What SEC coaches are saying about Texas, Oklahoma at conference media days in Dallas

At their first SEC Media Days, Texas and Oklahoma were the talk of the town.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Quinn Ewers drew the biggest crowds during media days at the Omni Hotel in dallas. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables was surrounded by cameras as he walked to the stage to address media members for the first time as an SEC coach.

“Both are now part of a conference with peer athletic programs and peer universities, so they’ll fit, and we’ll fit together,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said during his opening remarks on Monday. “When you add the history of both of those football programs, it creates interest.”

Nearly every coach was asked during media availability sessions about Texas and Oklahoma. Many coaches also welcomed the schools during their opening statements.

Here is what SEC coaches said about the two newest members of the conference.

Florida coach Billy Napier: “We’d like to welcome the newcomers, Oklahoma and Texas. This league is special. The commitment that you see from each administration, the caliber of coaching, the passion, the rivalries, the venues, the talent level, we’re talking about a literal lifeline to the NFL. It just means more, point blank, period.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart: “When Texas and Oklahoma came into the conference, every schedule was going to get harder. We embrace that. We look forward to it. We are excited for the challenge to go to some really tough places...

“I have a ton of respect for Sark and the job he does. Got to watch them play last year against several common opponents, got to watch them play in the playoffs. They have a tremendous recruiting base. They do a tremendous job in recruiting, that includes NIL and everything included in that.... They’re a big, physical team. They are built like an SEC football team, so looking forward to an opportunity to come play them. What a tremendous matchup it will be.”

Related:Will Oklahoma’s Big 12 success translate to SEC? New gauntlet is Sooners’ best litmus test

LSU coach Brian Kelly: “I want to welcome Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC, making this, in my opinion, the premier college football conference in the country. Deep, and competitive, and certainly now an incredible challenge from top to bottom.

“And so when we talk about playoffs, you’re certainly going to be seasoned playing in this conference week in and week out.”

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables: “I think it’s a partnership of elite with elite. And, again, two programs that in the history of college football take a back seat to nobody. The SEC doesn’t take a back seat to anybody. From our leadership to the quality of the teams — and, really, it’s every single athletic team on those campuses; it’s unmatched. And so we both have programs that have had elite-level success with all of our athletic programs, certainly football included. And I just think it fortifies what was already the strongest conference in all of college football.”

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin: “I think the commissioner has done an amazing job [in getting Texas and Oklahoma]... That’s just really exciting. You talk about two of the top programs in the history of college football, and then as I look at things, too, like I said earlier, places that are really hard to play and then you get these night games filtered in and places get really hard to play with fan bases like Oklahoma and Texas.

“That’s really exciting for the conference, and continues to kind of elevate the super conference.”

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer: “Welcome Oklahoma and Texas to our conference as well. Really neat to see some family media members from my time in Norman, and what a great statement that those two schools have joined us as well... There is nothing like [the SEC]. Just the competition, pageantry, it’s special. It’s something I missed when I was not in this conference and coaching in other conferences, and excited that I’m still part of the SEC.

“And don’t get me wrong, Oklahoma and Texas have played a lot of big-time football games and are two big-time programs. But to answer your question, just the difference and what to expect, those are two things that stand out to me that I think are a little bit different than other conferences...

“I think it’s great. It’s a testament to Commissioner Sankey and our league that Oklahoma and Texas want to be a part of this conference, for one. Competition is a core value of your program and we’re all about competing.

“You want to compete against the best. You want to coach against the best. That’s what you get to do in the SEC.”

Related:Even among heavyweights, Texas Longhorns’ presence reigns supreme at first SEC Media Days

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel: “Brent [Venables], I got great respect for Brent, playing while he was coaching, but also being beside him in the staff room. I don’t know that I ever forecasted they were coming into this league, Oklahoma. It’s just -- those are two really good brands coming in. Obviously Oklahoma, my experience there, I think it’s an exciting time to be in this league and really unique that I’ll have an opportunity to go back to Oklahoma.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian: “We had our SEC celebration, and what a celebration it was. You could feel the excitement from Longhorn nation, the fact that we get to be here today, this fall, playing in the Southeastern Conference is tremendous... We already had to build a team that was going to beat the best team in the SEC if we wanted to win a National Championship. Not much had to change there for us on that front.”

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea: “The addition of two teams is great for our sport I think. I think that it’s exciting. I’m proud to be a part of this league. There has been a three-year runway here, so it feels like, I don’t know, they’ve been with us for a while. Certainly to have them as a part of the league and to compete against them is going to mean a lot.”

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