Gus Malzahn and his Auburn Tigers are coming off a somewhat disappointing 2018 in which they finished 8-5, but capped off their season with a resounding 63-14 Music City Bowl victory over Purdue. So maybe that was a sign that better things are ahead in 2019.

The Tigers number 1 priority right now is finding a starting quarterback who can run the offense effectively and be a playmaker in time for the opener against a potential top 10 team in the Oregon Ducks which return their 4th year starting quarterback, Justin Herbert who is 6’6”, 237 and has led the Ducks to 38.3 points per game over his 28 career starts. He’s stellar, could be a Heisman candidate, and will be a potential first round draft pick. Herbert threw for 29 TDs against 8 interceptions completing 240 of 404 passes, 59%, for 3,151 yards in 2018 in leading the Ducks to a 9-4 mark and 5-4 in the PAC 12. They defeated Michigan State 7-6 in an ugly RedBox Bowl in Santa Clara, CA, but they got momentum from that and a lot of optimism for 2019. And Coach Mario Cristobal has 8 starters returning on offense and 6 on defense. It’s a defense that is much improved and Cristobal also secured the No.7 recruiting class in the country in 2019, according to both Rivals and 247 Sports. So they’re formidable. The Advocare Classic game from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. pitting the Tigers and the Ducks will kickoff at 6:30 PM CT Saturday, August 31st, and will be televised by ABC.

The contenders for the Tigers for the top spot at quarterback are redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood and true freshman Bo Nix. Gatewood was a 6.0, 4 star by Rivals and a 97, 4 star by 247. He’s 6’5”, 235 from Jacksonville, FL. has a cannon for an arm and great wheels. Accuracy is the only area Gatewood needs to improve on. He has all the physical tools. Bo Nix was a consensus 5 star in the 2019 class and has all the assets needed to be a stellar college quarterback and take it to the next level. He’s 6’2”, 204 from Pinson Valley High School here in Birmingham where he accounted for over 12,000 total yards and 161 TD passes in his decorated high school career. They were both outstanding in the spring game. Nix was 11 of 14 for 155 yards and 2 TDs, and Gatewood was 7 of 10 for 123 yards and 2 TDs. Personally, I like Nix a little better. He’s just so accurate and is an exceptional leader. He can also run well. He’s fast. Gatewood is very good, but from watching them battle it out in the spring, I liked Nix a little more. They’ll battle it out again starting this week as fall practice commences. You never know but whichever one doesn’t win the job, may look at transferring. That seems to be the landscape these days even though the 2nd string player is just one play away from being the starter, which should resonate with these guys. Anyway, it should be a compelling competition this August for the top job at QB. And that No.1 quarterback that emerges will have to be game ready by the time August 31st gets here even though both have little to no game day experience in college football. Should be quite a storyline in August.

There’s always excellent talent at Auburn and this year’s defense looks to have all the tools to excel and set the tone for this team , getting the Tigers to possibly double digits victories if they can navigate their demanding schedule and stay healthy. Potential All American and potential top 5 2020 draft pick Derrick Brown returns at defensive tackle. Brown, a 6’5”, 318 senior, posted 10 1/2 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks in 2018 and dominated the spring game. He’ll be a load for opposing o linemen to contend with this fall. He’s a game changer for the Tigers up front. He’ll be joined by standout defensive ends Marlon Davidson, 6’3”, 278, and Nick Coe , 6’5”, 291. Coe was second on the team in tackles for loss last year with 13 1/2 and led the team in sacks posting 7. Both Davidson and Coe will bookend Brown and noseguard Tyrone Truesdell, 6’2”, 310, and there is depth. I really like T.D. Moultry, a 6’2”, 243 outside linebacker, Buck position, kind of a hybrid linebacker, defensive end. Moultry was all over the field in the spring game. He’ll be a force for the Tigers. Malzahn is high on K.J. Britt (6’0”, 235) at middle linebacker and Chandler Wooten (6’2”, 228) and Zakony McClain (6’0”, 210) at outside linebackers. Depth at linebacker could be an issue. 5 star freshman Owen Pappoe (6’0’“,210) may be relied on if there are some injuries.

In the secondary, there is talent and experience returning. The Tigers posted 14 interceptions in 2018, and corners Noah Igbinoghene and Javaris Davis return along with nickelback Christian Tutt and safeties Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas. All are juniors and seniors except for Tutt, who is a sophomore. Tutt got some valuable experience last season though. Davis, Dinson and Thomas each had 2 ints last season. Thomas is a ball hawk.

So the defense looks pretty spectacular. On offense around the quarterback, tailback Boobie Whitlow returns to lead the rushing attack. Whitlow rushed for 787 yards and 6 TDs and added 15 receptions and 2 TDs last year. He was banged up a little, but is full go for the season. Behind Whilow are senior Cam Martin, sophomore speedster Shaun Shivers and talented 4 star freshman D.J. Williams who was impressive in the spring game. On the perimeter, Eli Stove and Will Hastings return from injuries and they’ll be key guys, along with the spectacular Seth Williams and blazer Anthony Schwartz. Williams caught 26 passes for 534 yards and 5 TDs last season and really came on late in the year. Schwartz pulled in 22 passes for 357 yards and 2 TDs and he also ran for 5 TDs on reverses. Both are game changing players. Stove and Hastings bring back leadership and talent to the receiving corps. Redshirt freshman Matthew Hill had an excellent spring game and looks to be a key guy in the receiving mix as well. The o line has 5 seniors starting and good depth behind them. Auburn goes about 10 tp 12 deep on the o line with quality. They struggled last year keeping Jarrett Stidham, who was a 4th round selection by the New England Patriots, upright, but left tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (6’7”, 305), right guard Mike Horton, 6’4”, 325, left guard Marquel Harrell, 6’3”, 309, center Kaleb Kim, 6’4”, 300, and right tackle Jack Dricoll, 6’5”, 296, should be a stout offensive front, and there is depth as mentioned above.

Anders Carlson returns to kick and after only converting 15 of 25 field goals last season, he put together a solid spring and was a heralded high school kicker and should rebound in his sophomore season. Arryn Siposs is the punter and he was booming it in the spring game. Christian Tutt and Matthew Hill are the leaders at punt returner heading into August and Noah Igbinoghene , Whitlow and Shivers are the leaders at kick returners. Pretty dynamic players in the return game.

The Schedule

It’s a tough one.

The Tigers open with Oregon, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the Advocare Classic Saturday, Aug 31st, 6:30 PM CT ABC. Huge opener. Vegas opened with Auburn favored by 6 1/2, but the line has dropped to 3. The Tigers then host Tulane, Saturday, 9-7, at 6:30 PM CT on ESPN2, then Kent State comes to Jordan-Hare on 9-14 at 6 PM CT on the deuce or duh U. A huge trip to College Station follows as the Tigers face Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 21st. We’ll know a lot about Auburn after that game. Mississippi State comes to Auburn on Saturday, 9-28. On Saturday, Oct. 5th, the Tigers are @ Florida in a huge challenge, then they’re off on Oct. 12th, then are @ Arkansas, Sat. Oct. 19th. Then @ LSU, Saturday, Oct. 26th. Wow. Tighten those chin straps, both teams. Ole Miss at home, Saturday, Nov. 2nd, off Nov. 9th, then the Georgia Bulldogs come to the Plains for Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry on Saturday, Nov. 16th. That will be the 124th edition with the Dawgs holding a 59-56-8 advantage and winning the game last year between the Hedges, 27-10. Should be a classic with potentially a lot on the line both in the SEC and National picture. Auburn hosts Samford on Saturday, Nov. 23rd, and the Crimson Tide comes to Auburn on Saturday, Nov. 30th, most likely a 2:30 PM CT game on CBS.

