Matt Stinchcomb previews 2018 season at SEC Media Days
By John Buhler
ESPN college football analyst and 2018 College Football Hall of Fame electee Matt Stinchcomb looks ahead to another exciting season during SEC Media Days.
When it comes to understanding the football landscape in the SEC, few know more about the league than ESPN college football analyst Matt Stinchcomb. The two-time All-American offensive tackle with the Georgia Bulldogs in the 1990s was most recently elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
We are only weeks away from the great sport that is college football from being back in our lives on fall Saturdays. The Power 5 conferences are in the process of holding their media days, none bigger than SEC Media Days down in Atlanta.
SEC Media Days had been held at the Wynfrey Hotel in suburban Hoover, Alabama until this year. However, it just feels a little bigger being held in the southeastern metropolis of Atlanta in the Omni Hotel.
Stinchcomb was able to take a few minutes of his time in Atlanta to speak with me on Tuesday morning about the upcoming SEC season on behalf of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He has been an instrumental part of this high-character team for years.
Stinchcomb made the team in his playing days at Georgia, and continues to be a driving positive force behind this group of outstanding individuals. Of the 169 nominees for this year’s team, 12 hail from SEC schools, including Mississippi State Bulldogs dual-quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and Georgia Bulldogs bespectacled placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship.
Here is what Stinchcomb had to say about the good work he is doing with Allstate.
"“Well, among the many postseason honors these kids could garner, to me, this is the most meaningful one. Mainly because it’s not specific to their playing career. And it’s not only relevant to them as athletes, but speaks to the kind of character these young men have. And to be associated with that type of recognition, which is much deserved, it is an honor and privilege in a lot of ways to be able to participate in that capacity and making sure that folks are aware of not only the opportunities they have to give back to their communities, but also of the players they are cheering for Saturdays. The names, the faces they might know in an athletic contest are really, really good kids and are really, really good young men and one day will be key contributors in their communities in whatever context they end up finding themselves in.”"
While the consensus during SEC Media Days will be that the Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 SEC Championship in Atlanta in December, perhaps the point of biggest intrigue in the conference is at the quarterback position.
When asked which quarterback will have the best year, Stinchcomb felt very strongly about Auburn Tigers signal caller Jarrett Stidham, feeling that he’ll have to step up as a passer. “He is more elusive I think than most folks even realize, even though we were told he could run. He does a good job of throwing on the run while evading pressure. I think that might come in handy this year.”
Obviously, Alabama has two outstanding quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. Georgia has Jake Fromm and top-recruit Justin Fields as well. While Missouri Tigers quarterback Drew Lock might have a ton of first-round hype heading into his senior season in Columbia, Stinchcomb thinks 2018 could be a breakout year for South Carolina Gamecocks signal caller Jake Bentley.
“A guy I’ve not heard mentioned as much is Jake Bentley out of South Carolina..virtually all of his offense returning intact and his key weapon in Deebo Samuel is healthy and ready. So to me, I think this is a chance, especially in the new offensive philosophy and approach under Bryan McClendon for Jake Bentley to have a breakout season.”
Stinchcomb also mentioned that he is looking forward to both Mississippi quarterbacks. We know how dynamic Fitzgerald is for Mississippi State, but we would be foolish to overlook the fine job that Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’mu is doing in Phil Longo’s system down in Oxford.
“He is more elusive I think than most folks even realize, even though we were told he could run. He does a good job of throwing on the run while evading pressure. I think that might come in handy this year.” -Stinchcomb on Jarrett Stidham’s mobility
With Stinchcomb thinking highly of both Bentley and Fitzgerald, one would think that their respective programs stand a chance at getting to Atlanta should Alabama or Georgia falter. While he wasn’t sold on Mississippi State realistically winning the West, South Carolina’s chances are a bit more promising in his mind.
“I think they could be very good. And I think this is a team that could upset what should be the division favorite in the East Division in Georgia in Week 2. I think the timing is ideal for South Carolina in that regard.”
Yes, getting Georgia early at home only helps the Gamecocks’ odds to get back to Atlanta for the first time since 2010. They’ll have a nice game to ease into their season in Week 1 versus the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers before taking on the Dawgs a week later.
Even if they stumble at regular season’s end to the arch rival Clemson Tigers, Clemson will presumably be a playoff contender in the ACC. It’s about as good of a loss you could have on your Playoff resume should you inevitably fall. Plus, it would have no impact in SEC standings, as it is an annual non-conference bout in The Palmetto State between the Tigers and the Gamecocks.
Stinchcomb does like the way South Carolina’s schedule does shape out. “I still think that the way their schedule lays out is ideal…you’ve got Texas A&M at home and you pick up Ole Miss on the road, and that’s your West Division opposition. You know if you had to pick, those aren’t two bad selections out of the West. So I think South Carolina has got a really high ceiling this year.”
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Does that mean South Carolina could be this year’s Auburn, a team that can go toe-to-toe with the SEC elite and contend for a conference championship? Potentially. Stinchcomb thinks that South Carolina COULD beat Georgia at home in Week 2, but will need to play its A+ game to do so.
However, he does question how South Carolina would perform in the SEC Championship should the Gamecocks win the East make it to Atlanta. “I don’t like them versus the West teams. I like them versus the West teams they currently have on their schedule.”
This is totally fair. While South Carolina should be able to win both of its SEC West regular season games this year versus Ole Miss and their cross-divisional rival Texas A&M Aggies, it remains to be seen how South Carolina would stack up against Alabama, Auburn or even Mississippi State.
So it’s pretty obvious that South Carolina looks to be the biggest threat to Georgia in the SEC East. But what about in the SEC West? Who can honestly challenge the Crimson Tide? Stinchcomb thinks Auburn. “I’d be hard pressed to make a stronger case for another team other than Auburn.”
