Dallas, Texas – July 18, 2024 – Arthur Davis II
SEC Media Days continued with Session 1 which was headlined by Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman and Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Elko. Day 4 was wrapped up with session 2, Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze and Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops gave updates on their programs. Our notes on the day are below.
Arkansas Head Football Coach Sam Pittman
- Coach Pittman goes into his fifth year as the head man for the Razorbacks
- 2023 Razorbacks finished 4-8 (SEC 1-7) losses to BYU, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn, and Missouri (One SEC win was against Florida)
- 2024 schedule includes six home stands (SEC- Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas), two neutral site games (SEC- Texas A&M), and four road games (SEC- Auburn, Mississippi State, and Missouri)
- Bobby Petrino returns to Arkansas this season as the offensive coordinator (Arkansas Head Coach 2008-2011)
- Razorbacks added 39 new scholarship players in the off season, 17 high school recruits and 22 portal transfers (Includes 4 offensive lineman, 3 running backs and a quarterback all from the portal)
- Pittman talked extensively about the improvements needed on the offensive line and how was the biggest area of concern in the off season.
- When asked about whether the SEC should keep the SEC Championship game since the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams, Pittman scoffed “I just want to make it to the damn SEC Championship game”.
Texas A&M Head Football Coach Mike Elko
- Coach Elko’s first year at the helm for the Aggies
- Served as the Head Coach at Duke University for the 2022 and 2023 campaigns
- Was Defensive Coordinator at Texas A&M from 2018-2021
- Aggies finished 2023 7-6 (SEC 4-4) Losses to Miami (FL), Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and LSU
- Lost to #22 Oklahoma State 31-23 n the TaxAct Texas Bowl
- 2024 season includes 7 home games (Notre Dame, McNeese, Bowling Green, Missouri, LSU, Nex Mexico State, and Texas, one neutral site contest (Arkansas at AT&T Stadium) and four SEC road games (Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Auburn)
- Aggies have added 41 new players for the 2024 season
- 2024 Srason Tickets sold out in June
- On Texas recruiting battles Elko says those battles have been going on for a long time and will continue, even though they will probably intensify
Auburn Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze
- Coach Freeze enters his second season as the Tigers Head Coach
- Was the head football coach at Liberty University (2019-2022) before being named the Auburn head man
- 2023 Auburn finished 6-7 (SEC 3-5) losses to Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, New Mexico State, and Alabama in the Iron Bowl
- Lost to Maryland 31-13 in the 2023 Music City Bowl
- 2024 schedule opens with five home games, and includes eight home contests overall (Alabama A&M, California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, ULM, and Texas A&M)
- Auburn has four road games in 2024, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky, and Alabama
- Tigers have no home games in the entire month of October
- Season tickets are sold out for 2024
- Freeze says the offensive line and quarterback play are both improved from 2023 to 2024
- Freeze says he will have to continue to adjust his recruiting in the transfer portal “I’m not the greatest portal recruiter”
- Says the must get Auburn back to where the university and fans expect Auburn football to be
Kentucky Head Football Coach Mark Stoops
- Longest tenured Head Coach in the SEC (Entering 12th season) since the retirement of Nick Saban in 2023, now is the Dean of SEC Football
- 6th longest tenured Head Coach in the nation
- Kentucky finished 2023 at 7-6 overall (SEC 3-5) losses came to @ Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, @ South Carolina, and Clemson in the 2023 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl 35-38
- Kentucky has the 8th longest bowl streak in the nation and the 3rd longest in the SEC (Georgia and Alabama) Kentucky has been to eight straight bowl games
- 2024 season boasts eight home games (Southern Miss, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Murray State, and closes out the home schedule with the 2024 Governor’s Cup game against the University of Louisville
- Away games include Ole Miss, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas
- Kentucky has a new Offensive Coordinator for 2024 in Bush Hamden who comes to the Cats from Boise State
- New wide receiver coach also joins OC Hamden, Daikiel Shorts, who joins Kentucky after three seasons at the University of Houston
- Eric Wolford rejoins Coach Mark Stoops’ staff as the offensive line coach after a two year stint in the same role at the University of Alabama
- Returns nine starters on defense
- 26 transfers over the past two years (12 this year)