So, wow, the schedule is daunting. Staying healthy is at a premium. Oregon at a neutral site, @ A&M, State at home, not easy though very winnable, @ Florida, @LSU, Georgia and Alabama at home, that’s a tough one. This team has the talent to win double digit games, but they’ll have to pull off 2 or 3 upsets to do it. Defeating Oregon in game 1 is priority number 1. @A&M, @Florida and even @LSU are possible victories. Georgia and Alabama are at home, so that really helps the Tigers’ chances. It could be 8-4. Or if could be 10-2 with a New Year’s Six Bowl if it’s an outstanding season. Getting to the SEC Championship and the playoff will be challenging with this schedule. Either Nix or Gatewood HAVE to come through. I like Nix to take the reins. He gives the Tigers a better chance to have a special season in my opinion, though Gatewood has very good talent. My call is Bo Nix. Gus and 29 year old new offensive coordinator Ken Dillingham, from Memphis where he excelled coaching quarterbacks, will start one against Oregon and have the other one ready in case the first guy struggles. Gus will be calling plays, so that’ll be very interesting. Big year for Gus Malzahn. Maybe make or break. The talent is there to excel. The schedule makes it tough though, so the quarterback will have to execute well and both trenches will have to be strong and physical every Saturday to give this team a chance for a highly successful season.

Mike “Yaz” Yastrzemski went 4 for 5 yesterday with 2 doubles, including a 2 run double to start the scoring for the SF Giants, 2 singles, 2 runs scored and a phenomenal leaping catch at the wall at Petco Park in San Diego to lead his team to a critical 7-6 victory over the Padres yesterday.

Yaz is now hitting .275 with 9 homers and 31 Ribeyes. With the victory, the Giants moved to 54-52 on the season and are 2 1/2 games back of the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals for the Top spot in the NL wild card race.

Madison “Mad Bum” Bumgarner earned the victory for the Giants.

Mike and the Giants now head to Philly for a 3 game set. Tyler is on the mound tomorrow night versus Drew Smiley of the Phils. Every game is crucial for the Giants now, so Tyler needs to have an excellent outing. I expect he will the way he’s been pitching.

Walker got hit a little bit yesterday and took the loss for the Dodgers at the Nationals. Walker will rebound. 

Sonny Gray pitches tonight for the Reds versus the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in Cincy. Sonny has been awesome lately. Will have a report on Sonny tomorrow.

David Price also pitches tomorrow night at Fenway versus Tampa Bay.

Mike MInor is on the hill Wednesday for the Rangers vs Seattle at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX.

Dansby is presently on the 10 day Injured List with a heel problem. Hoping Dans can come back very soon and give his super team some more of his superb play at short.
 

Football season is getting closer and closer. Wanted to share an epic Tom Petty song performed by John Mayer. Will be in touch in the coming weeks with more previews of teams for the 2019 college football season. Have a great rest of your week.

Mike Yastrzemski and the Giants were victorious again, this time over the Cubs, 5-4, last night at Oracle Park.

Being a Giants fan can be tough if you live on the East Coast or in the Central Time Zone. Late nights, but you power through it for Yaz and Tyler.

Yaz went 2 for 4 with an RBI single and another single. He’s now hitting .265 with 9 homers and 28 Ribeyes. The Giants have now won 16 of their last 19 and moved to 51-50 and just 2 back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second spot in the Wild Card standings. The Washington Nationals are only 2 1/2 ahead of the Gents for 1st place in the WC. The wild card game is a 1 game winner take all, so it’s pretty important to get the home field if you finish 1st in the race, but it’s not critical. The Giants have proven they can win anywhere, but they’re especially tough at Oracle Park.

They are such a resilient team. They were down 4-2 in the bottom of the 8th and scored 3 times and closed the Cubbies out in the 9th for the victory. My daughter was there and sent me a photo. Wow, what a stadium. She was right behind home plate. Man, I wanted to be there with her, but maybe some other time. She had a blast.

Tyler pitches Wednesday vs the Cubs. Tyler, in his last outing vs the Mets last Friday Night, went 8, gave up 3 hits, 0 runs, with 1 walk and 5 K’s. His 94-95 MPH heater was cookin and his breaking stuff was outstanding.

If Tyler is controlling the ball, he’s a tough one to face. I really like what I’m seeing out of the man.

The great Madison Bumgarner (5-7, 3.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 26 BBs, 127 K’s) squares off with the Cubs Yu Darvish tonight at 8:45 at Oracle. Darvish is 3-4 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP, but he’s an electric talent, so he’s dangerous. Gotta pitch well, defend, which the Giants do very well, and get some timely hitting. Can’t wait.

Sonny Gray was spectacular for the Reds last night in their 6-5 victory over the Brewers last night at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Sonny went 6, gave up just 4 hits, 1 earned, with 2 walks and 7 K’s. He was awesome. Sonny just battles. He left with a 4-1 lead, but the Brewers hit a grand salami in the bottom of the 8th. But the Reds hit a 2 run homer in the top of the 9th and held on for the victory. Sonny didn’t get the victory, but he’s pitching exceedingly well. Sonny is 5-6 with a 3.29 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning), 38 walks and 127 K’s. Sonny is hitting 93-94 consistently and can get it to 95 sometimes. His 85 MPH slider and his low 80’s curve are spectacular pitches. Really like what I’m seeing out of Sonny.

Walker Buehler was beyond sensational Sunday for the Dodgers in their 9-0 victory over the Marlins.

Walk went 7, gave up 5 hits, 0 runs, with 0 walks and 11 K’s. Walker is now 9-1 with a 3.23 ERA and an 0.96 WHIP, which is superb. Walk has only issued 17 walks and struck out 131, so an incredible strikeout to walk ratio, almost 8:1 K’s to walks. Wow. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 67-35, .657 ball. The Yankees are next at 64-35, .546. I know the Dodgers would like to finish with the best regular season record in MLB to secure home field for the playoffs and World Series. That’s an important advantage in the postseason.

So awesome stuff from our players. Bryan Reynolds had an RBI double last night and is hitting .331 with 7 homers and 39 RBIs. BR has been spectacular this season. The Pirates unfortunately lost to the Cardinals last night, 6-5.

Will have more on our guys on Thursday, maybe a quick blast tomorrow. David Price pitches against the Rays Wednesday and Mike Minor (Rangers) goes against Seattle. Both David and Mike are on the road. And of course, Tyler pitches against the Cubs at Oracle Wednesday.

Will have a lot more coming up the rest of this week. Also, will talk about our 2020 baseball team. A lot of talent coming back headlined by Austin Martin, Kumar Rocker, Tyler Brown Mason Hickman and Harrison Ray. Will be using some new guys at positions, but they’re talented young guys and our pitching should be spectacular. Will have more on our Vandy Boys on Thursday. What a year in 2019. Just can’t get over what our guys accomplished. SEC regular season, SEC Tournament Championship, Regional, Super Regional, 13 players drafted, 59-12, 23-7 in the SEC, and to cap it off, the National Championship. Those guys led by our seniors, Ethan Paul, Stephen Scott, Julian Infante, Walker Gristanti and Patrick Raby were Just spectacular stuff. That’s a memory for a lifetime. Excited to see what 2020 holds for another ultra talented Tim Corbin team.

