Boomo Bugg Show 072026 (3 HR Special SEC Media Days)

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us your ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in and welcome back. You did mention SEC Media Day's return next year to Nashville.

Thank God and Graham for that, my friend. And, BB, before we get into all the X's and O's and the Jimmys and Joes, let's give a big tip of the station for the folks who have to make this possible. Yeah, in particular, Harold, our title and touchdown sponsors, Johnson Pansura Medley and Virtual Attorneys, Cypress Creek Indoor Range, Gardner Pierce Autos and Lost Pizza are the title sponsors. Our touchdown sponsors, Lindsey and Wagner, for the second consecutive year. Title Towel at Whitwell Sports and Curtis Restaurant. Both Whitwell and Title Towel and Curtis have been sponsors of Media Days for eight years, and we tremendously appreciate the support.

Echo those sentiments. And, obviously, we are here. They are there. Before we get into all the stuff as far as the people, a lot of folks are saying, why Tampa? And let's just jump in right off the top, BB. You mentioned it's coming back to Nashville next season. Do what you want, Greg Sankey. Do what you want, League. But Tampa has no business hosting an SEC media event. If you're going to go to Florida, go to Gainesville, even Orlando would be closer. This is all about money.

I'm not going to be critical of Greg Sankey. He's a businessman. But I wish they would stop the hypocrisy. This is now a business that's always been that way. But just take the veneer off and just say this is a money decision because there's no reason this thing should be in Tampa, Florida, in my opinion. Well, Tampa is a great sports town, Harold. Yep. But it's not centrally located for the SEC schools. Nashville is. Hoover is. Even Atlanta, they are centrally located. Now, again, I appreciate what Tampa's done.

The SEC men's basketball tournament has been in Tampa twice in the last 30 years. But if you're looking for convenience for every school, and, again, I know this is not next door, but Nashville, Hoover, and Atlanta are much closer. Let's say, obviously, the day started with Oklahoma. And in all due respect to Venables, they came out and had the icebreakers, the funny jokes and all that stuff. But, quite frankly, I didn't learn a whole lot from Venables, did you? Not really. I do think they're going to be a good team.

I think what everybody remembers last year, Harold, was Oklahoma going 4-0 and beating Tennessee and Alabama and then Missouri at home. John Mateer is going to go a long way in telling us how they do this year. Again, David Stone, they've got a very good defense. David Stone, Tyler Wynn, Kip Lewis. Now, Tate Sandell is back as a kicker. Yeah, he's that kicker that missed two field goals in the last three minutes against Alabama. Oklahoma plays Michigan, Georgia, and Texas on the road. That is going to be tough.

Oklahoma's got a very good defense. Again, I think John Mateer is going to be the difference in this team, Harold. I think Oklahoma has a very good season. I don't know if they can match last year's record. See, that's the thing about it. Everybody talks about Indiana and well-respected and well-earned last year, but I still maintain if you have to play, if you have to box Muhammad Ali 12 rounds every match, that's different than going up against you and me. It's a whole lot different. By the end of the year, you're just either tired, got key injuries.

Again, all due respect to Indiana, but that is as tough a schedule as you can get. But I agree, Oklahoma should be in the running, and I think the one thing that I liked about Venables was he came in as a highly regarded defensive coordinator off Davos' staff at Clemson. And I think now we're starting to see Venables be the head coach because you can sit here. We saw how many times we've seen this over the years with Mike DuBois, the example in Alabama, great defensive coordinator.

I don't think he was ever cut out to be the head coach of an ACC team, certainly not at Alabama. But I think Venables is starting to get into to get his swag as far as a head coach. It's been a learning on the job. Now, some people say the same thing about Helen DeBoer, but Helen DeBoer was a head coach much longer than Brent Venables has been. I think Brent Venables has learned, had a coach in the league. I tell you somebody who has helped him, Harold is his general manager, coming in with the senior bowl.

[5:36] They've done a very good job as far as helping put together a better roster. They've got three 300-pounders up front on that defensive line. So, again, I think he's still learning, Harold. But no question, year three was much better than year two for Brent Venables. Also taking to the podium today, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz. And before we get into some of the – and I appreciate it. Now, unlike Venables, if you don't want to know something, don't ask Drinkwitz. He'll tell you. We'll get into the specifics on that in a second.

But do you know who the offensive coordinator is going to be? And don't answer right now, B.B., okay? The offensive coordinator for Missouri this year, I'll give you a little hint. If you know Madison, Alabama, and Bob Jones, if you know UNA football, if you know Florence, if you know Gester, if you know Colbert Heights, if you know Auburn and Michigan's offensive coordinator over the years, you know Missouri's offensive coordinator this season. Maybe a guy with roots to our neck of the woods. Well, it's Chip Lindsey, Harold.

He's very familiar with North Alabama, very familiar with high school scene, very familiar with college football. I think he's going to help them. The Missouri defense last year, Harold, eighth in the nation. They only allowed 277 yards, fewer than 19 points a game. They had 30 sacks, but they were dead last in the SEC in passing, only throwing for 188 per game. Of course, when you can turn around and hand off to Ahmaud Hardy, and Eli Drinkwith kind of skipped around that. He said, look, he's progressing, and when you get shot, thank God I've never been shot, and I don't know what the recovery process is.

But Missouri ran for 2,500 yards last year. They know their identity. They're going to run the ball, but I don't think there's any question with Austin Simmons, the former backup or the former quarterback at Ole Miss, before he got hurt. If the offense can match the defense, I think Missouri's going to have a good season. Did you say run the ball, or did you say run the ball? For Missouri, it's run the ball. Oh, okay, so make sure. You mentioned Hardy. A lot of folks who don't follow this as closely as we do, they might have missed that.

This young man was a star last year, and then he went from the highest of highs on the field to probably some of the lowest of lows off the field. He was shot, baby, in Mississippi. Yeah, he was at a party in May and was unfortunately shot. There was obviously an issue there as far as an argument, domestic quarrel, whatever it was, but got shot. Missouri's been a little tight-lipped about this. I understand there are HIPAA laws, and you've got to follow those. But according to insiders, he should be ready for the season.

So we mentioned Drinkwiz. He came out, and right off the bat, I don't know if you saw his opening comments, but he said, where's the buzz? This is Tampa. Where's the buzz? I just think that's what happens. If you don't go to an NCC area like Hoover or Nashville, there's always going to have to be some of it, because Tampa is a big area. They've got all kinds of stuff. They've got NFL. They've got hockey. So it's not necessarily a college town. Just ask the coach at Auburn now compared to where he is as far as Auburn's got more of a fervor than Tampa does in terms of college football, I would imagine.

But he also said, in effect, when asked directly about his thoughts about the commissioner, and any time you hear somebody say this, well, I don't want to get in trouble with him, but he's not a fan of basically, in effect, as I discerned it anyway, BB. Supplicitly, he said the commissioner went out and made a lot of good deals that have the potential of making a lot of money, and like a lot of folks in business, they will go out and arrange the deals, and then they put it on you to do the work while they go play and cash the checks.

In a way, that's kind of what Drinkwitz was saying in a roundabout way as I took it. Well, Drinkwitz, Harold, has no problem stating what's on his mind. Now, one thing he also mentioned this morning I thought was interesting. He said SEC coaches that I have talked with that come in from Drinkwitz already regret moving to a nine-game conference schedule. Well, one of the reasons is, again, this was based on moving to 16 teams, not 24, but that the coaches would have two bye weeks. This year, they've only got one.

You know what else? They've got five road games. Well, that's certainly some of it, but the nine conference games this year with only one bye, when you get into November, Harold, and Missouri's schedule in November is Texas at home at Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. That's a tough inning, but I do agree with him. Only one bye. That's going to be tough with an additional conference game. I think I saw the schedule. Alabama's off the schedule, right, with Missouri? Yes. Yes. Okay. Speaking of Alabama, it's always fun.

[11:01] On day one, ESPN has all these analytics, as they call it, as far as chances of winning the conference, chances of winning a national championship, and the chances, percentage-wise, of making the playoffs. In the case of Alabama and Auburn, as my memory serves me right now, see if you agree or disagree. Alabama has a 10% chance of winning the SEC championship. Auburn, a 1%. Alabama, as far as a national championship, they have a 4% chance of winning a national championship. Folks, don't throw the bricks at us, says Bill Curry.

This is the analytics from the brain trusts at ESPN, 4%, but a 41% chance of making the playoffs, B.B. Do you agree with those numbers? Well, I would agree closer to the 41% instead of the 10%. Harold, again, and I've talked about this the entire summer, the fact that Alabama doesn't have a veteran quarterback coming back, but Ty Simpson was coming back, Parker Browsford was coming back, Cain Proctor was coming back. I think their percentage of winning the conference and getting in the playoffs would be much higher. Again, we've got to see how it goes.

I do think Alabama's offensive line is going to be better. Are they going to be able to run the frigging ball better, as we've talked about during the summer? But, again, when you just look at it on paper, who they've got coming back, I can see why national prognosticators would be a little leery giving Alabama a high percentage of making the playoffs or even the championship game. But remember what Phil Steele mentioned last week, Alabama's his surprise team in the nation. So, Missouri runs the ball.

What was it again for Alabama running the ball? Run the frigging ball for Alabama. There's a big difference. I'll take your word for it. Obviously, four teams per day, you've done it right. We've got Oklahoma and Missouri clear on the table. Coming up, we're going to be talking about Tennessee a little bit later on. Quickly, before we go to the break, BB, any thoughts on what Tennessee's going to say this afternoon? Well, Heifel's going to be asked 14 times. He's going to be the quarterback. He's going to say, we don't know yet.

But, you know, will the defense be able to get oriented with the new defensive coordinator? I would think so. But he'll be asked repeatedly all nauseam about the quarterback situation. Tennessee will top off day one. But right before that, it will be the University of Kentucky. And the new kid on the block, Coach Will Stein. But first, we'll get the Kentucky thoughts from the man on the inside, Larry Vaught. See you straight ahead on day one of the NCC Media Days in Tampa, Florida. Stay with us.

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Now, back to the Boomo Bugg Show on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Totally agree with that. Thank you, James. Thank you very much. ACC Media Days kicking off down in Tampa, Florida. And it's also a pleasure for us to say hello, the man who knows who's coming up next better than anybody we know. Larry Vaught is busy there at Vaught's Views. 30 newspapers, I might mention. Also, a WPBK-FM show host, UK Sports Minute, and radio shows for Edge Media, WLAP Sunday morning, and also feature writer for Topps Magazine.

Larry Vaught, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing great. Appreciate you guys always having me. Yeah, man, we appreciate this. Nothing says SEC football better than Tampa, Florida, does it, Larry? I was going to say, I remember the first time the SEC basketball went there, and I thought, wow, that's strange enough and all. But I guess in today's world, nothing should surprise any of us anymore. Well, if you got the money, I got the time, as the old country song says. Larry, let's talk about your boy that's up next.

We've got two down, basically two to go, including, by the way, how's lunch going? It's always fun on opening day at the Media Days. It's the one day every media member shows up because it's a free lunch. Have you noticed that over the years, Larry? Yeah, media members don't miss many free days. No, no. Let's talk about the new kid on the block after lunch. It's Will Stein time, Kentucky, and the entourage from your neck of the woods takes to the stage. Your thoughts so far about how Will Stein's era is going in your neck of the woods.

