63 Things from SEC Media Days – Retention, Retention, Retention

During this week’s 4-day SEC Media event, the Orangebloods team was consuming as much information as possible, attending 16 head coach press conferences and several player breakout sessions, while also interviewing and chatting with some greats in the industry. Later on, I will attach my personal ballot for the 2025 Pre-Season All-SEC Team.

In this year’s “21 Things” section, one key topic I’ll address is player retention. Last year, discussions centered on Texas and Oklahoma’s conference move, its implications, and how they would fare. This year, the questions posed to coaches varied widely, ranging from poorly framed to deeply insightful, allowing some coaches to provide detailed responses rich with media-friendly insights. I found the discussion on retention and player culture acquisition particularly compelling. Coaches who emphasized retention consistently highlighted the importance of recruiting players who align with their program’s culture. Notably, the seven coaches who did not mention retention also failed to discuss recruiting players who fit their culture in the same way.

My Top 10 Teams in the SEC Ballot (Predicted Order of Finish)

1. Georgia (11-1, Loss vs. Florida)
2. Alabama (10-2, Loss at Georgia, Loss at South Carolina)
3. Texas (10-2, Loss at Georgia, Loss at Florida)
4. Ole Miss (10-2, Loss at Georgia, Loss vs. Florida)
5. LSU (9-3, Loss at Clemson, Loss at Ole Miss, Loss at Alabama)
6. South Carolina (9-3, Loss at Missouri, Loss at LSU, Loss at Ole Miss)
7. Florida (9-3, Loss at LSU, Loss at Miami, Loss at Texas A&M)
8. Vanderbilt (8-4, Loss at South Carolina, Loss at Alabama, Loss vs. LSU, Loss at Texas)
9. Tennessee (8-4, Loss vs. Georgia, Loss at Alabama, Loss at Florida, Loss vs. Vandy)
10. Texas A&M (7-5, Loss at Notre Dame, Loss at Arkansas, Loss at LSU, Loss vs. South Carolina, Loss at Texas)

21 Things from 2024 SEC Media Days

1. This one caught me off guard from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, but in his opening statement, he mentioned in College Basketball, that “Tournament Expansion is worth exploring.”
2. LSU HC Brian Kelly had rave reviews of his Quarterback and third-longest tenured Starter in the SEC, Garrett Nussmeier (31 games). “Experience in this league at the Quarterback position is the MOST important thing.” – “Garrett has the Mindset of a coach’s son – every day he comes to practice or training looking to improve.” – “He brings the individual trait that coaches want. to be coached hard.”
3. South Carolina HC Shane Beamer mentioned a bizarre stat that I don’t know if anyone has thought much about: “Early in my tenure, we only had ONE player from the State of North Carolina on our roster, and it was Nick Barrett. That’s ridiculous for a border state, so we knew we needed to attack NC in recruiting, and we did, there are plenty of kids that want to come across the border and play in the SEC.”
   • South Carolina now has 6 Players from the State of North Carolina on the current roster.
   • They have three commitments in the 2026 Class from the Top 20 in North Carolina.
4. Texas HC Steve Sarkisian mentioned, “I think this is a championship roster, now we’ve got to play like a championship team. Starting on the defensive side of the ball, we brought Anthony Hill and Michael Taafe with us today, but it goes well beyond those two. We’ve got great depth on the defensive side of the ball with Manny Muhammed, Colin Simmons, Maraad Watson, Trey Moore, Brad Spence, Ethan Burke, Travis Shaw, Cole Brevard, Jaylon Guilbeau, Jelani McDonald, Derek Williams, and Liona Lefau, to name a few. This is probably the deepest and most talented defence that we’ve had.”
5. Ole Miss has FOUR finishes in the Top 12 over the last 55 seasons, 3 of them are in the last four seasons under Lane Kiffin.
6. Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz proposed a 30-team college football playoff. The first round would be all play-in games within conferences during conference Championship weekend, and then would become a 16-team playoff. He wants to take the Committee out of the conversation.
7. Vanderbilt HC Clark Lea talked about recruiting in the State of Texas after he was asked about Eli Stowers and Sedrick Alexander. “It’s a testament to the quality of football in the state of Texas and how important that State has been to us and building our program.”
   • Vandy has 18 Players from the State of Texas on their current roster.
   • 2026 Commitments from 74. Daryl Campbell, DL from Katy and 85. Izayah Lee, RB from Lancaster

To read the rest of Cody’s column and his SEC All-Conference Teams, click HERE.