Our 13th commitment of the 2020 recruiting class is Diego LaMonica, a 5.7 and 87 high 3 star tight end out of Gulliver Prep in Miami. Diego chose the West End over offers from the likes of South Carolina, Georgia Tech, UVA, Wake Forest and South Florida. Diego is 6’5″, 227 and is a load and an exceptional blocker and receiver. He can do a lot with the ball when he catches it.

So DMase is assembling an excellent class for 2020. Chad Bishop of Vandy 247 Sports has told me that we have a really good shot at landing 4 star linebacker Devyn Curtis out of Brentwood Academy in Nashville. That would be a huge addition. We don’t have a lot of spots left, so we need to get Devyn in the fold. I’ve read and heard we’re looking at 15-18 spots and we already have 13. Hoping we can get another running back. There are prospects out there who are very interested in us.

Will have more on football on Friday, more of an extensive piece.

The great Mike Yastrzemski launched a walk off 385 foot homer to left central at Oracle Park in San Francisco yesterday in the bottom of the 11th to lead the San Francisco Giants to a tremendously large 3-2 victory over the New York Mets.

Yaz hit a 3-2 pitch into the left central field stands and the crowd of 35,000+ passionate Giants fans, most of whom were still there, were sent home ecstatic.

Yaz, Tyler Beede, who is now pitching superbly and I will have more on Tyler tomorrow as well, and the Giants are now 50-50 and have won 15 of their last 18 contests. They are one of the hottest teams in baseball. For Yaz, that was his 9th home run and 27th Ribeye of the season. Mike was called up from triple A Sacramento in early June. The man is now hitting .259 and playing tremendous left and right field for the Giants.

The Giants are now just 2 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race in the National League, trailing only Milwaukee and a couple of other teams. The Giants host the Cubs in a 3 game set starting tonight at Oracle Park.

Great stuff from the man. The 28 year old from Andover, Mass. has paid his dues to reach the big leagues and is making the most of his opportunity. The Giants have become my favorite team in the majors. My daughter works and lives in SF and we want to a game at Oracle in May of 2018 and had a blast. What a beauty of a stadium with the San Francisco Bay as the background.

The Giants have a shot at getting one of the wild card spots for sure. Just gotta keep cookin.

Will have more on Yaz, Tyler and all our guys tomorrow on the blog. Will send out a notice.

Also, will have football stuff. DMase was beyond spectacular at Media Days last Thursday. More on Coach Mason and the team and our 13th commitment, a huge tight end pickup, who we landed on Friday.

Will check with you tomorrow.

Have a super day. 

Gus Malzahn says he has his best defense he’s had at Auburn in the 6 years he’s been at the helm. He thinks this could be the best team he’s had at Auburn. That’s if the quarterback comes through.

On defense, it starts up front with seniors Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson and Nick Coe. Davidson and Brown are 300+ pounders and Coe is 260 and is a pass rushing savant. Brown, whom Malzahn said will be a first round draft pick in 2020, posted 10 1/2 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks in 2018. Davidson added 2 1/2 sacks and 4 1/2 tackles for loss. Coe finished the year with 13 1/2 TFLs and 7 sacks. This is a formidable group and one SEC offensive lines are going to have nightmares going up against .There is depth behind that trio as well. Auburn lost 4 linebackers off of last year’s team, but Malzahn is high on the group they have coming back led by K.J. Britt and Chandler Wooten. The secondary looks strong with Daniel Thomas and Jeremiah Dinson returning at safeties and Javaris Davis back at corner. Kevin Steele has a lot of talent to work with and the 2019 recruiting class was the 11th ranked class in the country with a lot of talent on both sides of the ball for the Tigers. Anders Carlson returns to kick. He struggled some last season in his first year, but has the genes with his brother Daniel being a prolific kicker for the Tigers just a few years back. Punter is Arryn Siposs from Australia. Malzahn likes him as well. Return game looks fine with explosive Noah Igbinoghene returning kicks and the dynamic Anthony Schwartz returning punts. Schwartz is one of the fastest players in the country and Malzahn called him “just a football player.”

Quarterback is the really interesting position at Auburn. Redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood, out of Florida, a high 4 star, and true freshman Bo Nix, a 5 star, are 2 obviously talented players. It’ll be a battle for the job, but both have powerful arms, Gatewood has really good wheels, and Nix’s are pretty decent, and they’re both good leaders according to Malzahn. So it’ll be a major competition coming up in fall camp. Gatewood had an excellent spring game and Nix did some good things as well. As most coaches say, Malzahn wants to know who’ll run the offense best and inspire confidence in his teammates.

Boobie Whitlow, Kam Martin and Shaun Shivers return at running back. Whitlow ran for 787 yards and 6 TDs and was hurt some last year. He’s a real talent. I like both Martin and Shivers too. They’re not big guys, but both are tough and have excellent speed.

The wide receiver position is well manned with Schwartz, who caught 22 passes for 357 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 5 more, electric sophomore Seth Williams, who caught 26 passes for 534 yards and 6 touchdowns, and veterans Eli Stove and Will Hastings, who are both back from injury. They all look like NFL receivers and there is depth.

The offensive line, very importantly, returns all 5 starters and all are seniors. Left tackle Prince Wanogho is a stud. This should be really good news for the Tigers as they had trouble protecting Jarrett Stidham last year. So Gus feels really good about his guys up front on both sides of the ball. There is size, physicality and depth. What you need.

Auburn finished 8-5 last year and 3-5 in the SEC and that’s not good enough at Auburn. Malzahn knows that. He says Auburn wants to win championships and he understands the hot seat pressure that comes with a struggling season. He likes this team a lot though and thinks they can be special. The Tigers open up with Oregon at AT&T Stadium in the Advocare Classic in Arlington, TX on Saturday, August 31st. Quite an opener for the Tigers. Oregon has one of the top quarterbacks in the country returning in Justin Herbert and Coach Mario Cristobal had a top 10 recruiting class in 2019 and has brought back some excellent players. They’re picked to win the PAC-12 and will be quite a challenge for the Tigers. I know Auburn fans can’t emphasize enough how important that opening game is. The game will kickoff at 6:30 PM CT and be televised by ABC. After Tulane and Kent State at home, the Tigers go to A&M on Saturday, Sept. 21st for another massive tilt. Then Mississippi State at home, Saturday, Sept. 28th, another war, then @ Florida, Saturday, Oct. 5th, wow. Then the Tigers have an open date, then @ Arkansas, Saturday, Oct. 19th. The following week, Oct. 26th, the Tigers are @ LSU. Another whammy. Then Ole Miss at home, Saturday, 11-2, Open date, Georgia at home Saturday, Nov. 16th, Samford Nov. 23rd at home, then the Iron Bowl, Saturday, Nov. 30th.

What’ll it take for the Tigers to get to Atlanta. They’ve got a brutal schedule but are loaded with talent. Oregon, @ A&M, State at home, @ Florida @ LSU, Georgia and Alabama at home. With that kind of a schedule you just have to look at week 1 and try to win that one and go from there. it’s daunting, but I like this team if Gatewood or Nix comes through.

Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

Derek Mason was as usual positive, optimistic and charismatic at media days. He likes his team. They have a three man arsenal on offense with running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who rushed for 1,244 yards and 12 TDs last season and is as dynamic a running back as you’ll find in the country. Wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb caught 87 passes for 918 yards and 9 TDs last season. And tight end Jared Pinkney caught 50 passes for 774 yards and 7 TDs. They all came back for their senior years because they wanted to get their degrees, help their team get to another bowl game this season and win it, and improve their draft stock. Three very electric, explosive players. There is talent out wide along with Lipscomb too. The quarterback and the offensive line could be question marks. Deuce Wallace and Riley Neal will battle it out to start under center. Wallace has experience and can run it as well as throw it and Neal, a transfer from Ball State, threw for 7,393 yards there and 46 TDs and ran for 15 more in 4 years at Ball State.. Whoever starts will have talent around him, who he just needs to get the ball to. Backfield depth could be an issue. Vaughn needs to stay as healthy as he can.

