SEC Media Days Day 3: Bama speaks, Oklahoma arrives

By Chris Marler

Day three of SEC Media Days brought Mississippi State, Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma to the spotlight.

Kalen DeBoer-ing talks year two 

Kalen DeBoer led off day three at Media Days to a full room of eager people ready to talk about his QB battle, weird Saban unretiring rumors, and asking for the 1000th time what in the world happened against Vanderbilt last year. 

DeBoer did well during his 30 minutes at the podium. He seemed much more at ease than a year ago, and like he finally caught his breath from the whirlwind that was the first season. Hot take, most of the hate and jokes on social media are way more about the feelings people have about where he’s from and even more about the logo on his lapel. 

We all know he lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. But here’s what you might not know: the same guy critics said was in over his head, the one supposedly not cut out for this region or its recruiting demands, just spent the offseason landing four five-star recruits, retained every player through the spring portal window, and had zero staff turnover.

Feels like everyone inside the building is all in. The question now is, when will the public catch up?

DJ Lagway is the most likable player in America 

After watching DJ Lagway stroll through the College Football Hall of Fame, effortlessly engaging with fans and media, all while wearing the most genuine smile, one thought kept running through my mind: please be a star.

Please be the star that people in Gainesville expect you to be and please be the star that college football itself probably needs you to be.  Lagway is a rare prospect and has one of the most gifted sets of physical tools of any QB in the nation. Yet, every time I talk about him it’s nearly impossible to ignore all those things and immediately marvel at how good of a kid, teammate, and ambassador he’s been in his first year and a half at Florida. 

He committed to Florida and Billy Napier at the most unstable time of his short tenure. He played through injuries and, oh by the way, used his own NIL deal to donate over six figures to Florida Victorious, UF’s NIL collective, with the money specifically supporting women’s programs like gymnastics, softball, volleyball, and basketball.

John Mateer aura & Brent Venables healthy breakup 

John Mateer made his SEC debut in Atlanta meeting with the media at the end of day three. I haven’t seen him play an SEC defense on the field, but I can tell you he absolutely got an A+ on the eye test. He has what the kids call “aura.” In millennial and boomer terms, he looks every bit the part of what an elite QB should look like, at least in a suit.

Finally, a moment that wasn’t given enough attention or credit was Brent Venables and what he had to say about former quarterback Jackson Arnold going to Auburn. 

In this era of college football and the portal there are going to be breakups, transfers, and public disagreements over poor communication between players and coaches who are no longer at the same school. Brent Venables wasn’t interested in any of that. 

He was asked about what led to Arnold leaving, and leaving for a team they have to play in conference in the first month of this season. I wasn’t surprised that neither said something petty or passive aggressive. I was surprised at how honest and how much Venables said in general. Most coaches would’ve said nothing. Some coaches who would speak on it would be short, very vague and generic, and speak about it in a way that looks best for themselves and the program. 

Not Brent Venables. 

“He handled one of the toughest moments of his athletic life in an amazing first-class way. And I know this without reservation, he’s going to play this game a long time at a really high level.”

Venables spoke highly of the player and his family, emphasizing the effort made to keep him in the program.

“Sharon and Todd, they’re amazing people. Hate what happened,” Venables said. “We wanted to keep him, we tried to keep him, but I think he just needed a fresh start. I don’t want to speak for him, but he was wonderful. Never once was I disappointed in him.”

And while the decision to move on was tough, Venables acknowledged the difficult circumstances that surrounded him.

“Unfortunately for him, everything around him wasn’t helping him be successful. So he had no chance in some ways, under the circumstances, and (got) dealt a really bad hand.”

That’s honesty, and more importantly, that’s leadership.

Day four wraps things up with Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky set to take the stage in Atlanta.