Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

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Preseason SEC Media Poll Shared

At the end of SEC Media Days, 213 members of the media came together to vote on the proposed finish of the SEC.

165 of the 213 members voted Georgia to finish 1st, who is projected to win the conference in 2024.

Following Georgia is Texas (27), Alabama (12), Ole Miss (4), and LSU (2).

South Carolina (1) and Vanderbilt (2) also picked up first place votes despite finishing 13th and 16th overall, out of 16.

Other newcomer Oklahoma finished 8th overall, one spot ahead of Texas A&M. Programs with hot seat coaches, Florida, and Arkansas, finished 12th and 14th, respectively.

Preseason All-SEC Teams Shared

The media’s preseason All-SEC team was shared at the conclusion of the SEC Media Days.

Leading the way on the 1st Team is Georgia with 6 players, closely followed by Alabama’s 5. Alabama, however, takes the slight edge across all 3 teams named, with a total of 16 players compared to Georgia’s 15.

Ole Miss transfer Walter Nolen is one of a couple transfers to crack the 1st Team, along with Trevor Etienne.

New to the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma both had a pair of players make the 1st Team (Kelvin Banks Jr. and Bert Auburn, Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman)

4-Star ATH Zymear Smith Commits to Maryland

4-Star ATH Zymear Smith committed to Maryland yesterday over Penn State and South Carolina, among others.

Smith previously spent much of the spring committed to Alabama, but decommitted back on July 3rd. He was most heavily recruited, in tandem, by the co-defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and the offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

The On3 composite ranking places Smith as the 368th overall ranked recruit and the 12th best for the ATH position designation.

This is Maryland’s 3rd Blue Chip commitment and 21st overall commitment for a 2025 class which ranks 34th nationally and 10th in the new look Big Ten.

Straw Poll: Best QB in the SEC

On3’s Jesse Simonton ran a simple straw poll of 50 media members during SEC Media Days to try and figure out who the best QB is for the SEC going into 2024.

With 31 of 50 votes, Georgia’s Carson Beck leads the way. 4 other QBs received votes: Texas’ Ewers (8), Ole Miss’ Dart (5), Alabama’s Milroe (5), and Missouri’s Cook (1).

Texas A&M OL: Mike Elko Has Cracked Down on Accountability Issue at Texas A&M

Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn shared during SEC Media Days that new Aggies Head Coach Mike Elko has greatly cracked down on the accountability issue that exists with the Texas A&M program.

Between making sure the athletes are also getting to class or team meetings on time, Coach Elko has really cracked down on players being where they are supposed to be. As Zuhn put it, if you can’t trust that a player will be where he’s supposed to be off the field, how can you trust them to do the right thing on the field.

As for Coach Elko, he said he’s not focusing on what might or might not be different from when the program was run by Jimbo Fisher, Elko is just worried about making sure he prioritizes what he believes is important to prioritize with a program, and if it is different, so be it.

Sam Pittman: Expectations Are as High as Ever

At SEC Media Days, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is excited about Arkansas’ 2024 season, but also acknowledges that the pressure and expectations are as high as ever.

Pittman took over for an Arkansas program that went 4-20 in the 2 seasons prior, which Pittman pointed out he and his staff was able to turn around to 9-4, so 4-8 should also be manageable.

The Razorbacks are bringing in former Boise State QB Taylen Green to headline the 20-person transfer portal class.

Attorney of Former Utah State HC Blake Anderson Shares Statement

Former Utah State coach Blake Anderson’s attorney released a statement describing Anderson’s situation.

Mars likened Anderson’s situation to a judge telling a jury a defendant is guilty before a trial. Mars said that this is a situation where good people are being scapegoated so that the university can portray itself as a Title IX champion.

If Anderson were to be found to have done what Utah State is accusing him of, he would be owed nothing of his buyout. If Anderson wins the case, he would be owed $4.5 million from Utah State.

Why Mike Elko Could Have Quick Success with Texas A&M

A well-known name in Texas A&M media – TexAgs’ Billy Liucci – was on Andy Staples’ recent podcast episode.

Both agreed that Elko knowing some of the team from being defensive coordinator is valuable, but the biggest value comes from understanding Texas A&M. Though Elko left to be Duke’s head coach, it’s not like the pros and cons that come with coaching at Texas A&M magically disappeared.

By not having to learn that on the fly, both Staples and Liucci believe that there should be a limited learning curve for Elko.

NFL.com Daniel Jeremiah: Carson Beck Reminds Me of Eli Manning

NFL.com analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah took some time to share that Carson Beck reminds him of former Ole Miss QB and #1 overall pick, Eli Manning.

Jeremiah pointed out that based on Beck’s size and play style, he excels from the pocket and plays to his size – both characteristics which defined the younger Manning’s game.

Manning also won his first NFL title behind a good rushing attack that still necessitated him to make big plays in key moments, which sounds a lot like Beck with Georgia.

Texas HC Sarkisian: Obsession in the Locker Room

Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian shared during SEC Media Days that there is currently an obsession taking hold of the Texas Longhorn locker room.

And this obsession is not with the new EA Sports College Football video game, it’s with winning, getting back to the playoff, and accomplishing even more than before.

Sarkisian shared that his players couldn’t wait to get back to work on the field and in the weight room after losing to Washington in the Playoff to end the 2023 season.

Other Commitments/Decommitments