DALLAS — As the 2024 SEC Media Days slowly comes to a close, several teams across the SEC had items to discuss regarding the “new-standard in college football,” the Georgia Bulldogs. Several players and coaches chimed in on Kirby Smart, his team and their playstyle; here is what they had to say.

Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss head coach)

Q. How much did last year’s Georgia game impact the way you tried to attack the portal this year?

A. “You know, I think that — I guess I said it after the game, you know, we’ve got to recruit better. That was not a shot towards our players because I hate that. We got to coach better, but we as coaches got to recruit better in our thinking and evaluations and so forth. One of the big things was, I just thought, should happen in a few games over our time here, really with Alabama and Georgia, was there was a length and size issue.”

“You know, both Kirby and Coach Saban, you learn from Coach Saban there is an impact profile they recruit to of size. That’s — that’s not easy to do everywhere. Everybody would love to have every player 6’5″. I do think we address that and I do think in that game it was glaring.”

Shane Beamer (South Carolina head coach)

Q. You’re at a program that’s trying to build and reach the Alabamas and the Georgias. Then [the SEC] adds in Oklahoma and Texas, two more programs from my perspective you got to leap over. How does that make your job tougher? And as a coach do you say, what the heck are you doing here?

A. “No, I think it’s great. It’s a testament to Commissioner Sankey and our league that Oklahoma and Texas want to be a part of this conference, for one. Competition is a core value of your program and we’re all about competing. You want to compete against the best. You want to coach against the best. That’s what you get to do in the SEC. I can’t spend a ton of time worrying about the other teams in this league. For me, and I know it’s cliche, it’s doing the very best job I can every day for our program and trying to continue to move it forward.”

Tre Harris (Ole Miss wide receiver)

Q. What do you remember about going to Georgia, the atmosphere that was there last year now, you guys get to return the favor. What’s it going to be like for them coming into Oxford, what’s the atmosphere going to be there?

A. “Definitely returning the favor, for sure. I remember the atmosphere being an extreme atmosphere. A lot of fans, talking crazy. It’s something you get used to once you get to this level. My expectation going into next year whenever they come into Ole Miss is, give the same thing back to them. I know our fans will do what they’re supposed to do, and they’ll come out and support us as much as possible, and they’re going to do what they’re supposed to do.”

CJ Taylor (Vanderbilt linebacker)

Q. We’re getting to know [former Vanderbilt wide receiver] London Humphreys over at Georgia. What did you see from him as a teammate last year, and what do you feel he’s capable of at Georgia?

A. “He’s fast. Obviously the speed’s there. Whenever he was at Vanderbilt, we were close. Obviously I mentored him a little bit. He’s a good guy. High character.”

Tyler Booker (Alabama offensive lineman)

Q. What do you think of your former coach, Coach Saban, picking Texas and Georgia to play in the title game? Is that early rat poisoning for this group?

A. “Not necessarily. You can’t pay attention to things this early in the year, I don’t deal in hypotheticals. He taught me that, so he would be glad to hear me say that.”

“(Saban) always said don’t let some guy who lives in his mom’s basement determine how you feel. I’m not going to let a guy who plays golf all day determine how I feel.”

Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State head coach)

Q. I’m not sure who you might have ticked off at the SEC office, but I noticed in your first two road games, it’s Georgia and Texas. Wonder what you thought when you saw that.

A. “Again, to me, that is part of the league that we’re living in. I’ve continued to talk about this. You want to do it with the best. You want to do it against the best. We’re going to have every opportunity in the world to show everyone actually who we are as a program and as a football team, and I look at that as an opportunity for our guys.”

Shemar James (Florida linebacker)

Q. OU-Texas comes in with a heated rivalry, it’s one of the best in college football, but you have a rivalry. You go to Jacksonville every year, neutral site, just like OU-Texas, what’s it like playing Georgia in that atmosphere, a neutral setting?

A. “It’s amazing. You come over the hill, coming down the hill it’s split, blue and red, so it’s a tradition that’s going to keep continuing to thrive and it’s amazing. It’s a lot of emotion coming into that game, yes, sir, for sure.”

Quinn Ewers (Texas quarterback)

Q. When we spoke with Kirby Smart the other day he mentioned the Alabama-Texas game and he said that can prove that Texas is ready to play in the SEC. You were a huge part of that. Take me back to that game, and do you agree with Coach Smart that that was proving to the SEC that y’all are ready to be here?

A. “I think that shows what we are capable of as a whole. I think the biggest thing for us is, yeah, we’re capable of playing games the way we played that one. Now we have to really do it on a much more consistent level. Because week in, week out, we’re playing a tough opponent. I definitely can agree with that.

Going into Alabama and playing one of the hardest stadiums to play in, and, you know, against one of the greatest coaches ever is definitely not easy to go in there and accomplish what we accomplished.”