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SEC Media Days winners and losers from Day 4: Jimbo Fisher, Bryan Harsin and golf balls

nick suss, mississippi clarion ledger
·4 min read
8

ATLANTA — The final day of SEC Media Days 2022 was the one with all the built-in storylines.

Thursday started when Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin publicly addressed the inquiry into his job from February. Then Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher had to talk about his spring dispute with Alabama coach Nick Saban over NIL and comment on the recent arrest of receiver Ainias Smith, who was supposed to be in Atlanta but is now suspended.

Also Tennessee was there.

When Josh Heupel and the Vols are the team generating the fewest viral headlines, you know it's a day. Here are some quick winners and losers from the final morning of SEC Media Days.

DAY 3 WINNERS AND LOSERS: From Sam Pittman's statue to Kirby Smart's hair

DAY 2 WINNERS AND LOSERS: Mike Leach steals the show from Alabama

DAY 1 WINNERS AND LOSERS: From Deion Sanders to Brian Kelly's depth chart

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Winner: Jimbo Fisher talking fast

Fisher talks fast. Like an auctioneer on a roller coaster after three cappuccinos trying to list all 50 states in under a minute. It's his thing. It's his brand. Thursday, he finally explained why.

"Got to get the thoughts out," Fisher said. "How long you want to be here? If I talk slow ... I give you lots of information in a short amount of time. I'm a reporter's dream. Daggum, huh? How can you all be complaining about that?"

JOSH HEUPEL AS LANE KIFFIN?: Josh Heupel is about give Tennessee football the second Lane Kiffin season Vols never got

TOPPMEYER: Greg Sankey and the SEC seem to relish digging knife into failed Alliance

YESTERDAY'S NEWS: From Sam Pittman's statue to Kirby Smart's hair, SEC Media Days winners, losers Wednesday

Needless to say, he zoomed through that quote like Usain Bolt being chased by a black bear on roller skates.

Loser: Jimbo Fisher talking too fast

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher talks during SEC Media Days.
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher talks during SEC Media Days.

Fisher isn't just a reporter's dream because of how economical he is with time. It's also because sometimes he talks so quickly that he can't stop himself from blurting out information he might not be supposed to divulge.

Thursday, Fisher let slip the news that if the SEC adopts a conference scheduling model with three permanent opponents starting in 2025, Texas A&M's would be Texas, LSU and Mississippi State. He added that he likes the Texas A&M vs. Arkansas rivalry and would like to see that preserved.

Daggum, maybe he shouldn't have said that.

Loser: The past

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin speaks during SEC Media Days.
Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin speaks during SEC Media Days.

Harsin doesn't want to focus on the inquiry. He learned lessons from the saga, but he doesn't have much interest in focusing on anything that isn't the present or future.

"Anytime we're going backwards, talking about the past, we're not moving forward, talking about the future," Harsin said. "That's about it. It was quick, to the point with our players. We moved on. That's where our guys are at right now. We're focused on bigger and better things."

Seems like a weird move to say you don't like the past when you're standing in the College Football Hall of Fame, a building that only exists because people like talking about the past. But nevertheless, Harsin probably doesn't care. He said what he said in the past.

OPINION: Bryan Harsin can't talk his way off the Auburn football hot seat

Winner: A new autograph market

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel talks to the media.
Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel talks to the media.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin says he's signed his fair share of mustard bottles and golf balls since nearly getting pelted with both in the Rebels' win at Tennessee last fall. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, unfortunately, hasn't gotten the same treatment.

"I didn't sign any mustard bottles or golf balls," Heupel said. "Maybe wish I had had a golf ball that night, you know what I mean? I'm only kidding."

Kiffin still has his golf ball from Neyland Stadium. Someone needs to get Heupel one to hold onto. And who knows? Maybe it'll lead to a new line of keepsakes signed by SEC coaches.

Contact Nick Suss at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: SEC Media Days winners and losers: Jimbo Fisher, Bryan Harsin