College football analysts and coaches from across the Southeastern Conference gathered at South Alabama’s Mitchell Center for the annual Reese’s Senior Bowl and Dex Imaging L’Arche College Football Preview, offering fans an early look at the storylines shaping the 2015 season.
The event, held in Mobile and benefiting L’Arche Mobile, brought together a lineup of high-profile guests, including longtime college football analyst Tony Barnhart, new Florida head coach Jim McElwain, Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, Alabama defensive backs coach Mel Tucker, South Alabama head coach Joey Jones and Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly. Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage also joined the head table for the discussion.
Barnhart, who covers the sport for the SEC Network, CBS and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has spent nearly four decades following college football and used his platform at the preview to share his early read on the national picture. He said Alabama and Auburn appear to be ahead of the rest of the SEC heading into the season, with Georgia as his pick to win the East Division. Looking beyond the conference, Barnhart said he favors Ohio State in the Big Ten, TCU in the Big 12 and Clemson in the ACC, though he noted Florida State could repeat as league champion with transfer quarterback Everett Golson if he can protect the football. He also said questions remain about how the Pac-12 race will shake out without Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Barnhart also spoke to the broader health of the sport, saying he hopes the Power Five conferences — the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 — continue scheduling games against Group of Five programs such as the Sun Belt Conference, Mountain West, Conference USA, American Athletic and Mid-American conferences. He praised the growing popularity of the College Football Playoff format.
“The game is more popular than it has ever been, and the playoff added an extra level of excitement,” he said.
Turning to the SEC West, Barnhart described the division as more balanced than he has seen in years past, with Alabama and Auburn out front but the remaining teams bunched closely behind them. He noted that despite personnel losses, Mississippi State still factored into his preseason predictions given the division’s overall parity. In the East, he pointed to Tennessee as a possible surprise team, though its young roster likely won’t be ready to contend for the division title just yet, while Florida will need to shore up its offensive line before it can compete at the top of the East.
South Alabama head coach Joey Jones used his time at the podium to reflect on the Jaguars’ breakthrough 2014 season, which included the program’s first bowl invitation. Jones said the postseason appearance has paid dividends on the recruiting trail and helped raise the program’s profile around the region and within the Sun Belt Conference.
“The biggest thing is how it has helped recruiting,” Jones said. “When we go to Miami now, they know who South Alabama is. I’ll be honest with you, a couple of years ago some didn’t even know where South was. You also create credibility with other programs in the conference. It was probably the best thing to ever happen to us.”
Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee discussed the transition at quarterback following Nick Marshall’s departure, with Jeremy Johnson expected to take over as the Tigers’ starter. Lashlee said the offense will continue to be built around whoever is under center rather than forcing a single scheme.
“Nick was special in his own right, and he did a lot of great things for us,” Lashlee said. “We tried to play to his strengths, and we’ll do the same thing with Jeremy. We’ve had all different styles of good quarterbacks over the years, and I think part of good coaching is to play to your strengths and what your quarterback does best.”
Alabama defensive backs coach Mel Tucker spoke about his long working relationship with Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, dating back to his first coaching job under Saban at Michigan State in 1997 and continuing later at LSU.
“I’ve worked with coach Saban before — he gave me my first job in 1997,” Tucker said. “He hasn’t changed his core philosophy.”
Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly said the Seminoles will lean on less experienced players to fill gaps on defense this season, but expressed confidence in the young talent that emerged during spring practice.
“We’ve got to have some guys come through that haven’t played a lot, but that we think are very talented,” Kelly said. “We’ve moved a couple of guys around, and we feel like we’ve got some good, young players who did some good things in the spring. It’s going to be fun to watch them compete.”
New Florida head coach Jim McElwain closed out the discussion by addressing the mood among Gator fans as he takes over the program, emphasizing the strength of the Florida brand nationally.
“First and foremost, the Gator brand is special,” McElwain said. “No matter what part of the country you’re in, if someone sees that Gator, they know who it is, what it is and what it’s all about. That’s great. The one thing we’re trying to get across is there are so many things to be celebrated.”
The annual preview event has become a summer tradition in Mobile, drawing together coaches and analysts from across the region while raising funds and awareness for L’Arche Mobile, a local nonprofit that supports adults with intellectual disabilities.