Motivation for Arch Manning, a conference breakaway and what we're hearing at SEC media days | Bohls

TAMPA, Fla. - While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:

1. Oh, the outrage

The Athletic, of all people, gave Arch Manning a rare compliment, but even so not the biggest kind of salute and more of the back-handed variety. The website that last September dubbed the Texas quarterback the biggest flop of this new era of college football surveyed about three dozen NFL coaches, GMs and scouts and other talent evaluators to rank every one of the 138 starters in Division 1. And while Manning was listed among the top tier of those, he nevertheless was rated only seventh, one spot behind Austin Vandegrift product and new Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Heck, the Texas junior even fell below former Duke and new Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, which may qualify as faint praise. The top five in order were Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss, Oregon's Dante Moore, Notre Dame's C.J. Carr, Mensah, and Ohio State's Julian Sayin. Texas A&M's Marcel Reed came in 13th, and Brad Jackson, Texas State's prolific passer, was ranked 27th.…. One Power 4 head coach, who was anonymous, called Manning "just OK" and "a bit overhyped." Another said Manning is just good, but not great. "I'm not a huge Arch fan," the second Power 4 head coach said. "I think he's just a good player. All (the mechanics) are clean. I don't know, there's something about guys who win. In high school, he didn't win championships. College, it's only been one year but he still hasn't. He doesn't win." … Well, Steve Sarkisian at least has some motivational material for his star player.

2. Georgia took a bit of a different approach to the season

Coach Kirby Smart took his leadership group white water rafting in North Carolina in the offseason. Naturally, quarterback Gunner Stockton was at the front of the boat, which he explained "was the most risky position." He said his senior leader "chose to jump into that seat. I think that says a lot about who he is. He leads from the front. He takes hits. He embodies everything our program is about in toughness, in culture, and the love for his university." … Smart also used the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder as a role model for his team. "We chose to study a successful brand or team or follow someone, and this year the reigning NBA champions at the time was the OKC Thunder and they talked about being uncommon and how you can be uncommon in today's world." Two of his players mentioned how the Thunder led the league in loose balls attained, which translates to effort. … Smart was also his usual feisty self. When a Huntsville, Ala., radio man mentioned the question mark of the Bulldogs' young wide receivers, Smart said, "I'm very thankful for people like you, Steve, that keep questioning them, because the more you question them, the more it helps me motivate them. So everybody says they don't listen to you guys. The wide receivers are listening, so they'll have a new challenge issued based on your question." … Few have an easier path to the CFP than Georgia, which boasts eight home games including Florida in nearby Atlanta and four of its last six. The Dawgs open the season against fodder Tennessee State and Western Kentucky. Did you know Georgia has the youngest roster in the FBS? The Bulldogs' average age is 19.81 years, according to a RotoWire study. Texas and Ohio State are equally youthful. … Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz has been as consistent as any coach in the SEC over the past three seasons. But last year he was 8-0 against unranked teams and 0-5 against ranked programs. He's also 0-16 against SEC teams with a winning record in the league, according to Pick Six Previews. That's the worst mark in the SEC. …Josh Heupel will have a new starting quarterback for the fifth straight season and seventh in the last nine years and will start a true freshman (five-star Faizon Brandon or 6-foot-6, 201-pound redshirt freshman George McIntyre) this fall at Tennessee.