The offensive line has some talent up front, with size and physicality, so if they can produce that would really help this offense.

On defense, Mason feels like he has the best defensive front he’s had, linebacker is good at starter, but needs to develop depth and secondary looks pretty strong.

Vanderbilt opens at home with Georgia on Saturday, August 31st at 6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network. Tough one to start the season, but Mason is optimistic about it. He and Kirby Smart are close friends. Mason said Smart is like a “brother” to him. Then the Dores are @Purdue at 11 AM CT, Saturday, Sept.7th on the Big Ten Network. Then an off week, then O and the Bengal Tigers of LSU come to Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21st. Key games are @ Ole Miss, Saturday, Oct.5th, Missouri at home, Saturday, Oct. 19th, @ South Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 2nd, @ Florida Saturday, Nov. 9th and @ Tennessee , Saturday, Nov. 30th.

It’s tough, but all the schedules are tough in this conference. Mason embraces it. He is just such a positive guy, and his players love him and would climb the Himalayas for him. That’s a powerful thing. It’s hard at Vanderbilt, but they certainly have the right man for the job who is building a quality program.

Kentucky, Mark Stoops

Mark Stoops put together an awesome 2018 campaign taking his Wildcats to a 10-3 record, defeating Florida for the first time in forever, close to 40 years, and defeating Penn State in the Citrus Bowl, 27-24. It was the first 10 win season for Kentucky since 1977. Stoops has recruited well and really coached his players up.

Terry Wilson returns at quarterback. He completed 180 of 268 passes, 67% for 1,889 yards, 11 TDs but 8 interceptions. He’s a good runner as he rushed for 547 yards and 4 TDs. But he will be challenged at quarterback by Troy transfer Sawyer Smith, who has 2 years left to play, and completed 62% of his passes for 1,669 yards 14 TDs against 6 ints in leading the awesome Troy team last year to a 10-3 record and a 42-32 victory over Buffalo in the Dollar General Bowl in Mobile. Their coach, Neal Brown, landed the job at West Virginia after the season when Dana Holgerson left Morgantown to coach the University of Houston, so Smith needed another spot. That’ll be a really interesting competition. Wilson has accuracy issues, so I like Smith better.

Benny Snell was an all world tailback for Kentucky for 3 years. He rushed for a conference leading 1,449 yards and added 16 TDs. He’s in the NFL, but A. J. Rose is a promising replacement. who ran for 442 yards and 5 TDs last season and Stoops likes his depth there. Wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. caught 67 passes for 745 yards and 5 TDs. He’ll be the leader of a receiving corps that Stoops likes.

The offensive line has great size, and Stoops feels very good about them as well.

The defense returns only 4 starters, but the emotional and talented linebacker Kash Daniel returns. He’ll be the leader on defense after posting 84 tackles last year with 7 for loss. Stoops likes his guys up front and in the secondary. He’s got some younger players on defense, so they’ll need to grow up quickly.

Kentucky’s first big game is Florida at home Saturday, Sept,. 14th, then they travel to Mississippi State to play the Bullies Saturday, Sept, 21st. Then they’re @ South Carolina, Saturday, Sept. 28th. After an off week, the Cats play Arkansas at home, Sat, 10-12. Then it’s @ Georgia, Sat. 10-19, Missouri at home Sat. 10-28, open date, then a big one at home versus Tennessee, Sat. 11-9. @Vanderbilt, Saturday, 11-16. After a home game against UT Martin, 11-23, The Cats host Louisville Saturday, 11-30, and the Cardinals new coach Scott Satterfield, who had so much success at App State the last several years.

Stoops liked the 10 wins but wants more. He’s recruited well, and Kentucky football is on the rise. Stoops has done an excellent job, and they should be a highly competitive team this season if their quarterback comes through and their young defense plays well as quickly as possible.

Day 3 at Media Days was like a rock concert as it always is when Nick Saban walks through the door.

Quite a spectacle. Saban likes his team and he should. Tua is back after completing 245 0f 365 passes, 69%, for 3,966 yards and 43 TDs against 6 interceptions. He was phenomenal all the way up to the SEC Championship game against Georgia where he struggled and Jalen Hurts had to bail the team out, along with a Kirby Smart unconscionable fake punt decision, as the Crimson Tide won the SEC again, 35-28 over Georgia, and moved on to the playoff. Tua was good against Oklahoma, but struggled mightily against Clemson in a 44-16 loss. His opening pass was a pick 6 by Clemson which was just as shocking as the 44 yard TD pass he threw on 3rd and 26 to DeVonta Smith a year earlier to win the National Championship for the Crimson Tide against Georgia.

It wasn’t Tua’s night. It wasn’t Saban’s night. Saban pointed to the fact that his coaches were checked out and looking for other jobs and players were looking at the NFL draft. Those are excuses. Dabo simply, said,“the better team won,” and left it at that. There was no gray area on which team was the better team last year. Saban needs to get over it and concentrate on 2019. Because he probably has the best recruiting class he’s landed at Alabama and the talent returning is off the charts.

The wide receiving corps is the best in the country top to bottom. Clemson has the elite Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins, but the Crimson Tide has Bilenikoff winner Jerry Jeudy (68-1,315 yards, 14 TDs) Henry Ruggs III (46, 741 11 TDs), Jaylen Waddle (44, 710, 7) and DeVonta Smith (42-693, 6). It’s a phenomenal collection of receivers. And there is young depth that’s off the charts good. I look for freshman John Metchie to have a major impact. He had a heckuva spring game and he’ll be a factor. Jeudy is superb as are Ruggs, Smith and Waddle is as explosive as a shotgun shell shot out of a 12 gauge catching the ball and returning punts.

The offensive line looks 10-12 deep, big, physical and talented. Running back with Najee Harris and Brian Robinson looks solid. Not spectacular yet, but possible. It’s Najee’s time to step up. Robinson has his opportunity too.

In the spring game I saw the best collection of defensive players I’ve seen in a long time in college football. Raekwon McMillan will lead the front. Linebackers Dylan Moses, Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis, who is back from injury, should be forces. There is young talent there that looks terrific as well. One guy I forgot to mention up front is freshman D.J. Dale. He’ll be a dominator on the defensive line.

Secondary looks outstanding with Trevon Diggs back at corner and primed for a tremendous year. Jared Mayden and Patrick Surtain Jr look like potential stars as well. The kicking game should be better with freshman Will Reichard from Hoover now a specialist on the team as a freshman. I know Crimson Tide fans are happy to see him. But he needs to deliver. For some reason, Alabama kickers have really struggled while Saban has been in Tuscaloosa. Have to have a good kicker. Maybe Reichard is the answer. Punter looks like Mike Bernier or Skyler Delong. Kick returners could be Robinson and Ruggs III. There is good competition there according to Saban.

