Tide, Auburn figure in top questions at SEC Media Days
An air-conditioned Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham can often times prove to be just as hot and tiresome as the Alabama summer outside for SEC players and coaches, as they are peppered with questions from journalists during SEC Media Days.
The conference’s signature summer event will kick off Monday. In the past, players and coaches have been asked about anything from their choice in shoes to campus meal plans. While those questions are a natural part of the event, here are some of the questions SEC fans are burning to hear:
Can Alabama repeat?
Since arriving in 2007, Alabama head coach Nick Saban has led the Crimson Tide to four national championships. Success at Alabama has become a given to its fans, and so has titles.
The Tide enters the season as the odds-on favorite to win the title by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, which has Alabama at 5-1 followed by Michigan at 7-1. While Alabama appears to have the right pieces in place, the Tide will need to figure a few things out if it wants to be hoisting hardware at the end of the season.
On top of Alabama’s list will be finding a new quarterback after Jacob Coker’s graduation last season. First-year quarterbacks are a familiar sight for the Tide, which has seen a new person under center the past two seasons. Junior Cooper Bateman might be the Tide’s safest bet to earn the job, but Alabama has plenty of options in redshirt-freshman Blake Barnett, sophomore David Cornwell and freshman Jalen Hurts.
Alabama must also find a replacement for Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry, who led the Tide with 2,219 and 28 touchdowns on the ground last season. Leading the way this season will be a sophomore tandem of Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris. Last year, the duo combined for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, the Tide lost several playmakers to the draft, including A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed along with linebacker Reggie Ragland and cornerback Cyrus Jones. Just as in offense, the Tide isn’t short on talented players to restock the unit. The question is, how fast can new players gel to form another title run?
Can Auburn contend?
In the past two seasons, Auburn seems to be slipping further away from the team that finished 12-2 and came within 13 seconds of a national championship. An 8-5 season in 2014 followed by a 7-6 season last year might have Auburn coach Gus Malzahn on the hot seat heading into 2016.
If Malzahn is going to rediscover his early success with the Tigers, his first step will be to find the offense that made it work. Last season, Auburn averaged 22.1 points and 359.8 yards on offense, a far cry from 2013 when the Tigers averaged 39.5 points and 501.4 yards.
The Tigers failed to find any consistency at the quarterback position, as Jeremy Johnson and Sean White both struggled to take command behind center. This year, East Mississippi Community College transfer John Franklin III will join the mix, brining a self-reported 4.2 speed to the table. Auburn will also bring back its second leading rusher from last season in senior Jovon Robinson, who ran for 639 yards and three touchdowns on 117 carries.
If Auburn can replicate a one-two punch similar to that of Tre Mason, and Nick Marshall in 2013, the Tigers’ defense should be able to do the rest. Auburn returns potential high NFL draft picks on its defensive line with junior Carl Lawson senior Montravius Adams leading the way.
A lot will have to go right for the Tigers to return to glory, but Auburn fans are hoping their team has tools to create the perfect storm.
Who will be best in SEC West?
A team from the state of Alabama has represented the SEC West in seven of the past eight SEC championship games. That lone exception came during 2011, when LSU took the SEC title before ultimately losing to division foe Alabama in the national championship game.
This year, LSU looks poised for another run at the division crown. While Alabama enters the season as the favorite with 4-5 odds to win the West, LSU isn’t too far behind at 9-4 odds, followed by Auburn at 7-1, according to Bovada, an online betting service.
The biggest weapon the Bayou Bengals have is returning junior running back and Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette. Last season, Fournette rushed for 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns and was the leader for the Heisman until the Alabama defense held him to 31 yards on 19 carries in a 30-16 loss for the Tigers.
If LSU is going to find a way past Alabama, it will need more than just Fournette. LSU must get more production from a passing attack that ranked 105th in the nation last season, averaging just 180 yards a game. Junior Brandon Harris returns at quarterback after passing for 2,165 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions last season and will have his top two targets in junior Malachi Dupree and senior Travin Dural.
LSU will also host Alabama in Baton Rouge this season. The chances are there for the Tigers. The question is, will LSU take advantage of them?
