SEC football media days: A big question for all 16 teams, including OU and Texas

The circus that is SEC Media Days will gather this week at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, where the Earlier and the Longhorns will be throwing a housewarming party of sorts, inviting all their crazy new neighbors to what used to be 12 big country.

OU and Texas have moved up a notch and we’re about to find out just how comfortable they are in their new digs.

In SECville, there are crazy Cajuns who stay up all night and alligators lurking in the neighborhood lake. Lane Kiffin flipping houses and Kirby Smart pocketing HOA fees. Pigs wreaking havoc on lawns and the ghost of Nick Saban haunting enemies of old.

Other than that, it’s a really cool place!

Four teams will take the SEC Media Days stage every day, Monday through Thursday. The Sooners will have their turn on Tuesday and the Longhorns on Wednesday.

Here’s a big question for every team heading into SEC Media Days. We’ll go in order of when they’ll get their turn in Dallas.

More: What to Watch in OU Football at SEC Media Days: All Eyes on Jackson Arnold

LSU

What is Blake Baker’s plan to fix the defense?

LSU had Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Jayden Daniels flanked by two first-round NFL Draft wide receivers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.

But the Tigers’ fast-paced attack was held back by the nation’s 108th-ranked total defense.

Coach Brian Kelly fired defensive coordinator Matt House and replaced House with Blake Baker, the former defensive coordinator at Missouri. LSU is paying Baker $2.5 million annually, making him one of the highest-paid assistants in college football.

LSU will have to remake its offense this season under quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, but as we saw, not even a Daniels-led offense could overcome LSU’s woeful defense.

South Carolina

Can the Gamecocks’ offensive line protect quarterback LaNorris Sellers?

Last season, South Carolina’s offensive line allowed the highest pressure rate of any Power Five unit while also ranking third-worst in run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.

It’s hard to win football games if you can’t block. Especially in the SEC.

The Gamecocks have a lot of Sellers, a dual-threat redshirt freshman, and have good room for running backs.

Can the big guys up front do their part?

old lady

How will the Rebels replace running back Quinshon Judkins?

Judkins ranked first in the SEC in rushing touchdowns (15) and second in the SEC in rushing yards (1,158) last season.

Then Judkins transferred to Ohio State, leaving a huge hole in the Ole Miss defense.

Lane Kiffin and Co. signed four running backs from the transfer portal. It remains to be seen who will emerge as the Rebels’ main ball carrier.

Vanderbilt

What do the Commodores think of the current college football climate?

The SEC’s premier academic institution looks increasingly out of place on the football field.

Clark Lea, who has one of the toughest jobs in college football, is 2-22 in SEC play in his three seasons as head coach.

How does it feel to play and coach at Vanderbilt in a conference that has gotten even tougher?

Georgia

Are Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs in a league of their own?

Of course it seems like it. Votes for the SEC preseason poll will be tallied at media days and (spoiler alert) Georgia will be No. 1.

The Bulldogs fell short in their three-peat attempt last season. Georgia finished a disappointing 13-1. A loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game knocked the Bulldogs out of the four-team playoff bracket.

Georgia, once again, will enter the season as the favorite for the national title. Quarterback Carson Beck is among the Heisman favorites.

The Bulldogs have gone a combined 42-2 over the past three seasons.

More: OU football reveals partnership with former Philadelphia Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg

Tennessee

What will Josh Heupel say about OU, his upcoming trip to Norman?

Heupel answered this question at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, but he will certainly be asked again on the big stage in Dallas.

OU, hosting its first SEC game in program history, will play Tennessee on Sept. 21 in Norman.

There will certainly be mixed feelings for Heupel, who quarterbacked OU to the national championship in 2000 but was fired as offensive coordinator at his alma mater after the 2014 season.

More: Will Davon Mitchell excel at tight end? OU football freshman ‘looks like an NFL guy’

Oklahoma

Is Jackson Arnold ready for this?

It’s strange to have more questions about OU’s offense than its defense, but that’s certainly the case entering Year 1 in the SEC.

The Sooners opted to play the long game at quarterback, prioritizing the shiny new toy of Jackson Arnold over the reliability of Oregon transfer Dillon Gabriel.

