Hour 1: Live from SEC Media Days

Summary

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The Paul Finebaum Show

Episode: Hour 1: Live from SEC Media Days
Date: July 22, 2026
Host: Paul Finebaum
Location: Live in Tampa, Florida

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Episode Overview

This episode kicks off the third day of SEC Media Days, as Paul Finebaum broadcasts live from Tampa, providing his signature commentary and in-depth conversations around SEC football. The focus rotates through pressing topics: shifting college football postseason landscapes, candid assessments from conference coaches, and the evolving culture within the SEC. Key themes include the expansion of the playoff system, the status of traditional bowl games, and inside perspectives from coaches, media, and young analysts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of the Bowl System & College Football Playoff Expansion

Guest: Eric Moser, CEO of the Fiesta Bowl
Timestamps: 00:45 – 10:13

• Purpose of Attending SEC Media Days:

  • Eric Moser: "Supporting our partners in the college football postseason. SEC is a real big part of that, but also making certain that we have the opportunity to talk about why we still think the bowl system is a good part of the college football postseason." (01:55)

• Debate over Playoff Expansion:

  • Paul Finebaum probes whether playoff expansion to 24 teams would erode the significance of the regular season and traditional bowls.
  • Moser is "agnostic" about expansion but notes most additional games would be first-round campus matchups, possibly resulting in more lopsided games.
    • Notable: Oregon-Liberty Fiesta Bowl mismatch cited as a “tough sell” for fans. (02:59)

• Concerns for Traditional Bowls:

  • Expansion dilutes the pool, threatens the survival of longstanding smaller bowls.
  • "There are a lot of my brethren out there who are concerned about whether or not those games can continue to benefit those communities as they have for many, many decades." (03:42)
  • Regular season importance may diminish:
    • “If we go to too large a field for the playoffs, that all anyone will ever care about is whether or not you made the tournament.” (04:38)

• Impact on Phoenix/Arizona as a Host City:

  • Arizona is a sports hub, with multiple bowl games and pro teams. Having the Fiesta Bowl as "Arizona's playoff game every year” is a local point of pride. (07:50)
  • Major events like Super Bowls and Final Fours rotate through the area, supporting economic development.

• Memorable Moment:

  • Moser describes the economic growth in the West Valley, attributing part of it to major sports events bringing tens of thousands to town. (09:45)

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2. SEC Media Days: Observations & Standout Personalities

Guests: Jonathan Williams (Film Guy Network), Christian Kirby II (Film Guy Network)
Timestamps: 11:01 – 29:57

Jonathan Williams: Coaches & Teams (11:01 – 21:19)

• Notable Coaches:

  • Pete Golding (new Ole Miss HC) "completely himself...most captivating coach here." (12:13)
  • John Sumrall (Florida) praised for his relatability; "does a really good job of being relatable with people who are listening to him." (12:55)
  • Kalen DeBoer (Alabama): Appeared almost dismissive of sky-high expectations, avoids headline-grabbing declarations. ("He comes off to me as, you know, I don't want to deal with all that...he has all the robotic AI-generated cliches." (14:30))

• Alabama’s Place in the Discourse:

  • The narrative has shifted: "All the predictions center around the fact of what does Alabama do this year? And that just really hasn't been the case this year." (13:41)

• Texas A&M Outlook:

  • New faces on defense and offensive line.
  • Marcel Reed (QB) touted as a mobile, athletic, high-upside prospect.
  • "They got the weapons, they got the quarterback. I don't know about the run game, I don't know about the defense, but I think they will be good enough to be one of the top teams in the SEC." (15:35)

• Film Breakdown Insights:

  • Evaluators prioritize height/weight, speed, accuracy, ball placement for QBs. (16:32)
  • "Sometimes the film will lie to you. We've certainly learned that over the years." The Tennessee-Georgia game used as a case study: Tennessee’s move to a pro-style attack surprised Georgia, creating difficulties. (17:18)

• SEC Media Days Purpose:

  • For young analysts, signals the start of football season.
  • "It's just refreshing to hear from players, you hear from the coaches instead of just scrolling on Twitter at home..." (18:48)

• Predictions:

  • Texas is a "clear favorite" for the SEC, but Jonathan hesitates to bet against two-time defending champion Georgia.
    • "Someone else has got to earn it and take it away from them before I pick anybody else." (20:52)

Christian Kirby II: Behind the Scenes (21:57 – 29:57)

• First SEC Media Days:

  • Christian describes meeting media personalities and prominent coaches; "Rubbing elbows with people that are definitely more important than me has been pretty cool." (24:13)

• Highlights:

  • Recalls meeting JD Paquel ("the gorilla box jellyfish guy") and brushing shoulders with TV personalities like Alyssa Lang and Ben Watson.
  • Landed an elusive interview with Kirby Smart: "Pure luck and dedication for about five years. Brooks had been working on that one for a long time." (26:15)

• Reflections on Coaches:

  • Kirby Smart’s "intense aura"; Nick Saban’s legendary efficiency—stories about Saban's no-nonsense hallway rule.
    • "He basically just said he's not talking to anybody. And it was about time. Efficiency." (27:43)
  • Discussion of Saban’s thorough prep for media days by calling all 16 coaches in advance. (28:35)

• Notable Exchange:

  • Regarding whether Nick Saban would follow the Film Guy Network:
    • Christian Kirby II: "I'd like to think so, but I know at the end of the day, hell no, we're not there yet." (29:20)

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3. Florida Gators Preview with Zach Albu Verde

Guest: Zach Albu Verde (Gators insider)
Timestamps: 30:23 – 39:08

• John Sumrall’s SEC Media Days Performance:

  • Sumrall displayed a "blunt edge...brutal honesty," notably handling a reporter’s ringing phone to the song “Shook One’s Part II” by Mobb Deep: "He left that reporter shook with his reaction." (31:04)

• Florida’s Key Questions for 2026:

  • Major uncertainties on both offensive and defensive lines.
  • Summerall has "challenged this team all offseason" to step up in the trenches; young players have answered the call. (31:38)
  • Defensive and offensive lines seen as pivotal to Florida’s season, in addition to the quarterback battle.