[21:36] I don't think it could be going any better. I mean, he said all the right things, outdoing the right things. His high school recruiting went well when he first got the job. I think for players that will be with him this coming season. But it really went well for the players that he signed for the 2027 season. His transfer portal class seems really solid. I think you never know with transfer portal classes until you actually see him. Now, I mean, one thing I really do like and think you guys would appreciate, too, I mean, his coaching staff is so young.

He's so young. I mean, a couple of them could be my grandchildren. And a couple of them, you know, most of them could be my sons, easily. But when you go and the enthusiasm and passion that they have just every day. So I can't imagine what it's going to be like on game days or after a win or something like that. But that's one. And that's a knock on the guys that Mark had. Mark had that were really good coaches. They just were older. You know, these guys are, you know, the offensive line coach is only a couple of years older than a couple of his players.

It's just a different vibe about it. And part of it, when Mark Stoops got the job, there was hope, but not really excitement because the program was so far down. I think with Will Stein, there's more excitement because while Mark Stoops didn't have banner years the last couple of years, it's not like they weren't competitive or didn't have some good players at all. And now with the free agency, I guess free agency is what we're supposed to call it. But that's what it is. Yeah, you could rebuild a whole lot quicker than what Mark Stoops could.

So it's people here. I mean, it's kind of crazy. You kind of got to tell them, you know, you say, well, I think they could win. You know, I'm hoping they could win six games. They go, what is the matter with you? This team is way under. This team is way under. They're going to do this. They're going to do that. And I'm thinking, wow. And it's sort of like the excitement when Hal Mumming first got here because you thought, well, there's going to be an offense and maybe he can do what he's been able to do, except Hal had done it at Division II.

Now you've seen Will do it at Division I. But the difference is, Hal would like to, well, he was happy if he won 70-60. Will would be very happy with the 70, but he wants the other side to have a zero. So it's a subtler of having an emphasis on offense, an offensive-minded coach, but also likes defense. So that's what I'm kind of anxious to see how it's going to play out over the season. I mean, they are not a perfect team yet or by any means, but at least you see signs going forward.

He could do a really good job here, I think. Larry, let me ask you about the offensive line, the big blue wall. I know several years, and particularly late in Mark's tenure, in 2021, there was a big blue wall. It has not been the last couple of years, but they brought in Lance Hurd from Tennessee, Ole Salenon from Alabama, Price from Baylor, and Shabalo from Ohio State. Is this an improved line? Well, it better be for what they're paying. I bet. Now, I don't know if you guys are like me, but the part, and I know that I get this, oh, you're an old guy, you don't understand the world, and all I can, which is partially true, but offensive linemen are in such high demand.

That's right. Now, all of a sudden, Kentucky's got the third-rated offensive line by some folks because of what they went and got the transfer in the transfer pool. Well, if an offensive lineman is that good, do you let him leave your team? I mean, don't you give him whatever it takes to keep him? So, that's what I'm waiting to say. I mean, all these guys on paper stack up really well. They look good. I mean, they're huge. Let me just see how they play before I want to go out there and say they're the next best thing ever to come into Kentucky football because all these teams did let them leave.

That's right. Larry, if I'm looking up with his false views, Larry, let's circle back to what you said about the age of this staff and tell us what you think on this. I saw some of the talking heads this morning talking about the SEC now trying to break the string that the Big Ten has as far as national championships. Three years. I thought the point was made. He said not only has the SEC not won a national championship in three years, they haven't even played for one in three years.

And the question, obviously, to follow up to that is why this is speculation, nothing scientifically from a lab, but the speculation was that maybe the old model under Nick in that era of coaches were one way. The modern athlete, they couldn't care less if it's Alabama, Kentucky, Auburn, Tennessee. It's can I play, can I get rich, and can I get to the next league and make even more money? That seems to be the mindset. And back to what you said, maybe sometimes these younger coaches, they may lack experience, but we've seen the power of social media.

[26:40] We can love it, we can hate it, but it's real. Your thoughts just about some of those observations. Oh, I think you're exactly right. And, again, it's no knock against the older coaches and the way that they did things. It worked. It worked. But now times have just, h***, times have changed in high school. I mean, they just transfer left and right in high school. And, I mean, up here in Kentucky, we have the haves and the have-nots. I mean, you've got some schools that can just reach out and get anybody they want, and other schools are just like training grounds.

Or if you develop them as a freshman and sophomore, then they go up and go to somewhere because they think they can win a talk. It's like the Reds and the Yankees, right? Yeah. The Reds get them and develop them, the Yankees buy them. Yeah, it doesn't help them, you know, in the high schools, it doesn't help them get to college because they're still the same player. They just go to an all-star team instead of playing with the guys they grew up with. And I don't like it.

But, again, guys like Will Steyn, they do relate so well. And they've got so much energy. I don't know how they go out and recruit as much as what they do and the way they relate to what they do. But it's unbelievable. I mean, I took my 14-year-old grandson to the U.K. camp. He's a freshman football player up in northern Kentucky. And he went there. And the way they worked him out and spent time with him and did things with him and ran through the drills and talked to him after it was over, you'd have thought he's a five-star recruit getting ready to sign a $4 million contract.

In fact, I know we could sign right there if they wanted to go ahead and offer. But they're just that enthusiastic. And they were that way with all 200 kids that were at the camp, whether they were the five-star guys at the camp or my 14-year-old grandson just hoping to make it a high school team. But they're just different. And they all bond. Those coaches bond with each other. And they understand and use social media. I think that's the other thing you've got to be able to do.

You've got to not only accept it, you've got to be able to use it. And they are very, very good at using the social media. And I think, again, whether that should be part of it or not, it is. So whether we like it, you just have to accept it. And they do. Now, again, I don't know when any of those guys ever sleep. I don't know how they could ever sleep. Because, I mean, they're in that complex early morning. They're in the complex at night.

They're on social media. And, of course, I don't know how it is there in Alabama now. But two days ago, I counted. Kentucky has 72 staff members now on the football staff. Wow, 72. 72. That's almost more wise our husbands than Jennifer Lopez has had. I mean, it is. I mean, and they've got these duties listed for all of them. They've got the assistant to the assistant to the assistant quarterback coach. But I guess that's just the way of it. These are multi-million dollar corporations that they're running. That's exactly correct.

And they've got to have somebody to blame if it doesn't work. That's the way it works than it, right, Larry? Well, they've got plenty of them. It's my sister who did it. Blame her. Blame him. Yes, yes, yes. If things don't go well, you can fire us. I'm cleaning the house. I can get rid of 30 people. That's right. Absolutely. Larry, we look forward to hearing Will Stein a little bit later. I know a lot of people are excited coming in. Also, Jay Bateman coming in from Texas A&M is going to be interesting.

Also, by the way, tell us, where can we get on? Harold mentioned 30 newspapers. Vault's views is just literally iconic as far as a journalistic bastion of information. Larry, where can we get online and get all your great stuff? By the way, remind me, who's Kentucky playing the second game of the year? Oh, that might be one of the easier games of the year right there. Dude's got to get through the opener and got to get anybody hurt. And they got this team from Alabama or somewhere.

Yeah, Tuscaloosa, I think. We'll check it for you. Yeah, Tuscaloosa. I don't even remember where they were from. Coming up to play that second week. It's really funny up here. I mean, I would say in Kentucky right now, 7 out of 10 Kentucky fans already look at that game as a win. I mean, that's going to be Will Stein's first signature win. I mean, that's just kind of a given. Parties are already set up. It's going to be a hectic atmosphere. But you can follow me on Twitter or on X at ThoughtsFuse.

My website is ThoughtsFuse.com or YourSportsEdge.com. And that will link you to a lot of my work at different places. Only 7 out of 10 after 5 o'clock with all that bourbon up there. By the night, it would be 11 out of 10. Right, Larry? Hey, you kind of think you're being funny, but don't. The Stein magic is real right now. The Stein magic is real. And like I said, I hope eventually you guys get a chance to talk to him. He's really a young, energetic, enthusiastic guy that you'll really, really like.

Hey, enjoy it, Larry. Thanks so much for your time today. Anytime. Thank you, buddy. Larry Volk. Volk's Views. Coming up, Craig Stevenson on deck. Stay with us. Stay what? NCC Media Days in Tampa here on the Boomo Bugg Show. Hey, guys. Keith, the Cypress Creek Indoor Range. The Southeastern Conference is the best in the nation. They get that from commitment to facilities, the best equipment available, the best coaching staffs anywhere, and most importantly, the top athletes. If you're looking for the best gun store, shooting range, and training center in the area, you should expect the same.

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[36:56] Craig Stevenson knows all about it. He's busy there at AL.com, college sports managing producer there. Greg, welcome in. How's Tampa so far? Oh, pretty good. Thanks for having me on. Yeah, I came up here. It's kind of busy downstairs. Obviously, I came up here to my room. I was going to sit out on the balcony and talk to you guys. Got a little bit of a view of Tampa Bay out there. But I walked out. I'm only on the fifth floor, so I walked out, and the HVAC things are blowing like crazy.

So you wouldn't be able to hear me about sitting out there. One of the national championship days back in New Orleans for Alabama back in the day. And his thing is right there next to the Superdome in the hotel. Right. And the buzz was, we're sitting there, and the next day we said, anything happened overnight? And the guy, I forgot now who it was. He said, yeah, a bullet came through my window. He was like on the fifth floor from across the interstate on I-10. A bullet, some of those hoods over there, shot a bullet over the interstate through the window, and it landed at his feet.

So be careful down there, okay? That was my good friend, Tommy Hicks. There you go. Oh, Lord. Yeah, he was writing a story. And, you know, it was New Year's Eve, I think. So people were doing like those celebratory gunshots. And one went into his room. Yeah, it was crazy. So be careful. You don't even have the window. You have to throw in the balcony. So be careful. Your impressions so far, Craig? Yeah, you know, just getting started, obviously. We've had Greg Sankey, the commissioner, and then Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri, and Brent Venables of Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Kentucky, or the afternoon session, which has started probably 45 minutes from now.

So, you know, just a lot of the same talking points, nine-game schedule, potential expansion of college football playoff, the congressional bill that's going through. There was one bit of news that came out today. Eli Drinkwitz said that Ahmaud Hardy, the running back who was shot in the leg during the offseason, is on a five- to eight-week recovery plan. So the front, you know, the lower end of that is the start of the regular season. So it's possible he could miss a couple of games if he does not recover quite as quickly as he might.

So that's probably the biggest news that has come out thus far, but there will be plenty of more as we go along through the week. Two things. First of all, congratulations. You've received a well-deserved promotion. You're now the college sports managing producer for AL.com. And second, the 80th annual, 80th, AL.com, used to be Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, preseason football reports, some great questions. Who is the SEC's top Heisman candidate, Arch Manning? I would throw Trinidad Chambliss in there. Best overall defensive player, Colin Simmons of Texas.

You're probably right. Best offensive player, Trevor Goosby of Texas, Jordan Seton, et cetera. Summarize the 80th annual and some great questions leading into the season. Yeah, it has taken many forms over the years. Obviously, it started in 1947. Amazing. This is the 80th year. Zip Newman, I know that game name means something to you guys, was the guy who originated it. And I think the first time they did it, the SEC football coaches were all in Birmingham for the SEC track meet. So he went over there and talked to them about how the team's looking for next year, who's going to be good, who's not going to be good, that kind of stuff.

And it just evolved over the year. There have been four full-time editors in 80 years. There was Zip Newman, Alf Van Hoos, Charles Hollis, and me. So how about that? So anyway, it's taken a lot of different forms. Like I said, early on, it was the coaches. Then they did the SIDs. And more recently, we've made it into a staff thing where our staff makes those predictions. And we pick a predicted order to finish an SEC champion. We pick an all-SEC team. And then, like, ten kind of burning questions headed into the year that, you know, will be important to determining the SEC and national championship races.

