DESTIN, Fla. – Long ago, the SEC recognized that it really doesn't have an offseason, and that its annual meetings, held on the beaches of the Florida panhandle, were just another step on the way for the league that never sleeps.
“It always makes me nervous when there’s no issues,” Alabama’s Nick Saban said last year as the meetings began. “Because then somebody creates one.”
No need to worry this time, Nick. The agenda is long, deep and substantive.
Satellite camps. Graduate transfers. SEC Network revenue. And most of all, the potentially divisive issue of cost of attendance.
Mark Richt and basketball coach Mark Fox are attending SEC meetings in Destin, Fla.
I’m here to help cover it, along with new colleague Tim Tucker. (Yes, this marks my debut with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but as some of you may be aware, I’ve been on the Georgia and SEC beat for some time now. I’m excited to join the team; Chip Towers is back in Georgia working on some really good stuff. We’re not taking the summer off, people.)
But anyway, back to the events in Destin.
It all starts Tuesday morning, when athletic directors hold meetings, scheduled from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. The head coaches – football and men’s and women’s basketball – hold their meetings in the afternoon, although many will also meet the media prior to that.
Georgia coaches Mark Richt and Mark Fox are due to meet with the media at 1:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Saban usually speaks on Tuesdays, and new Florida football coach Jim McElwain is scheduled to meet the media in the late morning. So expect to hear from them and others as Tuesday goes along, on topics related to these meetings, but also other subjects.
Mike Slive, the outgoing SEC commissioner, is scheduled to meet the media at 7 p.m. ET. We might also hear from incoming commissioner Greg Sankey.
So it’s going to be a busy day. Let’s get to it.