• Quarterback Competition:

  • As of now, the starting job is not handed out.
    • "After the spring game...it was probably Aaron Filo, but the way that Tramell Jones played that day has continued this competition." (33:18)

• Receivers & Notable Alumni:

  • Dallas Wilson emerging as a star, recovered from injury.
  • Memorable anecdote: at a defensive line barbecue, Wilson was joined by Percy Harvin—"kind of a ghost in Gainesville." (34:05)

• Program Culture Shift:

  • Last year’s DJ Lagway saga created a "cloud" over the team.
  • Now, with two QBs competing and the roster gelling, “there’s a different confidence with this team.” (35:10)

• Schedule Dynamics:

  • Florida’s 2026 schedule is "easier"; key early matchups with Auburn and Ole Miss could build momentum.
  • Noted absences: No Tennessee or LSU, both traditional rivals—“It feels weird.” (36:47, 36:58)
  • Paul recalls the historical weight of matchups like Florida/Auburn.

• Nostalgic Rivalries:

  • Reflection on SEC rivalries lost/changed—“That one hurts because in the 90s that was the biggest rivalry in the SEC.” (36:58)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Playoff Expansion:

  • Eric Moser [02:59]:
    "If we're going to have lopsided affairs, they'll tend to be in that first round."
  • Moser [04:38]:
    "If we go to too large a field for the playoffs...that will devalue the regular season, which is—college football is so great because every game matters."

• On Alabama’s Changing Role:

  • Jonathan Williams [13:41]:
    "That is the standard in Alabama, thanks to Nick Saban...that just really hasn't been the case this year. It's Texas or it's Georgia or...then Alabama kind of taking a back seat."
  • Finebaum [14:30]:
    "...he comes off to me as, you know, I don't want to deal with all that...he has all the robotic AI-generated cliches."

• On Coaching Intensity:

  • Christian Kirby II [26:50]:
    "He [Kirby Smart] has an intense aura to him...he’s got a message, he’s got a motive, he’s got something he wants to put out."

• On Media Days Experience:

  • Christian Kirby II [29:20]:
    Do you think Nick Saban goes to your site?
    "I would like to think so, but I know at the end of the day, hell no, we're not there yet."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:45 – 10:13: Eric Moser on the bowl system and CFP expansion
• 11:01 – 21:19: Jonathan Williams on standout coaches, teams, and film analysis
• 21:57 – 29:57: Christian Kirby II discusses behind-the-scenes of SEC Media Days
• 30:23 – 39:08: Zach Albu Verde offers a deep-dive into the state of the Florida Gators

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Tone & Style

As always with Finebaum, the tone is conversational yet sharp, mixing serious insight with dry humor and personal reminiscence. Interactions with the Film Guy Network contributors bring an informal, behind-the-scenes vibe—particularly as young analysts share their perspectives and experiences encountering SEC legends. Finebaum's own nostalgia and industry knowledge provide depth, especially during schedule and rivalry discussions.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is a comprehensive, insider’s look at the changing shape of college football and the distinctive culture of the SEC. From the administrative business of bowl games to candid coach commentary and the buzz among young media, Hour 1 captures the pulse of SEC Media Days—one part tradition, one part transition, all underpinned by the pageantry, pride, and passion unique to college football in the South.

Transcript

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[Paul Feinbaum]

Pride, passion and pageantry of college football lives here. This is the Paul Feinbaum show, our one podcast.

[Jonathan Williams]

This might be college football.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And welcome back. We are here for the third day of SEC media days. One more to go today. Certainly a lot of conversation about Kaewin DeBoer, who was one of the featured guests earlier in the afternoon session. Mike Elko is going to be here. Golding was here as well. We'll talk to Mike Elko in about an hour and a half. A number of other guests will be dropping by as we are, of course, on the air for the next four hours. We begin with somebody we got to meet earlier this year in Arizona, Eric Moses, who's the CEO of the Fiesta bowl, who had the national semifinals, wasn't it correct? I was so sick that day, Eric, I really don't remember.

[Eric Moser]

You were a gamer, though. You were a gamer.

[Paul Feinbaum]

But we're delighted to have you back. First of all, just when you come to an event like this, there are a lot of purposes certainly to see people, but there has to be more to it than that because I've seen you going everywhere here. Yeah, we're here.

[Eric Moser]

One supporting our partners in the college football post season. SEC is a real big part of that, but also making certain that we have the opportunity to talk about why we still think the bowl system is a good part of the college football post season. And thankfully folks like yourself and others have allowed us that opportunity.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So let me ask you about that, because the big debate right now isn't whether it's good, it's whether it should be expanded. Certainly a number of the conferences are on board with a 24. The SEC has not gone there yet. As somebody who's in the ball business and runs one of the premier events, what do you think?