So, you know, it's something we'd like to keep up that tradition. Obviously, there's a lot of similar stuff out there now. But, you know, we've been doing it a long time. So we feel like we have some credibility with it. Craig Stevenson, you've earned your stripes. I guarantee. Again, I echo those congratulations there from BB. Yeah, two other questions I think that's fun. Who's going to be the biggest bust? And who's going to be the biggest surprise team in the SEC? Yeah, there are some. It depends on what you mean by bust.

Most disappointing team relative to expectations from the fan base. If I had to guess, my pick right now would be Tennessee. I think they're going to take a real step back. You know, the quarterback situation is completely unsolved there. They slipped a little bit last year. So maybe they dropped a lead in front. I don't think they're going to go 4-8 or anything. But, you know, maybe struggle to win eight, nine games. The team on the rise, though, I'm really interested to see what happens with Auburn.

[42:10] I mean, could Dolish turn that around quickly? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. You know, and so let's see. I'm going to go through them in my head to make sure I'm not forgetting anyone obvious. But that would, let's see. All right. Who you got in mind? Give me one. Well, I mean, I think Oklahoma's going to surprise them, folks. I think they got the potential if they can get through that schedule. To me, everybody sits here and talks about the team, and that's always great.

But you got to look at the schedule, not only who they're playing, but where they're playing, and who has a tougher mountain to climb than Oklahoma. That's true. Yeah, I think Florida, maybe. You know, maybe Someral harnesses that. You know, he's a North Alabama guy. I know you guys know him. And maybe he harnesses that thing quickly. But everybody, you know, everybody's got a brutal schedule now, especially with the night's game. That's right. So where do you put Alabama, Craig? I mean, obviously, you know where we are.

You grow up with decades of being around Alabama fans. We know there's only one thing that will not disappoint him, and that's not winning a national championship. If you do that, we might like you for a week. And then it's like, what's coming next? But where do you put Alabama in the food chain? I think they're going to be an elite defensive team. I really do. I think their secondary is going to be incredible. Offensively is what we wonder about. Are they going to be able to get the running game and the offensive line going?

And, you know, Keelan Russell looks like he's going to be the quarterback. You know, if you have Keelan Russell, first-time starter quarterback, maybe E.J. Crowell, the freshman, is the running back. They have some proven guys at receiver, although Ryan Coleman-Williams certainly needs to be more consistent. So I think they're a playoff team. I don't know that they're in that top echelon with Georgia and Texas and, you know, some others and, you know, maybe if Keelan gets it going at LSU. So I think they're, you know, a potential 10-win team.

Are they a national championship contender? I don't think so. How many teams make the college football playoff from the NCAA? The SEC? Your group's got four. Texas, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama fans are saying, what about us, Craig? Texas A&M are saying the same thing. But, yeah, I think four may be about right, Craig. I think the way we did it was, you know, everybody picked however many they thought were going to make it. Then I averaged it out. So I think some people had five, some people had three, and so it averaged out to four.

And then I just picked the ones that had the most votes. But, yeah, I think Texas and Georgia are almost locks at this point to me unless things go horribly wrong for both of them. After that, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Alabama are probably the next year. But, yeah, I think four is probably what it's going to be. SEC coach on the hottest seat. And I try to stay away from this until the end of the season. But I agree with you. I think this is a good man.

Injuries had a part of it. They lost in close games. Bama came back to beat them. Shane Beamer at South Carolina. Yeah, they've got to get it done. You know, he's had a – this is his third offensive coordinator in three years. He tried to give Mike Shula another shot last year, and it did not work at all. And, you know, they're on the verge of – they've got two really kind of generational talents for them, Lenora Sellers, the quarterback, and then the defensive end. I'm drawing a blank on his name.

You have to help me. Oh, Dylan Stewart. Dylan Stewart, thank you. And they may be at the point of wasting those guys' careers. You know, they've not really taken them where they could go. And Beamer may regret not taking the Virginia Tech job if he had a real opportunity for it. Quickly, before we jump off, your thoughts about a guy that's got roots, starting at the neck of the woods, speaking of offenses coordinators, Chip Lindsey, UNA product out of Bob Jones High, number of stops at the high school level in their neck of the woods, including over at Colbert High.

It's your thoughts about Chip Lindsey, offensive coordinator at Missouri this year. Yeah, yeah. And Eli Drinkwitz had some really good things to say about him earlier in the day. I, you know, Missouri, it's going to depend on the quarterback for them. I think Austin Simmons coming over from Ole Miss, they had really major problems at quarterback last year. A lot of it injury-related. You know, and it's already going to be 100% the end of the whole season. That's right. The second running back, Roberts, is a really good player.

So, yeah, I like that spot for Chip Lindsey. I think it's a little under the radar compared to where the last couple of places he was, including Michigan. But, yeah, you know, Drinkwitz is a good offensive mind, too. So, maybe those guys can kind of put their heads together and turn things around a little bit for Missouri offensively. Because I think they're going to be good defensively again. Right. Absolutely. Listen, thank you so much. We know you need to get back down. Will Stein, Josh Heupel on the podium later today.

But I know you're there with your crew. Wall-to-wall coverage all week long. Craig, where can we get online to get all the good stuff? Yeah, AL.com. A lot of stuff on the front page of the site. But AL.com slash sports. AL.com slash FCC. AL.com slash Alabama football. AL.com slash Auburn football. Auburn's tomorrow. Alabama Wednesday. Lane Kiffin Thursday, though, so that should be fun. Craig, be safe down there. As Otis Redding would say, you're sitting on the dock of the Tampa Bay.

[47:31] So, be careful. Thanks so much for your time today. I got to care. Thank you, bud. Craig Stevenson, AL.com. Coming up in the next hour, we're going to be taking you all over the place. Speaking of Florida, nobody does it better than Mark McLeod. Auburn also on the docket. Coming up later on, Brian Matthews on that and everything else. Day one of the SEC Mia Days in Tampa here on Sports Radio 93.9. The score. Hello, Shoals. It's Elmer Pierce from Garner Pierce Autos. Are you tired of being told it will take two weeks to service your vehicle or even to look at it to tell you what's wrong with it?

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[57:54] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates, and other insurers. Not available in all states or situations. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Join the Boom-O Bug Show for coverage of the 2026 SEC Media Days. 11 to 2 right here on 93.9 The Score. Coverage of the SEC Media Days on 93.9 The Score is brought to you by the law firm of Johnson, Pesher, Medley, and Burchill, Cypress Creek Indoor Range, Garner Pierce Autos, Lost Pizza, and by Lindsay and Winchester, Tidal Towel at Whitwell Sports, and Curtis Restaurant.

Coverage of the SEC Media Days on the Boom-O Bug Show. 11 to 2 right here on 93.9 The Score. Hey, it's Michelle Smallman, and coming up Tuesday, we ask Adam Schefter what's next for his Michigan Wolverines after the announcement that their AD is stepping down when he joins us at 8 a.m. Eastern time. It's unsportsmanlike, 6 a.m. Eastern, right here on ESPN Radio, ESPN2, and ESPNU. 93.9 The Score of Weather. For today, a 30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms high around 95, heat index around 105, a heat advisory in effect through Tuesday.

Tonight, a 30% chance of evening showers and thunderstorms low near 75. Tomorrow, mainly sunny skies high around 95, heat index around 105. Tomorrow night, partly cloudy skies low near 76, and Wednesday, a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms high around 95. Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. Woo! The Boom-O Bug Show. New exclusive inside track to the tie. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

Welcome back into Hour 2 of the Boom-O Bug Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Maybe we say Hour 2 because it's day one of SEC Media Days in Tampa. Again, thanks so much, folks, for making you a part of our day and us making a part of your day. But speaking of thanks, you got some more folks that I'm sure you'd love to thank right now. Yeah, you're going to be hearing a lot about these guys, particularly the next three days.

Tidal sponsors, Johnston, Pissure, Medley, and Birchal. Attorneys, Cypress Creek Indoor Range. Gardner Pierce Autos. Amber Pierce, of course. Lost Pizza, Chuck, and Marcy McCarty. Touchdown sponsors, Lindsay and Winchester. Cindy, Lindsay Pounders. Title Towel, Thomas and Lovell. Curtis Restaurant. They're open right now to go by and get a good lunch. Steve Curtis. Thank you very much. Title sponsors and touchdown sponsors. Absolutely. Obviously, BB, it's Hour 2. Wentworth, if you're brand new to this game of SEC Media Days, it's pretty easy now. Four teams each day. You get the math.

16 teams overall, four per day. No one probably is more relieved right now than Missouri and Oklahoma. They've already had their turn at the podium. We'll catch you up to date. Maybe some of the things they said, maybe some of the things they didn't say. Yet to come, moments away, from a couple of other folks taking you to the podium today. And that's going to be Kentucky and it's going to be Tennessee. We'll talk about that in a second. But, BB, we're in the 256 in North Alabama area.

Let's talk Alabama and Auburn. Their day is yet to come. But isn't it amazing, the feeling, how things now feel about Alabama and Auburn compared to just a short time ago? Because when asked the question as far as chances, Alabama basically has got two chances according to the national media of winning a national championship at Slim and Nunn. And it seems that Nunn has already left the room. To me, if I'm an Alabama football player and you're naturally competitive, and we're not, obviously Auburn's in the conversation too.

But realistically, Alabama of the two in the eyes of the national media with a better chance of winning a national championship. That's July. Anything can happen. See Indiana last year. But let's be realistic about it right now. If either one of those teams, I look at this as a plus. Because the one thing I would want to have is the number one title on my back. Because, huh, the only direction to go is down from there. And this day in time with the nine-gain SEC schedule, that's going to be tough to do.

But your thoughts just from a mindset of where Alabama and Auburn and not the players, but the fans are now just compared to a handful of years ago. Well, Auburn is tomorrow. In fact, Alex Golidge is first out of the block as far as addressing the media tomorrow. Harold, again, as we've talked about quite a bit this summer, I think this is going to be a good Auburn offense. Why? Because they know what their identity is going to be. They're going to literally run the ball.

[1:03:02] They've got a quarterback who's played for three years. And all you need to do is ask Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer how good Byron Brown is and Alex Golidge because he scared the bejeebers out of them twice. That's right. With that. But I think that the Auburn situation, they're going to be much better offensively. Byron Brown does not throw a spiral. But he is a good quarterback. He's big, 6'3", 6'4", 250. They're going to run the ball. Question marks about the offensive line. I think the defense is going to be just as good as last year.

The kicking game, I think, is going to be very solid. But I keep going back to this, Harold, is the six-game gauntlet, beginning with Florida. And we'll talk to Mark McLeod about Florida and the SEC shortly. Can they get through that? Can they go 2-4, 3-3, or 4-2? Now, as far as Alabama is concerned, what lessons has Kalen DeBoer learned in the first two years at Alabama? Again, I think, as you alluded to, being 5th, 6th, 7th in the SEC, I think they actually like the lower expectations.

In July. You know, we'll see where we are, obviously, in mid-October. Again, who's going to be the quarterback? Were the offensive line better? Can they run the ball? I think the defense is going to be the best. One of the best in the SEC. I think the kicking game is going to be much better. But if you beat Georgia October the 10th, can you come down emotionally and beat Tennessee and Knoxville, where Alabama's lost the last two games? But I think as far as lower expectations, both staffs on these teams are fine with it.