The Tide opens up with Duke on Saturday, August 31st at 2:30 PM CT on ABC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Kickoff Classic. Duke has really improved under David Cutcliffe. He’s done a fantastic job with the team and the program in general. He’s a top flight coach. But that could be a long afternoon for the Blue Devils. New Mexico State at Bryant-Denny Saturday, Sept. 7th at 3 PM CT on SEC Network. @South Carolina Saturday, Sept. 14th at 2:30 OM CT on CBS in what could be a challenging game as quarterback Jake Bentley is back for his senior year for the Gamecocks. He’s been really good at times and maybe not as good at others. But he’ll have a good year this year. Will Muschamp thinks he has his best team yet in Columbia in his 4th season and that’s quite a home field advantage, so not an easy task for Bama. Southern Miiss at home Saturday, Sept. 21st. Ole Miss at home, Saturday, Sept. 28th. Open week, then a huge game @ Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 12th. Tennessee comes to Tuscaloosa, Saturday, Oct.19th, then Arkansas comes to Tuscaloosa for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 26th. The Tide is off Nov. 2nd and then LSU comes to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 9th for what should be a 7 PM CT kickoff on CBS. Could be major implications at that point both in the SEC West and nationally. @Mississippi State the next week Saturday, Nov. 16th and that’s no bargain. Western Carolina comes in Saturday, Nov. 23rd for their paycheck and their kill. Then it’s the Iron Bowl, Saturday, Nov. 30th @ Auburn. If Auburn has good quarterback play, they will be a highly formidable opponent.

This team can certainly win it all. Clemson will have a lot to say about that, LSU is getting better and better and becoming elite, Georgia, of course, is elite under Kirby Smart. Ohio State and Oklahoma with Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Jalen Hurts (OU) under center respectively should be contenders as well. Michigan and Texas are pretty highly thought of, but I’m not sure I’m buying either team yet. They haven’t proven it. Michigan was a disaster at the end of last season and Texas defeated a Georgia team in the Sugar Bowl that didn’t want to be there. They both could be very good teams, but I don’t know if I buy Jim Harbaugh and Tom Herman are elite coaches on the same level as Saban, Dabo and Kirby. I don’t see that right now.

Should be a spectacular season. Tua needs to stay healthy though younger brother Taulia looks like he’ll be terrific. Not sure if Mac Jones can get it done in big games and Paul Tyson is a project. But I really like Taulia. I see him as the backup and a highly capable one. He will be an excellent quarterback at Alabama and he could very competently replace Tua if Tua sustains an injury.

So this is another elite team. SEC Championship, Playoff, National Championship is certainly right there in in the team’s sights. They need to stay in the present though and not repeat the mistakes of last year though Clemson was the best team in the country last year. We’ll see this year. The talent is there to excel at the highest level.

Will Muschamp, Joe Moorhead and Chad Morris also spoke yesterday.

Muschamp has the toughest Strength of Schedule in the country according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI). They open with North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Saturday, August 31st at 2:30 PM CT on ESPN. Most people here will be watching Alabama-Duke, but this is a good interstate rivalry and Mack Brown is the new coach at North Carolina returning to a place where he had a lot of success in the late 80’s and 90’s. The Gamecocks will be tested in that game some. Alabama at home Sept. 14th, @ Missouri the next week, Sept. 21st, open week then @Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 13th. Florida at home Oct. 19th, @UT, Oct. 26th, Vanderbilt at home Nov. 2nd. App State at home Nov. 9th. @A&M on Nov. 16th. Open week then Clemson at home, Saturday, Nov. 30th. So it’s tough for Will and his group. Muschamp is funny and engaging. He’s an awesome interview. He likes that this is the toughest schedule in the country. He embraces it. He said his goals for his teams are to win the state, over Clemson, win the SEC East, win the SEC championship and then his team would be headed to the playoff. Like the confidence and optimism. I’m a Will Muschamp fan.

Mississippi State’s Joe Moorhead did a good job as well. He got Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens at quarterback. Stevens will battle it out with returner Keytaon Thompson for the starting job. I’ve seen Stevens play. He’s for real. He can sling it and he’s got good wheels. He should be the guy. State lost all 4 defensive linemen, 2 of which, Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons, were first round picks in the NFL, so they’ll have to replace them. Offense should be pretty strong with Stevens under center and running back Kylin Hill, who rushed for 734 yards and 4 TDs last season while being hurt some. He’s a stud though. Moorhead really stressed throwing the ball down the field in his press conference and that gives me reason to think he’ll go with Stevens who is much more accurate and has a stronger arm than Thompson. Moorhead was offensive coordinator at Penn State and coached Stevens for 3 years there so he knows how good he can be. I look for this team to be very solid if some young guys on defense can step up.

Arkansas is still in the rebuilding stage in Chad Morris’s second year. They do have 2 transfer quarterbacks with good talent. Nick Starkel came up from Texas A&M and Ben Hicks, whom Morris coached at SMU, is coming up to Fayetteville as well. There’ll be good competition at that position. Without seeing Hicks play much, I’m not sure who will win this job. Starkel had his moments at A&M and Hicks threw for over 9,000 yards at SMU, so that might not be decided until 2 or 3 weeks into fall camp. Should be interesting.

148th Open Championship Prediction

Defending champion: Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie

Royal Portrush Golf Club Northern Ireland, 7,317 yards, par 72, first time there since 1951 only other time the Open was not in England or Scotland.

Players really like the track. 58 bunkers, not a massive amount, but they come into play off the tee. Rough is thick. Links course. No. 16 is a beast, a 235 yard par 3. Watch for some dramatics and some agony on this hole because if the player misses long right or short right, he’s going down a mountain onto the beach or in rough up to his waist.

Weather, Some rain, typical for Ireland. Wind anywhere from 9-18 depending on the day.

TV: Today-Friday, 12:30 AM-3 PM CT Golf Channel; Saturday, 3:30-6 AM CT Golf Channel. 6 AM-2 PM CT NBC. Sunday, 3:30-6 AM CT Golf Channel. 6 AM-1 PM NBC.

Winner

I’m going to take the 24 year old Spaniard. I haven’t seen a leaderboard today so I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been bullish on this guy since he won the Irish Open 2 weeks ago. I like this young gun to break through and win his first major championship and hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Jon Rahm

Day 2 of Media Days brought some of the heavyweights in the SEC. Kirby Smart and Jimbo Fisher are established names in the business. Jeremy Pruitt was a terrific defensive coordinator at Florida State and Alabama and is starting to make very good progress at Tennessee, though it is still a work in progress.. Matt Luke and Ole Miss are now eligible to play in a bowl game after not being able to participate for 2 years due to NCAA sanctions. Luke is charged up about the possibility and is building the Rebels program back.

Here is what the 4 coaches had to say about their respective programs on Tuesday.

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Kirby Smart is 24-5 in 3 seasons at Georgia. He said yesterday that’s not good enough. Smart brought up an interesting stat yesterday. He told the media at Media Days that Brooks Koepka had a .0005 better scoring average than Justin Thomas last year, and Koepka earned $5 million more than Thomas. While Paul Finebaum and Marcus Spears of the SEC Network were making fun of stat guys before Smart’s appearance, maybe they need to study the stats a little better. As Bill Parcells used to say, “the numbers don’t lie.” Some stats really matter.

Smart hasn’t seemed to have been able to get over the hump with Nick Saban. Saban owns a 16-0 mark against his former assistants, a stat that Smart is fully aware of. He knows he’s got to defeat Saban to win a national championship. That’s the goal. But he’s got a lot of games in front of him before he can get to Saban and Alabama.

Jake Fromm is back for his junior season and brings a pretty strong resume, though there are some holes in it. Fromm has outlasted Jacob Eason, who is now at Washington and is expected to start, and Justin Fields, who is now at Ohio State and is the presumed starter. Both were 5 star quarterbacks out of high school with immense talent. Fromm held both of them off for the starting job. Fromm had an excellent year last season completing 207 of 307 passe, 67%, for 2,761 yards, 30 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. He lost to LSU, Alabama and Texas, in the Sugar Bowl, so he still has more to prove. The major question for Fromm and Smart is can they get over the hump and win it all. That would mean winning the East, the SEC championship game against Alabama or possibly LSU, that’s an outside possibility, and then win it all.

