From Spencer Rattler's jewelry to Joe Milton's arm: Winners, losers from SEC Media Days Day 4

NASHVILLE — The biggest week in talking season is over, and it came with an entertaining final day of the 2023 SEC Media Days.

Ole Miss football's Lane Kiffin led off Thursday with a state of the union and delved into Tennessee's recent verdict in its NCAA recruiting scandal and an, ahem, awkward meeting with his potential doppelganger. South Carolina's Shane Beamer followed before Tennessee's Josh Heupel wrapped things up.

Here's a look at the winners and losers from Day 4.

Winners

Chains and rattlesnakes

Quarterback Spencer Rattler was among those representing South Carolina, and his appearance did not disappoint. Rattler wore a chain with a pendant of a rattlesnake sitting atop his garnet and black tie.

The pendant is a play on his last name, and it’s a piece of jewelry Rattler says he has owned for a few years. Tennessee’s Joe Milton brought the closest competition to Rattler’s jewelry, as he wore a diamond-filled No. 7 around his neck.

Shane Beamer’s kids

At 2022 SEC Media Days, a graphic depicting the length of each opening statement stole the show. Most notably, former Mississippi State coach Mike Leach separated himself from the bottom of the field with just seven words.

Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea was at the top with 2,340 words and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer was second with 2,185. Beamer’s children made sure to point it out to their dad and encouraged him to go shorter this year.

They’ll be disappointed to learn he trimmed his total by nine words. With the exception of Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, who touched on almost everything worth asking about, most opening statements were filled with coach-speak and optimism.

Beamer’s children − Sutton, Olivia, Hunter – had the right idea asking their dad to shorten the opening statement. Instead, he finished second again behind Georgia's Kirby Smart.

Losers

Socks and ties

Along with his disdain for opening statements, Leach was well-known at media days for his hatred of ties. In honoring Leach, who died in December, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey went without a tie this week.

Kiffin followed, though he took comfort to another level. He took the stage wearing no-show socks – or perhaps no socks at all. No coach was more prepared to head to a beach after the press responsibilities than Kiffin.

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Milton was the talk of the offseason after riffling passes longer than 70 yards at the Manning Passing Academy in June. As he steps into the starting role for Hendon Hooker, many expect Milton to thrive in Heupel’s offense if he can combine arm strength with accuracy.

Mississippi State’s Will Rogers was among those at the passing academy and joked Tuesday that he has a stronger arm than Milton. Rogers isn’t the lone quarterback who can joke about the matter.

When a reporter said Milton, "maybe" has the strongest arm in the nation, Milton said there's no debate on the matter.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: SEC Media Days winners, losers: Joe Milton arm, Spencer Rattler chain