Well, you brought up a good point. Another question for DeBoer, we've alluded to it up to this point, is can you be consistent? Can you win the big games and then come back and win the second not-so-big game? And that's going to be, to me, that's going to show maturity. But let's circle back to Auburn. And you talk about they know their identity. But if you take a consensus across the board of the most important player coming in, and most are going to say Texas has that answer, and it's Cam Coleman.

The question is, how is Auburn going to replace a consensus? Again, it's July, the best player that could have been out there on the market. But here's the problem, I think, for Texas, if you want to call it a problem. Everybody's got Texas picked. It's almost like right now Texas is where Alabama was under Nick Saban. It's almost like they've already penciled a man, kind of like Arch Manning was penciled in last year as the era apparent to be the Heisman Trophy winner. Even before he took the first snap, we saw how that played out.

But your thoughts about Texas, and right now it seems the consensus is George. The reason I bring that up, everybody's got Texas in, and Bill Shanks would disagree with it. Who's Bill Shanks? If you're brand new to the show, he's the biggest Georgia fan in nine universes. He would totally disagree with that. And I think he has merit, and here's why, BB. Texas has a collection of, if you will, pretty boys. They've got a collection of incredible talent. But does talent in itself always win? I think what Georgia brings in to threaten that talent, Georgia's got talent, too.

It's just Texas gets all this love because they write the big checks and get the guys on the marquee out there with Tom Cruise, et cetera. But what Georgia, I think, brings in, agree or disagree, is the toughness. I've got to see Texas prove that they are tough as Georgia because look who's won that game over the last, what, X number of years, Georgia and Texas. Until Texas proves to me that they can take the pretty boys and also be tough, I think Georgia is certainly, according to Bill Shanks, right there with him, my friend.

Well, Georgia's beaten Texas the last three games. Right. And particularly in Austin now, I think this is a better Texas team. Harold, it's not because just Arch Manning. Texas struggled last year to run the ball like Alabama did. They brought in Brown from North Carolina State, Hollywood Smothers. Texas has what many people think may be the best left tackle in college football, Trevor Goosby. And they may have the best defensive player in Colin Simmons. That's debatable because there are a lot of these guys in the SEC.

I think Texas has a better offensive line. Seymour, Robertson, Baker are on there. But again, the proof is in the pudding for Texas. I think this is Sarkeesian's best team. But again, they've got a gauntlet themselves in the middle of the season in Knoxville at Tennessee, Oklahoma for Red River, Florida, and Ole Miss. So that's going to be a tough four-game schedule for the Longhorns. Do you agree with this? I don't care how good the team is over the course of the season. There's always, it seems, you're in and you're out.

[1:08:02] And I go back, just for an example, there are many more. But I go back to the 92 championship team for Alabama. They got booed to lose the attack game because they go out and they win that game that they're not supposed to win. And then there's always that one game for it seems like every team where you just simply cannot explain what in the heck is going on today. Do you agree, and especially now with Texas, can they get through without having that one-off week, especially when you got all those tough road games in conference play?

Well, I remember that Louisiana Tech game really well. Alabama won 13-0 because David Palmer returned a punt about 70 yards. But Alabama, again, Louisiana Tech's defense that year was really good. But every team has an off game. I didn't even mention this. Once they get into November, Missouri on the road, the 7th at LSU. And don't you know Lane Kiffin will have a much better idea about what kind of team he's got then. But no, I think Texas is a legitimate national championship contender this year. Well, especially with Arch Manning.

I think he got his mojo at the end of the—he lived up to his expectations once—I think he pressed too hard at the beginning of the season. I think once he let his natural genes kind of surface, I think you saw a different Arch Manning. And you add Cam Coleman in there, and that could potentially be a lethal combo. But let's talk about the what-if game. What if things don't go as scripted for Texas? What if things don't go as scripted for LSU? We know nothing's really going to happen as far as LSU because he's under contract.

Quickly, what happens to Steve Sarkeesian if things don't go as scripted there? So what if he's fired? He's still got the NFL door open. But your thoughts about what happens if they don't go as scripted? Well, he's not going to be fired, Harold. Even if they lose some games, they're not supposed to. The fans are going to grumble. But he's going to be there for a while. And again, I've heard this from several sources. Arch Manning may actually be back for 2027. Wow. We'll certainly see where that goes.

Won't have to wait that long. Check out what's going on in Florida. From Mr. Florida himself, Mark McLeod is straight ahead. Day one, NCC Media Days of the Boom O' Buck Show. You're on Sports Radio 93.9. The Score. Hello, my name is Keith Medley, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passour, Medley, and Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law. Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131.

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Now, back to the Boomo Bugg Show on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Thanks so much for making us a part of your coverage on day one, ACC Media Days in Tampa. I believe that's in the state of Florida, where we take you next with Mark McLeod. He's host of the Blitz with Mark McLeod and the Gator Blitz podcast. Mark, welcome in. Is it true that being a Florida native, that you flexed your muscle, you went to the commissioner and said, by golly, I'm tired of traveling all over the world.

It's time that I go right down the interstate and let's host it here in the state of Florida. Is it true that you flexed on the commissioner to bring it to Tampa? Not on the commissioner, but on the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, I did several years ago. Guys, after that first year in Atlanta, when Radio Row was so off, I actually did. I contacted the Tampa Bay Sports Commission because I've spent a lot of time down there. I used to live in that area, not too far from that area, and thought, man, if you're going to come to Florida, and you know they're going to come to Florida eventually.

That is the one town to do it in. Don't do it in Miami. You can't do it in Jacksonville. You can't do it in Orlando with Mouse's house. It's just insane in July, so do it there. Mark, obviously, it's home for you. Let's talk about your home team, the Florida Gators. Still got some time to sit here and take notes if you're the brand-new boss down there, Jon Sumrall. Needless to say, he's come a long way since his days in North Alabama, now being the brain trust of the Florida Gators.

[1:18:40] What do you expect from Jon Sumrall on day one? The media who don't cover him on a regular basis, what are they going to find out about this young man? You know, I think the one thing that he has instilled in this program, guys, is a lot of the, let me just say, Urban Meyer-esque things that have been missing in Florida football since Will Muschamp left, because Will Muschamp instilled those things too. The problem with Will Muschamp is they couldn't figure out the offensive coordinator, and they couldn't get their offense together.

But when you look at, look, there's been a lack of toughness. There's been a lack of anger with these guys. These guys don't play angry. They don't have a button that they turn on and off when they get on that field. It's just been hard to watch for Florida football, and I think that is the number one thing that he has instilled, physicality, and we're going to get after people when we get in the swamp or on the road. Mark, how do you do that? Because if you talk to an Alabama fan or a lot of fans across the board, that seems to be a common theme.

It seemed like it was almost accepted back in the day that that was going to be the case. Now it's like, oh, I don't know. I'm getting a big deal. I better not go out there and get injured. I better show up, do the pregame, put on the shades, put on the headphones, and go bling-bling it, put on my fingernail polish and all that stuff. But when the whistle blows, it's like, I don't know. I might get hurt and that might cost me some money. How do you get it through to the modern athletes that you've got to go out there and, as one Nick Saban one time said, make their A quit?

You know, that's the interesting take there, Harold, because, I mean, we've got to see that. When Urban Meyer was here, you know, Florida had a couple down years. It wasn't a total lack of physicality, but he brought it to a whole new level. You know, this is what Jon Sumrall's doing here, too. Now you see it with the players. The players told us, you know, they told us back months ago, before spring practice began. Look, we were talking to Billy Napier. There were a few of the leaders on the team that went to Billy Napier and said, coach us harder.

We need to be coached harder. Come on, coach. We need to get after it. There are guys out here that they're not getting after it when they get on this field, and you need to coach us harder. And they said a little bit of that, you know, happened, but it didn't last. It didn't last long at all. So this is, I think, is a welcome change by the team, Harold. Mark, let me ask you about two things Greg Sankey mentioned this morning. One was about an, as he called it, an unsatisfactory conversation with the members of the college football playoff committee in May at San Destin.

And the strength of schedule, he thought they did not take it seriously enough. That's been a beef we've had for years. He was also asked this morning about the allegations of the SEC pulling away from the NCAA. And instead of dancing around it, he simply said, they're real. Yeah, I've got to be honest with you, Brett, and I don't know about you. Were you surprised to hear him say that? Yes, yes. Guys, I really was. We've not heard that from him. I know. Yet you and I have had this conversation.

Brent has had this conversation with us. We've talked to Drew D'Arman. I mean, look, all the things we're hearing, and some of the guys that I talked to for my podcast that I did over in Texas, they heard the same thing, that, guys, this is real. This is not monkeying around. And I'm going back for a year in these conversations or more, maybe a year and a half. So, yeah, this is very real. And I'm thankful that he finally said something about it. And, you know, the nine-game schedule, you know, I'm not a big fan of that right now, to be honest with you.

Because, for the very thing that you said, Brent, until the college football playoff committee gets their stuff together and they say one thing and they do another. I know. They're just like the NCAA. So, until they get their act together, we as college football fans, we as media, we don't have a clue what they're going to do. So, I'm not in favor of the nine-game schedule until I see the college football playoff committee actually take strength of schedule and make it the thing that they say it's going to be that they don't seem to hold up on.

In December, instead of in September, as far as July, Mark McLeod, the Gator Blitz. Eli Drink was addressed that this morning. And I like Eli in many ways. Some ways, he irritates the c*** out of you, but at least he's honest with his answers. And, basically, he was not a fan of how the commissioner has put things together, but he's smart enough to not come out and say it directly. But the other things he said, too, he says, basically, in effect, if I understood him right, Mark, is that deal away with this committee.

He says, let what happens on the field dictate the playoffs. Don't sit here and put it in the hands because I don't care what they say, that they're not this or not that. There's going to be a human bias at some point when there's a tiebreaker. That's just human nature. Basically, what he's saying is let's come up with a different system instead of putting it in the hands of the committee where, yeah, they come out and get in the pulpit and preach one thing in July, but come December, it's the same old song and dance.

[1:23:59] The schedule, the record is all that matters, not the strength of schedule. And to your point, when you face the schedule, and as Drinkwins said, not only playing SEC teams, but a lot of these teams across the country, they don't play in front of 100,000 people every week. It's tough to go on the road and win anywhere, but especially in the SEC. Yeah, yeah. I mean, we go back a few years ago. Look how angry Florida State fans were. But, guys, that schedule was soft. That schedule was soft.

We know it was. Hello. You know, we sit here and you look at what the SEC is, and again, now you've got a nine-game schedule. There's not going to be a soft to it. There's really not a soft to it. I know you guys have talked about the Auburn schedule, the gauntlet. We've had that conversation with you guys before. The Texas schedule has got a little bit of a murderer's row on it. So, you've got some teams that that's what it's going to be. But, yeah, they've got – I'm fine with what Coach Drinkwit said because it's not working.

What's happening now is not working. And it's not – the fans don't like it. They don't appreciate it. My golly, they're the ones that spend all the money on it. So, they're supporting the program. So, yeah, I agree. There's something has to be done other than what they're doing. And, look, merely – let's expand the playoffs. Let's expand – yeah, oh, so then you can get the teams in, but the seeding is awful. But, oh, we've got that team in. And, yeah, but, yeah, Team X played a much tougher schedule than Team Y.