Fromm has D’Andre Swift in the backfield which is a huge plus. Swift rushed for 1,049 yards and 10 TDs last season. He is strong, physical and fast. He’s a tremendous asset for Fromm and the offense. Brian Herrien, a dependable hard nosed senior running back, is also returning. 5 star sophomore James Cook is back as is 5 star Zamir White, who was injured before the season started last year. The wide receiving corps is inexperienced but talented. Jeremiah Holloman, who was expected to be a key piece in the passing game, was dismissed from the team for assault on a woman. He caught 24 passes for 418 yards and 5 TDs last season. Riley Ridley, Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman and tight end Isaac Nauta have left for the NFL. Demetrius Robinson, who was a 5 star out of high school and transferred from Cal in 2018, could be a key piece. Tyler Simmons caught only 9 passes for 138 yards and 2 TDs, but is a major talent and will be relied on also. Then there’s youth, but a lot of 4 star and a few 5 star talents. They’ll have to grow up quickly. One of the new wide receivers is Hoover 5 star George Pickens, who was committed to Auburn all the way up until the last day in February but flipped to Georgia.

The offensive line has great size and will be led by left tackle Andrew Thomas (Jr. 6’5”, 320). There is a lot of starting experience and physicality up front.

On defense, Georgia returns 6 starters and Smart feels really good about this group. Safeties J.R. Reed and Richard LeCounte are back and linebackers Brenton Cox, Tae Crowder and Monty Rice will anchor a strong group there. 5 star freshman Nolan Smith (6’3”, 235) could be a factor this season at linebacker also. The defensive line has good size. Rodrigo Blackenship is back to kick for what seems like his 10th year. He’s very good and clutch.

The Dawgs finished 11-3 last season and 7-2 in the SEC. Jim Chaney left for Tennessee to coach their offense so James Coley takes over as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. Coley has been on the staff and Smart is confident in him. On defense, Mel Tucker, Smart’s defensive coordinator for the last 3 years, left to take the head coaching job at Colorado. Dan Lanning will take over the defense and Smart, as always, will be very involved.

The Dawgs open their season at Vanderbilt on Saturday, August 31st at 6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network. Could be a kill. Notre Dame comes to Athens on Saturday, Sept. 21st. Then the Dawgs are off, then @ Tennessee, Saturday, Oct. 5th, South Carolina and Kentucky come to Athens on Oct. 12th and Oct. 19th (both Saturdays) respectively. Then the Dawgs are off before playing Florida, Saturday, Nov. 2nd in Jacksonville. Apparently, the Florida fans are already dogging at Georgia on twitter. That’s dangerous. The Gators may have already lost the game. Then Missouri at home, Saturday, Nov. 9th, the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry @ Auburn, Sat. Nov. 16th, A&M at home Sat, Nov. 23rd, then @ Georgia Tech, Sat. Nov. 30th.

Smart has expectations through the roof in Athens. He’ll deliver. It’s just a matter of if he can take it a step or 2 further and somehow figure out a way to defeat Nick Saban. That’s a tall order. But that’s the 43 year old from Montgomery’s goal.

Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee

Jeremy Pruitt’s key point was that last year he had 2 offensive linemen who weighed 300 pounds. Now he has 15. He is returning 17 starters from last year’s 5-7 team, and they’ll be a much improved team. And while Pruitt says he has a lot of talented players on the team and a lot of potentially talented players, it’s more potential this year. But ESPN’s FPI stats has UT winning almost 8 games this season. The 45 year old from Ashland, AL. is building a potential winner in Knoxville.

Another key point Pruitt made was that he has on his staff coaches who have been a part of 16 national championships as assistants. He’s excited to have Jim Chaney on his staff as offensive coordinator. Chaney was making $950,000 per year at Georgia last year. He’ll make $1.5 million this season, $1.6 M next season and $1.7 M in 2021 at Tennessee. Pruitt said that Chaney is pretty happy with his “pay grade at the end of the month.” Chaney is a solid coach, but I’m not sure he’s prolific. He can get too conservative at times in crucial 3rd and even 4th down situations, but he’s got a new opportunity and we’ll see how he fares. Pruitt also hired Tee Martin back as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Martin came from USC where he was OC there and had mixed results, but he was a 1998 national championship quarterback at Tennessee and will recruit well and probably be pretty good at a position. Derrick Ansley is defensive coordinator coming from Alabama, and Pruitt feels very good about him. So Pruitt is very high on his coaching staff.

He will have 40 players on his roster who have degrees, 11 of his 12 seniors will graduate in December, and his recruiting class averaged 27 on the ACT. Very impressive.

Jarrett Gurantano is back for his junior season after completing 153 of 246 passes, 62%, for 1,907 yards, 12 TDs and 3 ints. Pruitt said Guarantano has the players’ trust in the locker-room. If the junior quarterback can step it up this season, the Vols will be much improved. Ty Chandler is back at running back after rushing for 630 yards and 4 TDs last season. The wide receiver corps may be the strength of the team led by Marquez Callaway, who had 37 receptions for 592 yards and 2 TDs last year and Jauan Jennings who pulled in 30 passes for 438 yards and 3 TDs. Both could have huge seasons if Guarantano can get them the ball and the offensive line, which has been a question mark for a while now, can give Guarantano protection in the pocket.

The defense will be led by middle linebacker Daniel Bituli, who finished last season with a team leading 79 tackles with 7 for loss. Pruitt says Bituli speaks 3 languages, English, of course, French, and Congo dialect, he’s a native of the Congo. But Pruitt told him the only language he wants him to know is football.

The schedule features a big game on Saturday, Sept. 21st at Florida, off, then Georgia comes to Knoxvegas Oct. 5th, State comes to Knoxville the following week, Sat. Oct. 13th, then a difficult one @ Alabama, Sat. Oct. 19th. The Vols then host South Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 26th, UAB comes to Knoxville, Saturday Nov.2nd in what could be an interesting contest, though UAB lost a lot of seniors but have quarterback Tyler Johnston and running back Spencer Brown and some excellent young talent returning. @ Kentucky, Sat. Nov. 9th, @ Missouri Nov. 23rd (after an off week) then Vandy at home Saturday, Nov. 30th.

So there should be a lot of improvement in Knoxville. Pruitt is an excellent coach in my opinion. He is on the verge of putting the Vols back on the SEC and national radar.

Jimbo Fisher, A&M

The 53 year old from Clarksburg, West Virginia is coming off a successful 9-4 overall and 5-3 (SEC) campaign in 2018, his first season in College Station, including a 52-13 Gator Bowl victory over N.C. State. Fisher is changing the culture at A&M and looking for championships. He’s another Saban assistant who is looking for that elusive victory over his former mentor.

His 2019 recruiting class was 4th in the country, but 3rd in the SEC behind No.1 Alabama and No.2 Georgia, depending on if you’re looking at 247 sports or Rivals. Rivals had Georgia 1 and Bama 2. 247 had Bama then Georgia. Texas was 3rd in the rankings. So Jimbo is recruiting well with all that talent in Texas at his disposal, but a lot of competition in the state along with teams outside the borders.

