SEC Offseason News

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A place to offer SEC football stuff as we head toward the 2019 season.

*Sixty seven year old Nick Saban will undergo hip surgery tomorrow. Saban said he didn't
want any distractions heading into the 2019 season.

*LSU has hired former Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodard as their new AD.

*Former Texas A&M head football coach R.C. Slocum has been named interim AD at the
school where he was head coach for 14 years.

*This will be the first year since 2006 that the SEC begins the season with no new head
football coaches.

*The longest tenured SEC coordinators are LSU's DC Dave Amanda, Kentucky's OC Eddie
Gran and Auburn DC Kevin Steele. They're all entering their fourth seasons.

*The only 2018 SEC coordinator who got fired was Ole Miss DC Wesley McGriff. He was
replaced by former Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre.

*Former Kansas director of football operations Nolan Jones is joining Ole Miss in a similar
capacity. Lot's of changes going on in Oxford.

*Former USC defensive line coach Kenechi Udeze is set to join the LSU staff as a defensive
analyst. Orgeron coached Udeze when he was at Southern Cal.

*For 2019, the SEC will have eight coordinators making a minimum of $1,500,000 for the
season.

Welcome your comments...…………………………………...

 

[mws]

*This will be the first year since 2006 that the SEC begins the season with no new head
football coaches.

I had not noticed that.

I like Ole Miss's coordinator hires. In fact, that's an understatement.

 

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I had not noticed that.

I like Ole Miss's coordinator hires. In fact, that's an understatement.

I agree. Bringing in two ex-head coaches with a wealth of experience is a plus for a
young head coach like Matt Luke. Another plus is that both Mike MacIntyre and Rich
Rodriquez are good recruiters. Significant hires in my opinion.

 

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Georgia - The Dawgs have been outstanding against nonconference opponents in the three
seasons under Kirby Smart with the Bulldogs putting together a 13-2 mark. The two losses
were against Georgia Tech (2016) and Texas 2018. Notre Dame makes its first visit to Sam-
ford Stadium looking to avenge a 20-19 home loss to Smart and the Dogs in 2017.

LSU - The Tigers are coming off its first ten win season since 2013 with the team winning five
nonconference games including wins over ranked teams in Miami and Central Florida. LSU will
travel to Austin for the first time since the mid-1950s with the Tigers looking to snap a four
game road losing streak to the Texas Longhorns with the last road win coming in 1938.

Florida - The Gators open up a season away from the Swamp for the second time in three seasons
when the team travels to Orlando for an in-state showdown with Miami at Camping World Stadium.
Florida has lost seven out of the last eight meetings with the Hurricanes. Second year coach Dan
Mullen's team hopes to make it two-in-a-row after snapping a five game losing streak to rival Florida
State last year.

Alabama - For the eight straight year, Bama kicks off a college football season at a neutral sight
venue, this time in Atlanta against Duke. The Crimson Tide is 7-0 in those games including wins
over Michigan, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, West Virginia, USC and Florida State outscoring their
opponents 271-91. This is the fifth time these two programs have met with Bama holding a 3-1
advantage. Alabama is 55-7 against nonconference opponents under Nick Saban with the last
regular season loss coming in 2007.

 

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*Every team in the SEC East has a quarterback who has started at least 13 games.
Returning starters in the East include South Carolina's Jake Bently (32 career starts),
Georgia's Jake Fromm (28), Florida's Feleipe Franks (21) and Kentucky's Terry Wilson
(13). Missouri has Clemson transfer Kelly Bryant (18) and Vanderbilt has Ball State
transfer (32).

*SEC teams made changes at nearly 40 percent of the offensive and defensive coordinator
positions during the offseason.

*Vanderbilt loses four of the top five tacklers on defense, and with six starters gone, it's
going to be a bit of a rebuild for a unit ranked 80th in total defense last year.

*The Ole Miss offense not only has to replace solid quarterback Jordan Ta'amu, but good
luck getting more out of the receiving corps that loses future NFL targets DK Metcalf, AJ
Brown and DaMarcus Lodge. It's not a bad group returning but there will certainly be a
drop off. Rich Rodriguez has his work cut out for him.

*Nick Saban is expected to make a full recovery from hip replacement surgery that was
performed yesterday. According to his doctors, Saban should be able to return to work
in the very near future. Saban said he wanted to get the hip fixed because he wants to
coach many more years.

 

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Auburn - When Gus Malzahn guided the Tigers to a BCS Championship birth in his first
season, hype for the coach reached a fever pitch. Unfortunately it appears the Auburn
skipper may have peaked early. Subsequently, the Tigers have been, well, just OK. Sure,
they've played in two New Year's six bowl games and won the SEC West in 2017. They're
also 2-6 in the postseason under Malzahn and followed up that stellar 2017 season with
a dude (5th SEC West) last year. After 2017, Auburn signed Malzahn to a seven-year, 49
million contract extension, a number that almost precludes a buyout. But this is the SEC.
Stranger things have happened than an expensive coach getting the boot following a win-
ning season. Malzahn should be ready for a 2019 in which every move, every play call and
every final score will be scrutinized.

Tiger player to watch: Sophomore wide receiver Seth Williams emerged as a playmaker
his freshman season and appears poised for an even bigger role this year following the
departure of Ryan Davis (69 catches) and Darius Slayton (35). Williams caught 26 passes
for 5 touchdowns during his freshman season. He was voted the most valuable player of
the spring game, with 4 catches for 103 yards and 2 scores. Now Auburn needs to settle
on a QB to throw him the ball.

 

[mws]

I agree. Bringing in two ex-head coaches with a wealth of experience is a plus for a
young head coach like Matt Luke. Another plus is that both Mike MacIntyre and Rich
Rodriquez are good recruiters. Significant hires in my opinion.

Mike's dad was on Hootie Ingram's staff at Clemson, so Mike was a friend of mine way back in first and second grade. I think he got a raw deal in Boulder, but he should flourish in his third time through Oxford.

Rich Rod was Bowden's first OC at Clemson, and when he left, the Bowden mystique left with him. Bowden only won 6 games in the ACC once, and that was in his second year, with Rodriguez running the offense before leaving for WVU after that season. I was impressed with him as a coordinator.

 

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Mike's dad was on Hootie Ingram's staff at Clemson, so Mike was a friend of mine way back in first and second grade. I think he got a raw deal in Boulder, but he should flourish in his third time through Oxford.

Rich Rod was Bowden's first OC at Clemson, and when he left, the Bowden mystique left with him. Bowden only won 6 games in the ACC once, and that was in his second year, with Rodriguez running the offense before leaving for WVU after that season. I was impressed with him as a coordinator.

If Luke can get two years out of each of the coordinators it should be a great help to his growing process.
You got to know both Mac and Rodz are looking for another shot at being a head coach.

 

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Its been a rough week off the field for a pair of SEC East football staffs. Tuesday, it
was reported that FLORIDA'S assistant director of player personnel (Otis Yelverton) was
arrested on a felony charge of cyberstalking and placed on administrative leave. Later
the same day, a pair of GEORGIA football staffers working in the recruiting program...
one was fired and the other was suspended without pay for 30 days. No specific reason
or reasons were given for the punitive measures. The Bulldogs are currently ranked
10th in the current recruiting cycle.

 

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Georgia player to watch: Finally, junior running back D'Andre Swift stands alone atop Georgia's
depth chart. Swift's talent as a big-play running back has always been clear, but even so he's had
to be patient. In his 2017 freshman season, Georgia's ground game was led by Nick Chubb and
Sony Michel who are now enjoying success in the NFL. During 2018, Swift shared the position with
Elijah Holyfield where both rushed for over 1000 yards. Swift, now has the unique distinction of
being Georgia's leading returning rusher and receiver and shares the spotlight with quarterback
Jake Fromm as the leaders of the offense in 2019. After leading the Bulldogs with 1,049 rushing yards
and 10 touchdowns in 2018, Swift could be headed for a very busy season. He is especially important
as a receiver coming out of the backfield knowing that Georgia has to replace many of its top receivers.

 

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SEC first round picks:

3rd Quinnen Williams, Alabama, DL, Jets
5th Devin White, LSU, LB, Bucs
7th Josh Allen, Kentucky, LB, Jags
11th Jonah Williams, Alabama, OL, Bengals
19th Jeffery Simmons, Miss State, DL, Titans
24th Josh Jacobs, Alabama, RB, Raiders
26th Montez Sweat, Miss State, DE, Redskins
27th Johnathan Abram, Miss State, S, Raiders
30th Deandre Baker, Georgia, DB, Giants

35 percent of the players in the first round belonged to the SEC. Not bad!

 

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Since its creation in 1985, SEC MEDIA DAYS have been the unofficial Kickoff to the college
football season, with coaches, players and media coming together for a series of press con-
ferences spanning several days. The event has grown over the years with more than a 1000
media members in attendance annually. Portions are broadcast live on the SEC Network.
SEC media days were held in Atlanta in 2018 but will return to its longtime home in Hoover,
Alabama (B'ham) for this year. Under consideration for host city in 2020 includes Dallas,
Houston, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, St. Louis and Nashville. If you ever get a chance to
attend just for one day...take it. It's fun and you will meet a lot of great SEC people.

 

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Arkansas (2-10) - Seven starters return on defense to go along with seven expected back on
the offensive side. Texas A&M transfer Nick Starkel and SMU transfer Ben Hicks improve
the quarterback situation. Playing Portland State, Colorado State, San Jose State and
Western Kentucky should double the number of wins from last year.

Vanderbilt (6-7) - The second worst defense in the SEC last season had its moments, but
when it wasn't working, it was bad. The offense was good enough to keep up the pace in
most games, but the Commodores were 0-5 when allowing more than 31 points. The big
problem was a pass rush that didn't do enough to consistently get to the quarterback. The
front three needs to generate more pressure this season. Don't hold your breath.

 

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Missouri player to watch: Last fall, quarterback Kelley Bryant lost his job to freshman Trevor
Lawrence, left the team after four weeks to preserve his final year of eligibility and landed at
Missouri. Bryant isn't competing for a job, he was virtually assured the Tigers' starting spot
when he announced his college decision this winter. He has been nothing but impressive since
his arrival, winning over the locker room and adding new wrinkles to the offense. Second year
offensive coordinator Derek Dooley has already installed more plays than he had this time last
year. In Missouri's spring game, Bryant completed his first eight passes and finished 12 of 17
through the air. Now, he's looking to put together a season good enough to impress NFL scouts
and end his college career on a positive note. I hope he does well this season.

 

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The Southeastern Conference has once again set a new standard when it comes to
the NFL Draft, setting a new record with 64 players taken in the seven rounds of the
2019 edition of the draft. By the time Saturday's selections were done, it was clear
the SEC was going to lead the way for the 13th year in a row.

SEC: 64.....Big Ten: 40.....Pac 12: 33.....ACC: 28.....Big 12: 26.....AAC: 11.....
MWC: 10.....MAC: 9.....Ind: 8.....FCS: 7.....CUSA: 6.....Div II: 5.....Big Sky: 1
…..Sun Belt: 1.....OVC: 1

Top 10 Players Drafted

Alabama: 10
Ohio St.: 9
Oklahoma: 8
Washington: 8
Georgia: 7
Texas AM: 7
Auburn: 6
Clemson: 6
Notre Dame: 6
Ole Miss: 6

 

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ESPN's Mel Kiper list six SEC players among his list of Top 10 prospects for
the 2020 NFL Draft.

QB Tua Tagovailoa Alabama
WR Jerry Jeudy Alabama
DT Derrick Brown Auburn
DB Grant Delpit LSU
OT Andrew Thomas Georgia
QB Jake Fromm Georgia

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Should have stayed in school. Eight SEC underclassmen who declared for the Draft
went undrafted. Bad advice, ego, or just stupid these players wasted another year
in school, perhaps bettering themselves for next year's draft.

RB Damarea Crockett Missouri
PK Daniel Lacamera Texas A&M
DT Ed Alexander LSU
RB Elijah Holyfield Georgia
LB Quarte Sapp Tennessee
CB Ryan Pulley Arkansas
DB Saivion Smith Alabama
LB Tyrel Dodson Texas A&M

I can guarantee you Saivion Smith was advised to stay in school by Alabama's
coaching staff. Probably the same over at Georgia with Holyfield. Too many
people blowing smoke up these player's asses, especially family members.

 

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NICK SABAN has now sent more first round picks to the NFL than any coach in history.
For his career, Saban has now sent 34 first rounders to the NFL. Former Penn State
coach Joe Paterno previously held the record with 33 first round picks.

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HERE WE GO AGAIN. There's some question again among the three Power 5 conferences
(Big 12, Big 10, Pac 12) that play a nine game conference schedules as to whether they're
at a disadvantage when compared to the SEC and ACC, which play an eight-game conference
schedule. The Big 12 and Big 10 have been left out twice; the Pac 12 has missed out three
times. Meanwhile, the SEC and ACC have placed a team in the Playoff every year; 13 of the
20 Playoff participants have played eight-game conference schedules. The Playoff director
recently said that playing eight or nine conference games have nothing to do with playoff teams.
"The selection committee looks at all 13 games. A teams entire resume."

The SEC and ACC are not going to a nine game conference schedule anytime soon. Either the
other conferences produce better teams or drop back to eight game schedules if they think that
will help. It wouldn't have in the past years of the Playoffs.

 

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ESPN's Mel Kiper list six SEC players among his list of Top 10 prospects for
the 2020 NFL Draft.

QB Tua Tagovailoa Alabama
WR Jerry Jeudy Alabama
DT Derrick Brown Auburn
DB Grant Delpit LSU
OT Andrew Thomas Georgia
QB Jake Fromm Georgia

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Should have stayed in school. Eight SEC underclassmen who declared for the Draft
went undrafted. Bad advice, ego, or just stupid these players wasted another year
in school, perhaps bettering themselves for next year's draft.

RB Damarea Crockett Missouri
PK Daniel Lacamera Texas A&M
DT Ed Alexander LSU
RB Elijah Holyfield Georgia
LB Quarte Sapp Tennessee
CB Ryan Pulley Arkansas
DB Saivion Smith Alabama
LB Tyrel Dodson Texas A&M

I can guarantee you Saivion Smith was advised to stay in school by Alabama's
coaching staff. Probably the same over at Georgia with Holyfield. Too many
people blowing smoke up these player's asses, especially family members.

The thing about Holyfield is he was never fast. That really hurt him with the NFL stuff. But yes he got bad advice.

 

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LSU's ED ORGERON recently received a two-year contract extension and raise to four million
dollars per year, which makes him the eighth highest paid head coach in the SEC. Orgeron
will receive a $250,000 bonus for 10 regular season wins, $350,000 for 11 wins, $500,000
for 12 wins. He will also receive a $250,000 bonus if LSU reaches the CFB Playoff Semifinals.
The new contract comes just months after the Tigers concluded its first 10-win season since
2013 with a Fiesta Bowl win over Central Florida. Big O is 25-9 since taking over LSU as the
interim coach, four games into the 2016 season. The Tigers will have 16 starters returning
(8 off, 8 def) including their starting quarterback. Good opportunity for Orgeron to reach a
bonus or two.

 

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LSU assistant coach salaries for 2019.

Dave Amanda (DC) $2.500,000
Steve Ensminger (OC) $800,000
Tommy Robinson (RBs) $600,000
James Gregg (OL) $485,000
Tommy Moffitt (S&C) $$440,000
Bill Busch (Ss) $$425,000
Corey Raymond (DBs) $400,000
Joe Brady (O) $400,000
Greg McMahon (STs) $385,000
Mickey Joseph (WRs) $235,000
Dennis Johnson (DL) $210,000

*Dave Amanda is the highest paid defensive coordinator in the SEC.
*Joe Brady is listed as an offensive specialist. Not sure what his duties are.
*Tommy Robinson is one of (maybe the) highest paid RB coach in the SEC. Why?
*Dennis Johnson is one of (maybe the) lowest paid defensive line coaches in the SEC. Why?
*S&C represents strength and conditioning.