SEC Media Days 2015: Highlights, Comments and Twitter Reaction from Monday

The 2015 Southeastern Conference media days kicked off Monday, with several notable coaches, players and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey providing plenty of news to digest.

Sankey opened the press function by quoting Bob Dylan to show off his interesting personality and declaring the conference's superiority, per the SEC Network:       

Perhaps most interesting was Sankey's ability to communicate a strong message across multiple platforms simultaneously, as Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel noticed:

It almost wasn't necessary for reporters to be present for Sankey's remarks in that context. Once Sankey was finished with his rather entertaining orations, it was the Auburn Tigers' turn to hold court with the media.

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the question marks surrounding the most important position for the teams' opening SEC media days:

A lot of hype surrounds new Tigers quarterback Jeremy Johnson, who garners comparisons to former Heisman Trophy winner and current NFL star Cam Newton. Johnson tried to dismiss such analogies by stating, "Cam is Cam and I am me. We are different people with different talents," per ESPN's Joe Schad.

Edward Aschoff of ESPN noted how Jim Thorpe Award watch list defensive back Jonathan Jones touted Johnson for his throwing ability:

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn certainly wasn't shy to speak his mind either. In addition to proclaiming the SEC West the best division in the country, he had the highest praise for new Tigers defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, per ESPN.com's Greg Ostendorf:

"

In my opinion, he is the best defensive mind in all of football, not just college football. His approach, his energy, his enthusiasm for the game, he just has that presence around him that he gives all the coaches confidence. He's got the 'it' factor.

[...] The big thing for Will is execution, playing extremely hard, giving 100 percent, flying to the football, being responsible for your position and just playing with that edge. Our guys in the spring really started to take on Will's personality, and that's a good thing.

"

The notion that players are gravitating toward Muschamp seems fortified by the playful impersonation Tigers linebacker Kris Frost did of the man who call the shots on his side of the ball, courtesy of WRBL Sports' Dayne Young:

Muschamp had been the head coach at SEC rival Florida, but with the exception of an 11-2 mark in 2012, he didn't live up to expectations.

Former Colorado State coach Jim McElwain is Muschamp's successor to lead the Gators program. McElwain is bringing more of an offensive flavor to Gainesville with a pro-style system.

Even with a steep learning curve, McElwain is expecting a lot out of his freshmen offensive linemen, per ESPN's Mark Schlabach:

Part of the reason Florida fans should be excited for 2015 is the new energy McElwain brings to a stagnant offense, along with how good the defense ought to be with the likes of Vernon Hargreaves III in the secondary.

SEC Network logged how confident Hargreaves is in his own skills:

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports praised the way Hargreaves carried himself:

Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com recorded McElwain's kind words for Hargreaves:

"

...The way he practices, the way he thrives in competition, and not only that, the way he takes care of himself in the classroom and other things that go along with being successful in life. Growing up the son of a coach, he obviously has been around it, and I think that that is huge.  I'll tell you, here's the best thing: he's fun to watch practice. The guy loves it. That's what I think separates some of the guys at times is the ones that really, truly go out there and compete every day to perfect their craft.

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Vanderbilt also featured at the kickoff of SEC media days, which had to delight those in attendance because of how quotable Commodores coach Derek Mason tends to be.

Mason didn't disappoint ahead of his second season with the program. Sporting News' Matt Hayes documented Mason's candid answer about what he found out the hard way in his maiden year at the helm:

Commodores linebacker Nigel Bowden alluded to how rising sophomore running back Ralph Webb is taking charge of the team ahead of the 2015 campaign, per Aschoff:

Webb ran for 907 yards and four touchdowns last season, providing Vanderbilt with some hope on offense, though the competition will obviously be tough as the program continues to build and recruit top-tier talent.

VandyFootball made note of the optimism radiating from Mason at media day:

Just one year removed from a 0-8 conference record, Vandy may not want to get its hopes too high, but Mason seems to have his players headed in the right direction in Nashville, Tennessee.

If McElwain can get his players to buy in more than Muschamp could for much of his Florida tenure, there's reason to believe the Gators could see massive improvement right away. The supremely talented Hargreaves will almost certainly leap to the NFL for the 2016 draft, so Florida ought to capitalize on what it has now to compete in the SEC East.

After making the national championship game two years ago, Auburn's 8-5 mark and .500 conference record showed just how difficult it is to stay on top in the nation's toughest conference. A lot of weight is on Johnson and a revitalized Muschamp to push the Tigers back among college football's true elite.