Peterson: Oklahoma, a Smart-Saban bromance, and the most interesting things I heard at SEC Media Days

DALLAS — The first 2 days have been filled with heavy hitters inside the Omni Hotel.

Tuesday saw Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri make their rounds at SEC Media Days. Let’s not waste space; here’s what I heard and saw on Day 2 that stuck out to me — with a few stragglers from Monday.

>> You knew the respect between the men was there, but it was still remarkable to see just how much admiration Georgia coach Kirby Smart has for former Alabama coach Nick Saban. With Saban sitting on the SEC Network set in the back of the main ballroom inside the Omni Hotel, Smart took the podium on the opposite side of the room and mentioned his former boss time and time again.

His first remark was a jab at Saban after it was revealed Monday that Saban was stopped because he didn’t have a credential. “I got in without a credential today,” Smart said grinning and pointing in Saban’s direction. He mentioned multiple times what Saban’s tutelage did for him throughout his career.

“There was never a day in 11 years I worked for him that we didn’t share a room of some sort. Whether that was the defensive room, defensive back room, staff room, and I think it made me who I am today,” Smart said. “The demand for excellence is met by none other than him. So that standard that he set for me, day in and day out, he met himself. Every coach that ever worked with him or for him will tell you he does it all himself as well. He doesn’t hold you to any different standard than himself. So a lot of the success I’ve had I give credit to him and thanks.”

Smart was also almost giddy when talking about the fact Saban now responds to his texts. He told local media that Saban now being part of the media feels like giving answers to Darth Vader.

The bromance between Smart and Saban looks like it’ll take on a wonderful new life now that Saban is no longer coaching.

>> The newcomers have been a constant talking point throughout the first 2 days in Dallas. Everyone wants to know how Texas and Oklahoma will fit into the league.

Smart was asked about Texas on Tuesday. He said the Longhorns are built like an SEC team.

But he had a piece of cautionary advice.

“In the SEC,” he said, “humility is a week away.”

>> Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz opened his Media Days appearance by talking about 2 late legendary coaches. He offered his condolences to the Kiffin family on the passing of Monte Kiffin. Then, he called on the College Football Hall of Fame to make an exception and posthumously induct former Mississippi State, Washington State, and Texas Tech coach Mike Leach into the Hall.

“The Hall of Fame is incomplete without Mike Leach in it,” Drinkwitz said.

It was unexpected to hear, but it was a nice surprise. Leach, who is 1 win shy of reaching the minimum win percentage to be eligible for the Hall, is one of the great innovators in college football history.

>> When he left the main stage and went into the secondary media room for another question-and-answer session, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel may have gotten more questions about Oklahoma than he did about Tennessee. He joked at the end of his time he was only expecting 1 question about OU.

The trip back to Norman on Sept. 21 will be emotional for Heupel, who won a national championship as a quarterback at OU and coached on Bob Stoops’ staff from 2006-14.

>> Oklahoma’s 3 player representatives — quarterback Jackson Arnold, linebacker Danny Stutsman, and defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. — had what were easily the largest scrums surrounding their podium sessions of any player groups through the first 2 days of the event. That’s not totally surprising — everyone wants to hear from the new voices — but it still stuck out to me.

>> LSU signed the No. 5-ranked transfer class in the 2023 cycle. It was 13-deep and leaned heavy on defense. On Monday, Brian Kelly said the transfer portal last offseason was treated as a necessity rather than a supplement. In an ideal world, Kelly would use the transfer portal to “top off the tank.” That wasn’t the case in 2023.

“If you’re in the transfer portal for need … you haven’t done something right in the natural recruiting season,” Kelly said. “Last year it was need-based and that’s never a good situation when it comes to the development of your football program.”

This offseason, Kelly’s portal haul is in the single digits. The natural progression at several positions — including quarterback — is taking place.

It was an interesting juxtaposition, as not hours later, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin took the dais and spoke about a team that is expected to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff and has largely been built through the portal.

Related: Get signed up with one of the top Louisiana betting apps ahead of the 2024 season to bet on a number of LSU-related props and win real money.

