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SEC Media Days is fun because there’s always some strong statements being made, and Day 1 in Hoover, Ala., certainly provided us with a few.
Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt were on the docket, and here’s a look at the quotes that stood out from the players/coaches in attendance on Monday.
Ralph Webb
South Carolina at Vanderbilt is the only SEC matchup in Week 1. Commodores redshirt junior running back Ralph Webb already knows who’s coming out on top in that one.
1. “We’re definitely going to get the W.”
Jarrad Davis
Senior linebacker Jarrad Davis churned out a couple notable quotes in Hoover. One of them was related to his former coach Will Muschamp, who will be back in The Swamp on Nov. 12 but on the other sideline as South Carolina’s head coach.
2. “I don’t know if the Florida fans will welcome him (Muschamp) back with open arms like they did (Steve) Spurrier.”
His other quote came as a jab at Tennessee.
3. “It’s always one of the funnest games of the year. Because we win.”
Marcus Maye
That game between the Gators and Vols in Neyland Stadium on Sept. 24 got a lot of attention on Monday. Aside from Davis, junior CB Jalen Tabor had already said plenty about it, and said some more.
Then, redshirt senior safety Marcus Maye stoked the fire a little more.
4. “Tennessee is Tennessee. Florida is Florida. What you see is what you get, and it’s been that way for a while.”
Derek Mason
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason also had a couple that had some reverberations throughout the conference room. If you don’t like this one because you’ve heard it before, you’ve at least got to appreciate the delivery, especially in that smooth suit.
It was in response to whether coaches/student-athletes should use their platforms to promote their beliefs or unity.
5. “It takes teamwork to make the dream work.”
Mason was also tossed an interesting question about whether or not he feels additional pressure to succeed being an African-American college football coach.
6. “My ethnicity has nothing to do with my position.”
JIM McELWAIN
This is only Year 2 in Gainesville for Florida coach Jim McElwain, but he’s already been pretty open about the program’s lack of spending when it comes to the football program.
McElwain said this when asked about Florida State handing out state championship rings to its players after beating the Gators and Hurricanes last season.
7. “I don’t know whether our administration has it in our budget to do that.”
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
