Latest / The Craig Way Show / SEC Media Day Takeaways, Longhorns and Aggies' Shared Success with Chris Hummer

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SEC Media Day Takeaways, Longhorns and Aggies' Shared Success with Chris Hummer · The Craig Way Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We continue on a Friday afternoon post media day glow
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: here on AM thirteen hundred The Zone here to talk
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  Speaker 1: about some of the things we just revealed as far
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  Speaker 1: as the SEC preseason polls. Go is someone who covers
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: college football on the national level with CBS Sports and
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: two four seven Sports. Chris Hummer joins the show. Chris,
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  Speaker 1: thanks so much for the time on what I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: has been a busy week.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely happy to be here. Chris.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: I know you put out a piece this morning on
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  Speaker 1: some of your reactions to the teams we just talked
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  Speaker 1: about the SEC preseason teams that we revealed earlier on
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  Speaker 1: the show. What kind of takeaways do you have this
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  Speaker 1: morning after getting a chance to review all of those.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I mean, I think you can only do
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  Speaker 3: so many takeaways from a preseason All SEC team. But
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  Speaker 3: I think my first thought at the top is Georgia
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  Speaker 3: and Texas are quite clearly, at least per the media,
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  Speaker 3: the two most talented teams in the league. They both
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: have eleven plus starters represented on the preseason All SEC team.
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  Speaker 3: And I mean, if you do some quick napkin math,
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  Speaker 3: that's fifty percent or better, which is a pretty good
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  Speaker 3: hit rate for starting twenty two, So you can understand
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  Speaker 3: why those two teams sit a top the standings, and
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  Speaker 3: there are quite a few teams behind them like Oklahoma, Alabama,
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  Speaker 3: Old miss LSU that are really talented as well, and
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  Speaker 3: you see that reflecting the standings. But at least to
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  Speaker 3: me and I agree with the voters on this front
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  Speaker 3: standpoint that Georgia and Texas going into the season should
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  Speaker 3: be the favorites in the SEC.
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  Speaker 1: Chris, is there anything further down the ballot as far
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  Speaker 1: as the preseason order of finish where you might differ
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  Speaker 1: from the consensus of those who were in Tampa.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, it's tough for the SEC, right because like on paper,
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  Speaker 3: I think Mississippi State's going to be pretty good this year.
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  Speaker 3: I think they're going to be much improved. But being
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  Speaker 3: much improved in the SEC when you have to play
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  Speaker 3: nine conference games doesn't necessarily translate to a lot of wins.
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  Speaker 3: But if I want to take a flyer like from
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  Speaker 3: nine to sixteen as a team that I think, if
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  Speaker 3: things go right, can really be competitive, it.
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  Speaker 2: Would be Florida, and then it'd probably be Kentucky.
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  Speaker 3: Florida I think is as talented as some of the
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  Speaker 3: teams close to the top of those rankings.
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  Speaker 2: They're really, really, really good up front.
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  Speaker 3: If they hit on that quarterback position, they have one
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  Speaker 3: of the best running backs in the country, one of
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  Speaker 3: the best receiver rooms in the country. If they can
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  Speaker 3: hit on that quarterback position, they're gonna be pretty dangerous.
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  Speaker 3: And I actually feel the same way about Kentucky. If
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  Speaker 3: Kenny Minshew's good, they have a really good offensive line.
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  Speaker 3: I think they have enough skill pieces. They still have
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  Speaker 3: a lot of the defensive pieces that made them so
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  Speaker 3: good consistently under Mark Stoops.
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  Speaker 2: So those would probably.
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  Speaker 3: Be the two teams where like if I was going
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  Speaker 3: to take a flyer on teams outside the top half
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  Speaker 3: that I would look up.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, Kentucky got a first place vote, so you never know.
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  Speaker 1: That's something that I know will Stein brought in a
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  Speaker 1: lot of confidence in Bravado to his first SEC media days.
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  Speaker 1: We'll come back to what some of the coaches said,
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  Speaker 1: but I like what you pointed out in your piece
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  Speaker 1: this morning over at CBS Sports, and that is just
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  Speaker 1: how loaded the SEC is at running back. I know
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  Speaker 1: the quarterbacks get a ton of the headlines, and I
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  Speaker 1: do want to get your thoughts on Arch Manning in
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  Speaker 1: a minute, But why are you so excited about this
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  Speaker 1: running back group in the SEC this year?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I mean, I think in general, you could argue
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  Speaker 3: the last decade the running back position hasn't had a
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  Speaker 3: ton of star power in college football. I know, Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: Love just went third overall in the draft, but I
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  Speaker 3: don't think people are like lining up to watch Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: Love like they maybe were Leonard Fernatt or Christian McCaffrey
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  Speaker 3: or even a Bryce Love like a decade ago. But
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  Speaker 3: I think the SEC this year particularly has just a
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  Speaker 3: ton of star power with that position. I think there
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  Speaker 3: are three guys going into the year that have a
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  Speaker 3: legitimate chance to be first on picks at running back
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  Speaker 3: if you talked to scouts, and they all play in
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  Speaker 3: the SEC. One as Jayden Baber plays for Florida, who
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  Speaker 3: was the second team pick for the SEC, and then
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  Speaker 3: Keywan Lacy Old obviously a Mott Hardy status is still
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  Speaker 3: a little up in the air as he returned from
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  Speaker 3: the gunshot whom he suffered at a concert this offseason.
