Pat Dooley’s High Five (July 21st)

Now that SEC Media Days are over, it’s only five+ more weeks until the start of the season.

Yay!?!?

Naw, all that happens at the SEC Media days is we start talking season. The start of the regular season – Week Zero for those who like that moniker – is more than a month of vacations and school haircuts away.

It was still something to talk about, so the High Five looks at the five more interesting coaches during SEC MD23 in Nashville.

1. Lane Kiffin

He’s not my favorite but he came in with an agenda about NIL and the portal and kept going from there. Then, he had them yukking it up in the radio rooms. Still don’t get what he was going for with that hair.

2. Billy Napier

I watched multiple interviews with the Florida coach and – as always – came away impressed. The guy has a plan, admitted to being overwhelmed the first year and seemed ready to go this year. I can’t think of a bad interview since Napier got here. Now, carry that over to the field.

3. Kirby Smart

Sorry, Gators, but the combination of his methods of getting through to his players and basically telling the media that it is a necessary evil was interesting. I especially liked it when someone questioned the schedule and he said, “Come play it.” I don’t think we can do that.

4. Sam Pittman

Probably my favorite non-Gator coach in the SEC these days. He was funny and fired up and it carried over to all of the different rooms. His response to the guy who asked him about Hamm’s beer was priceless. Hey, he will get to come to the Swamp this year. Last time, he was sick during the COVID season.

5. Clark Lea

Dude got ME fired up about Vanderbilt football. The last coach to do that was the late Woody Widenhofer.