1 question for all 16 SEC football teams before 2024 media days

The 2024 SEC football season inches closer each day. On Monday, talking season will officially kick off, when the conference’s media days begin in Dallas.

The event will run through Thursday, which each of the now-16 schools getting a turn in the spotlight. Most of it will be aired on the SEC Network.

Before media days begin, here is one question for each of the league’s teams entering the 2024 campaign.

Alabama– Can Kalen DeBoer maintain the machine?

This is the easiest one. There’s a new sheriff in town after Nick Saban’s January retirement.

DeBoer has the credentials after taking Washington to the national title game last season. Will he be able to keep up what Saban built in Tuscaloosa?

Arkansas– Is this it for Sam Pittman?

Pittman, along with Eli Drinkwitz and Lane Kiffin, is now tied for the third-longest active SEC head coach tenure. However, if he can’t get the Razorbacks back on track this season, it seems unlikely he’ll make it any further.

What will it take for Pittman to keep his job for another year? Can Arkansas pull off a turnaround in the new SEC, with Bobby Petrino now leading the offense?

Auburn– Can the Tigers avoid missteps?

The roster is getting better as Hugh Freeze continues to try and rebuild from the disastrous Bryan Harsin era. Auburn was a play away from beating Alabama, but also fell to New Mexico State.

Losing a game his team should win easily, while staying competitive when overmatched is a hallmark of the Freeze experience. As the Tigers get better, can they avoid doing the former this season?

Florida– Can Billy Napier save the situation?

The vibes coming out of Gainesville aren’t great. Napier was always going to have a difficult rebuild, and Florida AD Scott Strickland has a lot riding on him, but some Gator fans are turning on the coach.

Will he be able to turn things around enough to justify another year?

Georgia– Can the Bulldogs become the SEC’s lone dynasty?

Saban is gone. All eyes are on Kirby Smart now, as Georgia looks to shake off last year’s SEC title game disappointment and get back to winning national championships.

With Texas now in the league, and other schools nipping at their heels, can the Bulldogs become the SEC’s new Alabama?

Kentucky– What is the Mark Stoops situation?

Stoops, Kentucky’s best coach since Bear Bryant, was reportedly a major player for Texas A&M’s open job. It’s possible Stoops feels Kentucky has hit its ceiling as a program under his leadership, so his long-term fate in Lexington is an interesting story entering the season.

LSU– Can Brian Kelly build a title contender?

The Tigers had a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback last season and still only would up winning the Reliaquest Bowl. Kelly was brought in to win a national championship in Baton Rouge, but at Notre Dame, his Irish never did that.

Can he pull it together in the next few seasons and do the thing that the past three LSU coaches have?

Ole Miss– What is the program’s ceiling?

Lane Kiffin took the Rebels to their first 10-win season in program history last year. If he does it again, it likely means a trip to a 12-team College Football Playoff.

If that happens, can Ole Miss be a true national championship contender? Or is the talent level Kiffin has built still not top tier?

Mississippi State– How different will things be under Jeff Lebby?

After Mike Leach’s untimely death in 2022, the Bulldogs turned to defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as head coach, a one-year experiment that ended with a 1-7 record in SEC play. Now, Lebby takes over after stints as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Ole Miss.

Can Lebby turn things around in a state where Ole Miss is having so much success?

Missouri– Are the Tigers a legitimate playoff contender?

Eli Drinkwitz has pulled off a difficult move. Under his leadership, the Tigers are no longer an afterthought in the SEC, with a 10-win season last year that ended in a Cotton Bowl victory.

With names like Brady Cook and Luther Burden back in Columbia, can Mizzou make a run at its first ever CFP bid in the new 12-team format?

Oklahoma– Can the Sooners handle the transition to the SEC?

The Sooners, one of college football’s near-blue bloods historically, enter the SEC off a 10-3 campaign. They’ll have a hard schedule this year, but that’s nothing new in the history of this program.

How good will Oklahoma be in its new digs?

South Carolina– Can the Gamecocks replace Spencer Rattler?

It’s reaching prove-it time for Shane Beamer, who holds one of the difficult jobs in the conference, having to play an SEC schedule along with Clemson. This year, he’ll have to do it without quarterback Spencer Rattler, now with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

LaNorris Sellars takes over the role now, with scouting reports touting his arm strength and mobility. Do he and the Gamecocks have what it takes to step forward this season?

Tennessee– How good is the quarterback?

In 2022, quarterback Hendon Hooker nearly made the Volunteers a national championship contender. With Joe Milton running the show last season, UT took a step back.

Now it’s highly-touted redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava behind center in Knoxville. Does he have the talent to take Tennessee back to the promised land?

Texas– Are the Longhorns a national championship team?

Steve Sarkisian and Texas are entering a Nick Saban-less SEC fresh off a CFP appearance. They’re returning quarterback Quinn Ewers and have plenty of talent around him, including former Crimson Tide wideout Isaiah Bond.

Nothing comes easy in the SEC, but are the Longhorns a real title contender in their first season?

Texas A&M– Will changing coaching strategies pay off?

When it hired Jimbo Fisher from Florida State and gave him a historically large contract, the Aggies were looking for flash, trying to money-whip their way to a championship. When TAMU cut Fisher loose in favor of former Duke head coach Mike Elko, it was a move to a quieter, slower, more businesslike approach.

It seems unlikely Texas A&M will be a serious title contender this season. But long-term, will the shift in approach bring the success the Aggies crave?

Vanderbilt– What is success?

Clark Lea is entering year four in Nashville, coaching his alma mater in his hometown. After some early promise to his tenure, the Commodores took a step back last season, going 2-10 overall, 0-8 in conference play.

Vanderbilt remains a square peg in a round hole in the SEC. What would a successful season entail for the Commodores and Lea?