Kalen DeBoer gets the Wednesday schedule off and running:
GDW Analysis:
DALLAS: Three new coaches were in the opportunity to experience the limelight of SEC football media days for the first time on Wednesday.
Leading it off was the new man at Alabama. Kalen DeBoer.
DeBoer comes to T-town after he had the University of Washington in the CFB national championship game last year vs. Michigan.
Alabama's media day rep from 2007 to last year was Nick Saban. Saban retired after 2023 and is now involved in the role as a media person.
Alabama Crimson Tide:
Season opener: August 31 vs. Western Kentucky
SEC opener: Vs. Georgia September 28
SEC home games: Georgia September 28, South Carolina October 12, Missouri October 26, Auburn November 30.
Comments by coach Kalen DeBoer:
"I was fortunate enough to pretty much show up and within a month or so get a chance to support Nate Oats and our basketball team making a Final Four run, and not long after that, our softball team making a trip to the Women's College World Series, other great teams and the department as a whole is in such a great place because of Greg Byrne's leadership.
"We have a lot of work ahead, and I know when it comes to our team, we had a great spring. I think they felt that, as well. We were able to retain pretty much the entire roster. We did lose two guys to the portal. But overall between the winter and the spring, we've picked up 14 guys that I think don't just add depth to our program, they come in and they make a difference and they add to the guys that have continued to develop and grow within our program.
Looking forward to hitting the field two weeks from today at this very time, we'll be in practice, which is exciting. I love being on the grass with the guys, love being out there working with them. It's what it's all about. It's why we do what we do as coaches, and really looking forward to that.
They understand that there was a gap that needed to be closed early on, and I say that because anytime you institute and you're ie bit of that has happened throughout my career, and this is a great place to be. I'm very blessed, very honored, and certainly acknowledge what you said, but we're just going to focus on this team and being the best we can be and continue to build on the great tradition of Alabama football."
Mississippi State Bulldogs:
Season opener: August 31 vs. Eastern Kentucky
SEC opener: Vs. Florida September 21
SEC home games: Florida September 21, Texas A&M October 19, Arkansas October 26, Missouri November 23.
Comments by coach Jeff Lebby:
"Competitive. The most competitive league in all of college football. So how many different ways can we create a competitive situation, a competitive scenario so when we get to Saturday afternoon on national television you don't get surprised by a result? So having competitive situations inside of everything that we're doing is a huge part of our program and our culture.
Then a culture of accountability, being accountable to the guy next to you. From a staffing standpoint, being accountable to the guy that you're sharing an office with or sharing a wall with every single day and doing right by the people inside the building."
Florida Gators:
Season opener: Vs. Miami August 31
SEC opener: At Texas A&M September 14
SEC home games: Kentucky October 19, LSU November 16, Ole Miss November 23.
Comments by coach Billy Napier:
"We always view each team as its own entity. New players, new coaches, new roles, new voices, new opponents. Every team is a work in progress. I want to emphasize the word "work." This group is about the work. There's an old saying, it's not about the size of the Gator in the fight but it's about the size of the fight in the Gator.
We've been hard at work, going all the way back to the beginning of this off-season, developing the fight, a mentality, the intangibles of our team, our core values, the integrity, the togetherness, the discipline, the effort and toughness of the team. If we can do these things consistently, we'll develop a high level of belief.
This group is hard at work developing the fight and the mentality. This team has purpose, and that's why I believe in this team."
Texas Longhorns:
Season opener: Vs. Colorado State August 31
SEC opener: Vs. Mississippi State September 28
SEC home games: Mississippi State September 28, Georgia October 19, Florida November 9, Kentucky November 23.
Comments by Coach Steve Sarkisian:
"As far as our team goes, I think this team has been really, really focused. It's been a long time coming for Texas to get back to this stage. Last year was a tremendous run. We fell short in the semifinals in the Sugar Bowl coming off of being Big 12 champions. We set a school record with 11 players drafted in the NFL Draft, and that's a real credit, not only to our coaches for trying to recruit good players but I think to the development of our players and our program, not only on the football field but in the weight room and in the classroom and in life, that the NFL sees players in our program that can come in and enhance their teams to help them try to go win a Super Bowl.
There's an idea of obsession going on in our locker room right now. They got a taste of what it can taste like, of being a Big 12 champion, playing in a College Football Playoff, and we fell short. This idea of obsession, the obsession that our players have is one that really came from them. They couldn't wait to get back to work. They couldn't wait to get back in the weight room.
When I took the job, I don't know if I could have said that. It was almost like kind of prodding cattle to make sure that what they were doing day in and day out to get them to that point. Now we've got a team full of hungry players. It's a competitive, competitive roster, and I love that about them because in this conference you've got to have depth."
Coming to Media Days Thursday:
Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M
Photo courtesy of University of Alabama media relations.