[Eric Moser]

You know, I think we're a little bit agnostic about that. I think there's still a place for the six Bulls that are currently part of the playoff format. Even if you expand to 24, most of those additional games would be first round games. Those are the games. If we're going to have lopsided affairs, they'll tend to be in that first round. We saw that in my second year with the Fiesta bowl, with Oregon and Liberty, which kind of was a tough sell.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Right.

[Eric Moser]

For fans, many of whom weren't familiar with Liberty's football program. You put that game at Otson Stadium in Oregon, it's a sellout. And there's all of the college, the pageantry and everything we expect and love about college football. And so having those games all on campus makes a whole lot of sense for us.

[Paul Feinbaum]

But I am curious, though, because the bowl system seems to be a little bit upside down right now. I was at a bowl event a couple years ago, speaking, and this was five or six years ago when everybody was worried. And today, and I'm not talking about the Fiesta bowl, but so many of those bowls that I grew up with and even you grew up with are now in a state of bewilderment.

[Eric Moser]

Yeah, it's challenging. And as you would imagine, if we go from 12 teams in the postseason playoff to 24, that's going to mean there are fewer teams to fill those bowl slots. And so there are a lot of my brethren out there who are concerned about whether or not those games can continue to benefit those communities as they have for many, many decades. And that's just the nature of the way things have changed with the changing landscape of college football.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I mean, it's sad in a way, because I was talking on the show a couple weeks ago with somebody about a team that lost a bowl game, and they said, well, nobody cared about that bowl game. And you and I, I'm considerably older, but there was a time when that bowl game was significant. We've seen the dilution of some of those games. So what could this expanded field do to the thing that I think is the most important, and that's the regular season?

[Eric Moser]

Yeah, there is some concern, and I've heard it expressed by others in the industry, that if we go to too large a field for the playoffs, that all anyone will ever care about is whether or not you made the tournament. And that will, you know, devalue the regular season, which is. College football is so great because every game matters now. It matters less now in terms of when you and I were growing up, oh, my God, don't lose a game. And God forbid you lose two games in a regular season, you'll never be able to be considered for a national championship. We've gotten away from that, thankfully. But I think it could devalue the regular season, and that's something that we should all be concerned about.

[Paul Feinbaum]

No, I mean, what I've heard about around here for two, three Days now with a nine game SEC schedule, you. I mean, I'm just parroting my colleagues. You may or may not be able to get away with three losses. That was unheard of.

[Eric Moser]

Yeah, yeah. It's a different change. But we've seen teams win the national championship who have had losses in the regular season. And I think that doesn't diminish the fact that those teams were dominant when they needed to be. They played at the very highest levels and that they were still competitive throughout the season and had competitive games that people want to see. I think we got to make certain that the teams that make the playoff are teams that can compete well in that format. And I think some of the changes that we've seen lately will help us to ensure that.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You alluded to it a minute ago when you had the Oregon Liberty game a couple years ago, but those games now are all over the place. Now. For the most part, they're on college campuses, so they're not as big a problem. But with an expanded field, would a bowl like the Fiesta have two games?

[Eric Moser]

No, no, we'd still just have one game. You'd have more first round games on campuses. I think the. In the proposals I've seen, the quarterfinals and semifinals would continue to be played at the six playoff bowls.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Because we've seen. I think I'm correct on this. Not so much the specific bowl, but we've seen double games at sites. Yeah.

[Eric Moser]

Back when the national championship would rotate between the BCS bowls and the playoff bowls, you'd have a game and then several weeks later you'd host a national championship. As you know, that doesn't happen anymore. The CFP puts the national championship out for forbid to cities. They need not have a playoff bowl or bowl game at all.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Was that a challenge?

[Eric Moser]

It was. We'd love to host more national championships. That is a challenge. But, you know, once you start going to communities and saying, you know, how much can you give us in order to host this great event? It's hard to put that genie back in the bottle.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, in a market like yours that pretty much hosts everything.

[Eric Moser]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Differentiate from a Final Four to a Super bowl to a CFP in a community that is the Phoenix area, multiple professional teams, college is represented, but not like it is in certain places of the country where that's all they have.

[Eric Moser]

I think it's the scale of it. I mean, we are fortunate, to your point, to have professional teams. We've got, obviously Arizona State and University of Arizona and Grand Canyon and others. I think having really three bowl games in our state. Right. The Vrbo Fiesta bowl, our other bowl game, the Cactus bowl and then the Arizona bowl down in Tucson is a real luxury. I try to remind people in Arizona all the time that you get to see this plethora of sports, professional, collegiate, and then you even get post season play here. We like to say that the Fiesta bowl will be Arizona's playoff game every year regardless. You know, we wish some of our professional partners could say that. So I think it's in some ways an embarrassment of riches. But the scale of a Super bowl, you're only going to get a Super bowl what every 15 or so years or certainly more than 10 years out. Final Fours are on that rotation as well. We think everything that is good for college football is good for us in our business. I like to see an Arizona State with a resurgent football program as well as University of Arizona. All of it kind of feeds each other and it's good for the state. These games, just like home games in Tuscaloosa and other places like that, provide economic impact to businesses there in ways that are tangible and intangible.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And what's so interesting to me, and I'm out there occasionally, but I guess I covered the 2010 national championship out there with Auburn and Oregon. And just to see that area between that moment, it was just starting. I don't know when the stadium was out there, but there were some hotels, but there was an entertainment district. But this time around, I guess I was there in 15 as well. But this time around it was dramatically different in terms of that area.