And Team Y is seeded much lower and has a better run through the playoffs. Yeah, it's just a bad setup right now. The only thing, let's say it's this. If a team from Florida in December is playing and you've got to go on the road to Michigan, that's a whole lot different than Michigan coming to Florida. And you go up there and, let's face it, it's zero degrees and nine inches of snow on the ground. Yeah, yeah, it really is. And, you know, they've just got to come together with something.

And another committee is not the answer. We always – are we tired of hearing that? It's always NCAA. It's another committee. Well, we're going to have a committee. Guys, there's poaching and stealing going on. Why do you need a committee to look at that? You need investigators on the road, and you need to act on what those investigators are finding. Who is your surprise team? The sleeper team, one of the proverbial questions for NCC Media Days. I think Florida certainly could be one. We'll see. I think the Auburn game is the key game for Auburn.

It sets the tone for the rest of the year. Who's your sleeper team or surprise team? Ooh, that's a great question. That's a great question. You're going into Media Days right now. I'll have to say Texas A&M because, yeah, they like everybody else. They have a bit of a dicey schedule at some point. But when I look at that team, they won 11 games last year. I have a ton of respect for Mike Elko. I don't have a ton of respect for Texas A&M. They always seem to blow it.

Texas A&M, no matter who the coach is, they always seem to blow it like Texas A&M. They're like, you know, we're waiting on Sarkeesian to do something. But I really believe in Elko. You know, you've got a returning quarterback. You've got a lot of guys back. They did some nice work in the transfer portal to shore up some areas like the offensive line that desperately needed some work because graduation hit them hard. So I'd say Texas A&M right now would be that sleeper team for me.

Yeah, absolutely. Listen, great stuff. I always enjoy catching up with you. I know the Gator podcast are going to be flying off the charts here later in the week as we've got four days of this. Where can we get online to get all the good stuff from you? Yeah, absolutely. Blitzsportsradio.com. I'll be doing some stuff with them and putting a lot of stuff there. And also at McLeod Live, NCLEOD Live. And hopefully, in the SEC Blitz podcast, I'll have one Brett Beaird coming on. Look forward to it.

Spicy. Mark, in the meantime, thanks so much. Stay safe down there in Florida, okay? Hey, thank you very much, guys. Good to be on with you. All right, buddy. You too. Mark McLeod, the Gator Blitz. It's coming up. The Auburn Tigers warming up the courts. Later on in the week, the latest of Brian Matthews. Day one, SEC Media Day coverage. You're on Sports Radio 93.9. The score. Hello, my name is Deborah Bell Passuer, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passuer, Medley, and Burchill.

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[1:34:44] Welcome back in. Day one SEC Media Days in Tampa, where we take you with Brian Matthews, senior editor at AuburnSports.com. Brian, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing great, guys. I'm right here at the Tampa Marriott for SEC Media Days. I think this is my 25th or 26th time. Yes, it is. Wow. Covering this event. So, it's been a minute, but, yep, I'm here to do it again. We didn't know if you were staying there over at Alex Golesh Old Castle, or maybe even better than that, Byron Brown spread down there.

So, you can confirm you're not staying at the two people who probably know Tampa better than any pair at the SEC Media Days. Would you agree, Brian? I would agree, but I am going to hang out with them later on this afternoon. So, you know, I got that all planned out. Brad, we've been talking with some of the folks, Shock Shock, and as far as a fun question, the dark horse surprise team in the SEC this season. And I got to believe and tell you, I don't think I'm telling you anything you don't know.

A lot of folks are buying the Auburn Tigers. Would you agree? I mean, I think there is some optimism, right? I don't know if you're buying them to win a championship, but you may be buying them to, you know, win seven games, which would be kind of like winning a championship. That tells you where they've been, right? Yeah. If you ask an Auburn fan, seven games will be a pleasure to surprise. That tells you where you've been, does it not? It does. It's been a rough five years.

You know, the hope down here, of course, is that Auburn is going to turn the corner on the goal list, and this will be the first step forward. But, you know, that's going to be decided on the field, right? We don't know exactly how this is going to turn out yet. But, you know, having a guy like Byron Brown, who has been a part of the system, who's from right here in Tampa, who has put up really big numbers in this offense, is not going to hurt when it comes to putting together this team for this fall.

Be mad. Alex Golich, of course, on the main media, uphold him tomorrow. He will have the opportunity to share his vision, his goals for this Auburn team. And I know you've heard him several times during the course of the spring. What is his message to the media tomorrow? I think you're going to see a guy that, even though this is his first SEC media day, he's going to come off pretty polished. He has a vision for his program. I think he connects with people well, and I think you'll notice that on TV.

Not necessarily a connection, but you know what I mean. He has a little bit of that charisma. And I think his main message is going to be about, you know, putting in his culture, which a lot of coaches talk about, of course, playing, you know, physical football. He's going to say some version of run the, you know, darn ball, right? I don't know what version it'll be. We've seen four different ones so far since they arrived. And I think he's going to talk about, you know, his vision for Auburn and what type of football program it is and what it can be.

You bring up a point that we've been talking about, Brian. Brian Matthews, senior at AuburnSports.com. That thing gets overlooked. Everybody's got, as we mentioned earlier, Texas already penciled in. There's no question. They got the roster. What they're going to do with it is now the next question. Hollywood's got a lot of marriages, but they also have a lot of failed marriages as well. Just because something looks good, that means it's always going to work out. The point I'm trying to make here is we were talking earlier with some of the folks and listening to some of the people who are following this.

And it asked the question, Texas or Georgia? And a lot of folks are taking Georgia for the simple reasons you just alluded to, and that is toughness. Kirby ain't going to put up a lot of c***. You know what he is expecting. He's not going to do anything fancy. He's going to bring you in and break out an old-fashioned playbook. If you play for him, you're going to play that way. You're going to play with an attitude, and it seemed like, to your point right there, that attitude seems to have been missing at Auburn over the last few years.

It's almost like show up, put on kids' gloves. We don't want to hurt your feelings, and you got what you got. Would you say that Goldish is right the opposite of that? It's almost like he went to central casting and went to Parris Island as far as the drill sergeant for the Marines. Would you agree that that is, whether it's a reality or not, that's a perception of him? No, I think that's a great description of him. I think he is going to bring some old-school elements to the football program, right?

And, you know, if you look at the teams that Auburn's had over the last six, seven years, I think a Goldish team is going to have the best opportunity to be maybe one that overachieves a little bit, right? And I think we've got some teams that have underachieved, you know, from the last few coaches that have coached here. And I think he has a chance to be that coach that they overachieve. I'm not saying they're going to win nine or ten games this fall, but I think even overachieving this year would be able to win seven games.

Because I still think, from a talent perspective, Auburn has some work to do there, especially at the line of scrimmage, but offensive line of scrimmage especially. But I do think he has a lot of those elements. I do think he wants to run the football. I do think it was important for him to keep D.J. Durkin in that really good defense here, and I think they'll be good again. And I do think that he's one of those guys that naturally draws people to him, that they look at him as a leader, as a skill that Pat Dye had, right?

[1:40:00] And I think it's something that Goldish has some of that, too. I'm not saying he's Pat Dye, but I think people want to play for him. People want to coach with him. And I think the great coaches have that sort of… Intangible, yeah. Yeah, yeah, and I think he's got that. Three players from Auburn tomorrow. Champ Anthony, Byron Brown, Alex McPherson, I thought was an interesting choice. And from the standpoint of, he has been through so much. Overcoming physical obstacles, certainly one of the best kickers in the SEC when he's healthy.

We've talked with you a lot about Byron Brown. Tell us a little more about Champ Anthony and McPherson. Well, I think Champ Anthony's a great story. I think even though he was still coming back from an injury this spring and through winter workouts, he still was able to really earn the respect of Alex Golesh and his staff and all the new players just because of his attitude and the way he works. And I think that says a lot about Champ, right? I heard his name mentioned many times during spring practice, and he's not actually out there competing at full speed, or he wasn't at the time.

I think he'll be ready to do that now. But I just think he's going to be a key team leader. I think as a player, he's going to help out Auburn in the secondary at several different positions. And it's going to be an important piece for Auburn to maybe take that step forward. And then, you know, Alex McPherson is a great story, what he's overcome, how bad he wanted to play at Auburn and to do whatever it took, you know, and the obstacles that he had to get through health-wise to do that.

And it's a terrific story. I'm looking forward to talking to him and seeing how he's progressed over this past year. I haven't heard of any setbacks or anything, which is great. I want to hear, you know, if he's put on some more weight maybe, if he's feeling better, he's still more comfortable in his skin now that he's, you know, a year-plus past, you know, the big surgery and everything. Brian Matthews, senior editor at AuburnSports.com. Brian, obviously, sometimes a kid can come out of high school or transfer in and may not be able to sparkle under a certain coach, but you bring in a brand-new coach, and all of a sudden, their system fits better.

In your opinion, everybody talks about the kids coming in from South Florida. Let's talk about the kids who went through the storm, stayed on the roster. Who of that group may benefit more with this system as opposed to the old system? That's an interesting question. I hadn't even thought about that. I'm not sure I come on that. I just thought that was pretty good. Well, you know, I think quarterback and receiver are going to be handled mostly by USF guys. Yeah. You know, I think tight end is all newcomers.

Offensive line is mostly newcomers, but I do think there's as much freshmen there like Todd Buster who have a chance. Right. But I'm not sure the system is why he has a chance. I think he has a chance because he's talented. Yeah. And, you know, he's had a year now of college football, taking that redshirt year. Defensively, you know, we're talking about D.J. Durkin, so it's more of his side of the ball. It's his defense. But I think there are a bunch of guys' defense that could step up.

You know, Jared Smith certainly has a pass rusher. I think Elijah Melendez is going to be a very exciting player in the SEC. I would expect him to have kind of a jump forward, kind of like Xavier Atkins did for Auburn last year. I think he's a special, special talent. I think Bryce Deesman, the linebacker, is another guy that could step up and be really good for Auburn this year. Eric Winters is safety that plays through freshmen. So there's a bunch of guys on defense that are returning that were part of that old crew coming back.

I don't know that you're going to see a whole bunch of guys offensively. But, you know, maybe some guys will surprise me. Let me ask you about Greg Sankey's address this morning. You've been quite vocal on Monday Musings about your thoughts about the NCAA. Yeah. He had two comments this morning that caught a lot of people's attention. He mentioned an unsatisfactory conversation with members of the playoff committee in May about not taking the strength of schedule too lightly for the SEC. And he was asked again, and this shocked some people, when he was asked about the allegations of the SEC pulling away from the NCAA, he said, it's real.

And a lot of people were surprised to hear that. Your thoughts on the commissioner's comments? It's interesting, I think. And it's just, to me, my biggest problem is I think he's been more of a reactionary leader of the SEC in college. I don't think he's really been a visionary and a leader in that way. And that's the most disappointing thing for me in regards to his time here. You know, I mean, you can threaten to do these things to try to get what you want when it comes to the bill in Congress or when it comes to NCAA rules.

[1:45:03] I'm not sure what that accomplishes. I still don't think anything is going to pass, no matter how much they talk about it or try to send it back for changes or edits or whatever you want to call it. I just be very surprised if anything comes out of that worthwhile. And really, you know, it's kind of like you get what you ask for. You spend all this money and you spend five years or six years walking in Congress and you get a bill you don't want.

That's just exactly what you should have expected from the start, right? You've wasted six years, countless amount of money doing this, and here we are in a position where you didn't want to be in the first place. So I'm just, you know, I'm not surprised by any of it. I think one thing he inherited to win to his back with Nick Saban, all the moxie and momentum he built, and then he comes in. It's easy to sit here like a politician. You promise free sushi and you get dead carp.

