Tag: SEC Media Days

Todd Golden ‘not satisfied’ with Florida basketball’s preseason ranking

Gators men’s basketball head coach Todd Golden using the No. 21 preseason ranking as a “starting point” for upcoming season.

The Florida men’s basketball season is just over two weeks away, and anticipation is building as the program gears up for what promises to be an exciting year.

Head coach Todd Golden is heading into his third season with the Gators and after an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, the men’s basketball team looks to build upon that this year.

Florida earned the No. 21 spot in the preseason AP poll, marking the first time since 2019 that the Gators entered the season ranked in the top 25.

“Yeah, I think it says that we’re on the right track,” Golden said about the ranking at SEC media days. “As you said, we’re not spending a whole lot of time applauding ourselves on being ranked 21st. Like I said, we appreciate the respect that we’re receiving from the AP, and it means a lot to us.”

Golden emphasized that the Gators aren’t content with their No. 21 ranking, viewing it instead as “a starting point” for the season ahead.

“We’re using that as a starting point, but we’re not satisfied with that being our final ranking,” Golden said. “But now going into year three, we feel like being ranked there and then having the opportunity to maybe advance in the tournament if we do what we’re capable of will be the right trajectory for what this program needs and what it deserves. It’s a nice honor, but we’re not satisfied with that.”

As the season-opener approaches, the team’s focus is on building chemistry, staying competitive and climbing past their preseason ranking. For Golden and his players, this is just the start—they have their sights set on a deep run in March.

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‘SEC Tipoff ’25’ Basketball Media Days lineups announced

The Florida Gators men’s team take the podium at this year’s SEC Tipoff ’25 around lunchtime Tuesday while the women go first on Wednesday morning.

The Southeastern Conference announced the schedule for this year’s college basketball media days “SEC Tipoff ’25” event on Tuesday, which is set to take place in Birmingham, Alabama, on Oct. 15 and Oct. 16.

The men’s teams will be featured on Tuesday, with all 16 members schools taking their turns at the podium from 10 a.m. ET to 6:45 p.m. ET. The women take the spotlight on Wednesday but will run from 10 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET.

The Florida Gators men’s team will take over from 12:25 p.m. ET to 2:20 p.m. ET, with head coach Todd Golden along with Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin representing the Orange and Blue.

The women go first the following day from 10 a.m. ET to 11:45 a.m. ET, with skipper Kelly Rae Finley along with Laila Reynolds and Jeriah Warren carrying Florida’s banner.

How to watch SEC Tipoff’25

SEC Network will once again bring the two-day event to a national audience with live coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET each day. Note the times in the table below are in CT.

Tuesday, Oct. 15: Men’s Basketball

Time (CT) Team
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. REGISTRATION
9:00 – 11:00 a.m. SOUTH CAROLINA (Lamont Paris, Collin Murray-Boyles, Nick Pringl)
9:00 – 11:05 a.m. GEORGIA (Mike White, Silas Demary Jr., RJ Godfrey)
9:20 – 11:25 a.m. TENNESSEE (Rick Barnes, Jahmai Mashack & Zakai Zeigler)
9:40 – 11:40 a.m. MISSISSIPPI STATE (Chris Jans, Josh Hubbard, Cameron Matthews)
11:00 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. KENTUCKY (Mark Pope, Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson)
11:20 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. LSU (Matt McMahon, Cam Carter, Jalen Reed)
11:05 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. AUBURN (Bruce Pearl, Johni Broome, Denver Jones)
11:25 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. FLORIDA (Todd Golden, Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin)
12:55 – 2:55 p.m. TEXAS A&M (Buzz Williams, Anderson Garcia, Hayden Hefner)
1:10 – 3:20 p.m. VANDERBILT (Mark Byington, AJ Hoggard, Tyler Nickel)
1:30 – 3:35 p.m. ALABAMA (Nate Oats, Mark Sear, Latrell Wrightsell Jr.)
1:30 – 3:40 p.m. OKLAHOMA (Porter Moser, Sam Godwin, Jalon Moore)
2:30 – 4:35 p.m. ARKANSAS (John Calipari, Johnell Davis, Adou Thiero)
2:50 – 5:00 p.m. MISSOURI (Dennis Gates, Mark Mitchell, Tony Perkins)
3:10 – 5:15 p.m. TEXAS (Rodney Terry, Tre Johnson, Kadin Shedrick)
3:30 – 5:45 p.m. OLE MISS (Chris Beard, Jaylen Murray, Sean Pedulla)