>> Speaking of Ole Miss, there was a clear message the Rebels wanted to convey on Monday. The offseason/preseason hype means nothing to the team. Defensive end Jared Ivey said the Rebels would not be outworked in 2024. Wideout Tre Harris said he’s made multiple trips out to Los Angeles to work out with Jaxson Dart, and that the returning quarterback has set a tone for the rest of the team through his offseason work ethic. Coach Lane Kiffin was even telling his players on the plane to Dallas they needed to ignore the “rat poison” they’d hear at the media conference.

>> A media member asked Georgia defenders Mykel Williams and Malaki Starks to name the most athletic player in the SEC who didn’t play for the Bulldogs. Both answered sophomore South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor. (Colleague Connor O’Gara wrote about Harbor’s otherwordly skill set earlier this summer.)

A 6-5 wideout, Harbor joined the Gamecock program in the summer of 2023 and found his way onto the field for 12 games during the season. He made starts in the final 5. He missed the spring this offseason, but only because he was becoming an All-American with the track team. Harbor finished fifth at the SEC indoor track & field championships with a 20.87 time in the 200 meters. He set the third-fastest 100-meter time in school history during the outdoor season.

Harbor had 195 yards and 1 touchdown on 12 catches as a freshman. He’s a breakout candidate in 2024.

>> The Bulldogs manhandled Dan Lanning’s first Oregon Ducks team in 2022, 49-3. It was a comprehensive dressing down of the Ducks, and it showed Lanning how much work was needed to bridge the gap between his old school and his new one.

Since that game, Oregon has won 22 of the 26 games it has played. The 4 losses have come by 3 points, 4 points, 3 points and 3 points. Lanning has made progress. And he’s engineered a buzz around the program. Oregon has signed consecutive top-10 classes at the high school level and in the transfer portal. The Ducks’ NIL operation has been instrumental in building the roster.

Last week on his SiriusXM radio show, former Washington and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel suggested Oregon had unlimited NIL funds thanks to Nike founder Phil Knight.

Smart said Tuesday that Georgia studied Knight’s Nike business this offseason. He also had a slick one-liner for his former defensive coordinator.

“Wish I could get some of that NIL money (Knight) is sharing with Dan Lanning,” Smart said.

That didn’t feel like a throwaway line.

>> LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier said Monday that he views the Texas high school football scene as the SEC of the high school ranks. The commitment to high school football in the state of Texas is unmatched, and the talent pool is recruited from all over the country. Multiple coaches were asked through the first 2 days of the media event how the addition of Texas to the SEC changes the recruiting outlook in the state. Few expect there to be significant differences. Most SEC teams heavily recruit Texas, and that will continue.

>> Oklahoma defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. was asked what his expectations were when he decided to return to the Sooners for the 2024 season. He leaned into the mic in front of him so everyone would hear clearly.

“To go to a championship,” he said. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Oklahoma is priced at +2700 (FanDuel) to win the SEC title in 2024. Eight other SEC schools have shorter odds. The Sooners are priced at +490 (FanDuel) to make the College Football Playoff.

>> In the same way Nussmeier was hailed as an outlier in an era of quarterback movement, Carson Beck’s decision to stay, wait, and develop at Georgia was a talking point from Smart on Tuesday.

“I would love to be able to replicate the DNA he has,” Smart said. “As you go recruit a kid, staying power is important now. I don’t think there is a huge difference in the players we recruit. It’s a difference when they stay in your program. So the retention is really critical.”

Beck was expecting to start for the Bulldogs at one point early in the 2021 season. Georgia had beaten Clemson in the opener but lost quarterback JT Daniels. As Georgia prepared for UAB the following week, coaches decided to flip the plan from Beck to Stetson Bennett. Beck has since said he wasn’t prepared for that game the way he needed to be, that sitting has served him well. Bennett took the job and led the Bulldogs to consecutive national championships, then handed the keys to Beck in 2023.

In his first full season as a starter, he posted the 7th-best QBR in the country.

“We think the process we go through of the off-field training, on-field training, weight room training, football training is gonna pay off in the years they’re here,” Smart said. “Carson is a great example of that. All the years of practice and third down and pressure periods and blitz pickups paid off when he got to start.”

Quote of the day (maybe the year) …

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz was asked if he sees the pendulum starting to swing the other way, if he sees quarterbacks being more content to wait things out at their school. He quickly and sharply said no.

“Every year, you rebuild your football team and your roster,” Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz said his players have STIs — size, toughness and instincts.

We’ll leave it at that. What a day.

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.