SEC Media Days Talk: Kirby Smart On Golf, Josh Heupel On Oklahoma, Brent Venables On Horns Down, More

DALLAS – The second day of listening to SEC coaches speak about the upcoming season, along with different sidebars, has come to an end, and it certainly did not disappoint. 

For Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, he couldn't escape the questions about the ongoing off-field issues when it comes to his players putting on a remake of Fast & The Furious around Athens over the past few years. But, to the credit of the Bulldogs collective, Smart shared that players have started to be fined for off-field issues, so maybe that will slow them down. Unfortunately, Kirby shared that this has been going on for the past year, so it doesn't look as if things have gone according to plan thus far. 

There was a mixture of storylines on this Tuesday, whether it was Brent Venables taking the stage for the first time at SEC Media Days, or Josh Heuepl having to answer a plethora of questions about his former school, Oklahome. Maybe they decided to save the best for last with Missouri's Eli Drinkwitx, though he was a bit more tamed than previous interviews, certainly by design. 

Kirby Smart Tackles Off-Field Issues, Snuck Off To Play Golf Under Saban

Look, it's hard to put all the blame on Kirby Smart for everything that has transpired off the field at Georgia, his players certainly deserve a good amount of the blame. The reckless driving stories are certainly getting old, and how the players have not grasped the severity of the situation is still mind-boggling. 

But the way Kirby Smart explained how the NIL collective was working to penalize players in a monetary fashion for doing stupid things off the field is noteworthy. Yes, we don't have the privilege to see all the contracts that these players sign when it comes to NIL, but players being fined for off-field incidents is a way to try and at least slow down these athletes. 

"Let's clarify. I don't like fast cars, I like cars. My car is fast, but I don't drive like an idiot. This has been an issue on our team, but also we have hundreds of players," Carson Beck told reporters. "A large percentage of our guys are very focused, and very on top of that."

In terms of Kirby Smart standing at the podium while Nick Saban watched from the SEC Network set, it had to be awkward for the Georgia coach. Luckily for everyone, the two coaches had a fantastic exchange about Kirby Smart sneaking off to play a round of golf, thinking his boss Nick Saban was at another course in the area. 

Unfortunately, Kirby's staff scramble, consisting of offensive and defensive coaches did not go as planned on one afternoon, as the Georgia head coach jokingly explained. 

We Get It, Josh Heupel Played For Oklahoma, But Questions Continue

For the love of all that's good, please stop asking Josh Heupel for his thoughts about the Oklahoma Sooners. I get it, the Tennessee head coach led the Sooners to a title, and he's worked with Brent Venables, Jeff Lebby and others. But, the questions will continue for Heupel, especially leading into the Sooners vs. Vols matchup in September. 

I don't know what else Heupel can say about his former team without sounding like some secret spy sent to Knoxville on a mission to destroy the program from within. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning for these questions, so Heupel can expect much more from the Sooners side leading up to the September matchup. 

OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 24: Head coaches Josh Heupel, Tony Vitello, and Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate after game three of the Division I Men's Baseball Championship against the Texas A&M Aggies held at Charles Schwab Field on June 24, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska.  (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

But outside of questions concerning his former school, Josh Heupel started his opening remarks by praising the Tennessee baseball team for winning the national championship. And the fact is, the Vols head coach should lean into every opportunity he gets to connect the two programs on-campus in Knoxville. 

"This is the first time I have had an opportunity to talk since I got a chance to go to Omaha and watch (indiscernible) and Blake and Coach Vitello bring home a championship to Rocky Top," Heupel started his prress conference. "What an unbelievable experience, opportunity to watch the game with Coach Barnes. Danny, our athletic director, get a chance to be on the field and celebrate that moment. Really proud of what they did bringing home a National Championship to Rocky Top, what Coach Vitello has built there and have an opportunity to have my son with me and really my entire family. So great night."

As for the upcoming season, you can bet that the Vols will be a prepared to take the next step behind quarterback Nico IamaLeava, who did not make the trip to Dallas. 

Brent Venables Says Let The ‘Horns Down’ Fly, If Allowed. 2:30 Kickoffs

One of the most interesting parts of the move to the SEC for Texas and Oklahoma has centered around a hand gesture. No, seriously, the ‘Horns Down’ gesture has been a hot topic over the first two days of this event in Dallas. Will SEC officials allow opposing teams to throw up the gesture after a big play against the Longhorns? 

Judging by the response by the SEC officiating crew on Tuesday morning, unless a player is sticking it right in the face of a Texas athlete, it's pretty much game on. So you had to know that Oklahoma's Brent Venables would be asked about the situation during his time at the podium. 

"I don't really have an opinion, football is a game of emotion and passion. If they say it's a penalty, don't do it. If they say it's a free for all, have at it."

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners wears the Golden Hat as he poses for a group photo with the team at the Cotton Bowl on October 07, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

It's hard to tell what kind of success the Sooners will have this season in a new conference, but I can promise you Oklahoma will be ready for the challenge. And lets be honest, getting the Oklahoma vs. Texas matchup as an SEC conference showdown should make the rivalry even crazier, if that's possible. 

"It’s as deep-seeded, hate-filled and emotional of a rivalry as there is in all of college football," Venables said of the Texas game. 

In terms of one of the biggest transitions for some Oklahoma players in joining the SEC, it comes down to kickoff times. Compared to the usual 12pm for a good chunk of Big 12 games, Oklahoma will play a number of games at 2:30, which Sooners DB Billy Bowman isn't a fan of. 

"It went from 11am to 2:30pm. I like 11 am better, get up and play."

Eli Drinkwitz Calls His Defense ‘Death Row’, Which Feels About Right

Nope, Eli Drinkwitz was not cracking a bunch of jokes on-stage this year, taking the same approach as what we witnessed at SEC Spring meetings. Although, there was one point during his press conference where Drinkwitz decided to harp on old memories. When asked about his perceived comeback from the hot-seat a few years ago, Eli decided to choose violence against one media member. 

"The only guy that had me on the hot seat was Dennis Dodd."

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz got super creepy when discussing QB Brady Cook.  (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

But other than talking about the nuclear medicine facility that sits on the Missouri campus, Drinkwitz stayed on course by talking about the upcoming season. Look, I get that he's trying to keep himself from getting pushback after a loss, but this is not the normal Eli Drinkwitz we're used to. 

So, I'm going to need the Tigers head coach to ramp this up a bit when the season comes around. 

So, as we wrapped up day two in Dallas, Kirby Smart won the press conference, while Josh Heupel took the most questions about Oklahoma or Texas.