Wednesday, Oct. 16: Women’s Basketball

Time (CT) Team
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. REGISTRATION
9:00 – 10:45 a.m. FLORIDA (Kelly Rae Finley, Laila Reynolds, Jeriah Warren)
9:00 – 10:45 a.m. AUBURN (Johnnie Harris, Taylen Collins, DeYona Gaston)
9:45 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. GEORGIA (Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, Asia Avinger, Roxane Makolo)
10:00 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. MISSISSIPPI STATE (Sam Purcell, Jerkaila Jordan, Debreasha Powe)
10:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. KENTUCKY (Kenny Brooks, Georgia Amoore, Dazia Lawrence)
10:50 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. TEXAS A&M (Joni Taylor, Aicha Coulibaly, Lauren Ware)
12:20 – 2:00 p.m. TEXAS (Vic Schaefer, Madison Booker, Rori Harmon)
12:20 – 2:00 p.m. TENNESSEE (Kim Caldwell, Sara Puckett, Jewel Spear)
12:25 – 2:30 p.m. OKLAHOMA (Jennie Baranczyk, Payton Verhulst, Skylar Vann)
12:40 – 3:05 p.m. ARKANSAS (Mike Neighbors, Cristina Sanchez Cerqueira, Izzy Higginbottom)
1:45 – 3:30 p.m. SOUTH CAROLINA (Dawn Staley, Sania Feagin, Raven Johnson)
2:00 – 4:15 p.m. VANDERBILT (Shea Ralph, Iyana Moore, Jordyn Oliver)
3:15 – 5:00 p.m. ALABAMA (Kristy Curry, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Aaliyah Nye)
3:15 Р5:00 p.m. LSU (Kim Mulkey, Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow)
3:55 – 5:55 p.m. MISSOURI Robin Pingeton, Ashton Judd, Grace Slaughter)
4:15 – 6:00 p.m. OLE MISS (Yolett McPhee-McCuin, KK Deans, Tameiya Sadler)

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Alabama attendees announced for 2025 SEC Basketball media days

SEC Basketball media days will take place later this month.

As the 2024-25 college basketball season draws near, so do the 2025 SEC Basketball media days on October 15-16 in Birmingham, Alabama.

After making the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance, the Alabama Crimson Tide will be an often talked about team at this year’s event, as the program is expected to be among the nation’s best entering the season.

On October 15, the Crimson Tide will send head coach Nate Oats to SEC media days, along with a pair of players in guards Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr.. The trio will be available from 1:30-3:35 p.m. CT.

The Alabama women’s basketball team will also be represented at 2025 SEC media days on October 16 in Birmingham.

Representing the program will be head coach Kristy Curry, as well as players Sarah Ashlee Barker and Aaliyah Nye. The trio will be available from 3:15-5 p.m. CT.

Both days will also be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network, with action in Birmingham happening throughout both days.

Oklahoma duo named to Bednarik Award watch list

Pair of Sooners named to the Bednarik Award watch list.

Preseason [autotag]watch list[/autotag] season rolls right along this summer, as we count down the days to the beginning of the 2024 college football season. The Oklahoma Sooners kick things off in less than three weeks. They’ll host the Temple Owls on Friday, August 30.

As OU enters the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], Sooner fans are as excited about the defensive side of the ball as they’ve been in a long, long time. Under third-year head coach and defensive maven [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], that unit looks to finally be capable of playing up to the Oklahoma standard.

Star power and veteran leadership are certainly part of the reason why. The offseason returns of linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] meant the Sooners would have no shortage of experience at two key spots. That’s doubly important as OU breaks in new defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag].

Stutsman and Bowman had already been named to the Bronco Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list, but the duo wasn’t done.