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  Speaker 3: But like there's a strong group behind them too, like
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  Speaker 3: Nate Frasier at Georgia to Sean Bishop of Tennessee. We're
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  Speaker 3: both streaking all se picks, which they came close to
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  Speaker 3: a thousand yards last year.
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  Speaker 2: They were both really good.
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  Speaker 3: I believed Sean Bishop even led the country and rushing
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  Speaker 3: touchdowns with sixteen. And then like, we haven't even mentioned
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  Speaker 3: Texas's two headed backfield of Hollywood Smothers and Ulik Brown.
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  Speaker 3: I mean really, Brown was a Big twelve first team
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  Speaker 3: selection last year. Had he gone to the draft, he
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  Speaker 3: would have been drafted. Hollywood Smothers is a guy that,
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  Speaker 3: like scouts loved to like, you could legitimately argue like
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  Speaker 3: if you take the top ten running backs that the
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  Speaker 3: SEC would have, half of them are better.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, pretty remarkable to think about, and from a long,
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  Speaker 1: warm perspective, I think all three of those first round
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  Speaker 1: prospects you mentioned bought at Florida, Lacey at Ole, miss
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  Speaker 1: Hardy at Missouri. They're all have another thing in common,
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  Speaker 1: and that is on the Longhorn schedule this year, which
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  Speaker 1: shaped up to be pretty difficult. Along with it feels
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  Speaker 1: like two thirds of this conferences every single year. You
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  Speaker 1: mentioned Hollywood Smothers coming in one of several transfers and
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  Speaker 1: new pieces that Steve Sarkisian and company brought into surround
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  Speaker 1: Arch Manning with some more talent they hope in twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty six. You mentioned Trinidad Chambliss was the correct pick
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  Speaker 1: by the voters at the number one the first SEC
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  Speaker 1: All first team spot in the poll in your piece
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  Speaker 1: over at cbssports dot com. But you mentioned arch Manning
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  Speaker 1: you expect him to have a better year in twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty six.
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  Speaker 2: Why is that? For a number of reasons.
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  Speaker 3: One, he's in his second year as a starter, and
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  Speaker 3: every wrap matters this quarterback, I really. I know people
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  Speaker 3: were pointing out that he'd been at Texas for two years,
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  Speaker 3: that starters reps are not the same thing sitting on
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  Speaker 3: the bench and observing, so that makes a huge difference.
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  Speaker 3: But mostly I just think the roster's so much better
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  Speaker 3: around him. Texas is clearly quite aware they have a
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  Speaker 3: championship window.
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  Speaker 2: This year.
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  Speaker 3: They built around arch Manning with a purpose. He saw
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  Speaker 3: Steve Starkesian talk essentially about cutting players to free up
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  Speaker 3: cap space, and I mean he's right. They did, like
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  Speaker 3: they chose to move on from some players that were
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  Speaker 3: demanding a significant of money money to pursue other players
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  Speaker 3: that could make a bigger impact. Cam Coleman's a great
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  Speaker 3: example of that. Like cam Coleman has looked at as
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  Speaker 3: one of the three best receivers in the country entering
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  Speaker 3: the year. He's a huge upgrade for that receiver room
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  Speaker 3: that suffered its fair share of drops last year.
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  Speaker 2: The offensive line is.
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  Speaker 3: Going to be better on paper, even if you've removed
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  Speaker 3: the Cole Hudson of it all, which is a different conversation,
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  Speaker 3: but they went out and got one of the top
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  Speaker 3: offensive tackles in the portal. They went out and got
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  Speaker 3: one of the most experienced offensive guards. Like the offensive
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  Speaker 3: line is going to have five thousand plus STAPs going
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  Speaker 3: into next year. That's a huge difference from last year
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  Speaker 3: when it was a pretty unproven unit in some spots,
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  Speaker 3: and then obviously at running back like Trey Weisner was
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  Speaker 3: really good for Texas when he was healthy. But Texas
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  Speaker 3: went out and got to draft picks in the portal.
