SEC Media Days winners, losers from Monday: Brian Kelly's accent, Jimbo Fisher's inspiring swag

SEC Media Days got underway Monday in Nashville with commissioner Greg Sankey taking the podium alongside coaches and players from LSU, Texas A&M and Missouri.

The Grand Hyatt hotel is hosting the 2023 event, which runs through Thursday and is being televised on SEC Network.

The event continues Tuesday with representatives from Vanderbilt, Georgia, Auburn and Mississippi State, as well as the coordinator of SEC officials.

There were plenty of eyebrow-raising moments as media members prepared for the start of the 2023 SEC season, which begins Aug. 26 when Hawaii plays at Vanderbilt.

Here were the biggest winners and losers from Day 1 of SEC Media Days 2023:

Winner: High fashion

Inspired by coach Jimbo Fisher, each of Texas A&M's three players — McKinnley Jackson, Fadil Diggs and Ainias Smith — sported sunglasses from Balenciaga during their media sessions.

Not to be outdone, Missouri's Darius Robinson arrived in Alexander McQueen spiked shoes. He bought two pairs, one in white and one in black, and wore one of each to his session.

Loser: Nashville

Though Nashville got to host the event, it didn't go on without a hitch. Construction on the Broadway Bridge made the Grand Hyatt hotel difficult to get to, and because the construction paused briefly while the event was going on, the closure will last a little longer.

And this will be just a one-year stint in Nashville. Sankey announced Monday that SEC Media Days will be held in Dallas in 2024, and the SEC Championship Game will continue to be played in Atlanta despite talk it could move to Nashville.

In one small win, Sankey confirmed that the SEC hopes to keep the basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

Winner: Artificial intelligence

LSU coach Brian Kelly is embracing artificial intelligence. He said that the program hopes to incorporate AI in its recruiting practices, calling its use an "intriguing opportunity."

On the other hand, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz had as many thoughts on AI as AI does itself.

"I have no thoughts on AI in college football," he said.

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Loser: The NCAA's rules on coaches commenting on recruits

Jimbo Fisher is well known for his recruiting prowess. But Texas A&M's lofty recruiting rankings was a significantly difficult discussion at SEC Media Days because of NCAA rules that restrict coaches from commenting publicly on recruits who have not yet signed.

Fisher recently landed 5-star wide receiver Cameron Coleman, but what was a victory for him turned into a loss for a reporter who asked Fisher how he wooed Coleman to College Station.

"I'm not allowed to talk about any current recruits that aren't signed that are on our campus," Fisher said.

Winner: Brian Kelly's accent

After going viral for using a fake Southern accent when he was named LSU's coach in December 2021, Kelly confirmed he still uses an accent in recruiting — and, at least in his mind, it's improved.

"I think my accent is pretty good and has gotten better throughout the recruiting process," he said. "It depends on if I'm in northern Louisiana or southern Louisiana. Sometimes I get over to Lake Charles, it's got to change a little bit."

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Loser: State NIL laws

Sankey condemned the patchwork of state NIL laws, saying there should be uniform rules that apply to everyone, and that high school and college athletes shouldn't have to spend so much time figuring out the specific legal statutes of their individual states in order to earn money.

Although it's unlikely Sankey's comments will actually result in a nationwide standard, the variety of state laws have continued to take a hit among leaders in the college sports world.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brian Kelly accent, Jimbo Fisher swag highlight 2023 SEC Media Days