SEC Media Days 2022: What to Expect as Alabama, Georgia, and the Conference State Realign (2023)

ATLANTA – SEC Media Days returns to the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta for the second year in history, and there will be plenty to talk about during Talk Season. The conference features the current national championsGeorgia, National Runner-up / Current SEC ChampionAlabamaand coaching intrigues ranging from new blood to coaches on the bench.

Commissioner Greg Sankey will begin Monday at 11:30 am. m. ET with his annual State of the SEC speech with LSU,be missedmiMeasurementsin tow on Day 1. Defending conference champions Alabama will take the stage on Tuesday, while defending champions Georgia will make the rounds on Wednesday. The event ends withgranate,Tennesseemihold a round on Thursday morning.

What can you expect during the four-day extravaganza? Below are some of the key talking points that the celebrations leading up to the 2022 season should highlight.

Can Georgia maintain success?

The Bulldogs won the national title last season, ending a 41-year drought in Athens, but when the Indianapolis plane touched down at Peach State, there was a mass exodus. A record 15 bulldogs hearing his name in 2022NFL Draft, from which five defenders were selected in the first round, also a record. Coach Kirby Smart also lost wide receiver George Pickens and running backs Zamir White and James Cook, as well as wide receivers.Jermaine Burtonhe moved to Alabama shortly after the season finale.

Winning a title is incredibly difficult, but maintaining success at the championship level is the biggest challenge any coach or program can face. attack playerStetson BennetIV is back, along with a deep and versatile running back staff, stellar tight endbrock roundabouts, elite defenderjalen carterand backing studNolan Smith.

Ed Orgeron couldn't sustain the successLSUand Gene Chizik failed to do the same at Auburn. Will Smart suffer the same fate? Let's find out this year.

which canbryce jungfor an encore?

The Crimson Tide's junior signalman won the Heisman Trophy last season despite playing behind a porous offensive line that didn't consistently protect him. Will he be able to repeat the feat? How good can he be when the offensive line can take even the smallest step forward?

Young is one of three Crimson Tide players joining head coach Nick Saban on Tuesday, so we'll have a chance to find out exactly what he expects of himself and what's expected of him now that he's in his second season as the starting quarterback for The Tide. . Archie Griffin is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice. However, Young is prepared to get even better in the encore, as long as he can get a little more help.

Out with the old, out with the new

LSU atrajo a Brian Kellyour ladyReplacing Ed Orgeron in one of the most surprising moves of the silly season as manager. Kelly is charged with returning the Tigers to national prominence after Orgeron struggled in the two years since he captured the title.college footballPlayoff title in the 2019 postseason. He inherits a roster of many talents, but lacks the quality needed for consistent competition.

Floridasent Dan Mullen home and replaced him with rising star Billy Napier after a successful four-year stint atLouisiana🇧🇷 Napier's main concern is rebuilding a roster that was neglected during the last Mullen era. Easier said than done, but Napier has hit the transfer portal market hard and brought a rising star with him.antonio richardsonbelow the middle.

The two new SEC coaches couldn't be more different when it comes to coaching experience, but they are in high-potential programs.

The quarterback fascinates along the line

Quarterbacks are the hot topic during the four days in Atlanta. Several teams have extremely intriguing quarterback battles with veterans, transfers, and odds.

LSU three-way fight features a former caller from Arizona Statejayden daniels, ex titularmyles brennanis younggarret nussmeier🇧🇷 Auburn will also have a three-way matchup between former transfer sophomoreT.J. Finley, Texas A&M BroadcastZach CalzadamiOregontransferrobby ashford🇧🇷 Speaking of Aggies, former LSU starterMax Johnson, incoming for opening day 2021haynes kingand newcomer five starsConner Weigmanwill fight for first place in the depth chart.

Bennett will face the champions on defense, but the jury is out, according to some, on his ability to make a difference that can make up for a defense that could take a small step back.beck carsonmiBrock today reportwaiting in the wings if Bennett can't handle the title defense.

Underdog Heisman candidates scatter through the conference like mosquitoes in a pond.Hendon prostituteshe's the undisputed starter for Tennessee, having thrown for 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions last season.Kentucky will levishe received an insane in the NFL draft after throwing for 24 touchdowns last season.South Carolina Spencer's RattlesnakeLast year's Heisman favorite will look to recapture the magic with Shane Beamer's team at Columbia.

It's going to be a fun year for SEC quarterbacks, and we'll talk about that next week.

Harsin nach Berlinda

Bryan Harsin came close to being fired last February after a 6-7 season, a mass exodus of players and a disconnect between the drivers and the decision-makers in running and managing the program. Local media had a chance to speak to Harsin on the matter, but the media days will be the first time regional and national folks will get a chance to dig into one of the weirder weeks of the offseason. How will Harsin deal with this?

He wasn't shy about bringing it up during spring training and will certainly have rehearsed the ready answers. However, this will lead to a lot of speculation and reading between the lines about his position. Outside of Harsin, there really aren't any coaches in the hot seat of the conference. Of course, this applies immediately. A 3-9 debacle by other coaches in the conference could quickly turn things around.

federal stateTexas,Oklahomaand realignment

USCmiUniversity of California at Los Angelesshocked the college football world last month when they announced they were moving to the Big Ten for the 2024-25 season. The ripple effect of this news reached everywhere, including the SEC. The conference kicked off this current round of realignment last summer when it announced that Texas and Oklahoma would join by 2025-26, but the landscape has changed since then. Two major powers targeting the Big Ten suggest that other conferences, including the SEC, could target West Coast programs to create a national presence.

Also, the weak knees of the Pac-12 have the Big 12 "open for business" after their announcement.BYU,houston,CincinnatimiUCFas new members starting next season. Could this speed up or slow down the next moves by the Longhorns and Sooners? Sankey is asked about it early on and often.

Drama de Saban-Fisher

The fight between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban early in the offseason, in which Saban accused Texas A&M of buying his recruiting class, was a crazy week in college football and underscored the fact that there are no guardrails in this new era of athletics. It is highly unlikely that the two coaches will engage in another battle of words in Atlanta, but the issues raised in the previous instance will be addressed.

Saban and Fisher know their voices matter, especially after what happened during the offseason. Expect both of you to see the fight in the rear view mirror, but use it to encourage a conversation that needs to be addressed to maintain any semblance of competitive footing.