Following the conclusion of SEC media days at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Vols Wire looks at top quotes from head coaches. Top quotes from SEC head coaches on the main stage at media days are listed below.
Kickoff between the Vols and Cavaliers is slated for noon EDT at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. ABC will televise the season-opening matchup.
Tennessee’s 2023 home schedule has contests against Austin Peay, UTSA, South Carolina, Texas A&M, UConn, Georgia and Vanderbilt.
The Vols’ road schedule features games at Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri.
Ahead of the season kicking off, media voted on Southeastern Conference East and West division winners, as well as a league champion at media days. Voting results for a projected order of finish in 2023 are listed below.
2023 SEC preseason media voting results
East:
Georgia
Tennessee
South Carolina
Kentucky
Florida
Missouri
Vanderbilt
West:
Alabama LSU
Texas A&M
Ole Miss Arkansas Auburn
Mississippi State
The Vols will kick off its 2023 season on Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff between Tennessee and the Cavaliers is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC.
The 2023 season will be the third for Tennessee under Heupel. Heupel has compiled an 18-8 (10-6 SEC) record as the Vols’ head coach since 2021.
Below are photos and Heupel, Milton III, Thomas and Warren.
Heupel’s opening statement from the main stage is transcribed below.
“I’d like to welcome to you to mid-state and the city of Nashville,” Heupel said. “Hope you guys have had a great week here, enjoying some music, enjoying Broadway and having some fun. This city and this area of the state, mid-state, is extremely important to the success of Tennessee. It’s a big part of our past success, as well, and a lot of great Vol fans and former players that call this place home, and so excited to see them. It’s fitting that we are here today for SEC media day, because in 44 days we get an opportunity to kick off against Virginia right here in Nissan Stadium. Looking forward to seeing everybody in Vol nation show up in droves for that ballgame.
“As I was getting ready for today, you know, just started writing down some notes last night and really started to reflect just on the past two years and what has transpired inside of our program at our university, and where we’re come in such a short amount of time. When I took over two years ago, there was so much uncertainty that surrounded our program in late January, and because of the connection and accountability and the love and trust we’ve built inside of the building with our players and staff, we’ve been able to climb relatively quickly, but to go back to that time, you know, we were a program that entered that fall with only 65 scholarships, the uncertainty of an investigation that was taking place on our campus. I said in a room just like this two years ago that it would be a speed bump for the program, our football program, and a few days ago, we found out that that certainly was the case. We have navigated it in such a positive way because of the leadership that we have. Phenomenal leadership on our campus from President (Randy) Boyd to Chancellor (Donde) Plowman to our athletic director. We have been transparent and real, and been able to close that narrative on our program and move forward. I’m not sure that there’s a better time to be a Vol. You look at the trajectory of our football program, what’s happened over the last two years and where we are going, and the energy and excitement that surrounds our building every day, our fan base, Vol nation across the country, but the success happening in each and every sport that resides inside of our athletic department. Phenomenal leadership with coaches and great student athletes that do things the right way.”
Tennessee will kick off its 2023 season Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Kickoff between the Vols and Cavaliers is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC.
SEC media days: Josh Heupel discusses AI becoming a resource in college football
Southeastern Conference media days concluded Thursday at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tennessee’s Josh Heupel was the final SEC head coach to speak on the main stage at media days.
Heupel was asked about the emergence of artificial intelligence and how it can factor into college football programs and in recruiting.
“AI is infiltrating so many different areas from business, I’m sure in sport, too,” Heupel said. “Eventually it becomes a resource probably for everybody inside of college football.
“You know, how quickly that part takes inside of our program, I can’t give you an answer on, but I’m sure that at some point it will.”
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was the final SEC head coach to speak on the main stage at media days. Tennessee student-athletes Joe Milton III, Omari Thomas and Jacob Warren also represented the Vols at media days.
The Vols will kick off their 2023 season on Sept. 2 versus Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff between Tennessee and the Cavaliers is slated for noon EDT and will be televised by ABC.
The 2023 season will be the third for Tennessee under Heupel.
Below is social media buzz from the Vols’ SEC media days appearance in Nashville.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin discusses the transfer portal and AI at SEC media days.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin kicked off the final day of Southeastern Conference media days at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday.
Kiffin was asked about using artificial intelligence for recruiting and the NCAA transfer portal in the future.
“Well, I’m the first to say up here, when I know a lot about an area, I’m going to answer, if I don’t, I don’t,” Kiffin said. “The artificial intelligence and using that in recruiting, I don’t know about that. I can give you coach-speak and pretend that I do.”
Artificial intelligence could help with challenges of forming a roster each offseason with recruiting, graduate transfers, the NCAA transfer portal and junior college transfers. AI could expedite a coaching staff finding student-athletes that fit their football program, scheme and philosophies.
“The challenge on the roster is because of the different windows that you don’t know what you have,” Kiffin said about the transfer portal era in college football. “You don’t know what you’re losing. I mean, think about it this way, imagine in professional sports — really, I’m going to give you another window because grad transfers can still leave. They can leave in training camp. Imagine like in professional sports, which again, we are — so as far as it is with players, that you’re coaching a player in camp, and then you know what, I don’t like the way you’re coaching me. I graduated, so I’m going to go. I’m going to go play for another team. Teams know that. People, pre-portal, they know who is going in and who has graduated, and they are dealing with that, too. That really messes kids up. It’s really challenging for a kid. He’s working out with his team in the offseason, but then other schools are calling him about going there, and him being fully invested when the strength coach yells at me or I don’t like where I’m at on the depth chart, and I can go, I can leave. That’s not a good set up.
“I feel like in college sports, we usually always look at professional sports like, let’s learn. They are usually ahead of us when it comes to systems and rules of the play on game day, so we usually copy them, and in this situation, it’s like, they have this model that works about free agency windows, about long-term contracts, again, like I said, look at all those great players, they just leave any time during training camp, and for whatever reason, our model is not at all near theirs. It’s very difficult, and you’ve got dynamics in locker rooms. Again, these players talk, they know what players get paid and you’ve got dynamics around the country of, oh, I’ve been here, I’d made these plays and that guy just got here and he’s going to make more money than me? Again, not a good setup.”
Kiffin served as Tennessee’s head coach in 2009, compiling a 7-6 (4-4 SEC) record.
Brian Kelly on AI in college football
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly at Southeastern Conference media days on July 17, 2023 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
LSU head coach Brian Kelly discussed artificial intelligence in college football on Monday at SEC media days.
“It’s an intriguing opportunity,” Kelly said. “I think there’s room for it. I think it has some intriguing opportunities in recruiting. We spend a lot of time on profiles, recruiting profiles and the intangibles or the traits that we’re looking for particular players.
“I think AI has an opportunity, maybe to create that kind of model for us relative to who is that kind of player out there all over the country, without making a mistake. I think that there’s going to be room for it, and I think it’s exciting and something that we’re about to venture into.”
“You know, really, at this point, I have no reaction,” Stoops said. “That was two years ago and I’ve moved way beyond that, so no disrespect, but I just don’t have anything.
“I don’t know much about it, and worried about my own backyard, so it is what it is. I have no control over that.”
Kentucky will play host to Tennessee on Oct. 28 at Kroger Field. Tennessee defeated the Wildcats, 44-6, in 2022 at Neyland Stadium.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, Florida head coach Billy Napier and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops discussed their teams from the main stage on Wednesday.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, Florida head coach Billy Napier and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops discussed their teams from the main stage on Wednesday. Student-athletes from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky also attended.