Though “the absence of Kerryon Johnson is a concern,…Stidham being much more of a known commodity this season, I think that bodes well for the Tigers.” Like Lock at Missouri, Stidham appears to have some first-round buzz as a quarterback that could enter the NFL Draft next spring. Then again, this isn’t anywhere close to the quarterback class of 2018, which had five signal callers go in the top-32.
With the way that the SEC has been in recent years, you could probably argue that at least five teams will finish in the top-25. Alabama and Georgia seem like locks to be in the top-10.
Auburn does have a tough schedule by drawing both Alabama and Georgia on the road, as well as the Pac-12 favorite Washington Huskies in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game Week 1 in Atlanta on a neutral site. Regardless, Auburn has the players and the schedule to crack the top-25 in a worst case scenario at season’s end.
Stinchcomb, like many in the media, is high on South Carolina this year. Will Muschamp is doing a fantastic job in Columbia and the Gamecocks should be good in 2018. As for the fifth team to likely crack the top-25, Stinchcomb would probably throw Mississippi State into the mix and not the LSU Tigers.
“I can only presume that LSU is getting its typical preseason buzz. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that with the questions at quarterback, and yet another change at offensive coordinator.” -Stinchcomb on his concerns about the LSU offense
The Bulldogs have known commodities at quarterback in Fitzgerald and Jeffery Simmons along the defensive line. Former Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead replaces the highly successful Dan Mullen down in Starkville, who is now the main man in Gainesville with the Florida Gators.
But as it was last year, Stinchcomb isn’t buying the annual hype of the Bayou Bengals. “I can only presume that LSU is getting its typical preseason buzz. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that with the questions at quarterback, and yet another change at offensive coordinator…When talking about brutal schedules it doesn’t get worse than LSU’s. So to me, I have a hard time thinking that the Bayou Bengals will be much of a contender in the West Division.”
It’s hard to argue there. Head coach Ed Orgeron hasn’t gotten the offense right. Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada is now with the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten. Derrius White now plays for the Washington Redskins on fall Sundays. Let’s not forget that LSU plays in the SEC West, drawing Georgia at home and Florida on the road to round out conference play in 2018. Not a single easy win in SEC play if you ask me.
That being said, Stinchcomb does like the LSU defense. This is typical with LSU, who routinely puts blue-chip players into the NFL from that side of the ball. He is keen on two guys in particular, cornerback Greedy Williams and linebacker Devin White.
“Greedy Williams is one of, if not, the top defensive back that will be draft eligible. Devin White is a tremendous linebacker. And you could make the case that he was Roquan Smith-esque in productivity.”
Frankly, this feels like a make-or-break year in Baton Rouge for Orgeron. A couple of early losses in September could make the seat mighty warm for Coach O. As for any of the new six full-time head coaches in the SEC (yes, there are six if you include Matt Luke getting the interim tag removed at Ole Miss), Stinchcomb thinks Moorhead will have the quickest pathway to success.
“If I had to pick anybody, I’d probably go with Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State. I think what he was left, and especially at quarterback, and given his offensive pedigree, if there was a team that has access to perform well, it would be the Bulldogs of Mississippi State.”
Moorhead does inherit a top-25 program in Starkville after Mullen’s departure to Florida. Ole Miss is on probation, and there is plenty of talent in The Magnolia State for the Bulldogs to capitalize on. That’s not to say that Mississippi State will approach 10 wins again, but very well could. It doesn’t have to play Georgia on the road this year out of the SEC East, so that helps significantly.
Last year, we did see a number of freshmen make immediate impacts in the SEC. Tagovailoa in the national title game for Alabama. Fromm since the Notre Dame game for Georgia. Even in a loaded backfield, we did see another emerging star tailback with the Dawgs in the form of Philadelphia native D’Andre Swift.
And Stinchcomb thinks that the Dawgs have added another great runner to join Swift and Elijah Holyfield in the Georgia backfield. Helping offset the losses of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to the NFL for the Dawgs could be true freshman Zamir White. Yes, Georgia also has another potential freshman phenom in Fields, but Stinchcomb sees him more as a role player backing up Fromm in Athens in 2018.
As for White, he is coming off a serious knee injury suffered during his senior year in high school. However, he should be close to good by the time fall camp starts. Add in that Georgia has the luxury to not rush him back from injury, White could be the boost needs to help get the Dawgs through their eight-game SEC slate, the conference championship game and maybe back into the College Football Playoff.
Before I ended my conversation with Stinchcomb, I had to ask him about what it has been like getting elected into the College Football Hall of Fame. It was announced back in January that he would be going in with players like Kerry Collins, Calvin Johnson, Ed Reed and Charles Woodson. Stinchcomb won’t be inducted until the ceremony in December, but it seems to be going well for him so far.
"“Well, it was a tremendous honor. It was a great experience to be there at the national title game, especially that my alma mater was contending for it. But since then, you know it’s business as usual. My kids and wife seem to treat me the exact same as before.”"
It’s always great talking to Matt about SEC football. He does great work for ESPN and always gives well-thought out responses on various SEC football topics. More importantly, he continues to be a staple in the Atlanta community for his great work with the Allstate Good Works Team.
SEC football will be here before you know it. Alabama and Georgia fans should be excited for another season full of national title aspirations. Auburn, Mississippi State and South Carolina fans can look forward to another great fall as well.
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As for the other nine member institutions, you’ve got 12 games to make your mark. Prove the doubters wrong, as it will make this great football league even more compelling. We’re one day closer to fall Saturdays down south, and that’s all that matters!