SEC Media Days 2023 updates: Hugh Freeze, Kirby Smart return to podium
We're set for Day 2 of 2023 SEC Media Days at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Nashville.
Vanderbilt's Clark Lea, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Auburn's Hugh Freeze and Mississippi State's Zach Arnett are scheduled to speak.
On Day 1, there were plenty of winners and losers. LSU's Brian Kelly talked about his Southern accent again. Missouri's Eliah Drinkwitz told us what he thinks about artificial intelligence. And there were plenty of epic outfits to go around, including Texas A&M bringing some swagger with some (ahem, expensive) sunglasses.
But that's in the past.
Follow along today for updates from Day 2 in Nashville:
Hugh Freeze returns to SEC Media Days
Hugh Freeze is back at SEC Media Days after being hired at Auburn in the offseason.
"It's good to be back," Freeze said.
Freeze, the former Ole Miss coach, had been at Liberty before returning to the SEC after a precipitous fallout with the Rebels, including a call to an escort service.
Kirby Smart on three-peat talk at Georgia
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the biggest threat to the Bulldogs' pursuit of three straight national championships is "complacency."
"Better never rests," Smart told media in Nashville. "We're not going to be controlled by outside narratives. ... This 2023 team is still defining itself ... but I like where we're at."
Kirby Smart acknowledges report linking Darnell Washington to Tennessee scandal
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said he learned of reported cash payments to former UGA tight end Darnell Washington like everyone else: through a Knox News media report.
“No, we don’t get involved in any kind of NCAA investigation,” Smart said Tuesday in a breakout session with Georgia media. “Wasn’t aware of it or known about it, really anything to do with it. I saw the reports like you guys did.”
Washington reported received $750 in a cash payment during his recruitment by Tennessee. Washington, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, never signed with the Vols. Instead, he picked Georgia and helped the Bulldogs win two national titles.
The cash payment included in documents obtained by Knox News. The documents highlighted the rampant cheating scandal under former UT coach Jeremy Pruitt, who received a six-year show-cause for his part in the violations.
Why is Barton Simmons on Vanderbilt football's staff?
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea hired Barton Simmons, a former national recruiting director for 247Sports, to be his director of player personnel when he took over the Commodores.
So how did he land on Simmons to "reimagine what recruiting could be?"
As Lea said Tuesday, he and Simmons grew up together.
"That decision was made in the seventh grade," Lea said. "Best friend for a long time."
Clark Lea: 'Never satisfied at 5-7'
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea celebrated the progress the Commodores have made in his two years with the program while making his expectation clear:
"The goal is postseason play."
Vanderbilt finished 5-7 last season, losing big against the league's elite opponents but still scoring upset wins over Kentucky and Florida that suggest Vandy is moving in the right direction.
We're "never satisfied with 5-7," Lea said.
Tuesday's SEC Media Days 2023 schedule
Starts at 9 a.m. in Nashville
Vanderbilt (coach Clark Lea), 9 a.m.
Georgia (coach Kirby Smart), approx. 10:30 a.m.
Auburn (coach Hugh Freeze), 1 p.m.
Mississippi State (coach Zach Arnett), approx. 3:30 p.m.
SEC Media Days 2023 updates: What Clark Lea, Kirby Smart, Hugh Freeze and Zach Arnett said in Nashville
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: SEC Media Days 2023 updates: Auburn's Hugh Freeze returns to podium