[Eric Moser]

Yeah. And bringing tens of thousands of people to these events helps to create the impetus for more economic development out there. And there are still several building projects going on in the West Valley, which is where State Farm Stadium is located, but the entire valley. Maricopa county continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the country. And we think we're a fantastic place to host these large scale events.

[Paul Feinbaum]

It's a well known county, particularly on election day. I hear a lot about

[Eric Moser]

was yesterday, that's for sure.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Eric, thank you. Always great to see you. Eric Moser, we'll see you as the season rolls on. Eric Moser is the festival CEO. As we're off and running here live from Tampa.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast.

We're back. And we hit the film guy on yesterday and apparently the film guy is spinning like spin offs, you know, like a successful sitcom because we have now another film guy. I mean, there's like a. Everywhere you go, there's a Brooks Austin film guy. At SEC Media Days, Jonathan Williams joins us. Spends a lot of time covering the dogs. How are you, Jonathan?

[Jonathan Williams]

I'm doing fantastic. Now, I don't know if I should get the credit of being the title of the film guy. I'm more so the student around these parts, making sure that everything is good on his end. But hey, I'll take the sentiment. There's.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, as somebody who does nothing for this show other than show up 30 seconds before, I appreciate you giving credit to other people, but I also think people like you deserve all the credit because none of these things would happen without a great support staff. So, Jonathan, just observing today. We spent a lot of time yesterday on Georgia Today. Golding was here and certainly DeBoer. We're hearing from Elko this afternoon. And who else is here? I don't even remember, but Florida. I'm sorry. John Sumrall, quite a presentation. What have been, what is, what has stood out to you?

[Jonathan Williams]

I think Pete Golding, for starters, stood out the most to me. You know, I think most coaches come here, especially new coaches. Not that Pete Golding isn't familiar with the SEC or not familiar with coaching, but a guy stepping into a head coaching role, I felt like he took the filter off. He was just himself. And compared to what we saw from him in the early parts of him being the head coach at Ole Miss, taking over during the playoff run, there's certain things you're not supposed to talk about. Obviously, people thought there was some hostility between him and Lane or the whole situation. And he said there's no ill will between us. But I thought he was perfect. I thought he was completely himself. I thought he was the most captivating coach here.

[Paul Feinbaum]

That's. It's really interesting because this is a tough day. Well, not that tough with DeBoer, but. But certainly John Sumrall made an impression as well.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah, absolutely. You know, between calling a guy out for having his phone ringing during his time at the podium But I think that John Sumrall does a really good job of being relatable with people who are listening to him. He seems to be very relatable with his players. Certainly an interesting year heading into Florida for him. Year one, a lot of turnover there, a lot of new faces, and just a program that really hasn't seemed to figure things out. But maybe on the up and coming now that John Sumrall figured things out into Lane in a very quick, short period of time, and maybe he can replicate that with the Gators and we'll

[Paul Feinbaum]

spend more time later talking about Alabama. But I thought it was very interesting that DeBoer, when confronted with you're here to win national championship, he basically said, yeah, I understand all that, but I don't worry about all that. I mean, that's exactly what the only thing Alabama fans worry about. And DeBoer pushed it off like he's coaching at Liberty.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah, I mean, that is the standard in Alabama, thanks to Nick Saban. That is what they're used to. That's what that fan base is used to. And I think that's kind of shown over the past couple of years where it hasn't necessarily been unsuccessful for Caleb DeBoer. I'd say for a guy transitioning to a program like Alabama and getting his feet wet in the sec, I mean, he made a playoff last year. Maybe things didn't go the way they wanted to due to injuries or however you want to put it. But I think maybe now that we are two years into it, things maybe are cooling off somewhat. Because, you know, for me, my entire upbringing has been the Alabama Crimson Tide. That's what you talk about at SEC media days. That is the program that is the golden standard. All the predictions center around the fact of what does Alabama do this year? And that just really hasn't been the case this year. It's Texas or it's Georgia or maybe you want to throw in lsu, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, whatever, and then Alabama kind of taking a back seat here. So maybe that does some good for Calen DeBoer.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah, I don't know. But I mean, he just, I think it's just a personality, but he comes off to me as, you know, I don't want to deal with all that. I mean, he has all the robotic AI generated cliches like, yeah, that's what we signed up for. We know the great tradition of Alabama, but he doesn't really want to have to confront it because that's not who he is. As opposed to slamming the table down and say, we're going to win a Blanken national championship. That's what fans want. He's not giving you that.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah, he almost delivered that at Washington. So this is a guy that has been in that spotlight before and continues to be in that spotlight at Alabama. So I think it maybe would do some good of like, tell your fan base, yeah, that's exactly what the expectation is here and that's exactly what we're going to execute and try and do this year.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. And somebody reminded me, I was critical of one of his approaches and he said, well, yeah, but he played for national championship. That's how he got the Alabama job.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah, exactly. It is.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So what about Texas A and M? They are just arriving here. What do you expect from them?

[Jonathan Williams]

Very intriguing team. I think they were super talented last year. Lost a good bit on their defense. A lot of new faces on the offensive line. I think Marcel Reed in particular, the quarterback, is a super intriguing prospect because I think, especially when you saw the matchup against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the playoff, I think when things kind of broke down, maybe the passing game wasn't there because of the wind or the weather, however you want to put it, things got tighter for him and he kind of pressed a little bit and he wasn't his normal self, but he's a great athlete. I think that's always one of the most important things to have in a college quarterback these days is they got to be mobile, they got to be athletic enough, and he is that. Got Isaiah Horton in the wide receiver room this year as well. They got the weapons, they got the quarterback. I don't know about the run game, I don't know about the defense, but I think they will be good enough to be one of the top teams in the SEC this week.