The pair was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list on Monday. The Bednarik Award is given to the best defensive player in college football. The award is named in honor of Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik, who was an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania and later an All-Pro linebacker and center in the NFL. He is a member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Oklahoma has one previous winner of the award, which was created in 1995. [autotag]Teddy Lehman[/autotag], one of Venables’ finest pupils at linebacker, took home the trophy in 2003.

Stutsman was 15th in the nation in tackles for loss last season, averaging 1.3 per game. He was Oklahoma’s lifeblood and the team’s leader. He was named a second-team Walter Camp All-American and a third-team AP All-American while tallying over 100 tackles for the second straight year.

Bowman was a nightmare in the secondary for opposing offensive coordinators. Three pick-six touchdowns accompanied his six total interceptions last year, making him one of the most dangerous defensive backs in all of college football.

The 2021 classmates have stepped into leadership roles for the Sooners, joining Venables and sophomore starting quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] at [autotag]SEC media days[/autotag] last month.

If Oklahoma wants to get back to playing dominating, suffocating defense, Stutsman and Bowman will need to continue leading the way. The Sooners have a chance to be special on that side of the ball in 2024, but they won’t be able to get there without their two Bednarik Award watch list stars.

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Montrell Johnson Jr. ready to take on increased workload in 2024

Montrell Johnson Jr. enters the 2024 season as Florida’s primary running back after two years of splitting carries with Trevor Etienne.

It feels like [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] has been the guy at running back for Florida since Billy Napier took over in the Swamp, but 2024 will be the first time he truly enters the season as Florida’s primary running back.

Despite impressing as a true freshman under [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] at Louisiana, Johnson spent his sophomore year splitting carries with first-year rusher [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] and mobile quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]. Johnson led the team with 155 carries in 2022, but Etienne (118) and Richardson (103) clearly ate into his workload.

He split carries with Etienne again in 2023, ending the year with 152 carries. Etienne’s workload increased by 23 carries despite playing two fewer games than the year before.

With Etienne at Georgia now, Johnson is set to receive the lion’s share of Florida’s handoffs.

“I expect to get the ball more coming in the future, this next season,” Johnson said at the SEC Media Days. “I’m not too worried about (the offense losing Etienne), because I feel like I can hold the load on my own and just go out there and make sure I play mistake-free football.”

That kind of confidence is necessary to face the kind of schedule Florida has in front of it. The SEC schedule is tough enough, but adding matchups against Florida State, Miami and UCF means the Gators will face the toughest schedule in the country this fall.

“The locker room is very exciting,” he said. “With this upcoming schedule, I feel like the guys are using it as motivation and looking at it as 12 opportunities to prove ourselves to the nation.”

Johnson is also looking to expand on his pass-catching game since he’ll be in the backfield more often. After finishing his sophomore year with 58 yards on 12 catches, Johnson hauled in 30 passes for 236 yards last season. His receiving touchdown total stayed put at just one, but there’s been a clear effort to improve in that area.

“I want to catch more balls in the backfield and just get in space more. I just show my ability to, you know, make the first defender miss stuff like that.

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Paul Finebaum thinks the Sooners are on their way back to the top

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum continues to praise Brent Venables and the Sooners.

The toughest conference in college football only gets more difficult in 2024. The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns officially became members of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] on July 1. The SEC has long been the sports’ strongest league and now adds two of college football’s top ten programs of all time. The Sooners and Longhorns join an already impressive list of teams that the [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag] has under its umbrella.

Some national analysts believe that Steve Sarkisian’s Texas team is more “SEC-ready” than [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and Oklahoma. Sarkisian has been in Austin a year longer than Venables has been in Norman. He’s had more time to build the program his way than his rival has. Texas went to the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] last year and won the conference title, while OU settled for an Alamo Bowl berth, missing the conference championship game.

While not everyone believes that Oklahoma is lagging behind, most of the national media has the ‘Horns in the driver’s seat heading into the SEC.