It's fish. It's just not what they promised. But let me ask you something else. I don't know if you agree with Eli Drinkwiz or not, but as we said earlier, if you don't want to know what he's thinking, don't ask him. And he was asked several questions, very candid remarks for a coach anyway. I think he looks at his contract and his buyouts and said, fire me. I go to the beach and spend money and spend time. But the one thing that I think one of the things he said was, do away with this committee thing because it's human.

I know what they preach, but they sit here at the end of the year, like you said, and strength of schedule does not factor in. Do you agree with Eli that says, basically, we need to revisit that thing and come up with a better system? And you've got all these computers. Why not in the modern era? I know the BCS era did this, but now you've got such more sophisticated equipment that it's garbage in, garbage out. It's still easy to put in a bias. But your thoughts about Eli saying, let's get rid of all those guys going to Dallas and sitting around and running up a big bill, staying in a fancy hotel, and then basically coming up with the same old thing every year.

Well, I certainly don't like the way it's currently formatted, where you have all these weeks leading up to it and they make changes and they sort of make up the reasons they make changes. Right. I think that builds a lot of unhappiness and it makes the whole system seem untrustworthy. So I don't necessarily have a problem with the community. I think the basketball committee and the baseball committee work pretty good. Yeah. You know, they get together, they put up one little pre-release thing that gives everybody an idea of how it stands, and then they put the whole thing out there.

Of course, I think they're helped a little bit in that regard because they're a little bit more former in what they're looking at, whether it's RPI or, you know, the different stats they're looking at. It matters. They don't know exactly what football does. And they also have a large group of automatic qualifiers pulled from them, which football doesn't necessarily have, which might be another way to help out. But I'm okay with the committee. I wouldn't, you know, scream at the top of, you know, the Hyatt, I mean the Marriott down here in Tampa if they wanted to switch to more of a BCS-style thing.

But, you know, I don't think it's necessarily going to change anything one way or that. I think it's always going to be people disappointed and people complaining about whatever process or whatever this one little thing caused this team not to get in and this team didn't get in. Yeah, I agree with you about the commissioner. If Mike Slive was still the commissioner, he was a visionary. He would have reached a compromise. Proactive. Two years on this because he was very proactive. He could really see where this was going.

And Sankey, I'm like you. That was a good description for him. That's what your staff's going to be doing the next four days, wall-to-wall coverage in Tampa about the SEC and the Auburn Tigers. Tell us about coverage and where can we get online to get it. Yeah, I just want to add, I agree 100% on Mike Slive. He was a leader that knew the right thing to do, and he would tell the president in the AD, this is what we're doing, and they would do it. I see it.

Any questions? I don't see it, though. That's what a real leader does. That's what I think the SEC and college athletics need right now, and they just don't have it anywhere, in my opinion. But, yes, I'm down here, and we will have full coverage, of course, from Auburn's appearance tomorrow at SEC Media Day. Follow us at albansports.com. Follow me on social media at brianau on Twitter, Sussex. Brian, enjoy Tampa. Try to get down to the beach. Just remember the SPF, and thank you so much for your time, Dave, okay?

All right, y'all take care. Thank you. Thank you, buddy. Brian Matthews, senior editor, albansports.com. Coming up in the next hour, what about Alabama? Ryan, fellas, going to give us a preview on that. Does anybody have a hotter seat in the SEC than the fellow up in South Carolina? H***, McGranahan's going to be on that. And the veteran himself of SEC Media Days, Mr. Max Howell, and more straight ahead on day one, SEC Media Day coverage on Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Hey, guys, Keith, the Cypress Creek Indoor Range.

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Heat index around 105. Tomorrow night, partly cloudy skies low near 76. And Wednesday, a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms high around 95. Your weather from 93.9, The Score. Now, get ready to roll. Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo. New exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score.

[2:00:43] Welcome back into Hour 3 of the Boom O'Boo. The Boom O'Boo Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for making us a part of your day, day one of the SEC media days while we're now in Hour 3. Normally, of course, it's Hour 2. Bonus coverage today. Earlier this morning, Brett Beaird, obviously, it was Oklahoma and Missouri. We'll recap some of those thoughts in case you missed it. Later on today, it's going to be Tennessee. Even as we speak, Kentucky, let me just go ahead and go on record and say this.

If Moxie counts, we talked about this with Larry Vaught earlier, who knows Kentucky better than any of us. If Moxie counts, Kentucky is not only going to win the SEC, they're not only going to win the national championship, they're going to blow through, baby. They are going to blow through like water from Mexico at 5.05. And the reason is Will Stein. How we know that? Will Stein. He was just asked a moment ago, Kentucky returns, I think, the 14th rated offense as far as returning starters. And the question was asked, why is this offense going to work now?

And Will Stein said, well, basically, Will Stein. So he obviously comes up with a lot of self-confidence, Moxie, whatever you want to call it, Brett Beaird. Yeah, he is going to be a good coach, Harold. I'll be honest with you. Did a lot of good things at Oregon. We'll see if they translate to Kentucky. Yeah. But Mr. College Football Jr. is on with us now. Take it to the max. Max Howell, former assistant, Ole Miss, Florida State. Guru when it comes to SEC media days. The man who pioneered sports talk in the entire southeastern part of this thing called the USA.

Max Howell, welcome in. How are you? Doing great, guys. Doing great. How's everything in Tampa? Well, they tell me it's okay, Max. We'll take their word for it. We've been talking about some of the guys here, and it's interesting to see how this thing has changed over the years. It's come a long way, baby, since basically a rat hole in Birmingham to now being a superstar for ESPN. Major moneymaker. We were talking about Will Stein there. To me, he's one of the more intriguing stories. Very, very confident young man.

And the question was asked earlier about this Kentucky coaching staff. Which will come first? Their first SEC win or their first shaving experience? I don't think a lot of them know what Gillette, Schick, or Barbasol are all about. Your thoughts about the man on the clock right now, Kentucky, Max? Well, you know, you go back and look, and I think we have to kind of look at the history of each one of these programs. I know I made some jokes out of Oklahoma's situation. Of course, they'll be in the spotlight themselves as well.

We've got a new coach at Auburn. Yeah. And another stat didn't jump out at you. You know, it's been seven years since Auburn won seven more football games. So, you know, those kind of stats that get out into the public, which a lot of people, you know, tend to overlook that. You know, I was fortunate enough to be in some good programs, particularly when I was in Florida State, that had a great track record. And the expectations were high. And we met those. Well, then I went to Ole Miss, and, of course, that was before Lane got there and all the controversy that he created.

But he won. And, you know, he changed the attitude. And, you know, it's time for somebody to come to Kentucky and do the same thing. And I don't want to hear about, well, they don't have the money. Anybody that's ridden, you know, ridden across the horse farms in northern Kentucky can tell me they don't have money up there. I sold whiskey. Yeah. Yeah, I was born at night, but not last night. Right. So, anyway, you know, I think he's certainly got a chance. That's a great place to recruit, too.

But, guys, what it all boils down to now is how much money you got. Because those kids, you know, it didn't take them long to learn quickly that, hey, I got, you know, if I'm a starter somewhere, somebody will need me. You know, how much money are they going to pay me? That's just the nature of the game right now. Max, let me ask you about that, because that was an observation we made earlier today. Back in the day, you could sell a brand. I know Auburn over the years said they sold family.

Alabama sold Nick Saban. I'm not sure what some of the other schools sold out in the past year there. But in the modern era, is that what it is now? I don't care what the logo says. Just show me, as they say, the bag. That's the modern vernacular. It's basically, can I come and be a rock star? Can I be the center of your universe? Can you pay me more than the next guy? Can you get me to the NFL to make even more money? Is that where we are now, as opposed to the old days when you could sell a brand?

But, you know, Harold, I think, basically, if these kids are coming along that are great athletes, if they don't have some, you really invite, remember these still 17, 18-year-old kids. Yeah, that's right. You know, if they don't have an attorney or somebody, an agent that's familiar with their family, their background, and some of the programs that they might be looking at, they're going to get, they'll get cut, they'll get hurt financially. Because, you know, they'll end up in a… They'll make it, somebody else is going to spend it, Max.

[2:05:55] Well, you know, here's the thing I think a lot of people miss. All the big money, you know, the kid not only has to be a great player, but, you know, he can't be a jerk in his attitude. Yeah. The last thing that coaches want is a problem in the dressing room because it spills over directly. Remember, they only own the field for, you know, about two and a half, three hours, but really in competition, about an hour once a week. And the rest of the time, you know, they have to deal with everything else that goes around in their life.

And maybe some of them go to school. I don't know how many of them are going to class anymore, but that's one of the, you know, used to be one of the prerequisites to get there. But I think that's kind of got lost in the, you know, in the trading, let's put it that way. So, you know, the game has changed, and we know that, and it's continued to change. And I know there are people like Coach Saban now that are going nationally and speaking to, you know, to basically the people all over the country, particularly with the Congress and trying to get bills passed through.

I don't know whether that's a good, you know, good idea or not. But the fact is, something has got to solidify. And I think another, you know, take it back down to where it's a little more local, is this thing about the playoff, the number of games. You know, we're 12, they're talking 16, now they're talking 24. You know, are we going to let everybody get in, you know, if you've got to kind of like the NFL does? But, and I understand that's good for the teams, but what does it do to the quality, you know, of winning?

That's what it amounts to. I mean, you tell me somebody that vetted on Indiana last year. That's right. I mean, it's just a, you know, it's just the whole, the whole situation across the board right now has changed tremendously. And then, you know, then we've got the conference that's going to nine ballgames, and how does that put them in competition with the Big Ten and other conferences around the country, about how many teams, because there'll be some coaches that are on the borderline, but if they make the playoffs, you know, they may get to keep their job, or if they don't make them, they may have, you know, eight or nine wins, but they get overlooked because of strength of schedule or something like that.

It's just so many different probes out there that you've got to really be aware of when you take it. And I understand why these coaches, you know, why they're having to pay these coaches what they do, because a lot of pressure comes back on these guys. And, of course, the value of the dollar certainly probably has gone down somewhat, but nobody ever thought, and I tell you, you've heard me say this before. The first college coaching job I had at Floyd where we won a national championship at that level, I made $7,500 a year.

I taught two classes, coached two sports, and taught two classes in addition to that. So that just tells you where it's gone, you know, where the market has gone since the last 30, 40 years. So, you know, what is the answer? Guys, I wish I knew. I'd write a book. Max, Alex Golich on the podium in the morning. Your thoughts on Auburn. Can they have a winning season? That's a great question, and I watched an interview this morning early on a podcast, and I think I have a little bit different opinion now about Golich.

I didn't know him. He knew nothing about him except that he came from South Florida. I knew right quick the last coach they hired wasn't going to work out because of my having been at Ole Miss, and I knew a lot of the stuff back with his background. That didn't work. It certainly didn't work. And I'm going to close out with this right quick, guys. About Auburn, there's something over there, and, you know, I've told you historically, my great dad was one of the first licensed men that ever graduated back then, 1936, 1936.

And so my family has been to Auburn connected for years. He was the first licensed men in the state of Alabama. And so I've kept up all – I grew up in that environment. But somewhere over there in these last six or ten years, it's just not the football program. You know, they've been through three presidents in the last few years. I mean, it's the whole operation over there that somebody's making decisions, and they're not in tune with what's going on in the real world. Max, let's go to West Alabama.

