The 10 Most Entertaining Personalities from College Football Media Days
With fall camps set to begin all across the country, "talking season" in college football is drawing to a close. Preseason chatter is moving over and making way for some actual action on the field.
The highlights of the long "talking season" each year in college football are media days, when conferences pool their head coaches and a few players and send them in front of the football-hungry media.
To be perfectly honest, most of these events are riddled with coach speak and boring answers. Some coaches and players treat media days like they're unwanted chores.
But some of college football's biggest personalities shine at these events, from a certain veteran coach in the SEC to a Big Ten lineman who will perform a weird feat with food.
As the Big Ten and Pac-12 media days wind down today, let's take a look back at 10 of the most entertaining personalities from this month's events.
Arizona HC Rich Rodriguez
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Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez was simply on fire Friday with his one-liners at Pac-12 media days.
Sophomore quarterback Anu Solomon was a target of interest for "RichRod," who said he would prefer an adult beverage to his starting signal-caller's return to the program:
"RichRod asked if it was “refreshing” to have his starting QB back: “I think a nice, cold beer or Bacardi and coke is more refreshing.”
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 31, 2015"
"RichRod: "I have a mortgage, I'm not letting someone (Anu) who grew up watching SpongeBob call plays." Best line so far at these media days
— Pacific Takes (@PacificTakes) July 31, 2015"
Later, when a reporter asked Rodriguez a question about potential carryover from Arizona's back-to-back losses to Oregon and Boise State, the head coach responded with a Disney line:
"Rich Rod: "Ever see the Lion King? The monkey hits the lion in the head. He says 'What'd you do that for?' Doesn't matter it's in the past."
— CougCenter (@CougCenter) July 31, 2015"
Other Rodriguez quips from Friday include why he didn't bring star linebacker Scooby Wright III to media days and asking a member of the media if he wanted to take a selfie. It's great you decided to come to media days instead of hanging out at the lake, RichRod.
Arkansas HC Bret Bielema
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Bielema earned his spot here solely because of one quote about his team's Texas Bowl victory—one that college football fans aren't going to forget for a long time.
"To beat Texas in a way that was pretty significant, you know, to kneel on the 2-yard line three times in a row at the end of the game, for me, that was a very fulfilling moment," Bielema said. "Borderline erotic."
When Bielema wasn't fondly reminiscing about the Razorbacks' victory over the Longhorns or showing off his shiny Air Force Ones, he was firing off plenty of memorable quotes on a number of topics.
Here are some highlights from the SEC transcript:
On Spurrier's quote about Arkansas "doing cartwheels" about finishing 7-6 last season: "I will say this. I'll respect my elders at all points. I don't think that body is built, no matter how big the shoes, with rockets or not, I could do any cartwheels."
On putting the offensive line on the cover of Arkansas' media guide: "Well, selfishly, it's because it's the only group that I feel good about taking a picture with."
On close losses in his two years at Arkansas: "Scars are a very beautiful thing. ... Scars remind you of difficult places in your life that you've championed. We've championed those moments. We didn't win them, but they're not going to be a part of our history that's lost forever."
Baylor HC Art Briles
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Baylor head coach Art Briles is the unquestioned king of Big 12 media days.
During his appearance this year, Briles made a reference to rapper Drake and noted how he's known his new offensive coordinator for quite some time.
"Kendal's been around our system and our program ever since he could say 'mama,'" Briles said, per Ryan Aber of the Oklahoman. "So he understands what we're doing, and that's critical, and it's important because we don't have to reteach."
Here are some more highlights from Briles' time at the podium, via Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval:
On what he's doing to combat penalty problems this year: "You know, I mean, trying not to commit them, first of all."
On converted tight end LaQuan McGowan: "He's 6'8", 403 pounds right now, slimmed down to that."
On not being complacent: "When you stay the same, people catch you, and you get caught. It's called an M.O., and that's why criminals get caught, because they do the same thing over and over again. You track them. You look at them. If you hunt, you know this deer comes here every day, or if you fish, you know they get in this fishing hole."
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey
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Jalen Ramsey is going to be a leader for Florida State this season as the Seminoles look to win their fourth consecutive ACC title.
At the ACC Football Kickoff last week, Ramsey represented his school well while handling questions about the recent off-field incidents involving De'Andre Johnson and Dalvin Cook. Chip Patterson of CBS Sports called Ramsey the "most media-ready" of the players at the event.
When the questions went away from Johnson and Cook, Ramsey delivered some of the conference's most memorable quotes.
On new FSU QB Everett Golson, per Patterson: "He didn't throw my way on the first pass. The first pass he threw my way, I did pick it off. I didn't say anything to him. I just gave him a little smile. Some of the other guys on the team said something to him, though."
On if he or Virginia Tech's Kendall Fuller is the ACC's best corner: "Every elite player is going to think they're the best. So, I'm sure Kendall thinks he's the best. I know I'm the best. That's how it goes. I respect it. Anybody who has the confidence like that? I respect it."
On if he would want to play a bowl game against Tennessee, his home state: "I couldn't care less about Tennessee."
Iowa DL Drew Ott
5 of 9Iowa defensive lineman Drew Ott grabbed plenty of attention at Big Ten media days on Thursday for eating a raw egg—shell included.
While it's hard to top eating a raw egg at media days, Ott had several memorable lines when he stopped chewing and starting talking to reporters, according to Omaha.com:
On his unique closet: "A lot of people make fun of what I wear. I've got a couple of weird outfits that I wear around campus. ... I've got some American flag pants that I wear around. I wear a lot of Wal-Mart tank tops and, like, recovery tights with short shorts."
