Arkansas' Bielema was by far the best thing at SEC Media Days
HOOVER, Ala. -- For all the love that Steve Spurrier and Les Miles get from my media brethren for their colorful quotes and seemingly no-filter sensibilities, Bret Bielema gets my vote for the star of SEC Media Days. I know Miles arrives here Thursday with LSU, but he's going to have to really crank up his energy to top Bielema.
From the ridiculously glitzy Nikes (pictures don't do them justice) to his endless run of did-he-really-just-say-that comments, the Arkansas head Hog had a blast, and so did pretty much everyone watching him. The guy described the moment in the Texas Bowl after Arkansas, dominating Texas and up 31-7, knelt on the ball near the Horns' goal line as a "proud moment -- borderline erotic."
Here are some highlights from Bielema's day in Hoover:
* On those wild shoes, which one-upped the crazy Yeezys Miss. State's Dan Mullen wore here yesterday: "First thing I said was, 'Hell, let's start a little Nike-adidas war.'" He later referred to Mullen's footwear as those "Kanye West or East or whatever shoes."
* On putting his O-line on the team's media guide: "Selfishly, it's the only group that I feel good about taking a picture with." But he added that there was a more practical rationale beyond just that it honors his program's identity. With QBs or some other positions, it's harder to stockpile talent and build depth because those other positions are less inclined to sit. Better still, QBs love great O-lineman. So do running backs. And so do wideouts. So by showcasing the linemen, Arkansas can build great OL depth and potentially win a lot of games.
"I can show an offensive lineman when he comes on an official visit and just went to LSU, Alabama, USC, Michigan and Ohio State, and there's a program cover sitting on my desk that I can tell that mom and dad why that happened, it goes a long way," Bielema said. "There's a reason I let (OL) Sebastian Tretola throw a pass. I knew it would create notoriety. I knew I would get interviewed afterwards. I knew I would say, 'Be an offensive lineman, come to Arkansas and I'll make you famous.'"
Bielema seemed to relish every moment from what can be a mind-numbing process of getting whisked from one media suite to another for three hours of many of the same questions.
Bielema is just a perfect fit for this circus. He's big, loud, engaging, feisty and clever.
At the end of all his sessions, he and his three players headed upstairs in the hotel to gather up their stuff before leaving. Bielema said he takes the same approach he suggests to his players in this setting: Don't come in here dragging your feet with bad body language. "Knock it out of the park and have fun with it."
On Wednesday, he sure did.
More from SEC Media Days:
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The next Matthews brother is 15 and already 6-foot-4, 320 pounds
Florida's defense is loaded with future NFL first-round picks
Bruce Feldman is a senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FOX Sports 1. He is also a New York Times Bestselling author. His new book, The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks, came out in October, 2014. Follow him on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB and get all of his content on Facebook.