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  Speaker 3: They have two of the top ten to fifteen running
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  Speaker 3: backs in the country and their roster now there are
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  Speaker 3: no holes and that makes life a lot easier as
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  Speaker 3: a quarterback, certainly what Texas is hoping. Chris Hummer joins
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  Speaker 3: US National College Football writer over at two four to
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  Speaker 3: seven Sports and CBS Sports earlier in the week. You
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  Speaker 3: pointed out something that I maybe wasn't quite aware of,
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  Speaker 3: and that is the unique moment we're in right now.
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  Speaker 3: As far as the two teams in the Lone Star
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  Speaker 3: Showdown rivalry Texas and Texas A and M being nationally
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  Speaker 3: relevant being national contenders at the same time. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I thought your piece was really interesting in pointing out
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  Speaker 3: how long these teams have waited to be competitive in
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  Speaker 3: a moment like this and some of the things that led.
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  Speaker 2: To that that maybe weren't the case over the last decade.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I, like many people listening to this,
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  Speaker 3: I assume grew up watching and following that rivalry. It
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  Speaker 3: was a Thanksgiving tradition in my house. And I think
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  Speaker 3: what people don't realize is these teams haven't been good
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  Speaker 3: together at the same time very often. Part of that
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  Speaker 3: Texas A and M has had more limited runs as
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  Speaker 3: a national contender. But even when Texas A and M
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  Speaker 3: was a national contender, you think about in the kind
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  Speaker 3: of mid to late twenty tens, Texas wasn't particularly relevant
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  Speaker 3: and they've gone back and forth. Last year was the
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  Speaker 3: first time in fifty years they both won ten games
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  Speaker 3: together in the same season. They haven't even even won
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  Speaker 3: a combined nineteen games together two straight years since like
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  Speaker 3: the mid nineties, So it's just been kind of a
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  Speaker 3: yo yo effect between the two programs. And I think
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  Speaker 3: there are a lot of reasons why the teams are
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  Speaker 3: good at the same time, Like you can certainly credit
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  Speaker 3: the head coaches, I think you definitely have to talk
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  Speaker 3: about the administrations being more stable. I think a lot
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  Speaker 3: of text fans Steve Pattersonara and shake their heads a
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  Speaker 3: little bit. And Texas A and M's had plenty of
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  Speaker 3: those situations themselves. But if we're being honest, like I
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  Speaker 3: think a lot of this has to do with the
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  Speaker 3: ability to recruit nationally, we're in a much different recruiting
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  Speaker 3: environment than we were twenty years ago. And frankly, money,
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  Speaker 3: like it's kind of the dirty little secret in the
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  Speaker 3: room in college football. Maybe not a secret anymore, but
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  Speaker 3: Texas and Texas A and M or two of the
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  Speaker 3: most resourced program country and you're seeing both programs flex
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  Speaker 3: that muscle not only in high school recruiting, but in
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  Speaker 3: a roster attention and roster additions. And I think when
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  Speaker 3: you have all those factors kind of flowing at the
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  Speaker 3: same time. It allows both of them to have the
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  Speaker 3: space to be good. I think they couldn't necessarily be
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  Speaker 3: good in the same way twenty years at the same
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  Speaker 3: time being the same conference, recruit in the same players.
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  Speaker 3: But now that you have the AVORSOE players nationally and
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  Speaker 3: you also have the avenue to pay them, I think
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  Speaker 3: it allows both programs to fly together in a way
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  Speaker 3: they haven't before.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it makes you wonder how differently those realignment conversations
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  Speaker 1: would have been if the environment was that way, you know,
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  Speaker 1: ten fifteen years ago. It also is something you pointed
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  Speaker 1: out where these two schools are no longer just going
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  Speaker 1: head to head over every elite Texas prospect because of
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  Speaker 1: that national footprint that recruiting now has. And you pointed
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  Speaker 1: out how far Mike Elko has come in that area
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  Speaker 1: at Texas A and M recently.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, if you look at their number one of
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  Speaker 3: our recruiting class, like, they have players from across the
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  Speaker 3: country and it's been I mean, it's act funny. Actually
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  Speaker 3: it's not just a Texas A and M thaying like
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  Speaker 3: Texas fans. I'm sure remember how much criticism Charlie Strong
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: got initially for recruiting players from Florida, and that was
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  Speaker 3: what like a decade ago, and now it's commonplace for
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  Speaker 3: Texas to go out of state and recruit the best
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  Speaker 3: players possible.
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  Speaker 2: And the same thing's true for Texas A and M.
