SEC Media Days 2021: Highlights, Comments and Reaction from Tuesday
SEC media days continued Tuesday with coaches and players from Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee taking the stage.
The upcoming college football season will feature plenty of unknowns throughout the conference, with new coaches, new quarterbacks and reloaded rosters among them.
Of course, Georgia quarterback JT Daniels might have done the best job of summing up preseason expectations:
The quarterback and Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart do have high hopes for the year thanks to the talent on offense:
Smart also got attention by saying he gets texts from Quavo, although defensive tackle Jordan Davis grinned as he poked fun at his coach:
As for the advice Quavo wanted to pass along to the players regarding the NCAA's new NIL rules: "Don’t be thirsty. Be selective in what you do, selective in how you handle your branding."
Georgia once again enters the year with SEC championship and national title hopes. The first test will come in Week 1 against Clemson on Sept. 4.
It's a different situation for Tennessee, which is looking to bounce back from a 3-7 season.
Josh Heupel as head coach takes over after three years with UCF, and he already has a fan in receiver Velus Jones Jr.:
Heupel also believes he can turn things around for the Volunteers after a long stretch of mediocrity:
A major story for the team will be the competition at quarterback, which remains wide open heading into the season:
The Volunteers added experienced transfers in Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton, while Harrison Bailey appeared in six games for Tennessee last year.
It doesn't appear any one of these players has separated himself from the field.
Kentucky could also be led by an incoming transfer, with former Auburn player Joey Gatewood a top contender after a good spring:
Penn State transfer Will Levis could be another option for the Wildcats.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops had a few other interesting comments, notably his opposition to an expanded conference schedule:
Kentucky finished 5-6 last season but earned a win at the Gator Bowl, its third straight bowl victory.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin unsurprisingly also had his fair share of fun moments at the podium:
Kiffin is in his second year with the Rebels, but media days were canceled last season because of the pandemic. The entertaining coach made up for it with plenty of quotable moments Tuesday.
He also took time to praise quarterback Matt Corral:
SEC media days will continue Wednesday, highlighted by Alabama head coach Nick Saban's appearance. Mississippi State's Mike Leach, Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea will also be available.