3. Kentucky, you have a winner

Well, probably. Will Stein, one of six new SEC head coaches, brings a ton of experience and comes after a successful run as Oregon's offensive coordinator. He has been around the block, but looks younger than his 36 years. He sure brings some braggadocio to Lexington and the SEC. He has his work cut out for him because the Wildcats have won only two conference championships in their history - only one outright under Bear Bryant in 1950 - finished as a ranked team just 10 times and has won seven or fewer games in a season 42 of the last 48 years. However, when he was asked why he thinks he can win big at Kentucky, the first-year head coach said, "I think because of me, to be honest." You got to love his candor and confidence. The Cats brought in 45 new players and built a new $3 million weight room. "This is going to be a tough program. Football is the toughest game played by tough men. It's physically demanding and mentally exhausting. Guess what, life is tough, too. The one thing I refuse to be is soft-minded.… Stein spent three years in Austin on Charlie Strong's Longhorn staff and before that two years as the offensive coordinator for Hank Carter at Lake Travis. Stein gave the Cavaliers some flowers Monday. "One of the great joys in my life was spending two years with Hank Carter at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas," Stein said. "It taught me how to call plays. I was put in a situation where they already won six titles, I believe, up to that point, a coaching staff that was veteran, seasoned, knew what winning looked like. They took a young 28-year-old, know-it-all offensive coordinator from the University of Texas into their staff. It taught me that you can be normal and still coach football. You can have a family and life outside of football, when you can. That brotherhood is still part of the coaching world that still exists. So I'm forever grateful for my time at Lake Travis." … Asked who's the best receiver in the SEC, South Carolina's 6-5 junior wideout Nyck Harbor said, "You're looking at him." Better than Cam Coleman, I asked. "I'll say so. I'll say I'm the best in the country." He's still chagrined over the meltdown against A&M when the Gamecocks blew a 30-3 halftime lead. "We got too high on ourselves. You got to finish. You can point to the World Cup when England was playing Argentina. Just got to keep putting your foot on their necks." He scored an 81-yard touchdown on A&M and ran into the Kyle Field tunnel, only to be abruptly and rudely bumped by a DPS trooper. "I don't remember too much," he said coyly. "I think we should be worried (talking) about the touchdown." … Harbor added that former Longhorn running back Christian Clark excelled in the spring. "He brings energy. He brings explosiveness. He brings hard running. He's going to make a lot of plays. Can't wait to block for him. Hope he scores a lot of touchdowns.." Clark's new running backs coach is another former Longhorn in Stan Drayton, who coached at Penn State last year.

4. Austin's finest

Vanderbilt running back Sedrick Alexander, decked out in a custom sleeveless tuxedo courtesy of Men's Wearhouse and looking very dapper, said he might even consider coming back next season for a fifth year with the new NCAA eligibility rule. But the Austin LBJ product already has his college degree. He's been instrumental in flipping the Commodores' reputation. … Speaking of flipping, head coach Clark Lea got five-star freshman Jared Curtis, the No. 2 quarterback by 247Sports and highest recruit in school history, to switch from Georgia to Vandy. The 6-3, 230-pound rookie has the inside track to start although Blaze Berlowitz has been in the system for three years and plays more like the scrambling, versatile Diego Pavia. Whoever starts won't be the only new face in the offense because Vandy has to replace four starters in the line. "He definitely got my attention," Alexander said of Curtis. "He definitely has the potential to start. His arm talent is crazy." … South Carolina was ranked as one of 10 teams with a top-20 portal class and top-20 recruiting class. Seven of those transfers either played on a national champion team or at least a CFP team in 2025. Coach Shane Beamer had just four senior starters in 2025 and wanted to get older. … He  said nine of the 10 toughest schedules belong to SEC teams. His Gamecocks finished a depressing 4-8 season, which included a "heartbreaking" 31-30 road loss to Texas A&M and six defeats that were one-score games in the fourth quarter. South Carolina led in three of those in the final period. "We don't seek comfort in that," Beamer said. "But a lot of programs might have come back to half-empty stadiums the next week, and our stadium was sold out the next week against Coastal Carolina. When a College Station reporter brought up that loss, Beamer quipped, ‘Can we not? That was a tough day.'