On speaking a foreign language: "I took two semesters of Swahili. Nina penda kuila steak. 'I like to eat steak.' That's probably my favorite line."
On his moped: "I didn't have a vehicle to get home my freshman year. So instead of getting my parents to come pick me up, I just decided to drive it home [to Nebraska]. ... It took me like 12 hours."
Thanks to his culinary choices and thoughts on random off-the-field topics, it's hard to find a better character than Ott from all of college football's media days this summer.
Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh
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Jim Harbaugh's first appearance at Big Ten media days as Michigan's head coach did not disappoint.
After not making an opening statement, Harbaugh was asked if he had a particular nickname for Ohio State like his predecessor, Brady Hoke, did during his time in charge of the Wolverines. Harbaugh's response was perfect.
"No. Ohio State in particular? Just 'Ohio State,'" Harbaugh said, per Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod. "But great to see everybody this morning. Glad everybody could be here. Wonderful turnout."
During his time at the podium, Harbaugh surprisingly pulled out a Mike Ditka jersey (shown above) and later turned the tables by asking a reporter a question.
On his recent vacation to Paris:
"[Harbaugh's wife] Sarah and I, we figured this out that it's been eight years since we've spent more than a day just her and I and not all the kids and or some football function or some work-related thing. Eight years since her and I had just spent time alone, so we decided to go there and that's where she wanted to go. And I really enjoyed it. And yeah, hopefully she enjoyed it.
"
On his Ditka jersey: "I had a chance to spend the evening with Coach last night at his restaurant. In fact, I picked up a Ditka jersey from the restaurant. I didn't get it autographed, but I'll be proud to wear it."
On the SEC's reaction to his summer satellite camps, per MLive.com: "I didn't know that we made waves, actually. People probably made more of a big deal out of that than it was."
Oregon State CB Larry Scott and Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott
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When the Pac-12 released its list of representatives that would be at the conference's media days this week, Larry Scott was listed twice.
That wasn't a typo. Two Larry Scotts were in attendance—the well-known Pac-12 commissioner and the senior cornerback from Oregon State. The commissioner gave a special shoutout to the Beaver player in his opening address.
"My favorite Pac-12 player, Larry Scott from Oregon State," Scott the Commissioner said, according to quotes from the conference. "Aside from having a great name, Larry's going to graduate this year, and he's also the first in his family to graduate with a college degree. He says that being a student-athlete has taught him to give a hundred percent in everything, both on and off the field."
The two met each other at the event, and Scott the Cornerback later took questions as "The Commish"—the nickname that was sewn onto his Pac-12 polo. Here were some of his answers, according to Chantel Jennings of ESPN.com:
His thoughts on league expansion: "It depends on the teams that come in, to be honest. If they're top-tier teams, then I have no problem."
Ideas on how to improve nonconference scheduling: "I would like to see the Pac-12 with a lot of SEC matchups. That would be very fun."
On live mascots, specifically, whether every should team have a live mascot: "I've never thought about that, to be honest. I've never really thought about that. It would be pretty interesting. I've never really seen a beaver up close. I've seen from afar walk by. ... That would be pretty interesting."
South Carolina HC Steve Spurrier
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Steve Spurrier made it clear during his time at SEC media days that he wasn't interested in retiring any time soon.
And that's great for college football fans because Spurrier at the mic is some of the offseason's must-see TV.
"That retirement thing, I don't think I'd be very good at it," Spurrier said, according to quotes provided by the conference. "I can go to the beach and stay four or five days, and, hey, let's get on out of here. We've been here long enough."
Here are the top tracks from Spurrier's 2015 setlist in Hoover, Alabama:
On his quarterbacks: "You can win with two. Nothing in the rulebook says you have to have one."
On wanting to continue coaching: "Somebody told me the other day I'm the youngest coach in the SEC that's won four straight bowl games. Did you know that? Youngest coach to have done that right now. You all knew that, didn't you? Okay. Just a little something.
"Somebody said, why are you still coaching? I said, 'Well, I forgot to get fired, and I'm not going to cheat.'"
On leadership in the locker room: "We've had some backup guys who like to scream and yell in the locker room, and I tell his assistant coach, 'Tell him nobody's listening to him.'"
West Virginia HC Dana Holgorsen
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West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen showed his love for two things at Big 12 media days—passing the ball and Red Bull.
The Mountaineers are returning their top two running backs from last season while they replace starting quarterback Clint Trickett and key receivers Kevin White and Mario Alford. But when a reporter asked Holgorsen if that imbalance of returning starters meant the rushing attack would lead the way this year, he shot that down quickly.
"Hope not. Geez, I still like to throw the ball a good bit, you know," Holgorsen said in quotes released by the Big 12. "I know one thing: If you can't do either one, you're not going to be worth a darn, I can assure you of that."
The energetic head coach later said, per SB Nation, he would probably drink around "somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000" Red Bulls between now and the end of the season. So this moment in the lobby should have made his day:
"By an act from above ... Red Bull girls showed up at #Big12MediaDays as Dana Holgorsen walked by. #Eers pic.twitter.com/GEHgSchJzA
— Nate Feken (@TheGreat_Nate) July 20, 2015"
Add an eyebrow-raising quote about new Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, and Holgorsen definitely had a media days appearance to remember.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