ESPN College Football analyst Paul Finebaum is one such media member. The SEC expert and host of “The Paul Finebaum Show” thinks the Longhorns are in a better spot than the Sooners at this point in time. However, Finebaum said on his show Monday that he thinks OU will turn the tide. One of his callers asked if the Longhorns were ahead coming into the season, and Finebaum agreed, while also praising the job being done at Oklahoma.

“In this moment, it’s accurate,” Finebaum said. “I say this after having spent a couple of trips to Norman, but I don’t think it’s going to remain this way. I really like what I’m seeing out there.”

There’s a sense that Texas is trending upward, improving significantly each year under Sarkisian, following the Charlie Strong and Tom Herman debacles. There’s also a sense that Oklahoma is on a downward trend, after winning six straight Big 12 titles from 2015 to 2020 and making four trips to the Playoff in five years from 2015 to 2019. The Sooners haven’t done either in each of the last three seasons. Their last conference title game appearance was in 2020.

But, despite OU bottoming out in Venables’ first year at the helm to the tune of a 6-7 record in a rebuilding year in 2022, the Sooners bounced back in 2023 to go 10-3. While the questions about how they’ll hold up in the brutal SEC are fair, Finebaum went on to say that he thinks that Oklahoma is on its way back and doesn’t think there’s a downward spiral occurring anymore.

Finebaum has been very complimentary of Venables and the program in recent weeks. Multiple times, he’s praised the way the head coach is building things in Norman, and they way he’s turned the program around from where it was when he arrived. He stated that he believes Venables is ready for success and sustained winning because of the way he’s gone about changing the football team.

Oklahoma’s consistent success is an advantage they have over Texas. The Longhorns spent nearly fifteen years trying to be “back” and saw the Sooners continue to dominate the Big 12 in that timeframe. First impressions are lasting impressions, however, and it would benefit OU greatly if they made an early statement for their time in the SEC with a strong 2024 season.

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Danny Stutsman ranked the sixth-best linebacker in the nation by College Football News

Danny Stutsman’s return in 2024 could prove to be very fruitful for Brent Venables and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] returns for a fourth season in college football with plenty of national hype.

Stutsman was named a preseason Walter Camp first-team All-American earlier this month and made the preseason first-team all-conference squad in the SEC last week. He represented OU at [autotag]SEC media days[/autotag] and part of his reason for returning to college was to get a chance to show his stuff in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] this year.

The recognition keeps rolling in for Stutsman. He appeared on College Football News’ list of the Top 25 linebackers in college football. Oklahoma’s emotional leader came in at No. 6 in the rankings. That placed him as the second-best linebacker in the SEC, behind only LSU‘s Harold Perkins.

Stutsman led the Sooners with 104 tackles in 2023, including 16 for a loss. He had three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery last year, as well as his pick-six against Tulsa. He also had three pass breakups in coverage. This all came in a little over ten games, as he missed a portion of the Kansas loss and all of the Oklahoma State loss with an injury.

Oklahoma went 10-1 last season in games Stutsman started and finished. If he’d been healthy for all twelve regular season games, there’s no telling where OU’s season might have gone in 2023. Brent Venables needed a player like Stutsman to help lead the Sooners out of the Big 12 and into the SEC, and a fully-developed Stutsman should be a joy to watch against college football’s best conference.

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247Sports’ Josh Pate lays out two critical weeks for Oklahoma this season

The Sooners will be thrown into the fire right away in the SEC in late-September.

When the news broke three years ago that the Oklahoma Sooners were leaving the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] and moving to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], fans were excited for new matchups and the challenge of a tougher schedule.

In December when the schedules were released, OU fans learned their new conference didn’t do their favorite team any favors. The Sooners’ inaugural SEC schedule is a brutal one.

The Sooners were picked to finish eighth in the SEC by the media during  [autotag]SEC media days[/autotag]. It’s certainly not the first time OU has been doubted coming into a season, but seeing the number eight next to their name in a conference standings list is jarring, to say the least.

But according to Josh Pate, a college football expert for 247Sports, Oklahoma is right at home in needing to prove the doubters wrong. The host of “The Late Kick with Josh Pate” explained the unique attitude of the Sooner fan base and laid out where he thinks OU’s pivotal point of the season is while on “The Next Round,” an SEC-focused podcast.