When's the last time? It's been a while since coming into the SEC Media Days, which we joke and say it's the unofficial kickoff of the football season, that the vibe has been where it is for Alabama. No one's got them in a top one, top two, top three. You've got to go to the middle of the pack. I saw SEC with their smart people in the computers. They got a 4% chance of winning a national championship. Not us, folks. That's ESPN's computers. Your thoughts about is this going to be what happens this season, or is Alabama going to surprise some people?

[2:10:55] I think, you know, I think the whole thing's going to come down to the quarterback situation. You know, of course, it usually does. You know, that's not an epic statement. But the fact is that, you know, if they couldn't run the football last year, the offensive front never got together. And, you know, I watched some of those games early. I charted them, and I charted the mistakes those offensive linemen will make. And I don't know if they've changed coordinators. And, you know, maybe they could improve the running game.

But I don't care how good the quarterback is. Ty Simpson carried them a long way. Yeah, that's right. He got beat up so bad. Yeah. And got criticized. Yeah. They knew that he couldn't run the ball, so they wouldn't throw. So they'd either rush three and drop eight, or rush eight and drop three. I mean, he could win on the situation. So I think they've got, basically, they've got the material to get to, you know, try to answer your question. I think they've got the talent to do it.

But there's something that's missing in preparation that they'll make critical mistakes at the time it is. I don't know what it is. I don't know where it's the background or whether it's the boys, you know, where he came from, the league that he's played in out there. I know Washington was the last one, and he did very well there. But a lot of those wins, guys, if you look at the wins, they came down to, like, Division II and 1AA. And like I say, I coached at that level, and then I went to Florida State.

And it's like daylight and dark. It's a difference when you move from Detroit, regardless of how good they have been at their level. And then you go to a national-recognized program like Florida State, particularly when I got there when Coach Bowden. Absolutely. Max, there is no way we were going to do SEC Media Days without talking to Max Howell. Somebody asked me two weeks ago, now, when's Max going to start coming back home on a regular basis? I said, hopefully late August when the season begins.

Listen, I can't tell you how much we appreciate the visit. Max, I'll be in touch in August, buddy. Have a great summer. Let's do this again in August. I certainly appreciate it, guys. It's my pleasure all the time. Thank you so much for the opportunity here. Absolutely right. Back at you, Max. Max Howell, the one and the only checking in on day one. Of course, it's day one of SEC Media Days. From Tampa, straight ahead, the latest South Carolina talk with Hal McGrenahan on deck. On, again, day one, SEC Media Days.

You're on Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Hello, Shoals. It's Elmer Pierce from Garner Pierce Autos. Are you tired of being told that it will take two weeks to service your vehicle or even to look at it to tell you what's wrong with it? Are you tired of being told that it's going to be $200 to $300 an hour for labor? At Garner Pierce Autos, we have four full-time certified and trained technicians that have over 75 years of automotive service experience. We service vehicles of every make and model and do anything from oil changes to engine and transmission replacements.

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[2:16:18] We have a large assortment of delicious sandwiches and prepare some of the best steaks and desserts in North Alabama. Serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Curtis Restaurant is located at 8050 Highway 43. Reserve our 60-seat party room for your next special event by calling 256-757-9066. Waving a title towel is the ultimate way to show your loyalty and support of the Crimson Tide. Whitwell Sports' mission is to provide the best product and service to our customers. Get a rally towel for every member of your family or group and store them in our convenient tailgate tote bag.

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Welcome back in. Really appreciate you making us part of your day, day one, ACC Media Days down in Tampa, where I feel like Hal McGrenahan has got his GPS locked in, too. He is busy following South Carolina at Gamecocks 24-7. Hal, welcome in. How are you? Doing fine. Just riding down the highway, sitting shotgun with my man, Alex Dennis, who works with me at 24-7. So, yeah, we're headed down I-95 as I'm speaking. The thing is, Dale, obviously, these folks at the SEC, they want to move people around.

They must think that we sit here and love bouncing around like a rubber ball. Back in the day, you knew you could make your plans. It was one place. Last year, Dallas. I think now, Tampa. Next year, Nashville. Your thoughts about the new strategy of the SEC moving this thing around like a rubber ball? I don't like it. I just like getting on I-20 and heading west and turning around and coming back east back to Columbia. Whether it's Atlanta or Hoover, whichever of those two, I'm fine with.

Well, yeah, I skipped out last year on Dallas. Don't think there's much of a need to hop on a plane to go do this dog and pony show. So, Tampa is not that far away from Columbia, I guess. So, we hopped in the car and got after it this morning. Hey, well, let me ask you about three stands. I was doing some pre-work on South Carolina yesterday. Three stands caught my attention that certainly Shane Beamer and the staff want to improve on. Fourth quarter scoring, opponents outscored South Carolina by nearly 50 points.

[2:21:38] They were 125th in the nation in third down conversions, 32%. And they were 131 in the nation and Sanks allowed 43. I know that is three stands that South Carolina wants to improve on this season. Yeah, I think they all kind of tie hand in hand together. The fourth quarter scoring or lack thereof, that was a big issue from really start to finish last season. And something that South Carolina has been pretty good at under Beamer in the past is playing good winning football in the fourth quarter. And last year, they just – they did it.

And I think a big reason why was the offensive line being as bad as it was. And they struggled to run the football with any sort of consistency. So, if you're giving up a bunch of sacks and you can't run the ball, you're going to struggle to stay on the field when you get to third down. So, like I said, I think they all kind of go hand in hand together. And that's a big reason why Kendall Brow was in as the offensive coordinator because they just weren't anywhere good enough with any of those things last year.

And I truly think that he's going to have a hand in getting things turned around that way among other areas on offense. Hal McGrenahan, busy following South Carolina, Gamecocks 24-7. Hal, if anybody can tell these new kids on the block, the new coaches, the SEC, you better enjoy your honeymoon because it can fade fast. There's a lot of guys coming in. Coming into South Carolina, he was much ballyhooed. Shane Beamer, obviously a lot of extenuating circumstances sometimes to get where you are now. Where is Shane in the eyes of South Carolina fans?

And what is the realistic expectation of him this season? There are a lot of people who are still rooting for Shane and want him to succeed and do well. Well, not just because he's their coach in South Carolina and that's their team, Nichols, but he's a pretty likable guy. Yeah. He's from the state originally. He was born in Spurrier, Boston, while his dad was coaching down at the Citadel. He was an assistant, of course, on the Spurrier staff, and he's really embraced the culture of Gamecock football and talks a good talk.

And he's backed it up at times, too, with the results on the field. Yeah, people want him to do well and are pulling for him, but at the same time, patience is getting thin. In some cases, it's razor thin for some people, depending on who you talk to, I guess. But, yeah, they have a lot of, obviously, really good players coming back. So, there are still some expectations around this program that were there last year at this time when people were looking at Carolina with the potential college football playoff team.

And even though they went 4-8, we have a guy like Lenore Sellers back at quarterback and a big player receiver and Nick Harber and a lot of guys on defense who've been a part of the program and played on some pretty good defenses over the last couple of years. Yeah, people around Columbia think this is a team that can compete and have a chance to win a bunch of ballgames. Hey, well, let me ask you about Sellers. Huge kid, very talented. 33 touchdowns, 15 interceptions. The offensive line's a part of it.

I mentioned the sacks. As far as improving, certainly the offensive line has got to be improved in front of him. In your opinion, is the line improved going into the season? What do Sellers need to do to improve his game the most? Gosh, I don't know if the line's going to be better or not. I mean, you almost think it would have to be new offensive coordinator, Kendall Briles, new offensive line coach, and Randy Clements. Two guys who have been successful at those respective jobs at other places and have a track record.

So, you know, they went to the portal and went real heavy. No pun intended on the offensive line and getting Vicarious Peek out of NC State, who's trying to work back some off-season knee injury. And they got Emmanuel Poku to come in and play guard, who's a really good player in East Carolina. They got a bunch of other guys from whether it's power conference schools or Division II schools, like Ferris State. They got a lot of fresh faces, veteran players who've played a lot of ball at other places.

So, we'll just see how they're able to piece it all together with a guy like Shed Surratt, who started as a freshman last year in Carolina, and possibly have another freshman coming in this year in Darius Gray, who's a five-star. So, it's going to be a work in progress, to say the least. And I think it's probably going to evolve throughout the course of the season, certainly as we get into August and into the start of the fall. So, what Sellers needs to do is, I think at the end of the day, just trust what he's seeing and be willing to take what's in front of him and not second-guess himself.

[2:26:51] It's easy to sit here and say, riding in the car of a four-runner. But there were times last year when he didn't necessarily trust what was going on in front of him, and maybe that had a lot to do with the blocking that was happening on the line. H***, there's one thing that every fan base has in common, and every coaching staff has in common. We have a tough schedule. Your thoughts overall about the South Carolina schedule, kicking off September 5th, you look at the first part of it, and I'm sure the coaches will disagree, but Kent State, Towson, Mississippi State, first conference game, all three at home.

And then in late September, you hit the road for the first time to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. And over the last couple of times South Carolina and Alabama's gotten together, everybody said it's going to be a cakewalk, not so fast, my friend. Your thoughts about South Carolina's schedule overall? Yeah, it sets up about as well as you could hope. I mean, you mentioned those first three games, the Alabama game, of course. First one on the road, Nate's been right there, had a chance to win both those games the last two seasons, Carolina did.

Obviously didn't get it done, and turn around and come back home to play Kentucky, and you have a really good shot to have a really good record when you go down to the swamp in November before your bye week. You know, things are going to get a little bit tougher. You've got to go out to Oklahoma, you've got to play Georgia at home, Tennessee's coming to Columbia this year, A&M's coming back to Columbia, and sports have got to close out at Clemson. So you've got to get them early because it's only going to get tougher as you get down the stretch, which is the case for most SEC teams.

No real breaks in between there, but if you look at the schedule and what some of the teams that are playing have at a position like quarterback where there's some first-year starters and some unknowns and things like that, you've got to feel relatively confident in the middle of July thinking that you've got a chance to go win a bunch of games and be competitive again in this league and maybe have a shot at getting your name called in late November in the College Football Playoff. Hey, I'll close with a defensive question.

I have always thought South Carolina's defensive front has been the last two or three years one of the best in the league. Dylan Stewart is obviously probably a first-round draft pick in the NFL. Troy Pikes, Brown Lowe Dendy, Addison, and friends, and you've got a linebacker who played at Alabama. I think the front seven in South Carolina is still very good. Yeah, and certainly they think that defensive tackle group might be about as deep and talented a position group as they have on the entire roster.

And it's really good. You mentioned Pikes and Brown Lowe Dendy who were first-year transfers last year, and they're certainly going to play big parts this year, if not be the starters. But they hit the portal hard at tackle especially. You know, they went and got Tomiwad DeRoja, who played last season at Illinois. He's played at a bunch of different schools over the years. Kelby Collins, who was at Alabama last year and started his current Florida. He's going to play a bunch. I mean, they got Caleb Herring, a defensive end from Tennessee, who had a good junior season last year.

He's probably going to be a starter opposite Dylan Stewart, assuming Dylan Stewart is healthy and good to go. So they've got a nice collection along the line. And you mentioned linebackers and Okerwapo and Fred Johnson and Sean Mercy. So, yeah, it's a solid group, and that's a good place to start on defense if you're going to be talented in one area. The front seven's a good place to pick. Absolutely. Listen, we know you're driving. We appreciate you taking the time. The best source for South Carolina sports is yours, Gamecock247.

