all black everything" outfit in Hoover on Wednesday. From top to bottom, Mauk was just one dark shade at media days.
His monochromatic look—and hairstyle—drew comparisons to Keanu Reeves' ex-hitman character in the movie John Wick.
"Missouri's John Wick, errr, Maty Mauk pic.twitter.com/yQgAtYJGM6
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) July 15, 2015"
Mauk's outfit makes him look like he's in mourning. Your Tigers have won the last two SEC East titles, Maty. Have a little more flair when you roll into SEC Media Days. Brighten things up and splash some color.
Best: Arkansas QB Brandon Allen
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All three of Arkansas' players at SEC media days went with nice navy suits, white shirts, red pocket squares and Razorback pins. That's a new level of team chemistry.
Among the Hogs in Hoover on Wednesday, I'll give a special nod to starting quarterback Brandon Allen.
In terms of coordinating with the rest of his outfit, Allen might have had the best tie at the entire event. The pattern and colors went perfectly with the jacket and pocket square. If the SEC handed out a team championship for best outfits, Arkansas would take the title, with Allen claiming MVP.
Worst: LSU RB Leonard Fournette
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I don't mind at all if someone tries to go with the bold choice of brightly colored pants. But Leonard Fournette could've done a lot better with his decision, as his head coach Les Miles told ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy:
"Les Miles on Leonard Fournette’s red pants: “It was a mistake. If I could spray paint them, I would” pic.twitter.com/QXi8SoEkmW
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) July 16, 2015"
Fournette landed in Alabama wearing red pants on a day in which the other two teams on the schedule were Georgia and rival Ole Miss—programs that wear the color red. On top of that mistake, I'm perplexed by the jacket Fournette decided to wear. The dual pockets are quite odd.
The good thing is that Fournette, a true sophomore, could easily be back in Hoover for next year's media days. Let's hope he decides to rock a pair of purple or gold pants with a bow tie.
Best: Ole Miss TE Evan Engram
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Here's something that should surprise no one—representatives from Ole Miss wore bow ties to SEC media days. After all, College GameDay's hosts donned them during their first trip to Oxford last year.
Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram stood out from the rest of the pack on the fourth and final day in Hoover by going with the Rebels' colors of navy, red and white in an all-around "dapper" look.
Engram went with simple and slick for his media days outfit, which was a good way to round out a week of sharp suits from the SEC's stars and constant questions of "Now, did you bring any special shoes this year?" from the assembled media masses.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
