SEC Media Days continues to be the biggest days of the summer for Ole Miss fans.
The four-day even from Tampa, Fla. begins July 20 and is the unofficial start of the college football preseason.
Yesterday, we took a fun approach with five questions we’d love to ask Ole Miss coach Pete Golding if he had taken a truth serum before walking up to the microphone. Today, we’ll take a more serious, practical approach.
Below are five questions that should be asked and that Golding most likely won’t have any issues answering. The questions aren’t as exciting as asking if he really told Lane Kiffin to go watch the Iron Bowl at home last November.
But they all can give some insight into the current Ole Miss roster, upcoming season and how Golding thinks as a head coach.
And we’ll start by cheating just a little bit.
If you had a game tomorrow, who would be your starting offensive tackles?
This was one of the questions included yesterday, but it’s still a good, relevant question. No, Golding wouldn’t name names because the real answer is likely “I don’t know.”
The interior of the offensive line is back and ready to go. Brycen Sanders at center and Patrick Kutas and Delano Townsend at the guard spots. But who lines up at left and right tackle?
Those are two of the most important spots along the line and not having at least an idea of who the starters will be is noteworthy. It’s also an area of concern when forecasting the upcoming season for Ole Miss.
How different is it for you to evaluate the current roster as the head coach compared to being the defensive coordinator?
This is kind of a standard, cookie cutter-like question any first time head coach would get asked. But it can give fans an insight into how Golding thinks as a head coach, how he operates.
Being just a defensive coach didn’t require evaluating how an offensive line performs, or how a quarterback is throwing a ball or determining how best to position wide receivers to compliment one another.
It’s Golding’s job now, though.
What benchmarks do you use to judge whether your team is ready for Week 1?
No coach at SEC Media Days will say their team is ready to start playing real games the next day. There’s still work to do on that front, but how do they really know when the team is ready?
Specifically, what are the signs Golding looks for? Is it smooth, clean practices? Perfect answers in meeting rooms? Or is something intangible that can’t really be defined? Like a gut feeling?
Has anyone surprised you with their leadership abilities?
Sometimes you don’t know how a player will lead until they’re in a leadership position. Other times leaders come from unexpected places.
That’s what this question is about. We all know as the starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is a leader. Kewan Lacy’s status as a preseason All-American and video game cover athlete makes him a leader. The defense has several potential leaders, such as Suntarine Perkins, Will Echoles and Antonio Kite?
Who has stepped up from the group? Who has carried themselves as a leader in an unexpected way?
It’s a serious, yet fun question that could lead to some significant revelations.
Speaking of fun questions, let’s end this with one a truly fun question.
Do you like how you look in EA College Football 27?
Video game characters based on real people can be hit or miss. They never look 100 percent perfect, but some look better than others. What does Golding think of his character? It’ll be the first time he’s been in the game as a head coach.
Considering Golding’s personality, this could be a chance for him to give a fun answer with a line or two intended to draw a laugh.