[Paul Feinbaum]

When you guys break the film down, I mean. I mean, there's a lot of ways to do it. Anybody who's played high school football understands the basics. But what. What in particular are you all looking at and pointing toward?

[Jonathan Williams]

Well, if you're just talking about, like a specific prospect, like if we're going to like talking about Marcel Reeve, if we're going to look at a class of quarterbacks right here, we're first going to look at the height and weight. You know, that's one of the most important things. That's one of the first boxes that you have to check. So what's the height and weight then? Maybe if we can find some speed metrics there. And then when we were breaking down this past year's quarterback class, it was all about, all right, what's the accuracy look like? What does the pocket presence look like? And then you just kind of go from there and then create an ultimate score. But I would say height and weight, speed, and then accuracy and ball placement are the most important things.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And I think the answer is pretty obvious because that's how we evaluate. But when you look at film, I mean, what are you basing? I mean, there's got to be some gut feeling in there. When you look at it, it just doesn't tell you everything.

[Jonathan Williams]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Sometimes the film will lie to you. We've certainly learned that over the years. At least I've learned that as a student from Brooks over the years. I think that, you know, when we're breaking down games in the season, you know, you typically try and find a theme of the game. All right, where did things go wrong for this team? What went right here? You know, going back to the Tennessee, Georgia game, for example, the theme that we discovered is that Tennessee changed their offense. You know, they were a widespread team putting wide receivers outside the numbers. That's what Josh Hyple and the Tennessee offense have done for so many years. And then they're bunching. They're a more pro style offense, I think, because that's tailored more towards Joey Aguilar's strengths. And that was something Georgia hadn't seen. You know, Georgia was super successful against the widespread offense and shutting down Tennessee in their run game. And then Tennessee throws out this pro style offense and bunches. And Georgia struggles for three quarters but manages to pull out a win somehow.

[Paul Feinbaum]

They shouldn't have. I mean, I'm still trying to figure that game out.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah. You know, kickers. Brooks says special teams don't matter. Then I sit there and watch that game. I'm like, special teams mattered right there.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I thought it was interesting yesterday Auburn brought a kicker.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I wonder if anybody ever done that before. Even the best kicker in the country usually doesn't make the trip to media days.

[Jonathan Williams]

I can't recall very many. This is only my second time, but I can't recall many of them.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah. In your two years of watching SEC media day, I'm curious, because those of us who have seen a million SEC media days, we all have pretty strong opinions on the purpose of it. But as a young guy who's still matriculating and who hasn't seen much, what. What does it mean to you?

[Jonathan Williams]

For starters? For me, it means the start of football season. It means football season. Is officially back. You know, we still have about a month or so, however many days it is until the season starts. But you know, we go through this long off season from February through June and then you get to July and SEC media days are here and it's just refreshing to hear from players, you hear from the coaches instead of just scrolling on Twitter at home and listening to whatever people are saying on there or whatever we have to say on our show. It's refreshing to get it actual perspective of what is going on in these programs and what the true outlook of these teams are heading into the season.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I'm glad you said that because I've been asked a few times this week what does it mean to you? And it means a start. Yeah, I had a guy came up to me yesterday said so after this you're going to be able to still take a little bit of time off. I said no, I mean the season is here. This is not. That was last week, not this week.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah, we do our shows on the offseason, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. But after this week we're back to normal schedule Monday through Thursday. So it is officially football season for us.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, what's interesting too is every year the coaches, you'll ask a coach coach off the air, you know, what did you do? And I went here, what's up now we're in the office tomorrow morning. I mean that's. And this media days is about six days on the calendar later than it was a year ago. But it really doesn't matter since the season's a week later.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah, I think next year the SEC medias is like a week or two earlier than it is this year. But that would still signify the start of college football for me. I don't care when it is.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So I've been asked this and I'm tired of answering. So I'm going to ask you who's

[Jonathan Williams]

going to win it all like SEC or just the National?

[Paul Feinbaum]

Is there something other than the sec? You're at SEC media days.

[Jonathan Williams]

That's a valid point, Paul. I think Texas is a clear favorite. It's hard to pick against them. I think that when you look at them on paper, the roster, the quarterback obviously in Arch, the wide receivers, they're the perfect match. I mean everything you would want in a football team, bringing Will Muschamp, that might answer some defensive issues for them that they had last year. So when you look at them, it's hard to pick against them. But for a team that's won it two years in a row I think it's hard to pry it away from Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. I think someone else has got to earn it and take it away from them before I pick anybody else.

[Paul Feinbaum]

What I think is the biggest question mark and who will determine the SEC champion. You just nailed it. It's not all these things that we think about. Does Will Muschamp still have it? He's getting so much credit for being. I don't know. I mean, he certainly didn't knocked me over during his wayward days at Georgia. Hey, thanks, Jonathan. Thank you very much. Great to have you here. We're off and running. Lot to do here on a Wednesday afternoon.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

You're listening to the Paul Finebaum show podcast.

We're back. And it's pretty apparent by now that Austin that The film guy, Mr. Brooks must have some dirt on the producer of the show. He has managed to book two consecutive guests. This is the Film Guy Part 2, Christian Kirby II, a name I absolutely love.

[Christian Kirby II]

I appreciate it. My dad likes it too. That's why he gave it to me.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Hope I'm around long enough to meet Christian Kirby iii.