Who’s the beast in the East?
It has been eight years since Tennessee made it to the SEC championship game. However, many predict the Volunteers to represent the SEC East in Atlanta this season.
The Vols come into this season as 4-5 favorites to win the East followed by Georgia at 2-1 and Florida at 9-2. Much of the hype behind Butch Jones’ squad stems from senior quarterback Joshua Dobb. The senior enters the year as an early contender for the Heisman trophy. Dobbs passed for 2,291 yards and 15 touchdowns with five interceptions last season, while rushing for 671 yards and 11 more touchdowns.
In Tennessee’s way is rival Georgia, who has a Heisman candidate of its own in junior running back Nick Chubb. Last season, Chubb rushed for 747 yards and seven touchdowns on 92 carries before injuring his knee against the Volunteers.
The Bulldogs also bring in former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as their head coach. Smart’s arrival has drummed up plenty of excitement among the Georgia faithful, who hope their new head coach can replicate his success with the Crimson Tide while restoring Georgia to a national title contender.
Both teams cannot afford to forget about defending division champion Florida in its second season under former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain. While the Gators will be replacing several key playmakers on offense and defense, expect McElwain to instill a chip on his players’ shoulders.
Who’s the SEC surprise?
With many departing playmakers and offseason distractions, it would be easy to count out Ole Miss from SEC title contention. The Rebels lose offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche. However, Ole Miss returns a Heisman contender in senior quarterback Chad Kelly, who passed for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns with 13 interceptions last season while rushing for 500 yards and 10 more scores.
If an inexperienced offensive line can give Kelly enough time in the backfield, the senior should be able to continue to wreak havoc on SEC defenses this season. Kelly still has senior Quincey Adeboyejo and junior Damore’ea Stringfellow to throw to and is thought by most to be the most dangerous quarterback in the conference.
The Rebels begin their SEC schedule with back-to-back challenges in Alabama and Georgia but will get to play both games in Oxford. If Ole Miss can start their SEC slate at 2-0, there is no telling how much noise it can make this year.
SEC REPRESENTATIVES
Here is a look at the representatives from each school on each day:
Monday
Auburn: Carl Lawson, Jr., DL; Montravius Adams, Sr., DL; Marcus Davis, Sr., WR
Florida: David Sharpe, Jr., OL; Jarrad Davis, Sr., LB; Marcus Maye, Sr., DB
Vanderbilt: Ralph Webb, Jr., RB; Zach Cunningham, Jr., LB; Oren Burks, Jr., LB
Tuesday
Georgia: Jeb Blazevich, Jr., TE; Brandon Kublanow, Sr., C/OG; Dominick Sanders, Jr., SS
Mississippi State: Richie Brown, Sr., LB; Fred Ross, Sr., WR; A.J. Jefferson, Sr., DL
Tennessee: Joshua Dobbs, Sr., QB; Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Sr., LB; Cameron Sutton, Sr., DB
Texas A&M: Myles Garrett, Jr., DL; Trevor Knight, Sr., QB; Ricky Seals‐Jones, Jr., WR
Wednesday
Alabama: Jonathan Allen, Sr., DL; O.J. Howard, Sr., TE; Eddie Jackson, Sr., DB
Arkansas: Brooks Ellis, Sr., LB; Deatrich Wise Jr., Sr., DL; Jeremy Sprinkle, Sr., TE
Kentucky: Jojo Kemp, Sr., RB; Courtney Love, Jr., LB; Jon Toth, Sr., C
Missouri: Sean Culkin, Sr., TE; Charles Harris, Jr., DE; Michael Scherer, Sr., LB
Thursday
South Carolina: Deebo Samuel, So., WR; Marquavius Lewis, Sr., DL; Mason Zandi, Sr., OL
Ole Miss: Chad Kelly, Sr., QB; Evan Engram, Sr., TE; D.J. Jones, Sr., DT
LSU: Leonard Fournette, Jr., RB; Ethan Pocic, Sr., C; Tre’Davious White, Sr., DB
This story was originally published July 9, 2016 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Tide, Auburn figure in top questions at SEC Media Days."