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  Speaker 3: So I think that flexibility allows both head coaches to
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  Speaker 3: pursue the rosters that they see fit and also not
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  Speaker 3: run into each other quite as often. Even that does happen,
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: as we saw this offseason, somebody like John Meredith.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, no, we'll get to that a little later
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  Speaker 1: on in the program. Chris Hummer from two four seven
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: Sports and CBS Sports is with us here for just
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: a couple of more minutes. We heard plenty of SEC
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: talking points this week in Tampa about how the conference
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: still certainly views itself at the top of the sport.
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  Speaker 1: We've also heard talking points from the Big Ten and
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: several other conferences in the last couple of seasons pointing
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: to the lack of postseason success that the conference has had,
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: and I know we're going to maybe hear some of
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: that in Chicago in response to that next week at
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  Speaker 1: Big Ten Media Days. In your opinion, is the SEC
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  Speaker 1: Chris still the best conference in the sport heading into
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six.
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  Speaker 3: I hate the waffle, but I guess this is kind
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  Speaker 3: of like in what way do you mean? Like, if
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  Speaker 3: you're asking, like, are they better in terms of the
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  Speaker 3: scoreboard and winning a compassion chaship? No, if you're talking
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  Speaker 3: about depth top to bottom, Yes, the SEC is still
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  Speaker 3: a better league than the Big Ten. So I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I get it, Like, I think both conference can argue
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  Speaker 3: that successfully. And I mean you saw what Indiana and
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  Speaker 3: tot to Alabama this past season, for example, Like, I
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  Speaker 3: think the Big Ten's best the last couple of years
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  Speaker 3: has been better than the SEC's.
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  Speaker 2: Best, But like, are the Big Ten's best? Uh?
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  Speaker 3: Is the Big Ten top to bottom better than the SEC?
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: I don't think so. So I think it's It's an
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: interesting conversation. I understand why it happens, and I can
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: definitely understand why fan bases from both leagues would argue,
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  Speaker 3: especially when you consider the uneven circumstances of the secaly
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  Speaker 3: playing eight league games in past seasons, but the SEC
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  Speaker 3: also having a much more difficult path and those those
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: eight games compared to what the Big Ten had. I
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: get it, but I think it just kind of depends
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  Speaker 3: on what you're asking. SEC is the deeper league, but
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: right now the Big ten is the better league at
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: the top.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I appreciate that the Fresh takes on it just
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  Speaker 1: because I know it becomes a bit of a of
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: a tied topic and I'm interested to see how the
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: nine game SEC sched you'll will impact the way maybe
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: strength of schedule is discussed on the national level.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: And we heard.
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  Speaker 1: Some some some fleeting talk about the SEC potentially breaking
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: away from the NC double A. I don't know that
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: it's anything more than, you know, potentially a leverage play
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: from Commissioner Sanky, But is this something you could see
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: potentially having legs? How do you react when you sort
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: of see and hear those types of quotes coming out
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: of Tampa, at least on day one.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, Greg thank he's never been shy about creating
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: leverage for himself and creating copy points for himself, and
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  Speaker 3: I think in this environment.
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  Speaker 2: It's not surprising to hear something like that. Do I
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: think it's going to happen? Absolutely not.
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  Speaker 3: I think the SEC to values itself considerably if it
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: takes it outside of if it takes itself outside of
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: the mechanism and organism that is. I don't get me wrong,
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: I'm sure fans would watch, but the season's never going
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: to have the same sort of stakes if you don't
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: have taxes at the end the air with the potential
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: to play at organ or Ohio State, Like, it's just
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: not so Yeah. I mean, like Greg think you can
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: say about all he wants, but unless the Big Ten
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: and the SEC exit at the same time together and
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: form their own thing, like, I really don't consider that
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: much of a much of a threat. Do I think
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: those leagues could come and handle more enforcement on their own. Absolutely,
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: I think it's actually needed in a lot of ways.
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: But do I expect the SEC to go out on
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: its own and be its own entity in the next
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: couple of years.
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  Speaker 2: No, not at all.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know there's plenty more to discuss as far
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: as the enforcement the potential anti trust exemption, but really
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: I'm just excited to have some football, to some actual
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: football to mix into those discussions as well. That we're
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: about a month away from that still in the meantime,
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Chris, and appreciate
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: you joining us this afternoon.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, the actual football cannot come soon enough.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: I know I'm with you there one hundred percent.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: Thanks so much, Thank you. All right.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: That's Chris Hammer from two four seven Sports and CBS
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: Sports talking some SEC media day takeaways. When we come back,
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: we'll hear from coach Steve Sarkesian some of his comments
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: to the media in Tampa here on AM thirteen hundred
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  Speaker 1: Zone