[Christian Kirby II]

I hope you are too. That would be nice.

[Paul Feinbaum]

That would be great. Well, Christian, of course is a producer from what else? The Film Guy Network. Every guest today will be even Mike Elko. We're going to introduce Mike Elko later as Mike Elko, part of the Film Guy Network.

[Christian Kirby II]

Yeah, we're taking over everything.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So tell us a little bit about yourself, Chris. How did you get mixed up with this, this group who our sources say is about to be indicted at the Film Guy Network. We're federal investigation going on right now because they're not saying enough. Good. The dogs.

[Christian Kirby II]

Oh, goodness. Yeah. No, I. The best way to describe how I came about this was I, for lack of a better term, accidentally got this job. I had been watching Brooks on YouTube for a while because he was doing Georgia content. I was attending the University of Georgia at the time, and he just so happened to be in a class that I was at. I recognized and walked up, you know, introduced myself, and about four years later, here I am now talking to Paul Feinbaum.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So I'm trying to think of a moment in my life that I would compare your moment to Me.

[Christian Kirby II]

Nah, you've earned it all, though.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Thank you.

[Christian Kirby II]

We've been watching you for a long time, and the name Paul Feinbaum holds weight in the sec.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Well, he. Yeah, your associate has become must see TV when we have him on. I told him once, I said, brooks, one of my favorite parts is we had. We had him on, I don't know, in February, March, and He did about 15 minutes at the board, Downton, or. I'm sure you were there that day. I just, like. I went down the hall, grabbed the sandwich. I didn't even come back. He was still talking.

[Christian Kirby II]

Oh, yeah. If you let him run, he'll go forever. He won't even notice you're not there. So he's definitely good at talking and he can occupy a lot of time doing it.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So in terms of being here, I'm sure you haven't been to too many of these.

[Christian Kirby II]

I've not. This is my first one.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So give us your impressions.

[Christian Kirby II]

It's really cool. You know, I know some people were kind of worried about Tampa and the distance of that, but it's been great. It's been great, though. The food's been great, the weather's been great. Rubbing elbows with people that are definitely more important than me has been pretty cool.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So, okay, so I'm a. I'm a freak. I want to know, like, who have you met? Forget. Forget this show. We're here. Just take us through some of the. The most interesting encounters.

[Christian Kirby II]

Oh, I gotta give a shout to my guy, JD Paquel. I. I actually challenged him to an Oklahoma game.

[Paul Feinbaum]

JD Paquel.

[Christian Kirby II]

Yeah. A little bit earlier today.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Have we ever had JD on.

[Christian Kirby II]

He's the.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Oh, he was on Monday.

[Christian Kirby II]

He's the gorilla box jellyfish guy. Giving you some interesting comparisons for Texas. I know that kind of has.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He's great. He's one of our favorite guests.

[Christian Kirby II]

JD's a good dude. Obviously, a lot of the coaches that you meet and some of the players are always fun. It's very interesting to, you know, walk by someone like Alyssa Lang and Ben Watson and everyone like that, where you're just like, oh, that's someone I've been watching. On TV for, you know, however long they've been doing this, and now I'm kind of part of that. It's. It's a. It's a weird moment to take in. I definitely don't feel like I belong here right now, but.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You don't.

[Christian Kirby II]

I know. It's all right.

[Paul Feinbaum]

This is your last interview. You're going home right after this. Okay. So forget that you belong. In terms of. When you meet some of these people, you talk to them, do you say hello? You just kind of gawk or.

[Christian Kirby II]

Yeah, Well, I think if you gawk, they don't appreciate that as much.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yeah.

[Christian Kirby II]

Like, oh, my God, it's Paul Feinball. At the end of the day, we're all human beings. We all have experiences. So just having a conversation with a person, whether they're one of the biggest athletes in the conference right now or just someone who's also trying to make their name in sports media around. Everyone has a conversation story to tell. So I don't find it too hard to talk to people like that. But every now and again, you catch someone, you're like, whoa, that's. That's so and so. Like, Kirby came over and talked to us yesterday, and that was. That was kind of an interesting.

[Paul Feinbaum]

That's a big deal.

[Christian Kirby II]

Kirby is in. Kirby Smart. Not me. Kirby. I'm not talking in third person. I know that might get confusing, I

[Paul Feinbaum]

would think, grabbing Kirby. How do you land an interview like that?

[Christian Kirby II]

Pure luck and dedication for about five years. Brooks had been working on that one for a long time. And you know how it is. Kirby Smart's a big name and he's hard to get. So the fact that we were able to land him yesterday was really big for our.

[Paul Feinbaum]

No, that's a very big deal.

[Christian Kirby II]

Yeah. So I think, you know, just the work that we've been putting out, people recognize it and people respect it. So it's not something where, oh, this is a small show. Avoid that. You don't know what they're going to say. So I think that you just keep earning respect in the industry and ultimately the opportunities.

[Paul Feinbaum]

So when he sits down, everybody a little bit on edge or what? Because, I mean, I've interviewed him a few times. I mean, he can be impatient.

[Christian Kirby II]

He has an intense aura to him. There's definitely that. So, you know, I think it. Being there all the time, we've done so many pressures with him. We've seen him in bed, in that room a lot. It's definitely jarring if you're not used to it. Like, I Know that some people yesterday when he was doing his big address, were kind of shocked by some of his answers and were like, oh, you know, Kirby Smart's testy, but that's just who he is. So once you get comfortable and understand, you know, that's who he is. He's got a. He's got a message, he's got a motive, he's got something he wants to put out. You know, I think Nick Saban's very similar in that regard. Nick Saban can be very intense. He's lightened up a little bit now that he's, you know.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He has. I haven't. I came in here early this morning to do some stuff for ESPN and about 7:15, I ran into him in our room and I really didn't recognize him because he was friendly. Oh, wow.

[Christian Kirby II]

He was smiling, probably.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He was very laid back. Wanted to know what I've been up to.

[Christian Kirby II]

Yeah, it's not the Nick Saban I grew up.

[Paul Feinbaum]

No, no. He can. He can be gruff, but he's also. There was a rule, an unwritten rule when he got to the Dolphins and then he got to Alabama that you were not allowed to talk to him. Really, he did not want to waste. I mean, if you're the head coach and everybody knows you and you're walking down the hall, he basically just said he's not talking to anybody. And it was about time. Efficiency.

Yeah.

[Christian Kirby II]

I mean, he is one of the. Just look at what he did in the college football ranks. He's one of the most efficient human beings at any profession I think we've ever seen. So it makes sense.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Nick Saban walking down the hall doesn't want you to stop him. And then, you know, force him to ask you how you are. And then for the next 10 minutes, you're telling him that your son's got a fever and he's got to go to the pediatrician. He has no time for that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Christian Kirby II]

Coach Saban, huge fan. Have you heard of the film Guy Network?

[Paul Feinbaum]

That would be funny.

[Christian Kirby II]

He would not like that. I don't think.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I think he probably. I don't know. Nick Saban. I am told of the 16 coaches here, called every single one of them to get a. To get prepared.

[Christian Kirby II]

Really?

[Paul Feinbaum]

On. He did that last year. He's done that the last two years.

[Christian Kirby II]

It doesn't surprise me. He is someone who has done everything to the fullest and the absolute maximum of the ability. So, I mean, not surprising at all that he's out here doing the most.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Again, I don't Know why he didn't just turn on our show every day?

[Christian Kirby II]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He would have learned all this stuff.

[Christian Kirby II]

Learn everything you need to know. From where the.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Do you think Nick Saban goes to your side?

[Christian Kirby II]

What do you mean?

[Paul Feinbaum]

To go. To learn about your opinion.

[Christian Kirby II]

Oh, you know, I would like to think so, but I know at the end of the day, hell no, we're not there yet.

[Paul Feinbaum]

That is the best answer of the day.

[Christian Kirby II]

I appreciate it.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We're. Leave it there. Christian Kirby, the second.

[Christian Kirby II]

That's me.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You. You based your first appearance.

[Christian Kirby II]

I'm glad.

[Jonathan Williams]

Maybe.

[Christian Kirby II]

Maybe I'll learn the second one at this point. I know you said this was the last one, but I just get one more.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I didn't want you in the first place, but Danny Bramwood over there insisted.

[Christian Kirby II]

Oh, thank you. I will say whoever. Whoever was in charge of getting me here, I appreciate it.

[Paul Feinbaum]

He told me so we got Christian. I said, I don't want to talk to Christian Kirby.

[Jonathan Williams]

You were great.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I'm impressed.

[Christian Kirby II]

I'm glad. Thank you. Thank you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

It's all here. We'll be right back.

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[Paul Feinbaum]

You're listening to the Paul Feinbaum show podcast

live in Tampa. Mike Elko coming up in the next hour. Right now, Zach Albu Verde joining us talking about the Gators. And Zach, thanks for joining us. Absolutely. I was only able to watch a few minutes of it while doing some other stuff, but it looked like John Sumrall let his presence be known. Tell us about it. It did.

[Zach Albu Verde]

He brought a bit of a blunt edge today and some intensity and just some brutal honesty. He kind of stole the show in the main room, had an incident where he was answering a question and a reporter's phone starts going off. And the song was actually Shook One's part two by Mobb Deep.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Oh, really?

[Zach Albu Verde]

And I thought it was an eight mile scene for a second. And I tell you what, John Sumrall was ready to battle and he left that reporter shook with his reaction. But it was. It was great. And it was kind of a peek into his intensity and kind of how he is as a coach and talk to the players about it afterward. And they absolutely loved it. And they say that's the kind of guy he is.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You know, in terms of just what I mean, there's certainly nothing you're going to learn here about the program you've been covering at every Zach. But just what's your final thoughts before they finally before they hit the field in a few weeks?

[Zach Albu Verde]

Yeah, I think that the biggest question marks this team has is in the trenches. I know everybody wants to talk about the quarterback. There's questions in the secondary too. But the pieces that they lost on the offensive line and defensive line have been big question marks. And that kind of is what John Sumrall challenged this team all offseason on. You guys got to get stronger. You guys got to pick it up. And to their credit, he says they've answered the challenge. They've had some offensive linemen, particularly Harrison Moore and TJ Shanahan step up and then Brendan Bett on the defensive line to help replace Makai Burrow. So those are the real positions that I'm watching in addition to quarterback going into camp and I think that's going to determine Florida season.

[Paul Feinbaum]

We are talking about the Gators schedule is more off season than not. But now that we're almost at the first game, does it look any easier?

[Zach Albu Verde]

It is easier. It is easier. It's not the gauntlet that they've had the last few years.

