SEC Media Days already enlightening

During the offseason, I read about the SEC’s displeasure with the NCAA and the Protect College Sports Act, but I thought most of that was posturing as they worked for a deal that worked more in the conference’s favor.

Maybe it is, but two words from the mouth of Commissioner Greg Sankey today caught my undivided attention: when asked whether there are real conversations going on about the SEC splitting away from the rest of college athletics, Sankey replied, “they’re real”.

And good morning to you too, commissioner.

Even pondering the idea of splitting off from the NCAA and going it alone is a pretty serious step. But Sankey made it pretty clear that the conference is pretty fed up with the status quo, as he took potshots at other conferences over expanding the College Football Playoff, the new “Five for Five” rule and the support of the Protect College Sports Act in its current form. Most of the conferences support the bill in its current form; the SEC and Big 10 do not. Every other conference is backing the idea of a 24-team playoff; the SEC does not.

Basically, Sankey told the other conferences that if they don’t get their act together, the SEC will seriously consider going it alone. In fact, it already is under consideration.

Clearly, the SEC views things from the “Haves” position. As Sankey said this morning, he represents the conference that won 13 of the 22 national championships that were awarded in 2025-26. He also admitted to “frustration” and that there’s only going to be one shot to compromise on the Protect College Sports Act before everything falls apart.

“I do think (there is) a national expectation that we participate in a national organization,” Sankey said. “But that national organization must function in a healthy manner.”

If the SEC breaks away from the NCAA and implements its own rules, it could do one of two things: sink college athletics entirely or be a first move in what becomes a replacement for the NCAA. Bluntly, there’s no reason to support or protect the NCAA at this point. They organize tournaments and get rich off of TV contracts while doing essentially nothing. They’ve been defanged and, while the four-letter organization still holds clout because of its name, there’s not much beyond that.

Still, sometimes the devil you know is more comfortable you don’t. The SEC could jump, expecting others to follow, and could end up in a mess. The other conferences could — and should — also break free, but when’s the last time college sports actually worked in everyone’s best interests?

Yeah, I can’t remember either.

This sounds good

Mike Elko isn’t here in Tampa yet. In fact, he was in Houston tonight for Coach’s Night with the Houston A&M Club. He made some interesting comments, but the one that caught my attention was his comment about the defensive backfield.

“This is the best secondary I’ve had in seven years at Texas A&M,” he said.

If that’s true, it could be an absolute difference maker. The Aggie defense was less capable against the run than the pass last year, but still gave up some big pass plays that cost them. A shutdown secondary is an animal all its own and can cause serious issues for opponents — especially if you can generate a pass rush.

To me, that comment indicates a few things:

• Dalton Brooks has either taken, or is expected to take, the next step. I said last week that he’s the most athletic player at safety, and it seems like they came up with a good plan for him late last year.
• They’ve figured out a role for Tawfiq Byard and how to play all three safeties. Brooks became an attacker in the second half of last year and excelled. Byard is born to be a downhill safety. They can make a big difference.
• Rickey Gibson has shown what he can do. Gibson’s former coach and teammates at Tennessee only had good things to say about him and his abilities. If he is back to his 2024 form and can stay healthy, he and Dezz Ricks can be a strong pairing at corner.
• They like Julio Humphrey and the young corners. Humphrey looks like he’ll be the third corner and they seem comfortable with that. But he’s the only remaining upperclassman at the position. After that, they have redshirt and true freshmen like Adonyss Currie, Jamar Beal-Goines, Brandon Arrington and Vic Singleton. Knowing Elko takes depth into serious consideration at every position, he won’t overlook the numbers when he makes such a statement.

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