“There are some fan bases out there that claim that they want you to doubt them and disrespect them, but as soon as you do, they trash you,” Pate said. “Oklahoma’s folks actually do love this stuff. Oklahoma’s folks have gotten so used to being doubted every year against Texas, even though they’re the better program and have been for a while, they actually embrace that stuff.”

Pate explained that if he was affiliated with the OU program or fan base, he’d have faith in what the folks in charge of the storied football program are doing. He thinks Sooner fans are accustomed to feeling like their team is being undervalued nationally.

“Go in there and earn it is their attitude. I’d feel the same way,” Pate said.

Then Pate proceeded to plant his flag on a crucial portion of Oklahoma’s schedule in 2024. The Sooners host Tennessee on Sept. 21 before a trip to Auburn on Sept. 28. Following that are a bye week and the [autotag]Red River Shootout[/autotag] matchup on Oct. 12.

“That Week 4 game against Tennessee … that’s my sleeper game of the year,” Pate said. “They’ve got Week 4 against Tennessee, they go to Auburn Week 5. That’s their season, before they ever play Texas. That two-week stretch determines whether they’re gonna be a real factor in this thing (the SEC title picture) or not.”

Oklahoma’s schedule is certainly a snake pit this season, and it will not get any easier in 2025. But, breaking it up into mini-seasons can help fans stay optimistic about taming the daunting task in front of [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team.

If Oklahoma can navigate this portion of the season that Pate thinks is pivotal and be 5-0 heading to Dallas to face the Longhorns, the Sooners could set themselves up for success in their first season in the SEC.

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Five Georgia Bulldogs named to All-SEC preseason defense

Five Georgia players as well as two former Bulldogs were selected as preseason all-SEC players, including three on the first team.

With the conclusion of SEC Media Days, the official All-SEC preseason teams as voted on by members of the media were released on Friday morning. Among the players selected to the defensive team are five Georgia Bulldogs’ players, down from eight a season ago.

Three Bulldogs were selected for the first-team, giving Georgia a total of six first team selections, which is the highest among SEC teams. Defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse was one of four defensive linemen chosen, alongside Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, and Kentucky’s Deone Walker. At linebacker, Mykel Williams joined LSU’s Harold Perkins, Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman, and Alabama’s Deontae Lawson. Rounding out the Bulldogs’ first team selections was superstar safety Malaki Starks, joining Alabama’s Malachi Moore at the position.

Linebacker Smael Mondon was the lone Bulldog defender on the second team, while cornerback Daylen Everette was selected for the third team. Two former Bulldog players were also included, with LSU safety Major Burns and Kentucky linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson making the second and third team, respectively. Punter Brett Thorson was also selected to the second team on special teams.

[lawrence-related id=103311,103235]

Overall, the Bulldogs had 15 players across the all-conference selections, coming in second only to Alabama with 16.

Dylan Sampson enters 2024 season as strong leader for Tennessee

Running back Dylan Sampson enters the 2024 season as a strong leader for Tennessee football.

Tennessee will kick off its 2024 football season on Aug. 31 versus Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium (12:45 p.m. EDT, SEC Network).

Running back Dylan Sampson enters his third season with the Vols.

At SEC media days, fourth-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel discussed Sampson’s role for the upcoming season.

“He will have increased opportunities,” Heupel said. “He’s a guy, from the moment that he got there, had great feel, pace and vision. He’s done a great job with the ball in his hands and out of his hands. He’s become a really good pass protector. He’s got the ability to help you in your return game, as well.

“After his freshman year, his ability to impact his teammates, Dylan is one of the strongest leaders that we have inside of our locker room. Just a dynamic personality that isn’t afraid to call on his teammates and make sure that they’re meeting the standards. He’s going to have a great year for us.”

Sampson made his first career start in Tennessee’s win against Iowa in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

The 5-foot-11, 201-pound junior totaled 1,001 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 20 receptions, one receiving touchdown and 24 kick return yards from 2022-23.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire