Every college football fan will be paying attention to Hoover, Alabama, this week.
There won’t aren’t any games or practices, but all 14 Southeastern Conference coaches and several student-athletes will get a chance to talk about their teams and the upcoming season.
SEC Media Days — the unofficial kickoff to the college football season — will be Monday-Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, wide receiver Fred Ross, linebacker Richie Brown, and defensive lineman A.J. Jefferson will take the stage Tuesday morning. Ole Miss and players Evan Engram, D.J. Jones, and Chad Kelly will be there Thursday, while reigning NCAA champion Alabama and players Jonathan Allen, O.J. Howard, and Eddie Jackson will be there Wednesday.
“The biggest storylines will be the coaches on the hot seat, the absence of established quarterbacks, and the Tennessee buzz,” Bleacher Report’s Barrett Sallee said. “There might be more that pop up, but I imagine the relative uncertainty of the conference will be the overbearing theme.”
Coaches on the hot seat always are a topic of conversation in the SEC. This year, LSU’s Les Miles, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin, and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops appear to be under the most scrutiny. Although LSU, Auburn, and Texas A&M played in bowl games last season, there is unrest in the fanbases. Miles was nearly let go, Malzahn and Auburn didn’t live up to expectations, and Sumlin saw his Aggies struggle down the stretch.
In three seasons, Stoops has yet to make a bowl game. The last two seasons have seen the Wildcats finish one win shy of making the postseason.
Three quarterbacks will be at SEC Media Days, including first-timer Trevor Knight. Knight transferred to Texas A&M from Oklahoma. Ole Miss’ Kelly and Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs also will attend the event.
Sallee said Kelly, who played at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba for one season, will be one of the most interesting players at the annual event.
“With so much buzz entering the season and Kelly being a bit polarizing based on his past, I can’t wait to see him handle this unique stage,” Sallee said.
Many teams are having battles at quarterback, including MSU. With the departure of Dak Prescott, who set 38 school records, Mullen is still contemplating who will replace the Dallas Cowboy draftee. Redshirt junior Damian Williams, redshirt sophomores Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley, and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano will compete for the job, but there is a lack of experience.
“I think Fitzgerald will win because of his experience and fit,” Sallee said. “But the beautiful thing for Mullen is that all of the quarterbacks are in that Prescott mold. Whoever it is, Mississippi State will be fine.”
Mullen likely also will have to answer questions about Jeffery Simmons. The incoming freshman was arrested and charged with simple assault and disturbing the peace — both misdemeanors — after a video surfaced allegedly showing him striking a woman. The former Noxubee County High School standout was allowed to enroll at MSU and was suspended for the first game of his career. His legal matters haven’t been resolved.
Talking with ESPN’s Chris Low, Mullen said, “As we looked at the details, beyond just the part of the video in the media, we felt he deserved a chance in life.”
Mullen, who made headlines last year when he wore adidas Yeezy Boost shoes, always seems comfortable at the large gathering in Hoover.
“Mullen will have something up his sleeve (or on his feet),” Sallee said. “He always does a good job of taking advantage of this stage to raise brand awareness to Mississippi State.”
The biggest storyline surrounding Ole Miss is a NCAA investigation. The university self-imposed penalties on the football program, including three years of probation and 11 fewer scholarships over four years. Coach Hugh Freeze took responsibility.
“I stand here owning the mistakes, but that is what they are, not some staff out trying to buy players,” Freeze said at SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, in May. “There’s not a single charge in our letter that charges a coach with (being) out buying players. While I have struggles in life that I don’t always get right, breaking rules in recruiting is not one of them. I won’t do it.”
Sallee doesn’t expect there to be any new revelations about the investigation at Media Days.
“He won’t veer too far from his statement in Destin,” Sallee said.
Tennessee will more than likely be a heavy favorite to win the SEC Eastern Division under Dobbs and fifth-year coach Butch Jones. Tennessee was last picked to win the SEC in 2005, but it finished fifth in the East.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will speak Monday, while coordinator of football officials Steve Shaw will speak Tuesday. The media will pick the order of finish for the teams in the SEC Western and Eastern divisions, pick a conference champion, and pick All-SEC teams throughout the week.
n In related news, MSU’s Brown and Ole Miss’ Tony Conner and Marquis Haynes were named Friday to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.
Brown is one of 88 defensive standouts from the 10 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences, and is also one of 29 linebackers and 27 SEC student-athletes named to the list. An anchor on the Bulldog defense, Brown is coming off a junior campaign in which he led the team in tackles (109) and started in all 13 games in the middle. His 109 tackles ranked fifth in the SEC, while his team-best 6.5 sacks, ranked 11th in the league.
The Long Beach native also is a Butkus Award candidate. Off the field, Brown is a three-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll member (2013, 2014, 2015) and is working toward his master’s degree in business. He earned his undergraduate degree in industrial technology in the spring of 2016 with a 3.52 grade-point average.
Conner and Haynes also were named to Chuck Bednarik Award watch list. Last season, they helped the Rebels rank in the top three among SEC teams in tackles for loss (8.1 per game, which was seventh in the NCAA), interceptions (15 , 23rd in the NCAA), and takeaways (23, 38th in the NCAA).
Conner, a senior, played in five games last year due to injury. In 31 career games, Conner has 152 tackles, including 18 for loss. He is receiving preseason recognition for the fourth-straight season, dating back to 2013 when he was a freshman All-American.
With 17 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons, Haynes is tied for fourth in school history. The Jacksonville, Florida, native had 10 sacks in 2015, cracking the top five in the conference and ranking 19th nationally. His seven sacks against SEC opponents were tied for second-most in the league. He also had 43 tackles (16 1/2 for loss).
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from those five finalists who are part of the 2016 FWAA All-America Team. The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s entire membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. Committee members, then by individual ballot, select the winner, the best defensive player in college football.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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