[Paul Feinbaum]

The last couple years been really and

[Zach Albu Verde]

there are some opportunities for John Summerall, I think early in the conference schedule to get some wins. That's going to build momentum, get fans on board, get recruits. You know, they're already on board. I think that they want to be solidified in their decisions. And he can go on the road and get a win at Auburn and in the opener, honestly, a school that he was probably headed to until Florida came calling. That's going to be a really intriguing matchup. And then you got Ole Miss coming for the home opener, which is a massive game in the Swamp with Golden and Summerall going at it again after facing the playoffs last year.

[Paul Feinbaum]

That is pretty remarkable. We've talked about the quarterback situation ad nauseam. Any insight on that today?

[Zach Albu Verde]

Yes. Sumrall actually said that after the spring game he sat down with both of them and said who would start if there was a game next week. I think that that was probably Aaron Filo, but the way that Tramell Jones played that day has continued this competition. It is not just philosophy job. They're not handing it over to him. I still feel like he has the edge, but they're going to give continue to give both guys first team reps. Maybe we'll even see both of them the first couple games because Florida's got some Easy non conference opponents, but I still think that Philo's going to be the guy.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I was with Tebow the other night doing a show and he was raving about one wide receiver in particular. I bet you can guess which one.

[Zach Albu Verde]

Well, Dallas Wilson is a physical freak. As great as Renell Brown is their leading receiver that's returning. Dallas Wilson is different and he's back. Actually, he was out in the spring and just they started OTAs this month and he returned to the practice field off of a foot surgery. Here's a really cool thing that happened recently, Paul. Florida had its annual defensive line barbecue that they have with all the defensive line and I think this is the third year running and they had a surprise visitor show up, Percy Harvin, who's kind of a ghost in Gainesville. He lives there but nobody ever sees him. He just happened to show up right day, right timing. And then so was Dallas Wilson. He came with some of his defensive linemen. So they got to get Dallas Wilson and Percy Harvin together last week. So that was some fireworks. And I can't wait to see what Dallas does with a full healthy season.

[Paul Feinbaum]

It just seemed like a year ago we were asking you, so what's the status of DJ Lagway? It's so remarkable. And I want you to dig deeper into this, how different it feels around that program.

[Zach Albu Verde]

Yeah, that was a cloud that hanged over the program all off season and you just kind of knew his situation was going to set the team back and it did. And even though there's still question marks at quarterback and on the offensive line, it does feel like there's a different confidence with this team. They feel better about the work that they've put in. And honestly, a lot of that has to do with the fact that they've got two quarterbacks that have been out there taking reps, whereas D.J. was sidelined all last offseason. That killed him.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Talking to Zach about the Gators, we alluded to the schedule and I want you to kind of go through it in terms of, you know, where it could turn positively because it's. Every SEC schedule has landmines, but this one, I think it's because the Auburn game early on, it just feels a little more difficult to predict.

[Zach Albu Verde]

It does. It almost feels, Paul, like that's somewhat of a must win game because of the gauntlet that they face later in the year. Going to Texas, going to Georgia, having Oklahoma come to the Swamp. That's a tough three week stretch right there.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Those are three schools, by the way. I'm sure everybody that if you sat down the 20 top media people, you would get the winner of the league multiple times. Those would be the three mentioned names. No doubt.

[Zach Albu Verde]

No doubt. So that's why I think it's so key for him to get wins early in the season. Even if you can't beat Ole Miss at home, if you beat Auburn, if you beat Missouri and you beat South Carolina, which are all winnable games.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Is there anybody not on that schedule?

[Zach Albu Verde]

They don't play. They don't play Tennessee and they don't play lsu, which I would have liked to see that matchup because of the Kiffin storyline. And it's kind of crazy to see Florida and Tennessee not playing.

[Paul Feinbaum]

It feels weird. Yeah. Having watched a lot of rivalries in the SEC go away. That one hurts because in the 90s that was the biggest rivalry in the SEC, one of the biggest ones in the entire country. It decided. I mean that game alone ruined Peyton Manning's career at Tennessee.

[Zach Albu Verde]

And then they finally get over the hump as soon as he leaves. And winning in 98. But that stretch there, 95 to 98, those games are incredible. 99. Alex Brown has the five sack game. I'm gonna miss that one. But I'm glad to see Oklahoma coming to the Swamp.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Oh, I shoes off the schedule too. I mean that's another one. I mean those are. Those were.

[Zach Albu Verde]

But we get Auburn back.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Those are just too big as far as. Weren't they?

[Zach Albu Verde]

Yes. But Florida, Auburn. I'm excited about that because that was a long time rivalry that we've lost.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And when I covered Auburn in the 80s, Auburn ended every season. And Pat Dye used to call it amen corn because he's from Georgia. They played Florida usually last weekend in October. Next game was Georgia. Next game was Alabama. I mean your entire season was based on that.

[Zach Albu Verde]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

And it wasn't intense. I saw a game we're going back 40 years. It was. I think it was 83. Maybe that it was. Charlie Pell was the coach of Florida. Okay. And Pat died. And at the time, I think the Alabama LSU game surpassed it a couple years ago. It had more NFL draft choices on the field at that moment. Now Bo Jackson was. But Florida had. Yeah. I mean we're going back 40 some odd years. But I mean, I mean they had an amazing roster that was well compensated. Yeah.

[Zach Albu Verde]

And then you had the Kerwin Bell two point conversion. That was a famous game from the 80s. And then that stretch in the 90s there. Auburn was like the only thorn in the side for Spurrier. The only team that could beat him. So I'm glad that that game is back. I can't wait to go to the Plains.

[Jonathan Williams]

Yeah.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I can't wait to see you soon. Thanks so much.

[Zach Albu Verde]

Absolutely.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Brother, a pleasure.