Tell us where we can get online to get all the good stuff, Hal. Yeah, we're with 24-7 Sports, so if anybody's listening, subscribes to one of the other team sites within the network. You can certainly read all of our VIP content as well at Gamecock247. Safe travels, Dodge, all the alligators and road down there on your way to Tampa, Hal. And thank you so much again for your time today. All right, fellas. Thank you all. Appreciate you having me. Thank you, bud. Absolutely, Hal McGrenahan, busy there at Gamecocks 24-7.

Coming up, time to take a little deeper dive. Day one, ACC Media Days in Tampa on Sports Radio 939, this course. Hello, my name is Keith Medley, and I'm an attorney with a law firm of Johnson, Passeur, Medley & Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law? Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

[2:32:12] Hey, guys. Keith, the Cypress Creek Indoor Range. The Southeastern Conference is the best in the nation. They get that from commitment to facilities, the best equipment available, the best coaching staffs anywhere, and most importantly, the top athletes. If you're looking for the best gun store, shooting range, and training center in the area, you should expect the same. Cypress Creek Indoor Range has nationally recognized state-of-the-art facilities right here in the Shoals. We also have the best selection of firearms and all the accessories as the only store to buy direct from the manufacturers.

Our staff is second to none and is repeatedly honored as having the best customer service in the area. But most importantly, our customers have led us to the top. So if you're interested in firearms, training, or enjoying the Indoor Range experience, check out Cypress Creek Indoor Range for the best of all three. Cypress Creek Indoor Range is located at 5060 Highway 157 in Florence, on the web at cypresscreekrange.com, or on social media. Curtis Restaurant has served Green Hill and the Shoals community since 1972. Catfish and chicken are some of our specialties.

We have a large assortment of delicious sandwiches and prepare some of the best steaks and desserts in North Alabama. Serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Curtis Restaurant is located at 8050 Highway 43. Reserve our 60-seat party room for your next special event by calling 256-757-9066. Waving a title towel is the ultimate way to show your loyalty and support of the Crimson Tide. Whitwell Sports' mission is to provide the best product and service to our customers. Get a rally towel for every member of your family or group and store them in our convenient tailgate tote bag.

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[2:37:21] Now, back to the Boomo Bugg Show on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back, Ken. Really appreciate you taking the time out to join us here on day one of coverage for the SEC Media Days 2026. Obviously, a lot going on in football, and baby, wouldn't you know it? Breaking news with basketball. It is amazing to me what Nate Oates pulls off the head basketball coach at Alabama. Breaking news of about 10 minutes ago, I knew Alabama had one more roster spot. They've got 14. I thought, well, there's no way he's going to do anything with that.

Seven feet, 266 pounds. Man, that's a big one. From Canada, T.J. St. Louis. Say what? T.J. St. Louis has committed. I thought he was from Canada. He's from Canada. Okay. T.J. St. Louis has committed to Alabama. Here's the kicker. All right. He's 18 years old. He plans to enroll this fall. He is going to play on the Alabama basketball team this fall. Seven feet, 266 pounds. Center from his only Nate Oates can pull something off. What's amazing about that, if he's only 18 years old, has he been to dreamland yet?

He's going to grow, my friend. Yes, he will. Seven feet and counting, as they say. Obviously, BB, back to football. It's kind of the thrust there. ACC media days in Tampa. If you're just coming to us, as far as a recap, starting with a commissioner, and normally this stuff comes out, and let's face it, it's not very exciting from the commissioner. He's got his corny jokes, his dad jokes, and all that stuff to break the ice, and then comes in, and I call it seven iron golf.

He lays up and then goes and glad hands and politics and works the room. But basically, this year, Greg Sanky had some teeth to it, did he not? Yeah, he was serious this morning about, obviously, the direction of college football. Two things that caught my attention. One, as he put it, the unsatisfactory conversation with the college football playoff committee in May at the spring meetings, he does not feel that that committee, and so does everybody else agree with him, that the committee is not putting enough emphasis on strength of schedule for the SEC.

And he went on about that for a while, and then was asked a question by the media when he got through with the State of the State address about the, quote, allegations of the SEC breaking away from the NCAA. And he said two words, it's real. Well, no, I agree with Greg in part, but is there some CYA going on here? Because I think he took the bait from conferences across the country to expand the schedule to a nine-game schedule. And now he's getting so much flack from these coaches across the board saying, Greg, what the c*** were you thinking, man?

He was already tough enough. And now you fell right into their trap to sit here and dilute our chances at the end of the season. And I know fans, they want to go out and they want to see a rock star game every week because they're laying down big bucks. But at the end of the year, when you get to that point in the season, and basically you're sitting here and behind Big Ten and other schools because your schedule is so tough, it's hard to make the playoffs.

And I think the coaches have finally gotten a message to Greg, why are you now being proactive? Is there any truth to maybe he's trying to sit here and send the, whether it's realistic or not, at least send the message to the coaches, I'm trying to level the playing field for you guys. Well, the reasons the coaches are upset, Harold, with the nine games, they thought, well, it's an extra game for sure, but they thought that it was going to be 16, the expansion instead of 24, and the other matter with this, last year they had two buys, this year they don't.

They've got one buy with an additional schedule. Now, the way the schedule falls next year and moving forward, there will be 14 weeks to play 12 games, but the coaches are upset about two things, skating past the expansion to 16, and then they've only got one buy week. Yeah, I would say that's next year. That sounds nice next year, but you got to survive and keep your job this year, and I think that's, they're trying to eat their ice cream right now. Obviously, in the meantime, the show does go on.

It started as far as team-wise with Oklahoma. Did you learn anything from Brent Venables, John Mater, and the Sooners? I think they feel more comfortable, and again, I mentioned this earlier in the first segment. Mater changed his throwing motion because of the broken thumb or the thumb injury. I think their defense is going to be just as good as the last couple of years. The offense is the biggest question, Martin, and they return a lot of their receivers. I think they've got a solid offensive line.

[2:42:32] Again, they've got a tough schedule in the middle of the season, along with a lot of SEC teams. I think Oklahoma, again, Harold, the floor is 8-4, the ceiling 10-2. They open with Michigan, and he's talking about breaking news outside the SEC quietly. Did Michigan pick a good day in SEC country to make a big move with their athletic director? Yeah, he is, quote, officially retiring, Harold, at the end of the year. They've had so many, yes, they won a national championship in football, but they've had so many other issues with the sign stealing, et cetera, and then again with Sharon Moore, with his sexual situation with one of the staff members.

No, it was just a matter of time before he was going to leave. Well, any time a rock star position like that opens up, it's a lot of pressure, but with it comes big money. Will Michigan come shopping in the SEC for their replacement? It's too, I would imagine they'll do the same thing they did for their basketball program. They'll name an interim. I mean, we're five weeks away from the season beginning. I don't see them poaching a standing athletic director. All right, we'll see how that plays out.

In the meantime, Eli Drinkwitz, probably the one guy who would never be in politics would be Eli. Eli's coming with the Moxie BB, basically in his own roundabout way saying, I'm one of those guys that's not necessarily buying in to the commission's way of doing business these days, and I'm not a big fan of the selection committee at the end of the year. What did we learn about Missouri today? Well, he mentioned two things that were interesting to me. Number one, he said the coaches are going to regret adding the ninth game for the reasons we just talked about.

Ahmaud Hardy was the other one. I was wondering what the window for his return was going to be. As he put it, he's got about a five to eight week window before he ramps up completely. So again, he could be back for what I think would be the second game of the regular season. Looks more like it's going to be the end of September. But Harold, he ran for nearly 1,700 yards last year. Missouri ran for 2,500. They're going to run the ball. They were dead last in the SEC in passing.

He wants to improve on that. But yeah, believe me, Eli Drinkwith has some interesting comments usually during media days. Two things about Missouri to add to that. Number one, to make sure that they do better passing the ball, they've come to North Alabama and UNA product, Chip Lindsay now is the offensive coordinator for Mizzou. We'll see how that plays out. The other thing, it's going to be a little bit different environment. If you watch the games over the years in Columbia, at Missouri, it's almost like these guys are not really ready for the SEC in terms of their stadium.

They have now, apparently, they finished work. They've enclosed that, so it's going to be a different field. It's going to be louder up there, BB, for teams coming in. Well, they've been working on refurbishing that stadium for years. In fact, if you remember when Alabama played Missouri and Columbia last year, went into the stadium, the seating was restricted, and you could see the cranes. But that really is one area that Missouri and their athletic department has been trying to beef up are the facilities. And I'll check on what the expanded capacity is going to be.

But yeah, I was wondering when that was going to be finished. Before you do that, can you stay here just a second and comment on Kentucky with Will Stein at the podium? I look forward to seeing the replay of him. He does have a lot of moxie, very optimistic. John Travolta on the dance floor. And again, when you look back, Harold, on what he's accomplished as the offensive coordinator for Dan Lanning at Oregon, I can see that. Now, Mincy has got three years of experience, but he's got very little experience on the field with Kentucky.

We talked to Larry Vaughn about that earlier. Will this transfer have a offensive line, including Alinan from Finland who played at Alabama, will they be better? You know they're going to be able to throw the ball more effectively. But the offensive line, I think, is going to be the key for Kentucky this season. 36 years old right now. Well, once the season gets rolling, Kentucky will have a 37-year-old head coach. We'll see how that plays out. Josh Heupel is not 36 or 37. He basically says it's time to move on from Chas Coleman.

We're bigger than that. BB, your thoughts about Josh Heupel and Tennessee closing out day one. I'll tell you one thing. I think Josh Heupel could write a manual about how to handle problem players. Chas Coleman, Niko, Boo Carter. Of course, he was asked, I'll acknowledge him, about the quarterback situation. Tennessee's got four offensive linemen coming back. They're going to flip their right tackle, I believe, to left. Jim Doles coming in as far as the defensive coordinator. Brought two coaches with him. Another coach who had worked with him before, along with some of the other Penn State linemen.

[2:48:01] I think Tennessee's going to surprise some people. But again, it's going to come down to the quarterback. If they can get good play from the quarterback, Deshaun Bishop's going to be able to run the ball. Matthews is a very good receiver. They're a good team. Again, how far can the quarterback take them? Day two, what's on the menu for tomorrow in Tampa, BB? Auburn in Georgia. Alex Golich, Kirby Smart in the morning. Shane Beamer, again, we talked to Shell, to Hal McGranahan about that. Clark Lee of Vanderbilt going to be the last coach on the podium tomorrow.

Talking about building a foundation and where we go from there. After some guy by the name of Pavia is missing. Another guy that's on the podium tomorrow will be John McDade. Who is he? He is the SEC coordinator of football officials. And all our fans are saying we can't wait to listen to him after last year's Oklahoma game. BB, before we get away today, let's give a big tip of the stats to some folks who's making this possible. Yeah, we tremendously appreciate title sponsors. Johnson Pissura Medley and Virtual Attorneys.

Cypress Creek Indoor Range. Gardner Pierce Autos. Lost Pizza. We want to thank James Moody for doing an exceptional job of quarterbacking the show today. I appreciate him and Blair very much for what they do. Yeah, absolutely. It's a big time here on 93.9 The Score. Day two of the SEC media days tomorrow. But first, kick back and enjoy the Braves taking on the Padres tonight. Braves and Padres. You can catch that one with Sears on the mound for the Padres. Elder on the mound for the Braves.

Kick back and enjoy it later on here on 93.9 The Score. It's going to take care of business for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James, Blair, the entire crew here. Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow. 11 to 2. Bonus coverage for Sports Radio 93.9 The Score.