HOOVER, Ala. — Ex-coach no name for SEC
Lane Kiffin, the one-and-done Tennessee coach, has been taking his licks at SEC football media days, overtly and subtly, at the hands of reporters,coaches and administrative personnel.
“The former Tennessee coach, I didn’t pay him much attention,” South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier said.
During SEC Commissioner Mike Slive’s remarks Wednesday, he mentioned the conference’s three new coaches - Kentucky’s Joker Phillips, Vanderbilt’s Robbie Caldwell and Tennessee’s Derek Dooley - and the men they replaced by name, except for one.
Dooley replaced Kiffin,whose 2009 season at Tennessee was marked by controversial comments which frequently upset Slive and some SEC coaches. Kiffin bolted after the season to return to Southern California, replacing Pete Carroll as coach.
“Derek Dooley’s predecessor left to return his West Coast roots,” Slive said, eliciting chuckles. “And I welcome Coach Dooley back to the SEC. And when I say, ‘Welcome,’ I mean, ‘Welcome.’ ”
Florida Coach Urban Meyer - who had been accused falsely of breaking NCAA rules by Kiffin - also didn’t mention him by name, but praised Dooley.
“I have a lot of respect for the new coach at Tennessee,” Meyer said. “I’ve spent a lot of time talking to him.
“You can tell he has everything in order. He’s a high character guy. That’s nice to see.” No cover boy
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino didn’t go into a lot of detail about the decision to have quarterback Ryan Mallett alone on the cover of the 2010 media guide, but he did have one clear objective.
“The No. 1 thing I wanted to make sure we did with the cover was not have me on it,” he said, smiling. “Ryan is a much better-looking guy. It’s a great picture of him.”
Comic Caldwell
It remains to be seen how many games Robbie Caldwell will win as Vanderbilt’s coach, but he definitely won over the print media room Thursday.
Caldwell, who a few days ago was an obscure offensive line coach, shined in the spotlight brought about by the surprising retirement of Bobby Johnson.
Media members had so much fun listening to Caldwell’s self-deprecating humor laced with a strong Southern twang, he got applause after his question and-answer session.
South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier, apprised of Caldwell’s showing by a reporter, was asked if he was worried about being surpassed as one of the league’s most quotable coaches.
“No, I’m not worried about that at all,” Spurrier said. “I don’t think I’ve won enough games lately to have any outlandish quotes.”
Hightower back
Linebacker Dont’a Hightower is back and ready to start for the Alabama defense after missing the final 10 games last season.
Hightower suffered torn ligaments in his left knee in the Crimson Tide’s 35-7victory over Arkansas in Week 4 and underwent season-ending surgery. He watched as Alabama finished 14-0 to win its first national championship since 1992.
“Hunger is one of the things that motivates me the most,” Hightower said. “When you play football your whole life and it gets taken away from you, it’s a really big thing. I’m just motivated to be back on the field.”
Hightower, who has 80 career tackles in 18 games, could be used at weakside linebacker and rush end.
Sports, Pages 23 on 07/23/2010