5. SEC breaking away

I ain't buying it. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said nothing to tamp down the controversial subject Monday, but I truly wonder if the SEC's heart is in it, given the worry about antitrust litigation and the problems that would arise from self governance. Maybe the SEC and Big Ten and possibly even the ACC could break away and form their own super league, but I'd be shocked to see it happen. "You phrased the question, ‘How real? ' So I'll take that as, like, real or not. So they're real," Sankey said in response to a question. "People have talked about that. They've opined about the frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different." … Sankey added that, "I do not believe that is a leverage point - I think that's just honest communication. I would prefer that stay in a meeting room or on a video conference and not be part of the D1 ticker the next morning, but I don't control all of that." … The SEC and Big Ten remain at odds about the size of future expansion of the CFP, and the SEC remains the lone outsider favoring a move to 16 teams instead of the 24 preferred by the Big Ten. Sankey pointed out the 13 team national championships the league won last academic year although he's well aware that the Big Ten won titles in football (for a third straight year) and men's and women's basketball. "I think there is meaning and value (in the 13 championships) and I do think a national expectation that we participate in a national organization. But that national organization must function in a healthy manner; otherwise, that simmering will continue." … The SEC averaged more than 80,000 a game last year, which is staggering.

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6. Targeting a much-needed rule change

The powers made it less punitive. Finally, college football has tweaked the targeting rule that removes a player from competition. First-time offenders will sit out the rest of that game but be allowed to play in the entire next game to follow. Second-time offenders are punished with immediate dismissal and a first-half suspension for the following game while third-time offenders miss the entire following game. There has been no three-time offender in the past five seasons.

7. Playing at the next level

Here's what The Athletic had to say about Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins, the Mets' third-round draft pick. "Robbins started lifting the ball more this year after transferring from Seton Hall and translated his raw power into in-game power with 24 homers. It's a complicated setup at the plate, and he doesn't hit off-speed stuff at all, but there's bat speed and enough athleticism to see defensive value in an outfield corner." … The Mets also took Texas A&M left-hander Shane Sdao a round later, and the article called him "one of the best seniors in the class. He returned this year from Tommy John surgery to see his velocity drop a little but command and control stay mostly intact. He can flash a plus slider and offers a curveball and changeup. Check back in March to see if he has his velocity back." … Finally, The Athletic liked what it saw out of Longhorn starter Ruger Riojas but isn't certain about where he'll wind up. "He saw his velo bump this year, sitting 94-96 with a 55 changeup along with a cutter and a short curveball. He's pretty aggressive and throws strikes, so he could be a backend starter (for the Phillies), although I think he's more likely a reliever in the end." … The writer, Keith Law, also gave high marks to former Longhorn Will Gasparino, who finished his college career at UCLA with a career-best 20 strikeouts, and said he was "the best pick for value in the Phillies' draft." … The article said A&M's Chris Hacopian "could profile at second base if the back injury is a temporary issue, with enough upside as a hitter to project as an above-average regular." … Law said he likes Texas prep pitcher and Nationals draftee Cooper Harris "a ton at this (fourth-round) spot in the draft.

8. Scattershooting

While wondering whatever happened to former Longhorn wideout Limas Sweed, who had the winning touchdown against Ohio State in 2005.

9. At the box office

Yes, "The Odyssey" is finally here, and yes, the three-hour film delivers in a powerful way as only a Christopher Nolan film can do. It's large, it's in-your-face brutal, it's a reminder that the classics like Homer's poem can be both enlightening, stimulating and fun. It's also a battle between good and evil on so many levels, including the movie's hero, as well played by Matt Damon as anyone could as his character wrestles with his role as a Greek king who conjures up the Trojan horse but simultaneously agonizes over the raping and pillaging of Troy. Go ahead and engrave his name on the Oscar. Nolan's, too, as director and screenwriter. If you want to name Anne Hathaway the early favorite for Best Actress, I'll not argue with you. Nolan gave us a masterpiece that comes close to being as riveting as "Oppenheimer" or "Dark Knight." Now I'm not sure what Odysseus was thinking when he chose to leave Charlize Theron to jump on a flimsy raft to continue his journey home to Ithaca. This movie has everything from a chilling Cyclops to giant soldiers to sirens to a witch capable of changing humans into animals. Gave it 9 ducks.

Crazy prediction

The surprise team of the SEC will be South Carolina, which has three superstars in Harbor, quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart but finishes with Georgia and Clemson as their last two games.

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