The microphone marathon known as SEC Media Days is less than a week away. By this time next week, Tampa, Fla. will be overrun by SEC officials, coaches, players and media.
The four-day event will begin Monday morning with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s annual state-of-the-union style press conference. Then all 16 teams will get a turn in the spotlight, doing press conferences and interviews both on SEC Network and along radio row.
Ole Miss gets its turn next Wednesday and first-year head coach Pete Golding will be joined by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy and defensive tackle Will Echoles.
Today we’ll continue our fun series posing five questions we’d ask if the coach or player was given a truth serum. We’ve covered Golding and Chambliss already. Now, it’s the preseason All-American and EA Cover athlete’s turn.
Questions for Kewan Lacy
What did you feel about the drama around Lane Kiffin at the end of last season?
Everyone except Kiffin said all the right things last year when asked about the drama around Kiffin and the will he stay or leave for LSU. Players and coaches (the ones who stayed) all talked about their focus being on that week’s playoff opponent, wished Kiffin luck in his new job and how the team was blocking out the outside noise.
But what were the players really thinking and feeling in the weeks leading up to the Egg Bowl? Not just that, but during the CFP run when there was drama about assistant coaches not being allowed to keep coaching at Ole Miss.
Lacy, who was in the midst of a historic season, had a front row seat to all of the drama. The offensive coaching staff had the most turnover, too. So, it would be very interesting to hear how one of the best offensive players in the country felt during this time period.
What was the offer from Lane Kiffin and LSU?
No need to sugarcoat this one. We all know Kiffin and LSU made plays to bring several of the Rebels’ best players to Baton Rogue. They landed two on the defensive side, TJ Dottery and Princewill Umanmielen. But there were plenty of rumors about LSU targeting Chambliss, Lacy and others.
So what exactly was the offer from LSU? What did they pitch to Lacy to try and convince him to enter the transfer portal? In year’s past we’d think it was some intangible things, like playing time or gameday atmosphere.
Now, the offers are money. So how much money was LSU offering Lacy? Technically, this would be tampering and open the door for a NCAA investigation. But the NCAA would have to go after more than just LSU for tampering with Lacy.
Speaking of which…
What was the offer from Texas?
You’re hard-pressed to find a program wanting to win a national title more than Texas. It’s been 21 years since the Longhorns sat atop of the college football pyramid. Texas hasn’t stopped acting like its supposed to be the best team in the nation, though.
Texas also has lots of money and brand big enough to draw major endorsement deals for players. Combine that with the desperation to win and having a quarterback named Manning on its roster, now is the time to strike.
The Longhorns did go shopping for a running back in the transfer portal and managed to convince Hollywood Smothers to flip from Alabama to Texas. But that likely came after it learned Lacy wasn’t going to enter the transfer portal.
It’d be interesting to know what the Longhorns pitched to Lacy. If only because we’d learn how desperate Texas really is to field a national championship-winning team.
How healthy were you at halftime of the CFP semifinal game?
Most Ole Miss fans remember the CFP semifinal game against Miami. After a sluggish first quarter, Lacy ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. However, it was clear something wasn’t right by the end of that run and Lacy didn’t play the rest of the second half.
Lacy did return in the second half, but finished with 11 total carries. That’s a lot less than his 20.4 carries per game last season and its fair to wonder if the first half injury contributed to him being used less.
Also, don’t forget about the shoulder injury he suffered in the first round CFP game against Tulane. That injury didn’t seem to bother Lacy too much the following week against Georgia, but it does add to the wear and tear.
What makes this an interesting question isn’t just that it’s one that could be conceivably be asked and answered next week in Tampa. But if he’s asked, the answer might not be specific or detailed. It could be the player equivalent of coach speak.
In this fun, light-hearted exercise though, we’d get the unvarnished truth.
Who is the hardest hitting defender at Ole Miss?
This is another question that could realistically be answered next week, but we’d likely get a wide range of names or some version of “they all hit hard.”
Let’s hear the truthful answer. Running backs get hit in practice. While defenders aren’t actively trying to knock out a teammate, things happen. So, who’s carrying around the biggest stick in the Ole Miss defense?