Keeping Gabriel would likely mean losing Arnold in the transfer portal.

Going from Gabriel to Arnold certainly seems like a short-term downgrade, but Arnold has immense long-term upside. Time will tell if the Sooners made the right bet.

Missouri

Can the Tigers put together a breakthrough 2023 season?

Eliah Drinkwitz was on the hot seat entering last season. Then he led the Tigers to a remarkable 11-2 season (6-2 SEC), and now all is well in Columbia.

What will Missouri do as an encore?

Hired Corey Batoon to replace Baker as defensive coordinator, and the Tigers still have plenty of talent on that side of the ball.

Quarterback Brady Cook is one of the conference’s most experienced signal-callers.

Alabama

What has life been like for Kalen DeBoer since taking the Alabama job?

DeBoer has been on the job for six months. It probably feels like six years for Alabama’s new coach.

Following the greatest coach of all time, Nick Saban, at the greatest program of all time at Alabama can age a man.

But that’s what DeBoer committed to when he decided to leave Washington.

The honeymoon period is over.

More: How OU athletics is approaching the SEC with confidence: ‘We know where we’re going next’

State of Mississippi

Is Jeff Lebby ready for his first head coaching job?

Lebby was a questionable signing on several fronts.

The former OU offensive coordinator was courted by Zac Selmon, a former OU administrator and current Mississippi State athletic director.

Mississippi State is one of the toughest jobs in the SEC. Who knows, maybe Lebby can pull off a Dan Mullen-type run. In this case, Selmon will have made the right hire.

Florida

Can Billy Napier survive Florida’s brutal schedule?

Last five games of the season in Florida: vs. Georgia, Texas, vs. LSU, vs. Ole Miss, at Florida State.

Damn.

If this is a do-or-die third year for Napier, it’s hard to like his chances of survival.

Texas

Are the SEC Longhorns ready?

OU beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl, but at the end of the season the Longhorns looked like the most SEC-ready program.

Texas defeated Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game before losing to Washington in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

The return of quarterback Quinn Ewers should give Texas a big boost of confidence heading into the SEC.

Texas will be tested with an early trip to Michigan.

More: Inside OU quarterback Jackson Arnold reunites with Dillon Gabriel at the Manning Passing Academy

Arkansas

What is Arkansas identity?

Arkansas, coming off a 1-7 conference record, hired coach Sam Pittman, who is 23-25 ​​overall and 11-23 in the SEC in his four seasons with the Razorbacks.

Arkansas hired Bobby Petrino, their disgraced former coach, as offensive coordinator.

Taylen Green, a Boise State quarterback with mixed results, is expected to start for the Hogs.

What is Arkansas’ direction as a program? It’s difficult to analyze.

Texas A&M

Can Mike Elko bring some sanity to College Station?

The Jimbo Fisher era at Texas A&M was defined by large recruiting classes that never panned out.

We all know expectations may be out of whack in College Station, but perhaps Mike Elko, who worked wonders in his two years at Duke, can bring a balanced approach to Aggieland.

Eventually, Texas A&M’s resources should lead to victories. Especially in this arms race era of college football.

Auburn

Is Alabama’s loss Auburn’s gain?

Nick Saban’s retirement was a win for everyone in college football but Alabama.

A victory especially for Auburn. Are the Tigers still in the shadow of the Crimson Tide? Absolutely. But with Saban’s departure, that shadow got a little smaller.

Auburn sold its soul by signing Hugh Freeze before last season, but Freeze can coach. Coach Saban? No. Coach DeBoer? Perhaps.

Kentucky

How are the vibes in Lexington around Mark Stoops?

Mark Stoops, entering his 12th year at Kentucky, is the SEC’s longest-tenured coach.

He is the winningest coach in Kentucky football history.

He led the Wildcats to eight consecutive bowl games.

But after flirting with Texas A&M in the off-season, and at one point appearing to have the job, you have to think things might get a little weird in Lexington with Stoops back for another season.

True, it was a victory for Kentucky that Stoops remained. And probably a win for Stoops, given the stability of his job compared to the turbulence of the job at Texas A&M.

This article originally appeared in the Oklahoman: SEC Football Media Days: A Big Question for All 16 Teams