Fisher has 11 returning starters, 7 on offense and 4 on defense. Kellen Mond comes into his junior season after showing immense improvement last season. In 2018, Mond completed 230 of 415 passes, 57%, for 3,107 yards, 24 TDs against 9 ints. Fisher is expecting even more improvement from his former high 4 star quarterback who he didn’t sign, but has coached up the last year and a half. The Aggies lost Trayveon Williams to the Cincinnati Bengals. Williams rushed for 1,760 yards and 18 TDs last season so that’s a lot of production to replace. Mond rushed for 474 yards and 7 TDs last season, and Jashaun Corbin will be the starter at running back this season. He rushed for 346 yards and a TD in 2018. The line is big and physical, the receivers are solid and the defense is young but talented under solid defensive coordinator Mike Elko.

But it’s the schedule that stands out. @ Clemson in week 3, Saturday, Sept. 7th with a 2:30 PM CT kickoff on ABC. Auburn comes to Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 21st, The Crimson Tide comes to College Station on Saturday, Oct. 12th. Then on Saturday, Nov. 23rd, A&M is @ Georgia, and on Saturday, Nov. 30th they’re @LSU. So very tough.

Fisher is firm in his commitment that winning championships is the only goal at A&M. With his $75 million contract, that’s what’s expected. This year will be tough, but Fisher is building a major winner.

Matt Luke, Ole Miss

Matt Luke wants his team to get to a bowl game this season, that would be successful year and he brought in a top 20 class in 2019 and has a top 20 class so far in 2020. He inherited a mess after Hugh Freeze got the program in trouble with the NCAA and Ole Miss was not allowed to play in the postseason in 2017 and ‘18 and lost scholarships. Last year the Rebels went 5-7 overall and 1-7 in the SEC.

Luke hired Rich Rodriguez to be his offensive coordinator and Mike McIntyre to be his defensive coordinator. Both had some success as head coaches, Rodriguez at West Virginia, not at Michigan or Arizona, and McIntyre had some success at Colorado. Both got fired though. But Luke hopes both men’s head coaching experience will help him.

Redshirt freshman Matt Corrall will be the starter at quarterback. He has thrown only 22 passes, completing 16 for 239 yards, 2 TDs and 1 int. But he’s got talent, He was a 4 star out of high school. Senior Scottie Phillips will return at running back after rushing for 928 yards and 12 TDs in 2018. They lost some highly talented wide receivers to the NFL, but return some young talent. The offensive line has good size, and they’ll be tested in the SEC. The defense returns 10 starters but was the worst defense in the SEC last year in points and yards allowed. So McIntyre will have his work cut out for him in changing the culture of this defense.

The Rebels open the season @ Memphis on Sat. Aug. 31st at 11 AM CT on ABC. Week 3 they host Arkansas at 6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network (week 0 is Florida-Miami August 24th). The Rebels go to Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 26th. Vanderbilt come to Oxford on Saturday, Oct.5th. @ Missouri Saturday, Oct. 12th. A&M comes to Oxford Saturday, Oct. 19th. The Rebels are off then play @ Auburn Saturday, Nov. 2nd. LSU comes to Vaught-Hemingway on Saturday, Nov. 16th. And, after an off week, Miss State comes to Oxford for the Egg Bowl on Thursday, Nov. 28th, Thanksgiving Night at 6:30 on ESPN.

So, like every other team, Ole Miss will be severely tested. Luke is hoping for the postseason, winning there and to continue building.

The unofficial start of football season commenced today in Hoover at the Wynfrey Hotel as SEC Media Days cranked up once again for its annual summer showcase. The big news from Commissioner Greg Sankey was that Media Days will be held in Atlanta next year and Nashville in 2021. Don’t know what that means for Hoover going forward. It’s been a great venue for the event, but the SEC is expanding the brand, I guess that’s what you’d call it, and Atlanta and Nashville are major cities in the South and nationally, so that was the decision. Still, a classic event today and going forward the next 3 days in Hoover.

Speakers today were Dan Mullen of Florida, Ed Orgeron of LSU and Barry Odom of Missouri. Here’s what each coach said about their respective teams.

Dan Mullen, Gators

The Gators finished the 2018 season 10-3 and blasted Jim Harbaugh and Michigan 41-15 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. So Mullen’s first year was a pretty resounding success after the struggles the program experienced under Jim McElwain.

The Gators kick off the 150th season of college football on Saturday, August 24th against Miami at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. That’s a phenomenal opener for the college football season. The game kicks off at 6 PM CT and will be broadcast by ESPN. The Gators are then off Sat, 8-31, host UT Martin, Sat. 9-7, @ Kentucky Sat. 9-14, host Tennessee, Saturday, 9-21, host Towson Saturday, 9-28 (No line), host Auburn for homecoming (interesting) on Saturday, 10-6, @LSU, Saturday, 10-12, @ South Carolina Saturday, 10-19, Off Saturday, 10-26, Georgia in Jacksonville Saturday 11-2, versus Vanderbilt Saturday, 11-9, @Missouri Saturday, 11-16, Off, versus Florida State, Saturday, 11-30.

This is a possible SEC Championship team. The FPI index produced by ESPN gives Florida a 19% chance to win the East behind Georgia’s 58%, but this team does return quite a lot of talent. Junior quarterback Feleipe Franks returns. After some up and down results for the first 9 games of the season, Franks finished the season throwing 12 TDs in his last 4 games against 0 interceptions. He’ 6’6”, 240 and can run. Mullen was asked how Franks was able to turn it around and Mullen said he started listening to quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and Mullen, and not Twitter. Mullen asked him towards the latter half of the season if he was going to listen to him and Johnson or to people on Twitter. Mullen told him if the Twitter people knew more about coaching quarterbacks than his coaches, that they should coach him. Franks got the message. He finished the season completing 188 of 322 passes (58%) for 2,457 yards 24 TDs against 6 ints. So a lot to build on off his performance from last year. Franks also rushed for 7 TDs. Mullen said Franks figured out with his size that if defenses are going to give him the middle of the field he’s going to run 20 yards for a TD.

Lamical Perine returns to lead the running game. He rushed for 826 yards and 7 TDS last season. Van Jefferson is a stellar wide receiver. He pulled in 35 passes for 503 yards and 6 TDs last year. The offensive line has been an issue for the Gators for several years now, so playing well up front is critical to the Gators taking a very good season last year and making it a great season this year.

D end Jabari Zuniga will anchor the defense. The senior is 6’3”, 295 pounds. He posted 11 tackles for loss and 6 sacks last season. Linebacker David Reese, a 6’0” 221 pound linebacker, was the second leading tackler on the team last year with 81 tackles.

Zuniga was at Media Days today and was asked about the wide assortment of shoes that Dan Mullen shows off. Zuniga said, “He’s definitely got a deep closet.”

Mullen had a hole in one this summer at Lake Oconee Golf Course at Reynolds Plantation in Georgia. He sank his 173 yard shot with a 7 iron. That’s probably just one less club than Dustin Johnson would have used. That’s pretty large.

Florida, which returns 13 starters, 7 on offense, 6 on defense, should have a very good team this season and their fortunes depend on the play of their offensive line and Franks.

Coach O, LSU

Coach O is pretty fired up about his team this season as the Bengal Tigers come off a 10-3 season and a hard fought Fiesta Bowl victory over UCF, 40-32. That was LSU’s first New Year’s Six/BCS bowl victory since 2007.

O hired Joe Brady as his quarterbacks coach. Brady comes to Baton Rouge from the New Orleans Saints and their prolific NFL offense. Brady will team up with offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger as they implement a spread offense for the Tiguhs. Joe Burrow was a resounding success last year at quarterback for O and the Tigers. Joe completed 219 of 379 passes, 58%, for 2,894 yards, 16 TDs and 5 ints. He also ran for 399 yards and 7 TDs. Coach O said they’re going to give Burrow more chances to run the ball. O is confident in Burrow’s backup Myles Brennan who was a highly sought after recruit in high school, a high 4 star, so if Burrow gets hurt, they have a pretty solid backup. But I really hope Joe stays healthy. He’s an awesome guy and really good for college football. He’s a heckuva competitor too. O better not run him too much. That would be a mistake.

O brought in 99, 5 star running back John Emory Jr. and 94, 4 star Tyrion Davis to compete for the starting running back job with returners Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who ran for 658 yards and 7 TDs last season, and Lanard Fournette, Leonard Fournette’s younger brother, among others. So there is some real talent in the backfield for the Bengal Tigers.

Justin Jefferson is the leading returning wide receiver. He caught 54 passes for 875 yards and 6 TDs last season. There is talent and depth on the perimeter according to O.

4 of 5 offensive linemen return and the defense will be anchored by the secondary with projected top 5 NFL draft pick safety Grant Delpit, who had 5 ints last season, leading the D. Cornerback is in good shape with junior Kristian Fulton, whom O is very high on, and star 5 star freshman and 3rd ranked player in the country in 2019, Derek Stingley Jr. manning the corner positions. The defensive line will be anchored by Rashard Lawrence.

O wants his team to be more physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage and become better at stopping the run and pressuring the quarterback. Key games include @ Texas, Saturday, 9-7, at 6:30 PM CT on ABC. Texas could be a top 10 team in the preseason poll though I’m not sure I’m buying that. It’ll be tough in Austin though. Florida comes to Baton Rouge Saturday, 10-12, @ Mississippi State the next week, 10-19, Auburn at home Saturday, 10-20, and after an off week, at the Crimson Tide, Saturday, 11-9, sure to be at 7 PM CT on CBS. @ Ole Miss, Saturday, 11-16, and home to A&M, Saturday, 11-30. That A&M game is going to have those Tiger fans charged up after last year’s 74-72, 7 overtime loss at College Station in which it looked like the Bengal Tigers had that game won 3 or 4 times only to be reversed by instant replay. It was a tough pill to swallow, so A&M better buckle up. The key for LSU is navigating this difficult schedule and somehow defeating Alabama, which is hard for any team to do. Clemson seems to have the best luck with that, but they’ve dropped a couple to the Crimson Tide as well. But the Alabama game isn’t the be all, end all for the Tiguhs. They have 11 other games and can have a highly successful season regardless of their result in Tuscaloosa. Looks like this team has a serious shot at winning 10 or 11 games and making another New Year’s Six Bowl. Could be even better with the talent on this roster.

Barry Odom, Missouri

Two major things happened for Odom and Missouri. Kelly Bryant decided to transfer from Clemson to Mizzou after deciding he wasn’t going to get a shot at quarterback with the prolific Trevor Lawrence taking over from him. That has really generated a lot of excitement in Columbia, MO.

But another thing happened and it’s not too good. Missouri received a bowl ban for the 2019 season due to a former tutor completing course work for several football players. It’s a tough thing to handle. Missouri is appealing the decision and will find out in August if the NCAA will lift the bowl ban. It’s tough on the players, but academic integrity matters.

This team has good talent with Bryant under center along with running back Larry Rountree III returning. Rountree rushed for 1,216 yards and 11 TDs in 2018. Wide receiver Johnathon Johnson returns after catching 59 passes for 737 yards and 5 TDs last season. The offensive line will be big and physical.

On defense, middle linebacker and leading tackler Cale Garrett returns. Garrett finished 3rd in the SEC in 2018 with 106 tackles. Cornerback DeMarkus Acy picked off 3 passes last year. He’ll be the leader in the secondary.

The Tigers open the season @ Wyoming on Saturday, 8-31, at 6:30 PM CT on CBS Sports Network. Wyoming should be a pretty good challenge on the road. Then the Tigers host West Virginia and new coach Neal Brown, who came to WVU from Troy where he had tremendous success. So 2 challenges right out of the gate. South Carolina comes to Mizzou on Saturday, 9-21. The Tigers are @ Kentucky, Saturday, 10-25, then they’re off, then @ Georgia, Saturday, 11-9, then Florida (10-16), and Tennessee (10-23) come to Faurot Field. The Tigers finish the season off @ Arkansas in Little Rock.

This team has a good talent and is coming off an 8-5 season in 2018 though they lost their bowl game to Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl, 38-33. How good this team will be depends on how Bryant can execute in Derek Dooley’s offense. The team has offensive weapons. They’ll need to play better defense to get themselves to the 9 win plateau this year.

Tomorrow

Kirby Smart, Georgia, Jimbo Fisher, A&M, Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee and Matt Luke, Ole Miss

One of my best friends and loyal blog commenter Bama Golf correctly predicted the 90th All Star game with the AL defeating the NL, 4-3. Excellent work Bama.

I incorrectly predicted the NL to win and they looked like they had life in the top of the 8th when the Mets’ Pete Alonso drove in 2 runs with a single. But the AL pitcher got the next NL batter out and then the Yankees’ Aroldis Champman came in for the 9th, and I knew my prediction was in serious jeopardy. Chapman was bringin it a hunge and he was impossible to hit.

But it was an awesome spectacle with Cleveland, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, putting on a superb show with great music, super fans and a terrific stadium in Progressive Field. The AL has now won 7 in a row and 25 out of the last 30. The NL really needs to get it together. From 2003-2016, the league winner of the Midsummer Classic had home field advantage for the World Series, but Commissioner Rob Manfred and the players union changed it back for the 2017 season to the team with the best record for the regular season having the home field, which is the way to do it. Regular season accomplishments should be rewarded and the All Star game should be just a fun night for the fans and the players. Right now, the Dodgers have the best record in MLB with the Yankees, Astros, Twins and Braves in hot pursuit. Should be an awesome second half.

Next week I’ll have SEC Media Days which gets football season started pretty much. Not too long before we’ll be kicking it off Saturday, August 24th, week 0, with the Florida Gators taking on the Miami Hurricanes at 6 PM CT on ESPN. The game will be played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando so no real home field. Should be a solid matchup, close to spectacular.

Manny Diaz takes over at Miami and former Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos will call plays for the Canes as their offensive coordinator. Dan Mullen enters his second season at the helm of the Gators ready to take the next step and have the Gators playing in the SEC Championship game if they can navigate their schedule and defeat Georgia in Jacksonville at that Cocktail deal.

Then on Saturday, Aug. 31st, the Crimson Tide opens its season versus the Duke Blue Devils at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with a 2:30 PM CT kickoff. The game will be televised by ABC. That spring game for the Tide was beyond impressive, so this will be a juggernaut team once again. SEC Championship, Playoff and National championship right in the Crimson Tide’s scope once again.

The Auburn Tigers have a tough opener squaring off with Oregon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for a 6:30 PM CT kickoff on ABC. Want to hear Gus talk next week and check out more stuff on the Tigers before forming any opinions on the team. Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix will be battling it out for QB1 for the Tigers. Both are extremely talented and Auburn has a lot of talent on their roster. I’ll let you know more about the Tigers in the next two weeks.

Should be a phenomenal week 1 in college football with some intriguing matchups and stirring action.

Also next week, the 148th Open Championship will commence on Thursday. The championship will be played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Interesting venue. They had a Ryder Cup there several years ago, and the competition will be fierce for this coveted major championship. Jon Rahm won the Irish Open last weekend, so he’s a factor to me. The Scottish Open is this weekend with guys like Rory, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler playing, so that’s a tournament to keep an eye on.

Will have a lot of product coming up next week. Thanks.